The black and white Shadow World came to a standstill. Qi Yuan stopped and stared at the rustling forest in the distance.
In the gray area around the Iron Chariots, there were very few forests. Even if there were, most of them were strange plants like black twisted trees that grew in the depths of the swamp.
In the more dangerous blue area, there were relatively more trees. However, even the most experienced Wilderness Hunter would not dare to rashly enter the Wilderness Jungle because it meant more danger.
In the new era, Insectoids could eat people, but so could plants!
"This is a bit difficult!" Qi Yuan frowned.
He would rather face the Insect Beasts than these man-eating plants.
If the enemy was Insectoids, the Insectoid Detector could at least warn the surrounding Insectoids. However, in such a forest, as long as he turned on the Insectoid Detector, he would see a dense cluster of light spots.
Just like the pine tree in Songcheng, most of the trees in the forest had accumulated a lot of energy. It was just that some had mutated, and some had not.
Before they attacked, no one would know which trees were ordinary and which ones were man-eating monsters!
Entering the forest was entering their home ground.
As for setting fire to the forest, other than attracting other Insectoids in the wilderness, it would be very difficult to threaten the real mutated trees inside.
Qi Yuan tried to get close to the forest and found that other than the rustling of the trees, there were almost no traces of Insectoids. This forest almost had the words "I am very dangerous" written on his face!
However, the check-in point was in the middle of the forest. Although there were hidden dangers, it was imperative to enter the forest.
Qi Yuan took a deep breath. With the Beheader in his left hand and the Doomsday Strike in his right, he slowly stepped into the dark forest surrounded by a few Insectoids.
The moment he stepped into the forest, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and the temperature suddenly dropped by a few degrees. The air became humid, and there were dangers everywhere. They were like poisonous snakes lurking in the darkness, ready to attack at any time.
There were many shrubs growing in the jungle. They spread messily in every corner of the jungle. These shrubs were particularly tall and could easily block the sight of pedestrians.
Apart from the shrubs, the trees in the forest were not tall. They could not even compare to the forests of the olden era. Apart from a few trees that exceeded ten meters in height, most of the trees were below ten meters in height. However, they were abnormally lush with leaves and branches, making the entire forest feel gloomy and without a trace of warmth.
Countless dark green vines climbed up the tree trunks and into the shrubs.
Qi Yuan used the Decapitator to test the strength of these vines and found that they were abnormally tough. Even the Grade 2 Steel Strength could not easily cut through them.
Feeling the strength of the vines, Qi Yuan's expression gradually turned serious. Fifty percent of his strength was needed to cut a vine that was as thick as an arm!
In the forest, Qi Yuan could already see many thigh-thick vines. These vines would probably need to be cut with all his strength.
If these vines came to life, would he be able to break free from them?
The forest was strangely quiet. Ever since he stepped into the forest, apart from the rustling of the leaves, he did not hear any other sounds.
In the large forest, there were no traces of Zergs, not even insects.
In the olden era, this was completely impossible. The forest meant life. In this dense forest, there must be a complete ecological chain with all kinds of animals and insects.
So not picky about food, even eating insects?
Qi Yuan thought silently.
The leaves on the ground were not thick. When he stepped on them, he could clearly feel the hardness of the ground.
Judging from the size of the trees, this forest had existed for a long time. However, there were not many leaves, which proved that the trees here rarely shed leaves.
The area detection vigilantly observed the surrounding movements, but there was only dead silence. Whether it was the trees, shrubs, or vines, there was nothing abnormal.
Apart from being too quiet, this forest seemed to be no different from the forests of the olden era.
As he slowly went deeper, the light of the checkpoint gradually appeared in front of him.
Qi Yuan stopped beside a tree that was more than ten meters tall. The tree was greenish-black, and its leaves were somewhat similar to ginkgo leaves. However, the color was darker. The tree trunk was covered with vines of different thicknesses. Unlike the vines in other places, the vines on this tree were somewhat old and gave off an abnormally tough feeling.
