The Judgment Vine grew in size, getting thicker and taller before the X-men could even react. The overwhelming pressure coming from the vine instantly scared the City Guards. If they couldn't defeat Xuefeng before, how could they stand a chance after he unleashed his powerful ability?
The X-men leader seemed to understand the situation as his barriers swiftly disappeared, releasing them from the lockdown.
"Everyone, leave! We don't need to fight him now!" He called out as he distanced himself as well, flying away from the Judgment Vine with a cautious approach.
They had no confirmation from the higher-ups about the Sect Master Liu issue and the X-men leader didn't have the authority to make such a decision. Trade Union could only suffer greatly if the Sect Master of the most powerful Sect in the Heaven Realm got offended. Anyone in his place would make such a choice.
Another issue was the two words Xuefeng uttered, Forbidden Art. Maybe others didn't know anything about Forbidden Arts, but he did. Those who reached the Immortal Stage were tempted to learn one of the Forbidden Arts, but everyone knew it was an extremely risky business.
Why? Because they were extremely murderous and overpowered, with most of them leading you to become a notorious killer. Because of that, almost all Forbidden Arts users were hunted down with its arts forgotten. Anyone who knew a Forbidden Art by some chance wouldn't openly reveal they did, leaving it as their last defense instead.
The X-men leader got taken by surprise when Xuefeng exposed himself in front of a giant crowd like that. Although he didn't know for sure if Xuefeng's ability was for sure a Forbidden Art, it was definitely not something they could fight.
All City Guards were placed between a choice of kneeling down to surrender or running away. Naturally, they all chose the latter, escaping in the direction of the City and the crowd followed suit. No one was stupid enough to stay nearby without the safety of the barriers.
Too bad, they all chose wrong. There were only two choices.
"I said, kneel or die!" Xuefeng bellowed once again, placing his hand on the vine.
As if a living snake, the vine dove at the ground, causing another earthquake that shook the crowd, causing many to drop on their knees. They couldn't fly away like the City Guard could otherwise they would be penalized by the Almighty Spirit.
Only a second later did they realize how lucky they were.
Boom!
The earth exploded in front of the escaping experts as the Judgment Vine launched itself to the sky, overtaking their retreat. No one was faster than the vine in her natural environment underground.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The massive body of the vine smacked three fastest Black-clothed Cultivators, killing them on the spot before they could even react.
It was too fast!
Pa! Pa!
It snapped like a whip, left and right, smashing anything on its way into pulp like a Kraken from the depth of the ocean, wiggling its tentacles to spread terror.
The red-eagled Captain was much slower which turned out to be the life-saving move. He witnessed the full power of the Judgment Vine which killed Cultivators stronger than him with no chance to defend. With Xuefeng's words still stuck in his mind, he quickly made a decision for his subordinates.
"We can't escape! Get on the ground!"
He didn't hesitate and dove at the ground, kneeling in Xuefeng's direction. Others quickly followed the order, their heads even touching the grass on the even plane. They were humans who only had one life and if simple kneeling could safe them, they would throw their shame away.
In the Heaven Realm where strength ruled over anything, having pride was useless as there was always someone stronger than you.
"Fuck!" The X-men leader cursed as he suddenly teleported away. The vine slapped at his previous position a split second later.
It almost looked as if Xuefeng was killing flies yet unfortunately for them, his vine was just too fast for them. They could only resort to dodging using Ether Qi but from their ground, only the X-men leader had it. He couldn't even warn his subordinates before the vine followed him to the new location, requiring him to teleport once again.
When he finally got to safety, reaching the top of the wall, the sky was clear with no humans left. Every single member of his team was dead, their bodies not even full anymore as they got scattered throughout the land. It was even full of holes and the flat earth was now bumped from the earthquakes.
Though, all Cultivators on the ground were still alive.
"Forbidden Art…" X-men leader muttered, convinced the Judgment Vine was a real deal. Nothing else could unleash such power.
He wanted to stay to watch move when the vine moved once again, diving into the ground.
Rumble!
The whole City Wall began to shake until the vine suddenly exploded right in front of it, surpassing its height in a blink, being almost as wide as a tree.
Poof!
X-men leader didn't bet on his luck, guessing the vine was chasing after him and pulled out a rare teleportation Artefact that instantly sent him away.
The City Guards on the walls panicked at the sight of Judgment Vine so close to the wall and ordered on instinct.
"FIRE!"
All machines attacked at once, sending bullets at the vine and even the Almighty Spirit helped, but that was exactly what Xuefeng wanted.
"Hehehe, you fools…" Xuefeng chuckled in a sinister voice. "That only makes me stronger!"
There was a reason why the Judgment Vine was one of the Forbidden Arts. It was indestructible and absorbed all Qi, feeding on all possible sources. The only disadvantage it had was its immobility, the amount of Qi, and the time it needed to set it up. The base of the vine was still next to Xuefeng, growing thicker and thicker the more Qi was absorbed.
'It's time to go.'
Ming's voice stopped all the fun he had.
************
Author Thoughts:
I don't forget about the chapters I owe. Now it's five! Don't forget to vote!
Goals stay the same as last week!