Fa Biao De Wo Niu
Chapter 446 Dark Treant (Second Update Today)
Walking near the flight point, which was actually just a beast pen, one could see giant bats kept inside, plump and strong. At the exit of the beast pen stood several old, frail, and ugly-looking gnomes.
Nie Yan suddenly received a system prompt.
Quest Progress: Head to Brendel Reef, located in the Scorched Islands.
Nie Yan walked towards the old gnome.
The old gnome looked over and asked, "Respected guest, what service do you require?"
Nie Yan looked at the list of flight point destinations. It was densely packed with dozens of locations. He spotted Brendel Reef of the Scorched Islands and said, "Please take me to Brendel Reef."
"It would be my pleasure," the old gnome said, leading a giant bat out of the pen. He fitted it with something like a saddle. "All set, sir. The fare is 50 silver coins."
Nie Yan paid.
The giant bat took a few steps forward, appearing quite docile.
In his previous life, Nie Yan had ridden flying mounts, but he rode griffons from the Greenlance Flight Point.
Nie Yan mounted the giant bat. The giant bat flapped its wings, took off, and spiraled upwards. The white tents below gradually became smaller and smaller as they flew towards the distant islands.
The giant bat flew over the Sea of Lava. A wave of scorching heat rose from below, causing the giant bat to tremble violently.
Seated on the giant bat's back, Nie Yan tightly gripped the rope fastened to the bat's back. After a while, the giant bat leveled out and glided at an altitude of about two or three hundred yards above the Sea of Lava.
The distant, towering volcanoes and the rising plumes of smoke grew closer. The giant bat flew over the area near the volcanoes, heading towards the distance.
Nie Yan looked ahead. Behind them, the Sea of Lava was dotted with many islands, arranged in a unique pattern.
Nie Yan guessed that these islands must have some history. He searched for information about the Scorched Islands on the official website. The website revealed that this area was originally the territory of the Kikubi Empire, a powerful gnome empire comparable in strength to the Undead Empire. In the end, it was submerged in the Sea of Lava. The dozen or so islands that remained held ruins of ancient gnome cities, but many areas had been occupied by lava monsters and fire spirits.
Lava monsters and fire spirits often dropped items like gems, making them popular targets for players.
After flying for more than ten minutes, the giant bat gradually descended, landing on a large island. The ground was covered with limestone formed from volcanic lava. One could see flowing magma through the cracks in the limestone.
System: You have discovered Brendel Reef.
At the center of Brendel Reef was a volcano, like a giant chimney, spewing out thick, black smoke.
Bennett's soul flew towards the central volcano.
Nie Yan quickly followed. After reviewing the information on the official website, he realized this was a Level 80 map, so he became cautious. He did not summon the Golden Land Dragon, as it would only be sent to its death if they encountered a Level 80 elite monster.
He entered Stealth and headed towards the dense jungle in the distance. Many tall, black plants grew here, of unknown species. Some of the plants were even aggressive.
After moving through the forest for some time, he saw some fire spirits moving about. These fire spirits were about three yards tall, resembled humans in appearance, and were covered in red flames.
Flame Spirit: Level 80, Health 80000/80000
Flame Spirits were a higher-level variety of fire spirits. These Flame Spirits didn't have high health, but they possessed powerful fire magic and strong attacks.
Even Nie Yan wouldn't dare take on more than two Flame Spirits at once.
These Flame Spirits walked through the forest, their flames illuminating a radius of thirty yards around them.
Using his Stealth skills, Nie Yan avoided the Flame Spirits and followed Bennett's soul, gradually delving deeper into the jungle. A towering tree in the distance caught his attention. This tree was five or six yards tall, like a giant umbrella unfurled. Its thick trunk required five or six people to encircle, and some of its dense roots were exposed.
Bennett's soul floated over, then paused. Nie Yan scanned the area and discovered several animal skeletons at the base of the giant tree, along with some shiny objects scattered on the ground. He couldn't tell what they were. Next to the tree was a treasure chest. The treasure chest was small, covered in a thick layer of dust, and looked rather unremarkable.
Unsure if there were any unforeseen dangers nearby, Nie Yan looked around. There were no monsters in sight. He walked over, bent down, and began picking up the scattered items on the ground, discovering they were chunks of metal, about the size of a fist.
Nie Yan examined the metal.
