Chapter 522: Fighting for Treasure
Roots spread over the stone island. Gnarly, twisting things, colored a bright green which stood in contrast with the dark waters below. The roots wrapped around the island surface and dove into the water, from which they absorbed energy. Massive bulges came from the parts steeped in the ocean, then traveled the length of the root backward until they reached the thing in its center.
And what a thing it was. A massive vine, all green and no flowers. Its slender body wrapped tightly around itself, climbing three hundred feet into the sky, made of multiple smaller vines coiling and uncoiling around each other as if strangling something at the very center.
Intense life energy radiated from the vine. Jack had sensed it from a dozen stone islands away—whatever this was, it had to be extremely precious!
“What do you think, bro?” Brock asked. “Worth it?”
“Always,” Jack replied. “The vine itself doesn’t seem sentient. The problem is that guy.”
A huge snake was wrapped around the base of the vine. Its massive scaly body rose and fell with each breath, the snake obviously asleep. They couldn’t see its head, but its body was a hundred feet in width, the same gray color as the stone beneath. If it wasn’t coiled around the green vine, it might as well have been invisible. Even now, Jack could see it with his perception, but he couldn’t detect any energy coming from it.
An ambush predator. A terrifying one. Unlike the tentacle creature they fought before, this snake had solidly stepped into the middle A-Grade.
“This monster is strong enough to rule its own galaxy,” Starhair said. “Yet, here it is, guarding a plant.”
“This place is blown out of proportion,” Jack agreed, slowly standing. “I have no idea why, but I hope to find out. For now, let’s kill this thing.”