After a stalemate in front of the alien plant barrier for half an hour, someone finally broke the silence.
"If this drags on any longer, once the demonic beasts arrive, no one will be able to get in!" The Southern Region's Rock Ancestor spoke in a deep voice.
The black iron armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "I propose we join forces to get through this hellhole for now. Once inside, we'll each rely on our own abilities. What do you say?"
These words struck a chord with everyone.
Everyone wants to reap all the benefits, but forcing their way through the barrier of exotic plants would be suicide. It's better to linger and be wiped out by the monsters than to waste time.
Let's join forces to break through the barrier first, and we can deal with what happens after we get inside... we can figure that out later.
"I agree." The gray-robed elder from the Central Region Loose Cultivator Alliance spoke in a hoarse voice, his fingers twirling skull prayer beads.
"Those at the Dao Inquiry Realm lead the way, while also covering the rear; those at the Tribulation Transcending and Mahayana Realms stay in the middle, clearing away any stray vines and poisons."
"Let's do it this way!" The elders of the Eastern Green Wood Alliance immediately agreed. They were most familiar with this forest and knew better than anyone the risks of dragging it out.
Although Gui You, Zhao Wu, Qian Duoduo, and the others did not speak, they tacitly agreed to the suggestion.
Even the men in black robes nodded slightly, clearly agreeing that this was the safest approach at present.
A temporary alliance has been formed.
The formation was quickly established: the thirteen Dao Inquiry Realm cultivators were divided into two groups, with seven leading the way and six covering the rear.
Each of them unleashed their natal magical artifacts, their spiritual energy surging, clearly prepared to force their way in.
In the middle stood hundreds of cultivators at the Tribulation Transcending and Mahayana stages, each holding a weapon and watching the surrounding vines warily.
"Walk!"
With a low shout from Ancestor Pan Shi, thirteen auras of the Dao Inquiry Realm erupted simultaneously, like thirteen thunderclaps exploding in the forest!
The seven cultivators at the Dao Inquiry Realm who led the way set off first, stepping onto the steps formed of spiritual energy and rushing towards the vine barrier.
"clang!"
The Rock Ancestor wielded a giant axe and slammed it down on the thickest Nether Vine. The axe blade and the vine collided, producing a metallic clang!
The Nether Vine trembled violently from the strike, but it did not break. Instead, as if enraged, countless thorny branches grew like venomous snakes and lashed out at him!
"Hmph!" Ancestor Pan Shi snorted coldly, sweeping his giant axe across the branches, severing them all. But new shoots immediately sprouted from the cuts, at an astonishing speed.
On the other side, the leader of the Three Saints Sect—an old man in a white robe, wielding an ancient longsword—was entangled in a battle with several Netherworld Vines.
He thought he could cut the vines with a single stroke, but to his surprise, the blade only left a shallow mark on the vines, which instead wrapped around the blade.
With a "click," the spike pierced into the scabbard, and the dark blue venom instantly corroded several small holes!
"Such tough leather!"
The white-robed elder was startled and dared not be careless. He channeled his spiritual power into his longsword, causing the blade to glow with golden light. With a sudden twist, he finally severed the vine.
He frowned as he looked at the corrosion marks on the scabbard—the toughness and toxicity of this Nether Vine far exceeded his expectations.
The vine barrier seemed to come alive; sensing the invasion, all the Nether Vines began to writhe wildly.
Thorny branches lashed out at the cultivators clearing the path like a torrential rain, while the Soul-Severing Flowers swayed wildly in the gaps.
It sprayed out a pale purple poisonous mist, and the sweet fragrance instantly became several times stronger, causing even cultivators at the Dao Inquiry Realm to subconsciously circulate their spiritual power to resist.
"Watch out for the poisonous fog!" someone shouted, raising their hand to unleash a flame in an attempt to burn away the fog, but it was extinguished by the moisture contained within the fog.
"These exotic plants are intelligent!" Zhao Wu's voice rang out. Although he was in the middle of the line, he could see them clearly.
"They're attacking in unison; the vines entangle people, and the poisonous mist pours in to kill them!"
The pressure on the cultivators at the Dao Inquiry Realm ahead increased sharply, forcing them to divert some of their energy to resist the poisonous fog, thus slowing down their progress.
Occasionally, a branch would break through the defenses and strike the body, immediately leaving a dark, bloody welt that made the person wince in pain.
Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, and Shi Tou mingled in the middle of the tribulation-crossing cultivators, slowly moving forward with the flow of people.
Holding a long spear, Xiao Chen's sharp eyes swept across the surroundings. Whenever a branch of the Netherworld Vine managed to slip through the net and attack, he would swing his spear and cut it off. His movements were clean and swift, but he deliberately concealed his spear intent, so as not to attract much attention.
Jiang Li was even more cautious, keeping her rusty iron sword at her side at all times, as a faint purple poisonous mist occasionally drifted by.
She then swung her sword, unleashing a burst of sword energy to disperse the poisonous mist. At the same time, she paid attention to the responses of the cultivators at the Dao Inquiry Realm ahead, silently memorizing the attack patterns of the Netherworld Vine and the Soul-Severing Flower.
Stone is the easiest to deal with; his physical body is incredibly strong, and the poisonous mist has almost no effect on him. Occasionally, a branch will lash out at him.
He snapped it in half with a flick of his wrist, as easily as breaking a noodle, which made several cultivators nearby secretly gasp in amazement—this burly man looked simple-minded, but he was actually quite strong.
"Senior brother, be careful, something's getting close."
Jiang Li used her spiritual power to transmit her voice, her gaze falling on a Dao Inquiry Realm cultivator in front of her whose left arm was wrapped in vines. The cultivator's arm had begun to turn black, clearly indicating that he had been poisoned.
Xiao Chen nodded. He had also noticed that three of the seven Dao Inquiry Realm cultivators who were clearing the way had sustained minor injuries.
Their breathing was clearly disordered, and the six people covering the rear were also getting entangled by more and more vines, with sweat beading on their foreheads.
"Wait a little longer," Xiao Chen said in a low voice. "They still have trump cards up their sleeves. Let's not reveal our strength unless absolutely necessary."
They understood that this temporary alliance was fragile, and offering help now might not only fail to bring them good, but could also be seen as a "threat."
However, if these Dao Inquiry Realm cultivators can't hold on and the barrier isn't broken, they won't be able to get in either. The best approach is to wait until these people push themselves to their limits before making their move.
Ahead, the Rock Ancestor roared, his black iron armor glowing red, clearly using some kind of secret technique. The power of his giant axe surged, forcefully cleaving a gap more than ten feet wide: "Quick! Go through here!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com