Phased Achievement X Folded Edge

Step into this Dense Forest.

The group seemed to have stumbled into a vibrant Jadeite Dreamscape, meticulously woven by nature.

Since arriving on the Dark Continent, they had never seen such a peaceful region.

With keen perception, there will be almost no more danger.

Even Kevin felt the same way.

The towering trees, their branches intertwining at great heights, weave a vast and dense green dome.

These overlapping sections do not completely cover each other.

It also has many openwork sections, so it doesn't block sunlight.

Sunlight filters through, falling upon the bustling vegetation below.

Vines twined around the thick tree trunk like patterns, and some strange, large fruits even hung from it.

Looking down slightly, one sees clumps of bushes.

They were densely packed together, piled up in a dense cluster around the large tree.

Layers of deep green, emerald green, and tender green.

There were also all sorts of flowers I'd never seen before.

These flowers dot the lush greenery, and the air is filled with a sweet fragrance that blends earth and nectar.

"Fragrant and non-toxic, truly a rare find."

Looking at the flowers, Pairo murmured to himself.

It's not just being dramatic, but flowers from the Dark Continent, if they have a fragrance, are very likely to be poisonous.

Such non-toxic flowers are extremely rare.

This further confirms the peacefulness of this area.

The most enticing embellishments are the scattered fruit trees.

They stand alone in one corner, or in twos and threes, their branches laden with plump fruit.

The berries shimmer with a ruby or sapphire-like luster.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a gemstone."

Kevin reached out, plucked a fruit, and said...

The moment my hand touched the fruit, I sensed a burning desire within it.

B-Rank fruit.

They're not considered rare in the Dark Continent.

Several gentle, Curved-Horn Deer moved with graceful steps through the dappled light and shadow.

It lowered its head to nibble on the tender, juicy grass and the buds of low shrubs, glancing at Kevin and the others. One of the animals slightly raised its head to look at them, twitched its ears, and then lowered its head to continue eating.

They were completely unconcerned about their approach.

Two squirrels with huge tails, some of which were still sprouting new buds, leaped swiftly between the branches and then landed on the branch next to them.

They stood side by side, watching Kevin and the others.

He raised his head slightly and waved his hand, even more Bianluoke.

Whether the two squirrels understood or not, they shook the fruit they were holding.

It's like they're saying hello.

Besides these creatures, you can even see colorful birds in the bushes.

They weren't hunting, but rather sipping nectar from the flowers.

There was no panicked escape, no tense spying.

These herbivores share this fertile land.

Listen carefully.

The sounds of chewing, the rustling of hooves over fallen leaves, the chirping of birds, and the low hum of insects.

Everything is intertwined here.

Peaceful.

This is Kevin's biggest takeaway.

Then, Kevin pressed down on the Three-Tails on his shoulder.

"Don't bother them, you're not hungry."

The restless Three-Tails fox wagged its tail helplessly and obediently sat on Kevin's shoulder.

"There's food everywhere—what a waste!"

Even though they had lived together for a long time, the Three-Tails was still Beasts.

Some of her wild instincts remained; it was her natural instinct.

However, it can be controlled like this.

"Such a peaceful region is truly rare," Kurapika remarked as he walked along.

Such a region is extremely rare in the Dark Continent.

Kevin nodded.

"But it's not very suitable as Forward Base."

Everyone knows this.

The main reason is that they understand human nature all too well, and they need to hunt.

In such a Serene Garden, how could one possibly resist hunting the creatures around them after establishing Forward Base?

Especially in the case of Men Qi and the others.

She definitely wants to try the flesh of these herbivores.

Generally speaking, the flesh of herbivores tastes better than that of carnivores.

Moreover, they also train in combat, and the intimidating presence they exude disrupts the peace here.

"However, we can choose to set up an advance camp in an area closer to here, since both the Stone Tablet Wasteland and this dense Dense Forest are perfect neighbors."

"That's what Pairo said."

That is indeed the case.

"Let's go, let's not do anything disruptive in this area."

Kevin said, leading everyone to turn around and cross the river.

This Dense Forest is truly a rare find.

They also didn't have the heart to disturb the peace and tranquility here.

