Emerging from the mist, a deep forest filled with towering trees came into view. The shortest tree here was at least several hundred meters tall, which surprised Qin Luo.
A gentle breeze swept by, bringing a touch of coolness. Qin Luo found a clean spot and gently laid Xia Zihan down.
He sat to the side, watching Xia Zihan, who was still unconscious, her body being nourished by the spiritual energy in his dantian. Recalling what had just happened, he was somewhat impressed by this stubborn woman.
"She is a responsible woman."
Thinking of the purple spiritual energy that Xia Zihan had constantly enveloped him in the mist, Qin Luo couldn't help but sigh softly.
She knew perfectly well that this would put an extremely heavy burden on her body, and her unreserved protection of herself was partly due to the choice she had made in the cave, and partly because Xia Zihan had come to regard him as a trustworthy friend and companion.
After an unknown amount of time, Xia Zihan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing this, Qin Luo promptly withdrew his spiritual energy into his dantian.
Xia Zihan looked around in confusion, but when she saw Qin Luo, she instantly snapped out of it.
"Have we emerged from the fog?" Her voice was slightly weak.
Qin Luo said irritably, "You're finally awake. You've exhausted me. Do you know how scared I was when you fainted? Since you know you can't use spiritual energy for a long time, why did you keep covering me in the mist?"
"You are our greatest guarantee to get out of this primeval forest. If anything happens to you, then we really have no hope of getting out!"
Qin Luo spoke sternly, a hint of anger appearing on his face.
After all, he had invested heavily in Xia Zihan, and if she died here, he would suffer a huge loss. Moreover, the system did not explain how to obtain new investment points, which made Qin Luo cherish Xia Zihan even more.
Xia Zihan lowered her head slightly and said with a bitter expression:
"I just don't want to waste the opportunities you've given me. Since you've bestowed them upon me, I must protect you well all the way to the Southern Region."
Qin Luo was speechless, then sighed and waved his hand: "Forget it, don't push yourself so hard in the future."
The two remained silent for a moment, the atmosphere somewhat awkward. Just then, the sound of birdsong broke the silence from afar.
Xia Zihan stood up and said, "Let's continue on our way."
Qin Luo nodded, and then the two looked at the forest filled with giant trees.
"This is the inner perimeter of the primeval forest. The monsters here are generally at the Spirit Vortex Realm level, so we'd better stay vigilant at all times!"
Xia Zihan walked ahead, reminding Qin Luo, and the two of them walked very carefully in the deep forest.
Because the powerful demonic beasts had already developed some intelligence, they had a strong possessive desire for their territory. Therefore, Xia Zihan did not dare to spread her spiritual sense too recklessly, and could only distribute it within a range of about 100 meters around her.
Fortunately, nothing too serious happened along the way. Some powerful demonic beasts were not interested in these two tiny ants at all, and most of them just glanced at the two of them and continued to doze off in their territory.
However, Qin Luo dared not relax at all, as he knew that there was a hegemon-level demon in the inner circle, and that demon had a very strong interest in humans.
After traveling for half a day, the number of monsters around them had become extremely small.
"Strange, these ancient trees mean we are still in the inner perimeter of the primeval forest, so why are there so few monsters here?"
Xia Zihan looked at the quiet surroundings and murmured in confusion.
Neither of them noticed that a thin, sharp willow branch was suddenly swooping down from above their heads.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao Jiu, be careful!"
Qin Luo had been wary of the willow tree the whole time, and sensed its location the instant the willow branch made its move. He quickly pushed Xia Zihan aside, and then darted to the other side himself.
With a soft thud, the slender willow branch pierced the open space between the two people, the force of which caused the ground to tremble.
"This is... the Soul-Devouring Willow King!"
Xia Zihan was also startled by the strange movement. She looked along the willow branch and saw the willow tree, which was hundreds of meters tall and had an incredibly thick trunk that required dozens of people to encircle. Her face turned deathly pale instantly.
This is one of the terrifying monsters recorded in the royal books. It is said to be entrenched in the deepest part of the Southern Region and is one of the overlords of the Southern Region, possessing the strength of the peak of the Soul Contract Realm!
A sense of despair welled up in Xia Zihan's heart at this thought. She never expected that they would encounter the most terrifying monster in the Southern Region.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao Jiu, what are you still standing there for! Run!"
Qin Luo saw Xia Zihan standing there dumbfounded and couldn't help but call out.
At this moment, the terrifying Soul-Devouring Willow King stretched out several slender, snake-like willow branches, which lashed out at Xia Zihan like long whips, accompanied by a whistling sound.
When Xia Zihan realized what was happening, she panicked and immediately threw the spirit explosion pill that was in the cave.
When the spirit explosion ball and the willow branch collided, a huge sound rang out in the field, and then the willow branch was seen to be blown into pieces and scattered down.
Amidst the billowing smoke, the Soul-Devouring Willow King let out an angry roar, causing the entire forest to tremble.
"how so?"
Xia Zihan was shocked. Logically speaking, a Spirit Explosion Ball with the strength of the first stage of the Spirit Vortex Realm should not be able to block these willow branches, but now it not only blocked them all but also broke them in half!
"Could it be that the Soul-Devouring Willow King is seriously injured and is now forced to retreat in a major battle?"
After much thought, only this conjecture could confirm what had just happened.
Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope rekindled in her heart; if this was the case, perhaps she could escape.
Just as this naive thought came to her mind, a root suddenly burst out from the ground and pierced through Xia Zihan's abdomen from behind with a "plop" sound!
"Damn it! Doesn't she know how to run away?!"
Qin Luo cursed inwardly. He really didn't know how Xia Zihan had cultivated to the Spirit Vortex Realm. She couldn't even see the situation on the field clearly.
At this moment, he no longer concealed his cultivation level; if he continued to do so, this investment would likely be ruined.
A surge of spiritual energy enveloped Qin Luo, and at the same time, purple stars appeared beneath his feet. His figure flickered, and in the next moment he arrived beside Xia Zihan. The Purple Star Breaker in his hand had already been fully condensed and was placed down on the tree.
Instantly, wood chips flew everywhere, and the root was cut in half. Qin Luo used his spiritual energy to protect Xia Zihan's abdomen and then pulled out the wood root that was stuck in it.
"You, your spiritual energy?"
Xia Zihan leaned weakly on his arm as she spoke.
"Let's get out of here first."
Qin Luo stared intently at the countless willow branches hurtling towards him, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
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