Chapter 115: The Dark Forest!
Boom—
As that distorted space tore open, the atmosphere between heaven and earth suddenly erupted with fiery intensity. Countless gazes grew extremely scorching in that moment.
What was the most alluring thing in a ruin? The inheritance of a powerful expert!
When they had entered, they had all received commissions—to seek certain items, to gather information. And the ruins requiring investigation were not limited to just this one location. But now, it seemed their luck was remarkably good!
As space trembled, quite a few people had already quietly retrieved spatial jade slips and crushed them. Wave after wave of spatial fluctuations carrying peculiar auras immediately spread rapidly outward.
"Swoosh—"
The silence lasted only an instant before countless sounds of rushing wind suddenly rang out. Several figures who were closest to the tearing space could no longer hold back, charging impatiently toward the location where the inheritance was opening.
"So the reason so many people have come here is for the inheritance of these fallen experts!"
On a cliffside, Jiang Yun gazed deeply at the distant streaks of light darting past, speaking quietly to Zi Yan and Medusa beside him.
"What kind of inheritance could cause such a commotion?" Medusa's gaze sharpened slightly as she watched the turbulent space in the distance, looking at Jiang Yun with questioning eyes.
"I don't know. Based on our speculations, this continent was shattered in a clash between 'two major powers,' the foremost among them being two paramount experts. So whether this is their inheritance or that of their subordinates, no one can be sure!"
Jiang Yun sensed the spatial turbulence emanating from there and spoke with focused solemnity.
"Paramount experts?" Medusa was hearing this term for the first time. Her understanding of the Great Thousand World's power hierarchy came from Jiang Yun, and Jiang Yun hadn't told her the specifics, so it was somewhat unfamiliar.
Turning his head to glance at Medusa, Jiang Yun's eyes held a hint of a smile. "That's right. Paramount experts. In the Great Thousand World, Sovereigns reign supreme. Among them, Heavenly Sovereigns stand at the pinnacle of the Sovereigns. And even among Heavenly Sovereigns, there are grades—Spirit, Immortal, and Saint. That paramount expert was a Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereign. Even across the entire Great Thousand World, they are an undisputed peak existence!"
Hearing Jiang Yun's words, her pupils constricted, her lips parted slightly—her worldview had been broadened yet again. Then, a flash of excitement darted through her eyes, her breathing quickening somewhat. "Then does that mean we..."
She knew what a Heavenly Sovereign represented—an existence even more terrifying than a Dou Di. If such an inheritance were thrown onto the Dou Qi Continent, even those Dou Sheng old monsters would beat each other's brains out for it. And now, they had a chance to grasp it.
For someone filled with a thirst for power, it was undeniably a deadly temptation!
"Since fate has brought us here, we naturally can't leave empty-handed!" Jiang Yun glanced at Zi Yan beside him—she too wore an expression that said she was ready to rob the place blind—and said with a light laugh.
Once Jiang Yun had made the decision, the two women silently exchanged a glance, their eyes brimming with fighting spirit. Immediately, the three each executed their movement techniques, converging toward the source of the commotion.
The inheritance site was located at the continent's center. By the time Jiang Yun's trio approached this region, more than half a day had passed. The setting sun slanted low, its dark-red light enveloping the space between heaven and earth.
Jiang Yun and the others gradually slowed their speed as they neared this area, their gazes turning forward.
There, a spatial barrier was slowly dissipating, as if another world were about to appear before everyone's eyes.
In the air above this region, quite a few squad figures had already gathered. Moreover, from further away, the urgent sounds of rushing wind could be heard continuously.
The squads in this area also detected the arrival of Jiang Yun's trio, and wariness immediately surfaced in their eyes.
Upon seeing there were only three of them, a flicker of surprise passed through their gazes. But immediately after, sensing the trio's strength, they cast ill-intentioned smiles toward Medusa and Zi Yan.
"Hmph—"
Detecting the crowd's stares, Medusa and Zi Yan's expressions turned cold. However, mindful of the more important matter at hand, they did not lash out. Still, the icy killing intent radiating from their entire beings made people glance twice, retracting their dismissive attitudes.
Jiang Yun's gaze swept over the crowd without pausing for a moment—none of these people were worth paying attention to. However, there was one individual who caught his notice.
It was a man whose entire body was crimson red. In Jiang Yun's eyes, the other seemed like a cluster of burning flames, as if wanting to incinerate everything.
This is an expert of the flame path. And he seems to be someone from that clan!
The Flame Spirit Clan!
An ancient race in the Great Thousand World. The stepping stone upon which the Flame Emperor, Xiao Yan, had made his name resound across the Great Thousand.
When Jiang Yun was within his own clan, he had read records of several great ancient races of the Great Thousand World. The Flame Spirit Clan was among them.
Jiang Yun's gaze also drew the other party's attention. Upon seeing Jiang Yun's trio, even he couldn't help but have a flash of amazement pass through his eyes. But very quickly, he focused his attention on Jiang Yun.
This young man, who was only at the peak of the Heaven Transformation Realm, actually gave him a sensation that made his hairs stand on end. He knew plenty of experts who had passed the Fleshly Tribulation, yet none had given him this feeling.
Moreover, he didn't know why, but at the sight of the other, the flame within his body trembled slightly. That sensation... it seemed to be... as if it were afraid of something!
Whatever the reason, everything indicated this was a dangerous man.
Out of caution, he nodded toward Jiang Yun in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze toward the turbulent space!
The other's reaction caught Jiang Yun slightly off guard. After recovering, he chuckled lightly, but inwardly, he raised his vigilance to twelve-tenths. He had finally encountered a true prodigy of a major power. When dealing with such people, no amount of caution was excessive.
"Boom—"
A full ten minutes later, as more and more figures rushed over, the ground suddenly began to tremble. The already fragile spatial barrier abruptly generated a series of rumbling booms, then shattered layer by layer before the people's eyes.
"The inheritance has appeared!"
Upon seeing this scene, quite a few people's eyes immediately turned red. Then everyone instantly executed their movement techniques. In a few swift leaps, they were outside the shattered barrier. Amidst great laughter, they charged headlong inside.
Figure after figure rapidly flickered forward. Judging by their manner, it seemed they feared the treasures inside might be snatched away by someone else first.
"Let's go in too!" Jiang Yun said to Zi Yan and Medusa at his side. The three then followed the crowd's footsteps, darting inside.
"Weng—"
The moment they stepped in, a terrifying suppressive force descended upon them. Startled cries of panic rang out from the crowd. Everyone's bodies rapidly plummeted—this region seemed to forbid flight entirely.
"Careful!"
Sensing the pressure upon him, Jiang Yun instinctively called out to the two women beside him.
All three were far from ordinary. In a few flickering movements, they landed steadily on the ground. Looking up at the dark-red sky, their eyes were filled with solemnity.
They had just entered and were already given a show of force!
"What an eerie forest!" The three stared at the scene appearing before them, their eyes full of shock and suspicion.
What appeared before their eyes was a primeval forest bathed in dark hues.
Within the forest, towering trees grew thickly. But this primeval forest did not exude vibrant vitality. Instead, it made one feel a strange, sinister coldness, permeated with a dense, deathly stillness. That sensation made one extremely uncomfortable.
"Looks like to reach the center, we'll have to pass through this forest!" Medusa circled her gaze around. Looking at the boundless, seemingly endless forest, she spoke.
"Be careful when we enter!" Watching squads already entering one after another, Jiang Yun also spoke quietly, glancing at the figures around them. Clearly, he was referring not just to dangers from the unknown forest.
"Mm!"
Zi Yan and Medusa nodded with grave expressions. They clearly knew the dangers here came not only from the unknown but potentially from people as well!
The three swiftly charged deeper into the forest. As they advanced, their expressions grew increasingly solemn.
This forest was simply too quiet. So many people had entered before; by all reason, there should have been some signs of activity. Yet now, there wasn't a single sound?
The sensation was as if the moment they had descended into the forest, they had been completely isolated—as if swallowed whole.
Their gazes swept about. The forest was filled with sky-piercing giant trees. These colossal trees were similarly pitch-black in color, their branches luxuriant, spreading out to shroud everything.
A radius of a hundred zhang was covered so tightly that not even sunlight could penetrate through. Because of this, the light within the forest was extremely dim and murky.
The three pressed close together, cautiously making their way into the forest. Vast spiritual energy rippled around them. The slightest stir or rustle would draw their frenzied attacks.
"Boom—"
Right at that moment, deep within the distant jungle, a tremendous pillar of light suddenly erupted. The light pillar shot straight into the clouds, and from within it, a fragrance seemed to waft out—a fragrance that made countless people's spirits lift.
Immediately after, scorching gazes turned toward the depths of the forest. That fragrance seemed very much like that of some rare, heaven-and-earth treasure.
The squads that caught the scent felt their eyes brighten instantly. They licked their lips greedily, stirred and restless.
