northernbook Chapter 173: Decaying Forest
Chapter 173: Decaying Forest
Jiang Xuan wrinkled his nose. The air was filled with the cloying sour smell of rust. Little Coal Ball wagged its tail in front of Jiang Xuan, making her feel a little better for the time being.
The light at dusk in the secret realm was very dim, as if casting parallel dark red shadows on everyone. Jiang Xuan felt a pain on his shoulder from the burn marks, and impatiently pulled Xiaobai out to protect the formation.
Whatever demons and monsters there are, come out quickly and chop them up.
She still had to save people and had no time to be afraid.
"Let's go, don't stop"
Luo Wangchan and Shen Wenqu, who were already on alert, nodded slowly, took the talisman and sword and followed Jiang Xuan.
Ying Huai: "Hmm...it smells like the breath of a demon cultivator."
His tone swirled around Jiang Xuan.
The demon cultivators in the demon world who had long been dead did not have the patience to follow them all the way and wait for an ambush.
The dark and sticky gaze behind him stayed there for a long time without any intention of attacking. It just peeped at him without any movement, which made Jiang Xuan unable to seize the opportunity to counterattack.
Strange...what is this thing waiting for...
Jiang Xuan walked forward towards the afterglow of the setting sun, going deeper and deeper into the woods. After walking for a quarter of an hour, even the sound of the fallen leaves under his feet being trampled seemed alarmingly loud.
The breathing of several disciples became tense. They were just bickering with each other, but now they were all paying close attention to Jiang Xuan's actions.
Perhaps it was because she was usually brave and fearless, and she had carelessly broken many situations. At times like this, they would not trust anyone except Jiang Xuan.
The further they went into the woods, the stronger the sour smell became, as if the fishy smell of dull algae from a deep pond was mixed in, disturbing even the little coal ball with a sensitive sense of smell and making it feel a little uneasy.
"Meow, meow...ah, it's so annoying, Jiang Xuan, your neck, your neck is so tight, I'm almost strangled to death"
Jiang Xuan held the shovel handle with both hands, and Little Coal Ball was already feeling uncomfortable as he kept hitting her cheek with his head.
She had to use one hand to hold the bell of the small coal ball, and her two slender fingertips were blocking the soul-calling lock.
Little Coal Ball looked at Jiang Xuan, whose expression was cold due to his nervousness, but inexplicably very reliable, and touched the back of her hand with her cat paw.
"I'm fine, meow, Jiang Xuan, be careful."
The civet cat then stood quietly on Jiang Xuan's shoulder, on guard.
A few people pushed aside the layers of vines and branches that blocked their way, feeling as if they were about to be swallowed alive by the forest.
But it was too late to turn back now, and besides, Chen Que's location was confirmed here.
At the end of the walk, it was even difficult for them to turn around. Jiang Xuan turned around and was about to say something to Ying Huai, when he suddenly found that his sight was blocked.
No, I could clearly see the light ink-colored pendant on his right ear just now.
Shen Wenqu: "This forest is alive"
He raised his sword and cut off the leaves and branches blocking Jiang Xuan's way, and pulled Jiang Xuan out.
Fortunately, the forest regenerated relatively slowly, so they could still cope with it.
Jiang Xuan also took out a dagger and cut off the branches that were wrapped around Ying Huai's arms. When the four of them got out breathlessly and stood in a small clearing in the forest, the last ray of sunlight happened to dissipate in the gap above their heads.
"Impossible... Chen Que is right here. We are almost stepping on him. Why haven't we seen him yet?"
Jiang Xuan took the compass and walked around the open space with difficulty. When he returned to where he was standing at the beginning, he felt that Ying Huai seemed to be closer to him.
"Tsk, get away from me"
Little Coal Ball looked sickly, and Jiang Xuan kept smelling the stinking smell of pond water, feeling that his temper from when he was a demon cultivator was coming back to him.
Could it be that Ying Huai is up to something again...
Ying Huai raised his palm and faced Jiang Xuan, his tone very innocent.
"I don't have such great ability. I might need you to save me later."
He pointed behind him and saw that the original small open space had been replaced by a horizontal tree trunk at some point, which seemed to be pushing him closer to Jiang Xuan.
Ying Huai's body became unstable and he subconsciously pounced towards Jiang Xuan.
He felt someone tugging at the back of his clothes, and he put his arms behind Jiang Xuan's shoulders to maintain his balance.
