Shangguan Yulin's poison was resolved, and Ye Lingyuan retrieved the Tun Tian Zi Dian Diao into the contract space. The group then continued on their journey.
As the sun set, they finally reached the mountainside.
It wasn't that they weren't fast enough, but they had encountered several waves of trouble along the way, which had delayed them considerably.
Just then, a peculiar forest appeared before them.
It was peculiar because most of the trees here were bare, without leaves.
Moreover, the bare branches were pitch black, and even the occasional leaves were incredibly dark.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Shen Liuxing warned everyone and stepped into the forest.
"Creak!"
His foot landed on the thick fallen leaves, producing an ear-piercing sound.
The sound, amidst the strangeness, was exceptionally eerie, sending shivers down their spines.
Ye Lingyuan did not move, but his brow was already deeply furrowed.
Suddenly, he shouted, "Boss Shen! Come back quickly!"
Shen Liuxing turned back in surprise, about to ask what was wrong, when he felt something swiftly entwine his ankle from within the thick fallen leaves.
"What is this!"
He yelled, instinctively trying to pull his foot out to see.
But the moment he lifted one foot, a vine suddenly appeared behind him and tightly wrapped around his waist.
Then, with a powerful tug, the vine pulled the unsuspecting Shen Liuxing backward, leaving an outline of a human shape pressed into the thick fallen leaves.
"Trouble!"
Shen Liuxing inwardly cursed and decisively attempted to leap out.
However, it was too late.
He was fast, but the vines were faster!
Before he could gather his strength, more vines emerged rapidly from underground, binding him like a zongzi.
"Hmph!"
Shen Liuxing snorted coldly, and his spiritual power erupted, attempting to shatter the vines that bound him.
But the vines were incredibly tough, comparable to imperial artifacts.
Under Shen Liuxing's outburst of spiritual power, the vines only loosened slightly; not a single one was broken.
"Hmph!"
Shen Liuxing snorted again, converting his spiritual power into law power, intending to melt the vines with it.
But the vines, as if sentient, gave him no opportunity and dragged him three zhang away.
At this moment, a sword beam sliced through the path of the vines, splashing streaks of green blood.
The one who attacked was Ye Lingyuan, a trace of green blood still lingering on his Potian Sword.
"Ah~"
A scream echoed, shattering the silence of the Yun Shen Mountain Range.
Perhaps hurt by Ye Lingyuan's Potian Sword, the vines suddenly loosened their grip on Shen Liuxing and writhed in place.
Shen Liuxing was also a seasoned genius. How could he miss such a golden opportunity?
With a surge of strength in his waist, his upper body straightened, and with a powerful push from his heel, he sprang out of the fallen leaves.
Then, with a tap of his toes, he flew into the air.
At this point, he was only a few leaps away from returning to Ye Lingyuan and the others.
But just then, an unforeseen event occurred.
The injured vines, having recovered, lunged towards Shen Liuxing again, flailing wildly.
Suddenly, with his previous strength depleted and no new strength gathered, Shen Liuxing was completely surrounded by vines from all directions.
Only then did he see clearly that these were not vines at all, but the bare branches.
"Hah!"
They had come alive!
Shen Liuxing seized an opportunity and stepped onto a branch.
The branch bent slightly under his weight, and he took a deep breath.
Then, he rapidly shifted his feet, dodging the branches while making his way towards Ye Lingyuan and the others.
Concurrently, Ye Lingyuan, Xuanyuan Xun, Rong Guang, and Shangguan Yulin were not idle. Each wielded their divine artifact, attacking the branches from a distance, buying time for Shen Liuxing.
With their combined efforts, Shen Liuxing finally managed to safely reach the edge where they were.
As Shen Liuxing leaped out of the forest, the vines, having lost their target, drooped limply to the ground, rustling and reverting to their tree-like appearance.
Shen Liuxing patted his chest with lingering fear and said, "Damn it! I almost became a meal for those branches!"
"No!"
Ye Lingyuan interrupted him and said, "They are already tree demons!"
"Tree demons?"
The others were all shocked.
Ye Lingyuan nodded and said, "The Zi Dian Diao said this place is called the Demon Wood Forest, and this entire forest is filled with tree demons that have come alive."
"Good heavens! No wonder there were so many tentacles! I almost capsized in a ditch!"
Shen Liuxing patted his chest again.
"Indeed! Those dense tentacles would overwhelm anyone!" Shangguan Yulin chimed in.
"So what do we do now? Judging by the looks of it, this Demon Wood Forest is quite large. How do we get through it?"
Xuanyuan Che asked, looking at the bare black trees.
"Yes! How do we get through?" Rong Guang also asked with a frown.
Ye Lingyuan stared at the forest, silent, but his troubled expression clearly indicated he faced a dilemma.
"Brother Rong, why don't you try using poison?"
Shangguan Yulin's eyes darted around.
Rong Guang hesitated and said, "I'll give it a try!"
As he spoke, he took out a handful of powder and prepared to scatter it into the Demon Wood Forest.
"It's useless!"
Ye Lingyuan stopped him, saying, "These branches are black, which indicates they are poisonous themselves, so they should be immune to poison."
"Then what do we do? Fight? But we're too few, and we can't defeat so many demons with so many branches!" Shangguan Yulin said with wide eyes.
Ye Lingyuan said, "Fight? You're overthinking it. The demon woods are shrouded in a faint aura of death, their resilience is no less than that of imperial artifacts. If you attack where they stand, you may not even be able to finish them off!"
"Then what do we do?"
Xuanyuan Che asked urgently, "We can't turn back, can we?"
"Retreat? Anyone who dares to retreat and disregard Sister Zi... Miss's life and death will be blacklisted by my Lin Xian Wine House and Lin Xian Auction House!"
Shen Liuxing, in his anxiety, almost let slip a name.
Shangguan Yulin: "Who said we're retreating?"
Rong Guang: "Yes, who said we're retreating?"
Xuanyuan Xun explained with a bitter smile, "This King did not mean to retreat. This King means that if we are to proceed, we must find a way to eliminate this Demon Wood Forest!"
"How do we eliminate it?" Shangguan Yulin asked with a stern face. "Oh right, Brother Rong, earlier when we saw those branches, they seemed very afraid of your Shi Du Tree. Why don't you try scaring them with the Shi Du Tree and make them let us pass?"
Rong Guang's eyes lit up and said, "Yes! The Shi Du Tree is the first poisonous plant born at the beginning of heaven and earth, considered the ancestor of all trees. It's worth a try!"