Jiang Yun's trio also caught this peculiar, wondrous fragrance. At the same time, the spiritual energy within their bodies seemed to show traces of fluctuating. A flicker of surprise passed through their eyes.
Exchanging a glance, they did not hesitate much. Tapping their toes, their figures shot into the forest like wisps of smoke. Behind them, Zi Yan and Medusa swiftly followed.
Upon reaching the destination, a flash of shock crossed the trio's eyes!
What appeared ahead was a forest of blazing red. Within this forest, giant trees stood tall. Fiery red leaves rustled as light breezes swept through them, dancing like a sea of flames.
In this darkness-filled forest, such a place actually existed. Every moment here exuded an air of eeriness.
"It's actually a Great Solar Flame Tree!"
Not far away, an exclamation rang out. On the blazing red ground ahead, a completely blood-red tree had broken through the soil. Upon this fierce tree, branches spread out crisscross, gleaming with a cold, steel-like luster.
On that tree, one could see what seemed like naturally formed ancient runes. Faintly, an extraordinary fluctuation quietly radiated outward.
And what drew the most attention was, hanging from that black tree, a blazing, flame-like crimson fruit. The fruit swayed as if on the verge of falling.
"Great Solar Flame Fruit!" Jiang Yun gazed at that crimson fruit and murmured somewhat in surprise.
"What is that?" Compared to Jiang Yun, Zi Yan and Medusa were unfamiliar with this heavenly treasure of the Great Thousand World. Even with the inherited memories of the Taixu Ancient Dragon and the Nine-Colored Devouring Heaven Python, it wasn't enough.
"The Great Solar Flame Fruit is said to be an exceedingly rare supreme-yang object in heaven and earth, radiating boundless light force. If swallowed and refined, it can temper one's spiritual energy, physical body, and soul, causing one's spiritual energy to contain that supreme-yang force—domineering to the extreme. The physical body and soul would also be correspondingly enhanced!"
"It's a rare wonder treasure. Even Sovereigns would be moved by it!"
Listening to Jiang Yun's explanation, Zi Yan and Medusa stared at the fruit in astonishment. This item was most suited for fire-attribute cultivators. Among the three of them, Jiang Yun was undoubtedly the best match. Immediately after, Zi Yan looked at Jiang Yun and said, "Xiao Yun..."
"No rush!" Jiang Yun, of course, understood Zi Yan's meaning. But at that moment, he waved his hand, frowning as he surveyed their surroundings. "Although the Great Solar Flame Tree has no specific requirements for its growing environment, it would never be born in such a dark, cold, and sinister place. There must be something strange here. Let's observe first."
Simultaneously!
After a bizarre moment of stillness upon discovering the Great Solar Flame Tree, the squads that had arrived here suddenly erupted into terrifying combat.
"Kill! The Great Solar Flame Fruit is mine!"
"Get out of my way! As long as I get the Great Solar Flame Fruit, I can break through to the Spiritual Body Tribulation. Even Sovereign won't be out of reach! Who dares stop me?!"
"Insolence! You mercenaries dare oppose my Wu Family?!"
"Even if you were the son of a Heavenly Sovereign himself, if you block my path to enlightenment, I'll kill you all the same! Not to mention the Wu Family only has one Earthly Sovereign. Can they really rule the entire Western Region with an iron fist?!"
The explosive fluctuations of battle were unending. Every person here had at least the cultivation of the Heaven Transformation Realm. Among them, there were even three experts at the Fleshly Tribulation.
Terrifying attacks instantly annihilated the forest below. From time to time, figures plummeted toward the ground, their scarlet blood staining the earth red.
"This is..."
At that moment, Jiang Yun's gaze sharpened, fixing upon the earth below. On the blazing red ground, crimson blood flowed. However, Jiang Yun now noticed that the blood was vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Further away, in a clearing there, more than a dozen stark white skeletons lay.
If his memory served him correctly, these white bones were what had become of the very people who had just fallen.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yun focused intently on the Great Solar Flame Fruit. A purple divine light flickered in the depths of his eyes. In an instant, the surrounding blazing red forest vanished.
This place was still dark, connected seamlessly to the surrounding forest. The dark, gloomy color here was like the giant maw of a demon, making one's heart palpitate.
In the very center stood a charred black tree trunk. On the pitch-black trunk, blood-red vein patterns emitted a dark-red glow.
Deep underground, pitch-black vines extended one after another toward the surrounding corpses. Moments later, a corpse would be reduced to stark, white bones.
"This is... the Bloodthirsty Demon King Vine?!"