After all, if bloodshed were to occur here, it would easily disrupt the already fragile balance of this place.

Even if Kevin's Forward Base is nearby, he'll have to set up some rules around the area.

To preserve the peace and tranquility of this area.

The peaceful environment has created a rich ecosystem of organisms and plants in this area.

It's practically a natural reservoir of species.

Moreover, they are all quiet and docile creatures.

If you're planning to start a breeding operation, this is the best place to select breeding stock.

On the other side.

Several figures flashed by quickly.

The miracle that transformed into lightning was actually the last one to appear.

They're catching up!

Qi, who still had the energy to look back, shouted loudly, reminding everyone to speed up.

He turned around as he spoke.

Push both palms forward forcefully.

"Electric Net!"

A large amount of lightning shot out from his hand.

The dense array of electric lights intertwined in the air, forming a net-like structure.

--

A series of crackling sounds rang out, dense and numerous.

Ashes rose in the air, along with a burnt smell.

A large swarm of fist-sized, mosquito-like insects could be seen crashing into the Electric Net and being burned.

Several Nen Beast flew over from the side.

These bird-like Nen Beast instantly rushed into the swarm of mosquitoes and began pecking at them.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qi once again transformed into lightning and disappeared from the spot.

After a long run, about an hour later, the group finally stopped.

I stopped under a big tree, panting heavily.

"What bad luck, this Swamp is really not suitable for exploration."

Men Qi gasped for breath and took a sip of water.

Melusina, standing to the side, didn't seem so tired. She simply nodded slightly and peeled off some of the dirt from her body.

At this moment, Qi Zheng took out two potions and handed them to Gon and Xiahara next to him.

Compared to the others who were in relatively good condition, the two looked rather pitiful.

Two large bumps immediately appeared on Gon's face, turning a dark purple color and completely ruining his appearance.

It also exists on the arms and waist.

Buhaci also had similar large lumps on his body, but because of the protection of Buhaci, he didn't look as miserable.

Two doses of medicine were swallowed.

A maid appeared and began to cut open the swollen blood sacs on the two people.

After this initial treatment, the area will be cleaned and treated again with medication.

Both of them have recovered considerably, but the scars on their faces will obviously remain for some time.

"It's practically a petri dish for bacteria."

Men Qi recalled her experiences over the past few days and complained.

They were exploring relatively safe areas without Lord.

But perhaps due to bad luck, the further they ventured into the area, the damper and darker it became.

It was completely a Swamp.

The biggest problem with Swamp is that they easily breed poisonous insects, especially those annoying Mosquito Fly.

Whether in the Dark Continent or in human society, Mosquito Fly are the most annoying creatures, bar none.

It was fine at first.

Although the Swamp was teeming with poisonous creatures, they did carry medicine with them.

Their team includes Qiduo, Koto, Illumi.

A doctor, a Plant Expert, and a toxin expert.

The combined effect of these three factors, plus Kevin's medication.

Unless the toxins are extremely severe and difficult to eliminate, most others can be effectively prevented and cured.

Therefore, it's still acceptable, and we can continue exploring.

But as they went deeper, the environment became increasingly harsh.

Until they encountered a swarm of Mosquito Fly.

They were completely out of options.

They ran all the way out.

"No wonder there aren't many large creatures here; even large creatures can't stand the harassment from these Mosquito Fly."

Melusina took out her notebook and wrote it down.

"Let's mark this down first, and then explore it in more detail later when we have enough resources."

A preliminary exploration has been completed.

Not just Melusina.

Jin also completed his exploration of the area on the other side.

However, they were clearly not as unlucky as Melusina.

But it's not so pleasant either.

Because the area they were exploring was a contested territory among three Knight Rank creatures.

A Giant Bear, a Forest Leopard, and a Gibbon.

Three Knight Rank creatures fought and vied for supremacy in this area.

They remained sufficiently vigilant regarding Jin's arrival.

However, Jin's team consisted of six people, all of whom had reached the Knight Rank.

So the three creatures actually huddled together, but did not engage in combat.

In this environment of mutual wariness and tacit understanding, Jin and his group quickly left after completing their exploration.

But it was different for Biscuit and her group.

They have penetrated deep into the heart of this region.

What I saw was not the big tree I had imagined.

Instead, it was a giant flower, over fifty meters tall.

At the top is a huge, blooming flower with slender petals and delicate tendrils protruding from the center of the stamen.

Each sway releases a large amount of pollen.

However, these pollen grains are non-toxic and primarily provide nutrients to the surrounding environment.

"Is this also Mimicry of flesh and blood?"

Looking at the enormous flower, Biscuit couldn't help but ask.

After observing for a while, Slash Ghost nodded.

"Could this flower have reached the Lord Level in terms of its life form?" Morel asked.

Slash Ghost nodded. "According to Kevin's ranking system, he should be, but he's not much of a threat."

If we categorize them according to the concept of ethnicity...

This enormous flower is the Lord of all plant life in this area.

"Explore with peace of mind. As long as you don't actively attack the surrounding plants, they won't attack you."

After observing for a while Slash Ghost spoke.

Upon hearing this, Biscuit and the others finally sprang into action.

But there's really not much to explore.

This place is practically a kingdom of plants, with very few other creatures. Most of the animals are small and hiding in various places, mostly underground.

Moreover, Slash Ghost himself seemed interested, standing beneath the enormous flower and observing it from all angles.

Biscuit was communicating with the Koto in the camp using Ant Speech.

After all, the other party was Plant Expert.

He recounted his experiences and insights along the way, as well as some of the things he had said about Slash Ghost.

Koto, who was in the camp, was excitedly taking notes.

After carefully observing and reflecting on the recorded information.

"If flesh and blood were used to simulate plants, then without a doubt, they would not have a complete plant structure and would not be able to absorb nutrients from the sun, air, and earth as perfectly as plants do."

"So they will attack; hunting is normal, but it also indicates that they are malnourished, after all, as you said, there aren't many large creatures in this area."

If a large area is covered with Flesh Plant, where will the nutrients come from?

The earth's nutrients are not as plentiful as one might imagine; they are not limitless.

"Could you collect some of the pollen falling from the sky? Perhaps it's a source of nutrition."

Upon hearing this, Biscuit collected some pollen and held it in her hand.

But she couldn't see much of it.

Slash Ghost glanced at it from the side and then spoke.

"The nutrition comes from these pollen flowers."

Having obtained accurate information, Koto made her judgment.

If that flower is as tall as you say, then its root system must also be exceptionally developed.

But to provide nutrients to such a large area, this flower must either have an incredibly high energy conversion rate.

Either it's its root system, which is extremely exaggerated.

Or, perhaps there's some unusual source of nutrition where it's rooted.

The conjecture was conveyed.

Biscuit could react, Slash Ghost next to her couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Wow, that's amazing! Is this what an expert is like?"

"So what she said is true?" Biscuit asked.

Slash Ghost nodded.

"I was a little curious, so I observed that flower for quite a while."

"I don't know if the root system is well-developed, but the area beneath that flower is definitely far more nutritious than other areas. If I'm not mistaken, there are a lot of corpses buried beneath that area, but I don't know what kind of corpses they are."

In other words, this flower grows above the mass grave, using the nutrients from the corpses in the pit as pollen to nourish the surrounding Flesh Plant.

The exploration of the surrounding area is almost over.

Not much was gained.

"Let's go, let's get out of here. No matter what, this place is absolutely unsuitable as a Forward Base, and even the surrounding area is unsuitable."

Staying in this area for too long will make you a target for these plants to hunt.

Furthermore, the presence of this plant has driven many creatures out of the area, resulting in a scarcity of living things in the surrounding area.

It's really not a suitable location for a campsite.

With Slash Ghost by their side, they didn't suffer any attacks except at the very beginning.

Biscuit prepares to contact Kevin through Ant Speech.

However, the message was not connected.

"Um?"

"What's wrong?"

We can't get in touch with Kevin and the others.

"Something went wrong?"

"No, it's very likely they've exceeded the distance for communication—"

In other words, Kevin and his team had reached the edge of the Folded Zone.

Is the area really that large?