379: Attack of the branches

Everyone looked toward the silhouettes, and indeed, there was no movement at all.

If they were people with the same goal, they should have reacted upon hearing the noise. Yet, ever since the three of them entered this place, these two silhouettes had not changed in the slightest.

"Damn it, to think they dared to scare me!"

"If you have the energy to curse, you might as well look for any mechanisms nearby."

Zhou Xun cast a cold look at Wu Wenlong.

Since entering this palace, every area had been a one-way path, as if guiding them through all the mechanisms here.

However, why hadn't they encountered any danger for such a long time?

Aside from the first sword formation, which was extremely perilous, the subsequent mechanisms did not seem particularly formidable.

Wu Wenlong dared not speak again; he knew he was wrong to curse just now, and Zhou Xun was angry.

Chen Tianming circled the tree, attempting to get a clear look at the silhouettes inside; as for getting any closer, his intuition told him it was dangerous.

"Is there something wrong with this tree?"

It had to be said that Zhou Xun was a perceptive person.

She could infer that the tree was dangerous from Chen Tianming's small actions.

"My intuition tells me that those two silhouettes might really be people, just not living ones!" Chen Tianming said solemnly.

After Chen Tianming said this, Zhou Xun couldn't help but stare at him with a grave expression.

"Come over here quickly, there are other things here!" Wu Wenlong called out anxiously.

Seeing Wu Wenlong so nervous, Chen Tianming hurriedly ran over to check.

"This... this can't be, right?" Upon seeing the things inside, Zhou Xun was also startled by the scene before her.

Densely packed insects converged into a river.

Those insects were all composed of a transparent liquid; if observed with the naked eye, one would never discover that these insects were poisonous.

However, they were extremely fast, and their toxicity was very potent, capable of easily killing ordinary people.

"Chen Tianming, these insects are terrifying. Do not get close, lest you be poisoned."

Zhou Xun warned Chen Tianming.

"I understand."

Chen Tianming nodded.

Zhou Xun began to explain the origin of these poisonous creatures.

"These insects are called Blood-thirsty Insects. Generally speaking, as long as they consume someone's brain marrow, liver, gallbladder, bones, and so on, they will grow into this form. Once they are full, they will fly for a distance and then continue to attack others."

"They also absorb the energy from people to strengthen themselves. If too much is absorbed, the victim will die, which is why they are so terrifying."

"I see."

Chen Tianming nodded.

The Blood-thirsty Insects were very troublesome; as long as they were active, they would continuously attack enemies, making them very difficult to deal with.

"Then what should we do?"

Wu Wenlong was frightened.

"I just looked around, and it seems these insects are everywhere. If we go over, we will be swarmed by them!" Wu Wenlong said.

"Then let's retreat. They haven't discovered us yet, so nothing will happen." Zhou Xun suggested.

These Blood-thirsty Insects were very formidable and could devour people with high martial arts skills.

However, they were not ordinary people; as long as they weren't bitten by the Blood-thirsty Insects, the insects couldn't do anything to them.

Now, their only option was to retreat to the side of that blood-red tree.

"Our retreat path is now blocked. We can only move forward, but to investigate the surroundings here, we have to cross past the Blood-thirsty Insects."

Chen Tianming analyzed the current situation; they were in a dilemma.

Seeing that if things continued like this, he would likely be killed by the Blood-thirsty Insects, Wu Wenlong panicked.

Thinking of this, Wu Wenlong shouted aloud, "Since that's the case, should we go and investigate those two silhouettes?"

"I don't object to Chen Tianming's words, but Wu Wenlong, would you be the one to go and investigate?" Zhou Xun asked.

Hearing Zhou Xun's words, Wu Wenlong immediately fell silent.

That tree was clearly exuding something eerie; if he got close, he might lose his head.

"It's impossible not to go, but we can choose a safer method."

"What method?"

Then, they saw Chen Tianming take a long blade out from his storage space.

"We can just knock those two things out of the tree's range. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

This method was indeed too simple and crude, but it was undeniably the only safe method they could use right now.

"The noise won't attract the Blood-thirsty Insects, so it is indeed a good method. But you must control your force precisely; you cannot strike the wall, otherwise, it will disturb the Blood-thirsty Insects."

"I naturally know this, so rest assured."

Chen Tianming answered Zhou Xun's question and walked straight to the opposite side of the two silhouettes.

The long blade was unsheathed, and a cold, chilling light radiated from it.

Zhou Xun and Wu Wenlong followed closely behind.

Chen Tianming swung the sharp blade in his hand and slashed fiercely.

With a loud "boom," the tree actually shook, and then one of the silhouettes flew out.

"What the f*ck, what is this thing!"

The person who flew out was indeed a silhouette, but they were covered in dense, blood-red branches that were even flickering with light.

"Oh my god, so disgusting. Let's retreat a bit further before talking."

Wu Wenlong screamed, turned around, and fled toward the back.

"This person is still alive."

Zhou Xun's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Zhou Xun, can you say something useful? We can see that with our own eyes!"

After Wu Wenlong finished speaking, he realized he hadn't heard correctly.

"Wait, you're saying this thing is alive?" Wu Wenlong shouted in disbelief.

"Yes, alive. As for how it's alive, I'm afraid that's hard to say," Zhou Xun said.

Hearing Zhou Xun say this, Chen Tianming couldn't help but feel secretly worried.

"I'm afraid it has to do with the blood-red branches covering his body—it's this red tree."

"It should be."

Just as their voices fell, the tree began to become restless, and the blood-red branches danced wildly in the air.

"Snap."

Wu Wenlong couldn't dodge in time and had his right arm entangled by a blood-red branch.

"Ah!"

Wu Wenlong let out a miserable scream, then fell to the ground, his arm broken.

Chen Tianming immediately stepped forward and severed the branch that was entangling Wu Wenlong.

"Many thanks, Brother Chen," Wu Wenlong said with a mournful face.

That moment just now had almost cost him half his life.

Chen Tianming glanced at Zhou Xun and the others, signaling them to retreat backward.

"Brother Chen, be careful."

Zhou Xun reminded Chen Tianming.

Chen Tianming nodded and walked backward, but he didn't take more than a few steps.

Suddenly, he heard a whistling sound from the side and hurriedly turned his head to look.

That blood-red branch suddenly flew toward him, and he hurriedly dodged to the side.

But the blood-red branch did not disappear; instead, it flew about around Chen Tianming and the others.

"Snap."

Another blood-red branch flew over, and this time, Zhou Xun and the others didn't react in time and were struck.