Deep within this large forest, few soul masters ventured.
While Sunset Forest couldn't compare to Star Dou Great Forest, it was still fraught with danger; at least, soul masters below the Soul Douluo level dared not trespass.
"Zhu Qing, what's your fourth soul skill?" Ma Hongjun leaned close to Zhu Zhu Qing and asked in a low voice.
"Netherworld Shadow Clone, creating multiple shadow clones to attack."
"A clone, indeed impressive."
"Brother, why didn't you ask me?"
"Yours is...
Fourth, Defense!"
"Oh!"
The group continued forward, the deeper they went, the fewer living creatures they encountered, and animal-type soul beasts became increasingly rare.
"Everyone be careful, most plants are poisonous. The poison from a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast is extremely potent; even if you can cure it, it might be too late,"
Tang San warned.
He held the Fragrant Qiluo Immortal Herb in his hand; this herb not only attracted soul beasts but also blocked the approach of these poisonous flowers and herbs.
The plants of Sunset Forest were incredibly diverse; even learned masters couldn't recognize them all.
Man-eating flowers and blood-sucking trees—they really exist here. The reason no spirit beasts have ventured here is likely because they've been killed by these plants.
The presence of the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb effectively avoids these plants, and the fact that most people have absorbed Immortal Herbs also suppresses them.
Immortal Herbs are considered the kings of plants; their aura is like that of an emperor to these other plants.
However, among so many plants, there are still some that rival Immortal Herbs, and they are not afraid of their aura.
These are Ma Hongjun's targets, but their age is still too young, mostly around ten thousand years old.
Fortunately, plants are like that; if you don't provoke them, they generally won't attack you.
So, their journey has been smooth.
This is also why most plant spirit beasts live so long—they absorb sunlight.
"Look!"
Tang San, with his excellent eyesight, seemed to have seen something amazing, pointing into the distance and exclaiming in surprise.
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed. It was very far, but it was precisely because it was far that they were amazed.
It was a truly towering giant tree, appearing from afar as a pillar reaching straight into the sky.
Ma Hongjun and the others were now standing on a hilltop, facing a slightly flat forest. A single giant tree stood out, truly exceptional.
This was only from a distance.
Without a doubt, compared to the already enormous trees before them, which were far surpassed by that one, that tree must be over ten thousand years old, possibly far beyond.
To have such a towering trunk, it must have taken countless millennia.
Judging the age of a soul beast is generally based on its size. While not 100% accurate, for most soul beasts, a larger body indicates a longer lifespan. Whether
it was suitable or not, they would have to get closer to see for themselves.
The boundless forest seemed close, but they would only realize its distance once they started walking.
The group quickened their pace, and it took them nearly three hours to reach it. As they
approached, the awe they felt deepened.
They couldn't even see its full form; it was too tall, too lush.
Almost entirely, within a kilometer radius of it, its shade covered the entire area, barren of any vegetation. This area was likely dominated by its roots.
Even further away, no other giant trees could be seen; those trees couldn't possibly compete with it for nutrients.
"Jianmu!"
When the master uttered this name, Ma Hongjun felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had heard of this tree before.
"Its leaves cover a kilometer, its trunk is a hundred meters in circumference, and this Jianmu is about fifty thousand years old.
Very good, Jianmu is among the top five plant-type spirit beasts, no weaker than the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear among beast-type spirit beasts.
Moreover, compared to other plants, it is the most suitable spirit beast for spear-type spirit beasts."
"How do we deal with it?" