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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 169: Evil Demon Tree
In the vast jungle, Tide Mist enveloped the area, a chilling aura shrouding the entire region. The dusk of the afternoon cast a deeper shadow, and apart from the occasional chirping of birds and insects, there were no other sounds in the forest for miles.
Walking through the woods, Sun Zhe held the map drawn by Gao Shou in his hand, comparing it with the rough descriptions while searching for the so-called Gorge. Fortunately, the terrain here had not changed much; although there were some errors in what Gao Shou had drawn as a map, Sun Zhe could roughly determine the route Gao Shou intended.
Perhaps due to his upbringing in the Wasteland of Demons, Jingjing showed no signs of discomfort in such a forest. Instead, it seemed more lively, leaving Sun Zhe's shoulder to happily fly ahead, chirping incessantly. It was unclear what exactly it was trying to say.
Seeing Jingjing's joyful demeanor made Sun Zhe smile involuntarily. Jingjing had been with him for quite some time now. Although they started their journey together because of the Ancient Cauldron, he treated this creature sincerely. While most would view their spirit beasts as combat partners, Sun Zhe never thought of Jingjing that way; in his heart, Jingjing was simply his younger brother, much like his late brother Sun Ping.
Unbeknownst to him, the sun slowly set behind the mountains, and the light gradually dimmed. The vastness and complexity of this forest exceeded Sun Zhe's expectations; he hadn't found the Gorge mentioned by Gao Shou even after an entire afternoon. Just as he was about to turn back and continue searching later, something caught his eye.
Through dozens of scattered trees and tangled vines, a slanted Gorge appeared faintly before Sun Zhe. Towering peaks flanked both sides like two giant hands gently cradling it, with the Gorge nestled between them.
After double-checking the map once more, joy sparkled in Sun Zhe's eyes.
"What kind of map is this? The directions are all mixed up. Come on, let's go!"
Sun Zhe couldn't help but curse Gao Shou for his carelessness. However, he also understood that he couldn't blame Gao Shou entirely; after such a long time, it was already impressive that he could remember some of the routes. Calling out to Jingjing, who was looking around curiously, Sun Zhe tucked the map into his clothing and stepped toward the Gorge.
From a distance, everything seemed fine, but as he reached the mouth of the Gorge and saw what lay inside, Sun Zhe's brow furrowed involuntarily. The entire Gorge was shrouded in a thick gray-brown mist that carried a strange odor. If Sun Zhe wasn't mistaken, this scent was similar to the poison affecting Gao Jing.
Due to this gray-brown mist obscuring visibility, the whole Gorge was enveloped in it. Moreover, this mist could even block Divine Consciousness from probing; even Sun Zhe couldn't discern what was happening inside.
Seeing this scene before him made Sun Zhe frown. Without understanding what lay within, he dared not enter recklessly. Although he had stepped into the Realm of the Thunder Lord, he was not invincible; there were still many places on this continent that he could not venture into.
While Sun Zhe was decisive by nature, he was equally cautious. After resolving Gao Jing's matter, he still needed to head to Linwu Prefecture for the Selection Trial; he did not want any unexpected incidents before then.
"Chirp chirp..."
Just as Sun Zhe furrowed his brow in thought, Jingjing suddenly called out and dashed directly into the Gorge.
"Don't..."
The mist was clearly toxic, and Sun Zhe immediately waved and shouted loudly towards Jingjing.
However, this fellow was not so careless; instead, it quickly halted outside the mist, flapping its wings while looking at the mist in the Gorge. It then turned back to call out to Sun Zhe a couple of times, as if to say "watch me," and then, to Sun Zhe's astonishment, it swiftly began to flap its wings.
As Jingjing flapped its wings, this time there was no dazzling Divine Radiance, but a massive vortex suddenly surged into existence in front of it. The vortex grew larger and larger until it transformed into a purple tornado, filled with countless purple wind spirals. Instantly, a powerful and overwhelming aura radiated outward.
Surprise flashed in Sun Zhe's eyes; he never expected that Jingjing had mastered such a formidable move.
"This fellow seems to have been drinking and sleeping a lot lately..."
Looking at the half-Void floating figure, Sun Zhe couldn't help but sigh. Although Jingjing's body was small, the energy contained within it was astonishing. Compared to others, one would feel ashamed. Now, when Sun Zhe compared himself to a bird, he felt the same way—not because he was lacking, but because this fellow before him was simply too extraordinary.
