Green Lock Dragon

Green Lock Dragon

Boom! A thunderclap flashed across the sky, illuminating the vast forest below for only an instant before darkness swallowed it again.

Then the rain came pouring down.

Countless raindrops struck the branches and leaves, merging into an unbroken curtain of sound like a symphony between heaven and earth, drowning out every other noise.

The animals and monsters in the forest instinctively retreated into their nests to shelter from the rain. Most no longer ventured outside.

Yet four figures pressed onward through the darkness.

Before nightfall, Ji Xinghuo and the others had finally seized the chance to rest properly for several hours while their enemies had yet to catch up. Although they had not returned to peak condition, their exhaustion was gone and their spirits were high—enough for an all-out battle.

The team retraced their route, searching for traces of the Forest Patrol Clan.

Ji Xinghuo held a huge leaf over his head like a lotus leaf, blocking most of the rain and keeping his upper body dry.

He sensed the magnetic field changes within a radius of nearly four hundred meters. Raindrops, flowing water, the forest, wild beasts... all matter radiated magnetic fields that intertwined into dense, endless magnetic lines in his mind. Yet they were highly abstract, like trying to find a unique pattern on a screen filled with static.

Fortunately, he had long grown accustomed to the sensation.

With a little concentration, his brain could filter out magnetic fields with minor fluctuations, no movement, or small volume, treating them as background noise.

The three teammates followed close beside Ji Xinghuo. Every one of them was drenched, their feet sinking unevenly into the decaying leaves on the ground and splashing up rainwater.

They struggled onward for more than two hours.

The rain grew heavier, like an inverted waterfall, forming broad pools and deep puddles across the ground.

Ji Xinghuo suddenly stopped and gestured to his teammates.

"Found them."

Ren Mian activated the Thinking Necklace and immediately heard Ji Xinghuo's voice in her mind. He pointed toward the front left. Behind that pitch-black curtain of rain were ten Forest Patrol Clan members.

In fact, Ji Xinghuo had discovered them two or three minutes earlier.

He had waited until they were within three hundred meters before alerting his teammates. He had done the same throughout the past few days, unwilling to reveal his true sensing range.

"About two hundred and ninety meters away."

"Ten Forest Patrol Clan members."

"Six Forest Patrol Warriors. The remaining four are Forest Patrol Hunters."

"They've set up a simple camp to shelter from the rain on top of the slope. Seven are lying down and should be resting. Two are standing guard outside the camp, and one is in a tree acting as a sentry post."

Everything was crystal clear within Ji Xinghuo's Magnetic Field Induction, and he relayed the situation to his teammates.

Ren Mian considered it. "Get closer."

The four carefully approached the Forest Patrol Clan camp. Even with the heavy rain masking their sounds, the Forest Patrol Clan had exceptionally sharp hearing. Once exposed, they would lose the initiative.

When the distance closed to two hundred meters, Ren Mian said, "Cai Yi, use the Phantom Bead."

Jiangnan Caiyi pulled a white bead from beneath her collar. With a gentle squeeze, an invisible ripple of light and shadow spread out, enveloping all four of them and concealing their figures.

The Phantom Bead's effect was identical to Silent Phantom, the core ability of a Phantom Sound Master.

It could create soundless illusions for camouflage or invisibility.

However, the Phantom Bead consumed a great deal of Stellar Force. Jiangnan Caiyi could maintain it for at most around eight minutes, so she rarely used it.

Ren Mian waved toward the front.

Two minutes later.

A low hill appeared in their field of vision. Ji Xinghuo himself could see everything clearly, but he did not know whether his teammates could see as well.

At the hilltop a hundred meters away, several towering trees grew tightly together. The Forest Patrol Clan had built their camp in an open space between the trees, using local materials. They had snapped off armfuls of branches and laid them across forked trunks several meters above the ground, blocking the rain and keeping the camp relatively dry. They had even lit a bonfire.

At that moment, seven Forest Patrol Clan members were gathered around the bonfire.

Their upper bodies were human, but their lower halves resembled horses, so they could not lie down completely. Most knelt with bent knees or lay prone. Even while resting, they remained highly vigilant, ready to spring up at any moment.

Outside the camp, two Forest Patrol Warriors stood guard, each sheltering beneath a patch of tree shade from the rain.

