The deeper you go into the forest, the thicker the ancient trees become.
Qin Tiexin looked up and looked ahead. The trunks of the trees here are generally more than three feet in diameter, and the bark is mottled and cracked, as if it has experienced hundreds of years of wind and rain. The branches and leaves block the sky and the sun, and the gray-white skylight can only leak through the gaps, casting sparse light spots on the ground.
The Wood Element Spiritual Qi in the air is getting stronger and stronger, and you can almost smell the fresh smell of growing vegetation. But at the same time, there is also a faint fishy smell - like the smell of rotten leaves mixed with something rotten.
He slowed down.
Based on the information previously obtained and actual encounters, Qin Tiexin roughly judged that the forest is divided into three levels, the outer ring level 4 to 6, the middle ring level 6 to 8, and the inner ring level 8 to 9. Judging from the concentration of Spiritual Qi and the changes in the trees, this should be the edge of the middle ring.
Sure enough, after walking less than half a mile, a "squeak" sound came from the front.
It was not the thin squeaking sound of the earth rat, but a deeper and thicker sound, with an almost mocking tone.
Qin Tiexin stopped, holding the handle of the knife.
The trees parted, and a gray-brown Demon Beast came out.
It walks upright and is about five feet tall. Its body is like an ape, but its upper limbs are longer, almost hanging down to its knees. Its fur is different shades of brown, its facial wrinkles are deep, and its pair of tawny eyes have a cunning light. It is holding a few fist-sized stones in its hands and is tossing them up and down.
Wooden Ape. Sixth level of Qi refining.
When the wooden monkey saw Qin Tiexin, it blinked its tawny eyes and suddenly grinned, revealing its jagged fangs. It raised its right hand, weighed a stone in its hand, and then threw it violently.
The stone broke through the air and hit the door facing Qin Tiexin.
Qin Tiexin turned his head slightly, and the stone flew past his ears and hit the tree trunk behind him. There was a muffled "bang" sound and the bark of the tree burst.
Seeing that the blow missed, Muzaru grabbed another stone. This time, it did not rush to throw it, but stared at Qin Tiexin, and made a low sound of "ho ho" in its throat, as if it was thinking.
Qin Tiexin moved.
He stepped out with a mountain-shaking step and rushed forward like an arrow. Mu Yuan obviously did not expect that this human would take the initiative to attack. He was stunned for a moment, then screamed and threw the stone in his hand with all his strength.
Qin Tiexin turned sideways to avoid the rocks, and without losing speed, he rushed five steps in front of Mu Yuan.
Mu Yuan panicked and turned around to escape.
But the moment it turned around, the dagger in Qin Tiexin's right hand had been unsheathed.
The sword flashed.
The wooden monkey's body froze, and a thin line on its neck gradually expanded, and blood spurted out. It staggered two steps and fell to the ground. Its yellow-brown eyes were still open, but the light quickly dimmed.
Qin Tiexin put away the knife and squatted down to check.
Mu Yuan's blood is dark red, exuding a faint smell of vegetation. According to the knowledge he learned before, Mu Yuan's blood can be used as medicine and has the effect of promoting blood circulation and unblocking meridians. He took out a small jade bottle from Storage Bag, took half of the bottle of blood, and sealed it.
After getting up, Qin Tiexin looked at where Muzaru was standing just now.
There is a light green spiritual grass growing there, about half a foot tall, with slender leaves and slightly serrated edges. At the top of the grass stem is a green fruit the size of a grain of rice, emitting faint spiritual energy fluctuations.
Qingling grass, ten years old. It is not precious, but it can refine some basic healing medicine.
Qin Tiexin Pick the spiritual grass and put it away.
He moved on.
The deeper you go, the stronger the vague smell becomes. The trees also begin to change - they are no longer simple ancient trees, some vines begin to appear, twining around the trunks. The vines are dark green and have fine spikes on the surface.
Qin Tiexin Be careful to avoid those vines. He remembered reading in the library that some vines are poisonous and can cause paralysis or even coma after being stung.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, an unusual area appeared ahead.
The trees here are much sparser, and the ground is no longer covered with fallen leaves, but black soil is exposed. The surface of the soil is covered with vines, densely packed, like a dark green carpet. The vines vary in thickness, the thickest ones are as thick as a wrist, and the thinnest ones are as thin as fingers.
The fishy smell in the air was so thick that it was almost impossible to get rid of it.
Qin Tiexin stopped and frowned at the vine area.
His intuition told him that something was wrong here. But he had to go to the central square, and this area was the only way to go. If he went around, he would have to walk for at least an hour longer.