Qi Yuan raised his head and looked up along the thick tree trunk. He could only see bits and pieces of the gray sky.
The wind in the surroundings seemed to have stopped, and the rustling of the leaves had unknowingly disappeared. The area detection did not detect any abnormalities, but the energy control clearly sensed that the energy in these trees was becoming active, as if they were recovering.
Qi Yuan took a deep breath. The forest was starting to recover. The checkpoint was right in front of him, but it was not easy to quickly complete the checkpoint and leave. This was because the checkpoint was inside the tree in front of him.
When it came to hide-and-seek, the checkpoint had never disappointed!
"Pay attention to the movements in the surroundings!" Qi Yuan said.
The Blazing Angel controlled the Insectoids to look around vigilantly. As an energy body, it could also clearly sense the recovery of the forest.
Qi Yuan held the Decapitator in his hand, and the Steel Strength suddenly erupted. The cold purple blade drew a sharp arc in the air and suddenly slashed at the thick tree trunk in front of him.
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding resounded through the entire forest.
A powerful rebounding force came from the blade. This time, Qi Yuan finally felt the feeling of someone else slashing at his body.
The tree trunk in front of him was as tough as steel. His full-strength slash could only leave a mark that was neither deep nor shallow.
Was this the hardness of a tree?
This was more like the defense of a rank 3 Steel Tree!
Qi Yuan could not help but ridicule.
Danger had quietly descended. Before Qi Yuan could think of a way to deal with it, the eight Rank 3 Insect Beasts surrounding him suddenly started to sway as if they were drunk.
There was poison in the air!
Qi Yuan quickly realized where the danger was. Only poison could make all the insects in the forest go extinct. Only poison could make these rank 3 Insectoids silently fall for it!
Along the way, these Insectoids had not been attacked by the forest at all. They must have inhaled the poison, which was why they fell to the ground.
He did not fall for it because he was immune to the poison. The Blazing Angel was an energy body and was also immune to the poison. Therefore, both of them did not notice the invasion of the poison!
The invasion of the poison caused the eight rank 3 Insectoids to lose all resistance. They fell to the ground one after another, their bodies twitching unconsciously.
The vines around them wriggled. They rolled up the fallen Insectoids and tied them up in the air. The hard vines pierced into their bodies bit by bit and began to absorb the flesh and blood of the Insectoids.
The bodies of the Insectoids dried up at a speed visible to the naked eye. Qi Yuan's eyelids twitched. Although he knew that this forest was full of danger, when he saw the forest eating with his own eyes, he was still shocked.
The huge bodies of the Insectoids turned into a drink of flesh and blood in front of this forest!
The rank 3 Insectoids were not weak. However, in the face of this strange forest, they did not even have the strength to resist. They were sucked dry just like that!
Seeing that the tree trunk was as hard as iron and that the Decapitator could not break it, Qi Yuan directly pressed his hand under the tree trunk and tried to use the Steel Regeneration ability to dissolve the tree trunk.
Soon, Qi Yuan withdrew his right hand in disappointment. Although the tree trunk in front of him was as hard as iron, it was still a plant and not a metal. The Steel Regeneration could not dissolve it at all.
The eight insect beasts that were suspended in mid-air had all lost their vitality. Their shriveled bodies were gradually revealing their bones. Seeing that they were about to be sucked dry by the vines, the vines attached to the trees became even more plump and verdant.
As they continued to consume flesh and blood, the remaining vines gradually became restless. They began to slowly spread towards the Blazing Angel and Qi Yuan.
What should I do?
Qi Yuan's mind raced.
At this moment, Qi Yuan noticed from the corner of his eyes that the Blazing Angel controlled Mustard to grab a vine that was trying to wrap around his ankle.