But their eyes constantly swept the surroundings.

There was also a female Forest Patrol Hunter. She had climbed a large tree more than ten meters directly above the camp. Motionless in the darkness, her large figure blended into the shadows of the canopy.

"Xinghuo, take the high ground and attack from range."

"Xiao Chi and I will launch the frontal assault. I'll control the battlefield first; Xiao Chi, find the right moment to break in."

"Cai Yi, sneak in and ambush them."

Ren Mian quickly laid out the tactics, then pointed at the Forest Patrol Clan leader in the camp. "He's a fourth-rank Forest Patrol Warrior, the strongest among them. We need to tie him down first. After we kill the other Forest Patrol Clan members, we'll join forces and kill him. Don't fight him head-on."

The three nodded to show that they understood.

Fourth rank meant four life evolutions, equivalent to an Earth Human Super Esper.

Ji Xinghuo had noticed that Forest Patrol Clan member long ago.

He was taller and sturdier than the others, his skin covered in Crimson War Marks. The pair of black horns on his head were over half a meter long, and a heavy large war blade lay beside him. The other Forest Patrol Clan members seemed deeply afraid of him and did not dare get too close even in camp.

Ren Mian glanced at Ji Xinghuo, signaling that they could begin.

Ji Xinghuo swept his gaze around, selected a large tree, and circled behind it. He took out a bundle of Nano Rope, with a metal block tied to one end as a counterweight, then gently tossed it upward. The rope flew dozens of meters into the air and wrapped around a branch, tightening after several loops.

He grabbed the rope and climbed swiftly upward.

Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands showed off the nimbleness of his hands. His feet occasionally tapped lightly against the trunk as he avoided the branches and leaves above, moving like a monkey.

In just over ten seconds, Ji Xinghuo silently climbed to his chosen position and stood on a thick horizontal branch.

From here, he could overlook the entire camp and fire down upon the enemy.

"I'm ready."

As Ji Xinghuo sent the signal, the three beneath the tree began moving toward the camp at the hilltop.

Some traps had been set on the slope outside the Forest Patrol Clan camp. Through the Mind Link, Ji Xinghuo guided his teammates around them until they slowly reached the top of the hill.

Only about ten meters remained. They were right there.

"Mm..."

One Forest Patrol Clan member inside the camp opened his eyes and sniffed twice, confusion flashing through his gaze.

He looked outside and was about to rise.

"Attack!"

Ren Mian gave a soft shout through the Mind Link. Light gathered at her fingertips, instantly forming a thumb-sized crystal. Multicolored and dazzling, it shot into the Forest Patrol Clan camp like a bullet.

The Phantom Bead's concealment shattered at once.

Bang! The crystal exploded in the center of the camp, blooming with intense white light and instantly blinding the Forest Patrol Clan members who had just awakened.

The exploding crystal also produced a powerful shockwave, scattering dozens of fragments in every direction.

Miserable screams filled the camp.

Two Forest Patrol Clan members were severely wounded at once. Blinded and caught in the blast, they were thrown into chaos. The bonfire was also extinguished, plunging the entire camp into darkness and confusion.

At the same time, Ji Xinghuo loosed an arrow he had prepared long ago.

His target was the sentry post in the tree above the camp.

The female Forest Patrol Hunter hidden in the tree shade was caught completely off guard. An arrow pierced straight through her head, and her body broke through branches and crashed into the camp.

He rapidly drew and fired.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Three arrows became death itself in the darkness. Every arrow struck an enemy's eye, swiftly taking the lives of three Forest Patrol Clan members.

The two guards outside the camp had not been blinded, and they saw the enemy.

But it was already too late.

Chi Zhonglin had transformed into a Fungus Giant more than two meters tall, Tungsten Dragon Scales covering his entire body. With one charge, he reached the guards. He let their spears stab into him, trading injury for injury, then pierced one enemy clean through with his own spear. Star Force erupted, killing the enemy on the spot.

Jiangnan Caiyi circled to the other side of the camp and ambushed from invisibility, cutting down the other sentry guard.

After throwing the explosive crystal, Ren Mian remained standing where she was.

Several Green Thorns spread from beneath her feet, growing wildly like a tide. Within two or three breaths, they invaded the camp and carpeted the entire ground.