Ever since having a drink with Sun Zhe once, this fellow had developed a taste for it. If it didn't drink a couple of cups, it would feel uncomfortable. After spending more than three years with the old man, it had become a complete Drunken Bird. During this time, aside from sleeping and drinking, Sun Zhe had never seen this fellow practice.
Yet despite this, its cultivation continued to rise steadily, and it could use Divine Ability effortlessly without any training. Sun Zhe was genuinely curious about what kind of extraordinary beast this fellow was; perhaps even ancient races like the Dragon Clan or Phoenix Clan were not as remarkable.
Just as Sun Zhe was pondering this, the enormous tornado in the Void completed its final formation. The fellow let out a sharp cry and pointed forward with its right wing as if commanding its subjects like a high-ranking king. The massive tornado immediately howled into the Mountain Valley.
The tornado, over ten feet wide, rushed into the Gorge and instantly mixed with the swirling gray-brown mist. The enormous wind spiral quickly sliced through the thick mist that had clung together into countless segments, enveloping them within the wind spiral. After wrapping around the gray-brown mist, the purple tornado deepened in color.
In just a moment, the tornado summoned by Jingjing disappeared into the Gorge, and the gray-brown mist that had shrouded the area dissipated completely, carried away by the retreating tornado. The vast Gorge returned to its original clarity; one could see all its features at a glance.
"Chirp chirp... chirp chirp..."
The fellow proudly stood in front of Sun Zhe, its big eyes gleaming with a show-off expression as it excitedly called out.
"Hey hey, stop showing off; I know you're capable. Let's go..."
Sun Zhe smiled helplessly and picked up the fellow as he walked into the Gorge. However, just as he stepped into the Gorge, the entire area suddenly shook. Sun Zhe's expression changed abruptly; his foot retreated instantly as he flashed back several feet away from the Gorge with his companion.
At that moment when Sun Zhe had just dodged away, a green ancient vine shot up from the ground. The tip of the vine shimmered with a blinding black glow. If Sun Zhe had been even slightly slower just now, he would have either been pierced through or poisoned by the toxin contained within the vine.
Looking at the suddenly emerging Azure Vine, Sun Zhe's gaze sharpened; the toxin contained within this vine was clearly identical to that which Gao Jing had been poisoned with.
The vibrations of the Gorge did not cease. Within the vast expanse of the Gorge, the earth and rocks crumbled as if a massive earthquake had occurred. Countless green vines slowly surged from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Gorge was covered by these green vines. In the center of the Gorge, a gigantic tree shadow appeared.
The tree stood over ten zhang tall and had a diameter of three zhang, resembling a colossal entity situated in the center of the Gorge. However, this was not the most astonishing aspect; what was truly shocking was that a face had grown in the middle of this giant tree. It bore some differences from a human face but still had a nose and mouth, with enormous eyes that flickered with a dark light, coldly gazing at Sun Zhe, filled with a strong sense of malice.
"Evil Demon Tree!"
As he looked at the strange giant tree that had suddenly appeared before him, Sun Zhe murmured a few words, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Back when he was at Xuan Lei Sect, Sun Zhe had come across related descriptions in ancient texts within the library. It stated that all things in nature possess spirits; just as animals can gain intelligence and become demon beasts, some peculiar plants might also develop intelligence and become demon entities. Coming from Nine Continents Mainland, Sun Zhe naturally found it hard to believe. Animals were understandable; they possessed some intelligence and could evolve into demon beasts. But how could plants become demon entities? Sun Zhe had always regarded it as an exaggeration by the author. Little did he expect to encounter a tree that had truly transformed into a demon body.
The ancient texts also introduced several common types of demon-transforming plants, with the Evil Demon Tree being one of them. Although it was not the most powerful demon entity, it was still one of the more unique ones.
Originally, this tree was not called Evil Demon Tree but rather Evil Soul Tree. This peculiar type of tree typically grew in places with extremely dense yin energy and became a demon entity after thousands of years of cultivation by absorbing numerous souls. It was only upon achieving its demon form that it was referred to as Evil Demon Tree.
This type of demon tree not only possessed demonic power like other demon entities but also contained strange toxins within its body. Ordinary mortals could not withstand this poison, and even low-level Cultivators would struggle to counteract it. However, whether Cultivator or mortal, this poison would not cause immediate death; instead, it would gradually affect the poisoned individual.
The poison that Gao Jing suffered from was precisely this type of toxin. Thanks to Gao Shou providing her with various precious medicines over the years to delay its effects, otherwise, with her mortal body, she would have long succumbed to this toxin.
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