The Black Forest might not cover a vast expanse of land, yet it could pose so challenges. Fortunately, the half-abomination swept all obstacles along their way; therefore, they all had a smooth journey, encountering no difficulties on the path. However, the edges of the Black Forest painted a different picture altogether. Adjacent to a vacant lot, the land appeared barren and almost desolate. Perhaps due to its proximity to the forest, the vegetation struggled to thrive here, and as a result, the ground was littered with gravel, while clumps of withered, yellowed weeds scattered here and there.
Towards the end of the barren terrain, a small-scale ruin stood in the distance, consisting of about a dozen dilapidated buildings. So of the structures still had homade, rudintary canopies, while outside lay scattered tricycles and motorcycles in a state of disrepair. In the vicinity, a group of middle-aged laborers could be seen, each of them wielding saws and straining to cut through the wood. As they heard a rustling from the nearby woods, they imdiately looked up and spotted Xiao Yu and his entourage making their way towards them. These workers quickly ceased their labor, casting uneasy glances at each other and arming themselves with weapons such as axes.
It turns out that the area is inhabited after all.
Though the small size of the settlent could explain why Xiao Yu missed it during his initial exploration. Upon closer inspection, the place resembled a modest county or a small town, with the tallest buildings no more than three or four stories high, their simple and unrefined exteriors belying any indication of a bustling tropolis. The local people have notably dark skin and give off the distinct impression of being farrs, perhaps because they were accustod to physical labor.
The standoff persisted for several minutes as the opposing sides sized each other up. Eventually, more than a hundred people erged from the other side, including a dozen or so won and children. Among them was a dark-skinned, gray-haired man, who appeared both short and stout. Fixing his gaze upon the opposing party, he bellowed out a warning: This is our territory. What are you doing here? Leave imdiately, and dont attempt any deceit, or we will not hesitate to treat you harshly. Youve been warned!
The mans pronunciation was notably non-standard. As both Xiao Yu and Jiang Xiaowen hailed from the south, they could deduce that the man was speaking in a regional dialect common to that area. While so of his words were difficult to comprehend, the tone of the mans voice was unmistakable in its hostility. Indeed, the others in his party shared in his animosity, evidenced by their rising tempers and quick acquisition of weaponsincluding those dropped by monsters, as well as basic tools such as hoes and hatchets.
Du Tao quickly stepped forward with his hands held high, seeking to reason with the hostile group. He assured them that he and his companions were rely passing through and had no intention of causing any trouble. The locals appeared to be sowhat skeptical, but after noticing that most of the newcors carried bulky backpacks, they began to let their guard down. Gradually, their expressions began to soften, and they seed less convinced that the outsiders posed any imdiate threat to their territory.
Just as he was about to speak, a poor farr yelled, If youre just passing through, then pass through. We dont accept strangers camping out here for the night. You should leave imdiately!
Du Tao smiled wryly and shook his head, Okay, lets go now!
Xiao Yu had no intention of lingering anyway, so he decided it would be best to avoid wasting ti with further conversation. He quickly led his companions into the woods on the other side and continued on their way.
As he observed the group moving briskly away, the man, who had earlier appeared to be a hardened poor farr, was slightly taken aback. He questioned them, Are you truly just passing through here?
Wang Chao rolled his eyes and said, Nonsense, look at you; you are so poor. Even if fatty wants to steal sothing, he wouldnt co here!
The man with the appearance of a poor farr looked back at his companions and gestured for them to lower their weapons. He then spoke with a mischievous smile, My na is Zhou Fu. So, you are really just passing through? Where are you headed?
Wang Chao was a little impatient, None of your business, you wanted to drive us away just now; are you going to hold us back now?
Hehehe Zhou Fu laughed dryly for a while, No, no, were very familiar with this area. We can guide you for a certain distance, and it will be much safer for you along the road.
Wang Chao grew annoyed upon hearing this: Are you guys still worried that we wont leave?
Zhou Fus wrinkled, dark old face broke into another mischievous smile, with a hint of cunning flashing in his bright eyes.
Du Tao quickly intervened and tried to calm the situation. He politely smiled at Zhou Fu and said, We didnt lie to you, old man. But if you could show us the way and help us avoid so dangers, we would be sincerely grateful.
Zhou Fu readily accepted Du Taos request and promptly signaled seven or eight strapping young n, each clutching a weapon, to lead the way. Du Tao and the others were taken aback by their prompt action, as they did not expect the farrs would really do what they said.
However, with local acquaintances leading the way, many dangers on the path could be avoided. Hence, no one had any misgivings, except for Xiao Yu, who narrowed his eyes slightly.
Xiao Yus intuition told him that this seemingly honest old farr was not trustworthy.
If Zhou Fu and his group were really concerned that they would not leave, then he must be wary of them, fearing that they were a group of evildoers. That being the case, how could he dare to lead the way with only six to seven people? This raised suspicions in Xiao Yus mind. If they were truly a group of evildoers, shouldnt the other party be afraid that they could overpower them? Moreover, there was a risk that they, Xiao and the others, could suddenly turn around and attack Zhou Fu and his group on the way, and then go back to their gathering place.
But he only thought about it and didnt say anything out loud.