"Thank you very much"
His smiling words rang out along with the sound of Jiang Xuan's sword being unsheathed. The Qingfeng Sword circled around his body and cut off the weeds and trees growing around him. However, soon, the cut grass and trees gave off a smell of rotten moisture, and soon grew back at dozens of times the speed.
The unpleasant smell clearly proves that the forest is dead, but the growth is so vigorous that it gives a weird and absurd feeling.
"Stand up on your own"
Jiang Xuan threw Ying Huai aside, not caring that the man was still casting a tender and flirtatious glance at the blind man, and pulled out three red water talismans from his arms.
Damn, it stinks. If I just burn down this forest, maybe I can see Chen Que.
"Brother Luo, take out your talisman to protect the formation."
With the protection of a water talisman master, there is no need to worry about getting burned even if you activate the red water in the forest.
Jiang Xuan just turned around to say a word when she saw a vine pressing down on her collarbone. The branch went around under her arm, as if trying to pull her deeper into the woods.
A sword flashed by, and Shen Wenqu drew his sword and stood in front of Jiang Xuan.
"Hurry, get started, the forest is growing faster and faster"
Jiang Xuan picked up the talisman and held it in front of his lips, chanting a spell, and a light blue flame immediately lit up under their feet.
The flames gradually rose to the height of several people's waists under the urging of Jiang Xuan's incantation, but at this moment -
Rumbling--
It's a punishment from heaven.
Jiang Xuan was stunned for a moment, and the spiritual power that was leaping at his fingertips floated for a moment and then completely extinguished.
The feeling of having his spiritual power suddenly cut off was very uncomfortable. Luo Wangchan took over, pressed his fingertips on Jiang Xuan's wrist, and forced his way through to share a small part of the backlash.
The two talisman cultivators both turned pale, the sky became completely dark, and the faces of several people were lost in the darkness.
Jiang Xuan finally knew what that gaze was waiting for.
Waiting for dark.
After dark, the faster the forest burned, the faster it grew. If the Red Water Talisman Formation had risen just now, they would not have had time to run away, and their internal organs would have been crushed by the forest.
"Well... No, the more we cut down the forest, the faster it grows. We can only try our best to survive the night and take action when daybreak comes."
Jiang Xuan swallowed a pill, and his golden pill still hurt. Suddenly he thought that Chen Que might have been swallowed by the forest.
Probably, it's crushed under some vines somewhere, but it shouldn't be dead yet.
Shen Wenqu: "Oh, what kind of trick is this from the Xuanyue Sect?"
As he spoke, he cut off the branches, as if intentionally separating Jiang Xuan and Luo Wangchan.
This guy is too dangerous and never tells the truth. If Jiang Xuan is killed by him, they will have no chance of survival.
Jiang Xuan just felt that the quarrel between the two was really giving her a headache, so she simply sat next to Ying Huai with the small coal ball. The two of them looked after each other and cut off the vines that had been wrapped around their backs without knowing when.
Seeing that Jiang Xuan didn't even bother to pay attention to him, Shen Wenqu lost his temper for a moment and sat down to rest with a reluctant look on his face.
If the senior brothers from Suiyi Sect were here, Jiang Xuan would definitely not be as bored and irritated as he is now.
She turned the little coal ball over and felt the civet cat's body. Its pupils were erected into a line. Although it was very uncomfortable, it lay on its back on Jiang Xuan's lap without moving.
In the late stage of distraction, no wonder, this lock pressed down the small coal ball by two layers, it was normal to feel suffocated.
It is also because Jiang Xuan himself is advancing too slowly, and is still stuck in the Jindan stage without moving at all. If he were to advance to the late Jindan stage or the early Yuanying stage, the little coal ball would probably feel better.
If possible, Jiang Xuan sometimes really wanted to take out all his golden elixir and meridians and cleanse them. It was too slow to cultivate the five spiritual roots with spiritual energy.
Always relying on her immortal body, she still couldn't change her fate in the end.
"What are you thinking about?"
Ying Huai leaned back with his arms, looking at Jiang Xuan's profile which was partially blocked by his hair, as if he had seen through her thoughts.
"Now that you have been promoted to a higher level, how are you going to save us if you are struck by lightning? Calm down."
He lay flat on his back, looking completely nonchalant.
He was very familiar with Jiang Xuan's current mentality.
Infinite rebirth and infinite repetition are actually not a lucky thing, but a curse.
No matter what you do, you can't change the ending, Jiang Xuan.
Ying Huai could only pray silently that Jiang Xuan would be slower before going completely crazy.
Otherwise it would be too boring for him.