Mystic Nightmare Gold (Grade 7): Raw Material
In Nie Yan's memory, Mystic Nightmare Gold was the material used to make ballista strings for siege crossbows, due to its extreme toughness. This material was very difficult to find, usually found in areas with frequent volcanic activity. Volcano craters had the most and the best quality, but volcano craters were usually very dangerous, and few could reach them.
There were two or thirty pieces of Mystic Nightmare Gold scattered on the ground nearby. Nie Yan picked them all up, then walked towards the treasure chest at the base of the tree. The treasure chest was firmly embedded in the roots, looking quite old.
Nie Yan brushed away the dust. The top of the treasure chest was engraved with strange runes and secured with a clasp made of a white skull, exuding an eerie aura.
Nie Yan didn't know from what era it came, as he didn't know much about the history of the Undead Empire. However, judging from the material of the treasure chest, it must have been hundreds of years old.
It was Dark Gold-grade, or something even rarer.
Nie Yan bent down to open the treasure chest, but the lock was difficult to pick.
System: Treasure Chest Opening, Progress 3%...5%...
Opening this treasure chest would take a long time. Just then, the roots of the large tree next to him suddenly coiled out, wrapping around Nie Yan's right foot.
Nie Yan was shocked. He never expected that this tree would suddenly attack him. Countless tendrils reached out towards Nie Yan.
The originally still tree suddenly opened a pair of eyes, transforming into a treant.
Nie Yan's treasure chest opening was interrupted halfway.
Nie Yan glanced at his skill bar. Gale Step, Shadow Dance, and other escape skills were unusable, because these skills required him to be running, and his right foot was firmly trapped by the tree's tendrils.
Seeing the countless tendrils reaching for him, if these tendrils surrounded Nie Yan completely, he was afraid he would never escape. He could feel his health being slowly drained away by the treant.
Nie Yan suddenly understood what those skeletons on the ground were.
But he had no skills to break free from the treant's root entanglement!
A flash of inspiration went through Nie Yan's mind. Who said he didn't!
Nie Yan used the gnome transformation skill on the Gnome Ring, and his body rapidly shrunk. His right foot also quickly became smaller, and the roots tightly binding his right foot suddenly became loose.
He quickly pulled his foot out and ran, managing to dodge the tree's sweeping roots.
The treant clearly didn't expect Nie Yan's body to shrink. After realizing Nie Yan had escaped, its tendrils quickly closed in on Nie Yan.
Boom, boom, boom, the treant's tendrils pierced into the ground one after another, like arrows raining down.
Nie Yan constantly dodged left and right. Seeing a tendril piercing down towards him, he used Gale Step to deflect the treant's attack. Unfortunately, after transforming into a gnome, his movement speed was also much slower.
Because of his short legs!
Dense tendrils pierced down, about to completely cover him. Nie Yan used Polymorph, shrinking his body again, transforming into a lynx. He leaped forward, covering a distance of five or six yards, and passed through the gaps between the treant's tendrils.
The treant was still relentless. After missing its attack, it continued to coil towards Nie Yan. Its tendrils were already more than twenty yards long, but they continued to extend.
Nie Yan leaped, his body sticking to the trunk of a nearby tree. Sharp claws suddenly extended from his paws, gripping the bark firmly. He quickly climbed upwards, soon reaching the top of the tree. Then, he leaped from the trunk of this tree to the trunk of another tree, quickly avoiding the treant's attack and disappearing from the treant's line of sight. Only then did the treant give up on Nie Yan, and its tendrils slowly retracted.
After running fifty or sixty yards, Nie Yan reached a hidden corner, canceled the gnome transformation and Polymorph, leaned against a tree trunk, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was finally safe. It was too dangerous just now. If he hadn't thought of using the gnome transformation skill at the last moment, he might not have been able to escape.
This treant was truly insidious, disguising itself as an ordinary tree, using a Dark Gold treasure chest as bait, and delivering a fatal blow when the player opened the treasure chest. Nie Yan almost died here, but fortunately, he reacted quickly enough.
The treant did not catch Nie Yan. It slowly retracted its tendrils, transforming back into a tree, making it impossible for anyone to sense that it was a treant.
Nie Yan entered Stealth, slowly approached to within about twenty yards of it, and cast a Super Identify.
Dark Treant: Level 80 Elite, Health 300000/300000
This guy had so much health!
Moreover, it was immune to magic, magic was ineffective, and its physical defense was also very strong. Ordinary arrows could not damage it.
But it had one weakness, which was that it couldn't move. Also, its tendrils had a maximum attack range of thirty yards.