Under the guidance of Zhou Fu, the group of over a hundred people walked into the forest at a much faster pace. Not a single monster was spotted along the way, and after walking for about an hour and a half, they finally reached a particularly dense part of the forest. Zhou Fu and the others were a little tired, so they sat down on a tree root to rest
At that mont, Fei shouted in excitent, Look! Theres a huge fruit tree ahead with so many fruits! Tonight, not only can we savor Master Sun Dazhus delicious food, but we can also taste the freshness of these fruits. Hahaha! Wait here, Ill go pick them right away.
As he spoke, he ran towards the fruit tree in the woods.
As Fei exclaid in surprise, everyones attention was drawn to the large fruit tree in front of them. It stood tall, reaching over 20 ters with a crown that resembled an umbrella. The tree was huge, and its branches were adorned with attractive red fruits that hung from them in abundance.
Xiao Yu cast a suspicious look at the fruit tree and noticed sothing strange about it. He then turned to Zhou Fu and saw the group of people quietly retreating. Realizing sothing was amiss, Xiao Yu quickly shouted, prompting everyone to run back.
Sun Fei, stop!
Xiao Yus face changed as if he had co to his senses, and he shouted hastily.
Fei ran towards the big fruit tree and exclaid, Wait a minute, Ill pick so right away! He arrived at the bottom of the tree as he kept chattering, Its so hot in here, eating a few wild fruits can satisfy our hunger.
Without warning, a huge tree root burst out of the ground like a long spear, directly piercing Feis chest and coming out from behind, abruptly interrupting his words. Everyone was shocked, and Tian Hongguang and his wife even cried out in horror.
Feis eyes widened in shock, and before he could even react, two more roots pierced his body, followed by a third and a fourth and then more than a dozen more in quick succession, turning him into a human pincushion.
No blood flowed out, because in an instant, all his blood was sucked clean, leaving only a withered corpse behind.
In a sudden turn of events, the big tree ca alive as hundreds of roots and vines began to move, quickly surrounding everyone from all directions. Green vines and barbed roots flew through the air like countless branches, with ferocious arms that made people feel fearful.
A dryad! This is a monster in the late stage of the first order! Xiao Yu took out his blade and said angrily, Damn it, that old bastard really wants us dead. Everyone, fall back!
He ford a blazing fla in his left hand and extended it towards the dryad, unleashing a scorching fireball that blasted through the forest. As he did, hundreds of tree roots and vines entwined quickly to form a thick net that blocked the blast fla skill and caused it to explode with a loud bang, shattering the net into pieces. However, the dryad itself appeared to have suffered little damage.
The Dryad, infuriated by the attack, leaped into rage. The ground trembled as nurous green vines erged from beneath, wrapping around a large group of people in an instant. Sharp, pointed branches and roots shot towards everyone, with so aid directly at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu engaged, and the cyan light of his blade danced to chop up all the roots attacking him.
Yun Yun shot a rocket like flaming projectile, and the powerful arrow penetrated deeply into the dryads body, causing it to suffer serious injuries. As the fla power burned a large part of its body, the dryad realized that Yun Yun posed a significant threat and retaliated by mobilizing more than a dozen roots to shoot at her.
Yunyun reacted quickly and took several steps back, while several mbers of the Hawks on both sides stood up and brandished their weapons to help her defend. However, during this process, one of the Hawks was accidentally caught by a swinging tree root that penetrated his left chest and pierced his heart, draining him of blood and killing him on the spot. anwhile, Yunyun was hit in the back by another swinging branch, which broke two of her ribs, and she spat out a mouthful of blood before falling to the ground.
Fortunately, soone behind her had quick reflexes and grabbed her, pulling her out of harms way just in ti. The wooden root ant to impale her instead pierced the ground where she was standing monts before.
The three teams witnessed the imnse power of the dryad and they didnt dare to fight any more. They retreated one after another. anwhile, Han Kexins sharp claws moved swiftly like the wind, forming a sharp sh of cold light that sliced apart any vine roots that tried to approach her. Although her combat skills were not weak, she was still at the elentary level. After Xiao Yu took on the bulk of the Wood Demons attention, Han Kexins abilities were only enough to defend herself.
Jiang Xiaowen, Jin Shi, and Wang Chao acted quickly. However, Jiang Xiaowen had used up too much spiritual power in the Black Forest not long ago and could no longer summon her half-abomination. Instead, she wielded a long spear and unleashed a fierce gust of wind with impressive montum, which descended from the sky to smash the dryad.
Jin Shi and Wang Chao stood side by side as Jin Shi entered his state of complete rock formation. He roared and charged towards the dryad, with vines constantly whipping his body, yet leaving no injuries, and thorns of tree roots being blocked by his hard body. He was the fastest one who managed to approach the dryad.
Jinshi raised his warhamr, preparing to strike the dryad, when suddenly, five to six vines fell from above, tightly binding his right arm. Then, a large number of tree roots burst out from beneath his feet, wrapping around him like a rice dumpling, leaving only his eyes visible between the vines. Two small tree roots then pierced toward the only weak point in his bodyhis eyes.
Seeing this, Wang Chao roared and hastily unleashed a blood-red shock wave from his mace, which blasted Jin Shi away. This level of damage could not harm Jin Shi, but it was enough to break all the vines wrapped around his body.
Reviews
All reviews (0)