Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Crisis at Every Step

After successfully restoring their Elemental Power, the Monk asked impatiently, "Young Master Lin, are you sure you know where the Ghost Fruit is?"

Smiling faintly, Lin Yun actually had no idea. He wasn’t even certain the Ghost Fruit existed, as the tip had come from Qing Zhu.

He’d used this as a pretext to trick the Monk and Daoist because the Mysterious Forest was fraught with danger, and having two helpers was always a good thing. Besides, their Combat Power was formidable; they could prove invaluable at a critical moment.

"Yes, it’s deep within the Mysterious Forest. If we want the Ghost Fruit, we’ll have to venture into its depths," Lin Yun replied, his expression unchanging.

’The depths of the Mysterious Forest?’ The outer edges were already dangerous enough; venturing deeper would be even more perilous. However, faced with the temptation of the Ghost Fruit, the Monk and Daoist ultimately decided to risk it.

Having made their decision, the group started toward the depths of the Mysterious Forest. In such a perilous place, however, Lin Yun and the others moved slowly, cautiously observing their surroundings with every step.

"It’s so quiet..." After they had walked for several kilometers, there was still no sound—not even the whisper of wind. The entire Mysterious Forest felt humid and scorching.

This was no ordinary humidity; the moisture in the air was corrosive. Anyone who wasn’t a Martial Artist would have long been reduced to a pool of blood just by stepping into the Mysterious Forest’s damp air.

"This is fucking unbearable," the Monk couldn’t help but curse. Already portly, his entire body felt sticky in the humid forest.

"Careful." The Monk’s words had barely faded when Lin Yun signaled for everyone to halt.

The path had been unnervingly quiet, and Lin Yun had long sensed that something was amiss. This abnormality had kept him secretly observing their surroundings the whole time.

Stopping in his tracks, Lin Yun scanned their surroundings, his expression turning grave.

"We’re surrounded," he said softly.

Hearing this, the Monk and Daoist glanced around and asked in confusion, "Young Master Lin, what are you talking about? There’s nothing but large trees here. Who’s surrounding us?"

"It’s these trees," Lin Yun replied. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Haven’t you noticed? For several kilometers, we’ve been constantly surrounded by these same trees. In other words, as we’ve been moving, these trees have been moving with us."

As soon as Lin Yun finished speaking, the five large trees surrounding the group lurched into motion, their branches lashing out toward them like whips.

Already on guard, Lin Yun and the others instantly dodged aside as the branches struck.

"Holy shit, they’ve become spirits! These trees can actually move..." the Monk exclaimed in amazement while dodging the attacks.

’So there are Tree Spirits here too,’ Lin Yun thought to himself as he dodged the branches attacking from all sides.

A Tree Spirit is similar to a Demon Beast but is not one. As everyone knows, trees and vegetation have long lifespans. Over hundreds or even thousands of years, given the right environment, a tree can evolve its own consciousness. It can then absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and begin to cultivate.

Generally speaking, three conditions must be met for a Tree Spirit to form.

First, the surrounding environment must remain undisturbed for a long period, giving the Tree Spirit enough time to develop Spiritual Wisdom.

Second, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi must be rich and stable, not fluctuating drastically between being extremely dense and extremely sparse.

Third, and most importantly, after a Tree Spirit gains Spiritual Wisdom, it will autonomously absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Power to alter the surrounding space, making the environment more suitable for its own growth.

As it happened, the Mysterious Forest perfectly met these three conditions. As a Land of Death, it was a place no one would visit, so its environment remained undisturbed for long stretches of time.

Furthermore, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Power here was very stable. As for the humid and scorching air, it was likely a result of these Tree Spirits altering their surroundings.

’Five Tree Spirits...’ Lin Yun quickly formulated a plan. Tree Spirits were afraid of flames, so fire-based Martial Skills would be most effective against them.

The Demon Bone Heaven-Dominating Spear materialized in his hand, and he executed the Red Flame Spear Technique. Dense flames enveloped the spear’s shaft, and soon, the whip-like branches no longer dared to approach him.

"Red Flame Spear Technique!" Aiming at one of the Tree Spirits, Lin Yun thrust his spear. The tip pierced its trunk, and the dense flames instantly set the entire great tree ablaze.

Engulfed in flames, the Tree Spirit let out a series of horrifying shrieks as its tentacle-like branches thrashed wildly.

"You two draw their attention; I’ll finish them off," Lin Yun instructed the Monk and Daoist after successfully killing one of the Tree Spirits.

At his words, the two nodded. Because Lin Yun was wreathed in dense flames, the four remaining Tree Spirits ignored him, turning their attacks on the Monk, the Daoist, Little Ape, and the Black-striped Tiger instead.

While they drew the Tree Spirits’ attention, Lin Yun lay in wait for an opening. The moment he found one, he would thrust with his spear, and the flames of the Red Flame Spear Technique would swiftly burn a Tree Spirit to cinders.

After he took down three Tree Spirits in quick succession, the remaining two fled in a panic.

He let the two Tree Spirits go. In the Mysterious Forest, it was always best to be cautious.

After repelling the Tree Spirits without incident, Lin Yun’s group took a short rest. This was still just the outer ring of the Mysterious Forest. If not for Lin Yun’s keen senses, the Monk and Daoist likely would never have even detected the five Tree Spirits.

"The Mysterious Forest is likely far more dangerous than we imagined," Lin Yun said.

Back in the Divine Realm, he had read many ancient books that didn’t exist on the Celestial Spirit Continent. Coincidentally, one of them had contained records about Tree Spirits.

According to that book, in places where Tree Spirits appeared, even flowers and Spirit Grasses could mutate and gain Spiritual Wisdom.

’We’ve only just encountered Tree Spirits. Who knows what we’ll run into next?’

It could be said that in the Mysterious Forest, even a tiny, inconspicuous flower could be lethal.

"No wonder even experts at the Late Stage of the Primordial Ocean Realm dare not enter the Mysterious Forest. Danger lurks at every step here; one careless move, and you could lose your life."

In the Mysterious Forest, one had to remain vigilant at all times, as a single moment of carelessness could be fatal. Here, you not only had to guard against attacks from Demon Beasts but also be wary of the various flora. You never knew which tree or flower might have already gained Spiritual Wisdom.

"Let’s go. Be careful," Lin Yun said. After a short rest, the group set off once more, with Lin Yun still leading the way.

Knowing that Tree Spirits existed here, Lin Yun was extremely cautious with every step. In an entire day, the group covered less than five kilometers.

As night fell, Lin Yun found a relatively open area for them to rest. In the Mysterious Forest, resting somewhere like under a large tree was suicide. The only safe option was to find an open space where they could spot any approaching danger immediately.

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