7: Weird Dead Forest

He was able to realize he had returned to his starting point entirely due to his life in the Outer City.

The Outer City was a slum, always looked down upon, and many Inner City residents would specifically come to the Outer City to bully Outer City residents to show their superiority.

To protect his companions, Shen Xi learned from a young age to observe his surroundings, preventing any Inner City residents from suddenly appearing and beating or scolding them.

Over time, he developed the habit of understanding his environment every time he went somewhere.

That's why he realized he had returned to his starting point.

"Then should we go back the way we came? At most, we'll fight for it. If we could escape from the giant python once, we have a chance to escape a second time."

Wang Xiangui suggested cautiously.

He naturally wanted Shen Xi to be his cannon fodder.

Once the Two People left the Forbidden Ground, the giant python would definitely target Shen Xi, who was stronger and more attractive.

At that time, Wang Xiangui would only need to stay far away from Shen Xi to avoid both the giant python and Shen Xi, Two People threats.

"Hehe!"

Shen Xi gave Wang Xiangui a cold glance, clearly seeing through his scheme.

Then, he continued, "It's impossible to leave the Forbidden Ground now. Haven't you noticed that our path back is also blocked?"

Only then did Wang Xiangui belatedly realize that behind him, too, withered trees blocked the way, making it seem as if he was trapped in this withered forest.

It was precisely for this reason that at first, the Two People did not realize they had returned to their starting point.

From their perspective, they had been moving forward and had reached the center of the withered forest.

"We're trapped in this withered forest!"

Realizing this, Wang Xiangui became a little frantic.

"What on earth is going on!"

Wang Xiangui said in fear and unease.

How could the Two People be trapped in the withered forest after only a hundred meters?

"No! I don't believe it. This is the edge of the Forbidden Ground. If I just walk straight out, this withered forest absolutely cannot stop me!"

Wang Xiangui gritted his teeth and said fiercely.

With that, he walked in the direction out of the Forbidden Ground.

As for Shen Xi, he did not stop Wang Xiangui, but merely watched coldly, letting the other party slip out of his control.

If he guessed correctly, Wang Xiangui would come back.

Wang Xiangui parted the blocking withered trees, squeezed through, and disappeared from Shen Xi's sight.

But not long after, he walked towards Shen Xi from another direction.

Just as expected!

Shen Xi had a look of everything being under his control.

And Wang Xiangui was already dumbfounded.

He had clearly been heading in the direction out of the Forbidden Ground, yet in the blink of an eye, he was back where he started.

"I finally know why the Forbidden Ground is a place of certain death; those people were trapped to death here, but what exactly is going on!"

Wang Xiangui couldn't help but clench his fists.

He felt a sense of powerlessness.

Being inexplicably trapped in the withered forest, without knowing the cause or understanding the enemy, no matter how strong one's power, one could not break the situation.

This situation was simply too tormenting!

"These withered trees are problematic!"

Shen Xi finally spoke the truth.

"The withered trees are problematic?"

Wang Xiangui asked, puzzled.

"These withered trees appear to be dead, but in reality, they possess self-awareness and can move."

"As we advance, these withered trees slowly move at an imperceptible speed, changing their positions, thereby affecting our perception."

"We thought we were moving forward, but in reality, we just went in a circle and returned to our starting point."

Saying that, Shen Xi squatted on the ground and drew a topographic map.

On the map, he drew a path forward, but this path deviated slightly to the left from the very beginning.

And, as they moved forward, the degree of deviation increased, eventually forming a circle.

"Are you kidding me? If we went off course, how could we not notice?"

In the face of desperation, Wang Xiangui was clearly not as respectful to Shen Xi and questioned him aloud.

"Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be easy to notice, but what if the surrounding environment is almost identical, and each time it only deviates a little? If the deviation angle at each step is only one degree, it's impossible to detect."

If one were to observe the Two People's path from a high vantage point, it would be easy to spot the problem.

But the Two People were in the withered forest, confused by their surroundings, and thus unaware.

If Shen Xi had not already reached the Yuánqì Realm, with his six senses far more acute than before, even he would not have discovered the key to the problem.

"So, you're saying we just need to adjust our angle slightly with each step, ensuring we don't deviate, and if we move in a straight line, we can escape this cursed place?"

Wang Xiangui was overjoyed, finally seeing hope.

"Theoretically, yes."

Shen Xi nodded.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xiangui rushed off again in the direction out of the Forbidden Ground.

He would rather face the giant python than this cursed place, the Forbidden Ground.

At the very least, he could escape from the giant python, but the Forbidden Ground was mysterious and too bizarre.

"Hey, I haven't finished speaking yet!"

Only after Wang Xiangui's figure disappeared did Shen Xi mutter softly to himself.

He could discover the secret of the withered forest, and those Yuánqì Realm powerhouses who had previously strayed into the Forbidden Ground could also discover it.

But why did those people disappear like a stone sinking into the sea, without a trace?

The dangers of the Forbidden Ground were clearly not just this withered forest.

However... why should Shen Xi tell Wang Xiangui?

On the contrary, he still needed the other party to be cannon fodder, to help him ascertain the dangers in the Forbidden Ground.

Previously, when Wang Xiangui tried to leave the Forbidden Ground, Shen Xi did not stop him, and it was the same now.

Rather than taking the risk himself, it was better to let the other party clear the way.

"Mama! Ghosts!"

Not long after, Wang Xiangui's scream echoed through the sky.

Immediately after, he scrambled and crawled towards Shen Xi.

Behind him, a human face emerged on the trunk of a withered tree.

This face was ferocious and cruel, and exceptionally familiar.

It was Zhang Meng's face!

Not only that!

The surrounding withered trees also seemed to have triggered something, and faces appeared on their trunks.

There was Shi Long's face, and also the faces of those pampered Inner City young masters who were killed by the Two-Headed Sheep in the Outer City, and among them, the most ferocious was Zhao Minsheng!

No wonder Wang Xiangui looked as if he had seen a ghost; even Shen Xi was startled.

Some people who had already died actually appeared in this bizarre state on the surrounding withered trees, which made it hard not to associate it with vengeful spirits seeking retribution.

"You, don't come over here! It's all my fault, I shouldn't have coveted the Ore in the Demon Swamp Mining Area, I shouldn't have killed you to keep the secret to myself, please spare my life."

Wang Xiangui fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly towards Zhang Meng.

Hmm?

Shen Xi immediately realized something was wrong.

Wang Xiangui killed Zhang Meng?

But the other party clearly died by his own hand.

And listening to Wang Xiangui's words, what he saw didn't seem to be Zhang Meng, but that unlucky person who was killed because he discovered Ore in the Demon Swamp Mining Area that could increase Cultivation speed?

The Two People saw completely different scenes on the same withered tree?

"Snap out of it!"

Shen Xi immediately reacted, swinging both hands, slapping Wang Xiangui's cheeks.

At the same time, he also bit the tip of his tongue, trying to stay awake.

Pain was effective.

The face on the withered tree trunk clearly became blurry, about to disappear.

This also confirmed that Shen Xi's guess was true.

All these things he saw were just illusions.

How could people who had already died reappear and possess withered trees?