Hundreds of thorns were like venomous snakes, growing longer and thicker as they swiftly wrapped around the Forest Patrol Clan members. They dragged them hard toward the ground, preventing them from standing, then contracted inward like pythons constricting prey.

The Forest Patrol Clan erupted into panicked cries mixed with wails of agony.

Sharp barbs covered the thorns, piercing their flesh and quickly taking root. They injected venom while madly draining their life force.

Ji Xinghuo, watching from the tree a hundred meters away, slightly contracted his pupils.

"Green Lock Dragon!"

It was an extremely rare yet terrifying plant, one of the most perfect specimens for Plant Witches. It resisted high temperatures and corrosion, was tough as iron, grew rapidly, and possessed multiple uses in control, offense, venom, and defense. Its potential was terrifying.

It was said that the most powerful Green Lock Dragons could even bind real dragons, strangling them to death and draining away their life force.

That was how it got its name.

Green Lock Dragons were difficult to cultivate and even harder to control in battle. They placed extremely high demands on a Plant Witch's abilities. An ordinary Plant Witch would already be remarkable if they could control a dozen or so Green Lock Dragons at once.

Yet there were too many Green Lock Dragons before them to count—at least a hundred. It was practically a tidal wave of thorns.

Ren Mian looked relaxed, as if she still had strength to spare.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Ji Xinghuo continuously drew and fired, arrow after arrow shooting into the camp.

The Forest Patrol Clan members were all struggling against the Green Lock Dragons and could not move. They did not even know where the enemy archer was. In the darkness, arrows struck their eyes with flawless precision, turning them into corpses one after another.

That was the enormous advantage of striking first.

In less than ten seconds, the Forest Patrol Clan members in the camp were nearly all dead or injured, completely submerged beneath the Green Lock Dragons.

But Ji Xinghuo did not relax.

One Forest Patrol Clan member was still alive—the strongest fourth-rank Forest Patrol Warrior. Dozens of Green Lock Dragons had already wrapped around him, binding his entire body tightly like a giant rice dumpling.

The Green Lock Dragons contracted madly, trying to crush him to death.

Yet in Ji Xinghuo's Magnetic Field Induction, the opponent still struggled fiercely! Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi had already charged into the camp, their spear and katana striking toward him.

"Watch out!"

Ren Mian shouted.

Almost at the same instant as her warning, an enraged roar rang out from the camp. Blood-red light shone through the tall figure tangled in Green Lock Dragons. The thorns around his body snapped apart one by one, and Blood Flame surged skyward, tearing open the roof of the camp and revealing a terrifying Forest Patrol Clan figure.

With a sweep of his huge war blade, he sent the charging Chi Zhonglin flying.

The war blade swung back toward his rear.

Jiangnan Caiyi's body shifted into ghost form, immune to physical attacks. However, the Blood Flame on the war blade carried energy damage that could penetrate intangible bodies.

"Ah..."

Jiangnan Caiyi's figure was forced back into view.

Her face was deathly pale. A long wound, deep enough to expose bone, ran across her waist and nearly cut her in two. She collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

The Forest Patrol Warrior leader raised a forehoof and stomped down heavily, intending to crush her apart.

An arrow shot toward him.

Snap! The Forest Patrol Warrior leader seemed to sense the danger and tilted his head in time. The arrow missed his eye and buried partway into his forehead, but his bone caught it, preventing it from piercing his skull.

Though the arrow was not fatal, it forced him back two steps.

Several Green Lock Dragons immediately wrapped around Jiangnan Caiyi and dragged her out of the camp, away from that terrifying enemy.

The Forest Patrol Warrior leader's entire body burned with Blood Flame, and two beams of bloody light shot from his eyes. The flames were incredibly hot, yet they did not damage his armor or weapons. They multiplied his strength and defense severalfold, while the bloodlight of the flames carried a mental-burning effect.

Ji Xinghuo had only looked at him twice when a wave of heat rose in his heart.

When he tried to take aim again, he found that his emotions had been disturbed. Fear arose in him for no reason, and he did not dare release the arrow.

Madness filled the Forest Patrol Warrior leader's face.

Rage, brutality, fearlessness, and a thirst for blood and battle! His gaze locked onto Ren Mian outside the camp, as though he had found his favorite prey. He licked his lips, then broke into a wild charge on all four hooves.