Qin Tiexin tried to throw the corpse of the wooden ape in, but nothing abnormal happened after it landed. He gripped the handle of the knife and took a tentative step forward, keeping the wind-chasing boots on his feet in an activated state at all times.
When my foot landed on the vine, the vine sank slightly, but there was no reaction.
Step two.
Step three.
When he reached the fifth step, he suddenly heard an urgent cry coming from the right side:
"Fellow Daoist, watch your step!"
The voice was clear and clear, with the purity unique to a young man.
Qin Tiexin moved almost as soon as he heard the sound - he exerted force on his feet and jumped backwards.
The moment he jumped up, the vines where he was standing suddenly shot up!
Several dark green vines with thorns broke out of the ground, and the tips of the vines were like spears, piercing the place where he was standing just now. The vines were swinging in the air, bringing with them the sound of howling wind and a strong fishy smell.
Qin Tiexin landed on the ground, took three steps back, stared at the still twisting vines, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
If he had not dodged just now, he would have been pierced by these poisonous ivy now.
He turned to look in the direction of the sound.
Behind an ancient tree on the right, a young man in a green shirt walked out.
He is about eighteen or nineteen years old, of medium build, with a delicate face, bookish eyebrows, but bright and alert eyes. He is wearing a simple cyan cloth, with a gray cloth bag hanging around his waist. His right hand still maintains the Hand Seals posture, and there is a faint red aura on his fingertips.
The reminder just now was made by him.
The young man walked five steps in front of Qin Tiexin, stopped, cupped his hands and said, "This fellow Daoist, I'm Liu Qing. I just saw you stepping into the gathering area of poison ivy monsters. I warned you out of desperation. It's very offensive."
Qin Tiexin returned the gift. "Qin Tiexin. Thank you for the reminder."
Liu Qing smiled, with a clean smile, but with scrutiny in his eyes. "Did Fellow Daoist Qin just arrive in this area?"
"Hmm."
"No wonder." Liu Qing pointed to the vines, "This is the territory of poison ivy monsters. They usually disguise themselves as ordinary vines and attack when their prey gets close. The thorns are poisonous, and if they are hit, they will be paralyzed and unable to move, and then they will be dragged underground by the vines and slowly digested."
Qin Tiexin looked at the vines. At this moment, they had returned to calmness and were lying quietly on the ground, no different from ordinary plants.
"How do you know?" he asked.
Liu Qing raised her finger and pointed at her eyes. "Although I am five Spirit Root, my Wood Element perception is relatively strong, and I can feel that the Wood Element spiritual power in their bodies is extremely active." After a pause, he added, "And I have encountered them before, and I almost fell into trouble."
Qin Tiexin glanced at him. "Are you also five Spirit Root?"
"Yes." Liu Qing nodded, "Five Spirit Root, seventh level of Qi refining, specializes in Five Elements magic."
Qin Tiexin was silent for a moment and said, "I am also a fifth-level Spirit Root, with a fifth level of Qi refining and close combat."
Liu Qing's eyes lit up and she looked at Qin Tiexin's robe. "Can five Spirit Root enter the big sect? Daoist friends are amazing."
Qin Tiexin did not answer the question and asked instead, "How to get through this area?"
"Two ways." Liu Qing held out two fingers, "One is to go around, but you have to go a long way. The other is to break through and kill all the poison ivy monsters."
He looked at Edgeless behind Qin Tiexin, and then at Qin Tiexin's burly figure. "Qin Daoyou is good at melee combat, and I am good at long-range magic. If we cooperate, we can try to break in - you are responsible for attracting firepower, and I use Fire Element magic to attack from a distance. Poison ivy monsters are afraid of fire."
Qin Tiexin thought for a while and nodded, "Okay."
Although Qin Tiexin thinks that he should be able to kill with Edgeless, but the situation in the ruins is changing rapidly, and you never know what will happen at the next moment. According to the teachings of Senior Brother Chen Xi, you can use up to four points of your strength in front of people, and save six points for counterattack or running away. What's more, with the help of such an "enthusiastic little brother", you can save more spiritual energy.
A smile appeared on Liu Qing's face, "Okay. I'll count to three, and you take three steps inside to lure them out. I'll be responsible for attacking."
Qin Tiexin Hold Edgeless tightly and walk to the edge of the vine area.
Liu Qing stepped back twenty steps away and started Hand Seals with her hands, her fingertips glowing with a faint red light.
"One."
Qin Tiexin Take a deep breath.
"Two."
He gripped the handle of the knife tightly, his muscles tense.
"Three!"
Qin Tiexin Step into the vine area.
Almost at the same time, the vines just burst out again! But this time there were more than one place - all the vines within three feet of the surrounding area came alive, and dozens of thorny poison ivy burst out of the ground, stabbing Qin Tiexin from all directions.