Mustard stared at the vine as if it had found a fun toy. Not only did the vine not continue to wrap around him, but it also began to shrink back, as if it wanted to escape from Mustard's grasp.
They were afraid of the Blazing Angel!
A light flashed through Qi Yuan's mind. He suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something.
These trees and vines were not made of steel but plants. There must be some other reason why they were as hard as steel.
It must be the energy in their bodies!
Qi Yuan directly pressed his hand on the hard tree trunk and quietly activated Energy Control.
It was indeed energy!
Qi Yuan could clearly feel the strange energy that filled every inch of the tree trunk.
Qi Yuan tried to use Energy Control to control the energy. The energy that filled the tree trunk was quickly dispersed. The tree trunk that was even harder than a Tier 3 defense quickly became weak.
Qi Yuan's fingers clenched and easily left five deep fingerprints on the tree trunk. It was even deeper than the cut left by the full force slash from before.
Just as Qi Yuan pulled out Beheader and was about to slash open the tree trunk, the dispersed energy suddenly became restless. It was as though the energy had a mind of its own as it began to resist the control of the energy controller.
Interesting!
Qi Yuan grinned. He quickly realized that the master of this forest was not the trees, shrubs, or vines. It was the energy that had a simple consciousness!
A parasitic "Blazing Angel" of the forest!
"Blazing Angel, absorb all the energy in these trees!" Qi Yuan bellowed.
An eager expression quickly appeared on the Blazing Angel's face. She directly grabbed the end of a vine and began to absorb the energy inside.
But soon, Mustard frowned.
"It won't let me eat it!"
The Blazing Angel said, feeling wronged.
Qi Yuan raised his eyebrows.
"If it won't give it, then take it. Don't let it disturb me. When we get out, I'll let you eat Asterite energy!"
Asterite energy!
Hearing these words, the Blazing Angel's eyes lit up. Saliva flowed out of her mouth. She nodded vigorously and directly abandoned Mustard's body. She turned into energy and merged with the vines.
The Blazing Angel's invasion seemed to have angered the entire forest. The surrounding trees shook violently. The restless energy began to boil. The invading Blazing Angel was forced out several times.
However, under the temptation of Asterite energy, the Blazing Angel still persistently invaded the vines.
The rioting vines tried to attack the Blazing Angel, but they could not find the enemy. They could only frantically whip the air. The air exploded again and again, producing sharp sounds.
Qi Yuan continuously dodged the whipping vines. Although the vines did not deliberately target him, there were simply too many of them. Even if they did not intend to attack him, Qi Yuan still ended up in a miserable state.
The rampaging vines were as fast as lightning. Even with Range Detection, Shi Feng could only capture a blurry shadow.
Pa!
Unable to dodge in time, Qi Yuan was struck in the back by one of the vines. His figure immediately staggered, and he nearly fell to the ground.
The strength of the vine's attack was comparable to a full-powered attack from a Tier 3 Combat Domain. The intense pain caused Qi Yuan to suck in a breath of cold air.
The tough vines were shattered into pieces, and at the same time, a blood-red whip mark appeared on Qi Yuan's back.
Seeing that the rampaging vines were growing more frenzied, Qi Yuan took the opportunity to disperse the energy around the tree trunk.
The strange forest, which was focused on resisting the Blazing Angel's invasion, did not notice Qi Yuan's actions. Very quickly, Qi Yuan dispersed the energy around the tree trunk.
After losing the support of the energy, the sturdy tree trunk, which was stronger than a Tier 3 defense, became extremely weak.
Qi Yuan did not have time to use Beheader. Clenching his left hand into a fist, the Tier 2 Steel Strength burst forth, and he abruptly punched the tree trunk.
Tree splinters flew everywhere. The sturdy iron fist directly broke through the tree bark's defense and punched into the trunk, coming into contact with the Check-In Beam wrapped within.
The Check-In Beam turned into a warm current and entered his body. A brand new Tier 2 Check-In Talent was instantly formed.
He had succeeded!
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. He was about to turn around and leave.
However, he did not expect that this violent punch would cause the rampaging forest to become even more furious. The forest, which was originally focused on resisting the Blazing Angel's invasion, locked onto Qi Yuan at the same time.
Vines as thick as an arm instantly tore through the air.
F * ck!
Qi Yuan cursed inwardly. He did not have time to dodge at all and was whipped by several vines.
Under the violent power, every whip of the vines was an all-out attack of a Tier 3 Insectoid. The attacks of the vines fell like raindrops, making it impossible to resist.
Under the repeated whipping, the Tier 2 Steel Defense was almost shattered. Blood flowed from the corner of Qi Yuan's mouth. His internal organs seemed to have been knocked out of place.
Under the crazy attacks of the forest, Qi Yuan could not move an inch. He could not leave the forest at all and could only passively take the beating.
You're courting death!
After being heavily injured by the vines, Qi Yuan steeled his heart and pulled out Beheader with one hand. Withstanding the crazy whipping of the vines, he suddenly slashed at the hole made by the fist.
Energy poured out!
Violent purple flames crazily gushed out from the blade.
It was very difficult for ordinary flames to ignite this forest ruled by strange energy. However, the energy inside Beheader was not ordinary flames. It was a Tier 3 Laser Purple Flame!
The purple flames rose and instantly engulfed this incomparably huge tree. Then, it spread in all directions.
The vines that were whipping the sky clearly paused for a moment. Although the strange energy was the true ruler of this forest, without these trees, it would also lose its hunting ground.
After realizing the threat of the spreading flames, the strange forest became angry again. Between extinguishing the flames and eliminating the invader, the strange forest chose to extinguish the flames to prevent the spreading flames from burning more trees.
Thick vines whipped at the burning flames at the same time. Together with the counterattack of the energy, the forest quickly suppressed the spread of the flames. Qi Yuan took the opportunity to run outside.
The Blazing Angel was still invading, trying to devour more energy and at the same time buy more time for Qi Yuan to escape.
However, the strange forest was obviously very vengeful. The moment the flames were extinguished, it locked onto Qi Yuan again. It was not prepared to let this enemy leave.
Seeing that he was about to reach the edge of the forest, countless vines intertwined into a huge net and directly blocked the path ahead.
Faced with the overwhelming number of vines, Qi Yuan could not avoid them. In the end, one of the vines wrapped around his ankle.
More vines wrapped around him. Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes. With the strength of these vines, if he was entangled, there was almost no chance for him to break free.
Seeing that he was about to be completely captured by the vines, Qi Yuan took out a plasma bomb from his arms. After activating it, he directly threw it into the depths of the forest.
Boom!
The blazing white arc instantly lit up the dark forest. The violent white lightning instantly suppressed the riot of the forest.
The attacking vines stopped at the same time, as if they had fallen into chaos due to the impact of the energy. Only the vines that wrapped around his ankle did not relax.
Qi Yuan took the opportunity to cut off the entangled vines with his sword and broke through the crazy encirclement of the vines. Finally, before the strange forest recovered from the aftermath of the plasma bomb, he left this strange forest.
After leaving the forest, Qi Yuan also summoned the Blazing Angel, who was pestering him endlessly. She stared at the forest angrily. In the conflict just now, she had suffered a small loss.
"You're quite vengeful!"
Qi Yuan stroked the Blazing Angel's hair and then threw out a strand of Asterite energy. Only then did the Blazing Angel's face blossom with a smile.
As the aftermath of the plasma bomb subsided and the Blazing Angel left, the originally chaotic forest quieted down once again. However, Qi Yuan keenly felt a trace of difference.
This forest was already filled with enemies. The unforeseen event just now made it remember him and treat him as an enemy.
If he dared to step into this forest, this strange forest would probably wake up immediately and launch a crazy attack on him.