"This place looks... no different at all!" Xiao Hua looked around. The rough earth gave off a dim gleam, while low, ground-hugging vines clung tightly to the soil. Their thumb-sized leaves were unevenly scattered, each in a different shape. The thick trees ahead required several people to encircle them, and none stood straight—some twisted, some leaned askew, their branches crisscrossing overhead. Strange birdcalls rose and fell from beside them and ahead of them. Suddenly, the wind stirred, rustling the leaves and branches, sending a chill through the air.
Zhu Chenghe slapped his hand against his storage bag, and a jade-green gleam flew out. It was a palm-sized jade flask. Under the urging of spiritual power, silver-white radiance sprayed from the flask, cascading down from above like a fountain and enveloping Zhu Chenghe completely. Xiao Hua saw clearly that the radiance rippled faintly with reflected light. It was actually granular, seemingly able to keep the black matter of the Mo Ran Black Forest outside.
"Xiao Hua, the Ink Sand within the Mo Ran Black Forest is extremely strange. The deeper one goes, the more there is. This Ink Sand not only burrows into the meridians, obstructing the circulation of true essence and even corroding it, but also seeps into the bloodline, making one's entire body increasingly heavy. Once enough accumulates, the whole body becomes unable to move!" Xie Zhiqian reminded Xiao Hua from beside him. "Ordinary protective radiance cannot block the Ink Sand. As a disciple of the Thunder Control Sect, you must be of either lightning or fire affinity. Release protective lightning or firelight, and it should be effective!"
As he spoke, Xie Zhiqian also patted his storage bag and took out a strange gourd-like magic artifact. A faint spiritual glow resembling flames wrapped around him.
Seeing everyone bring out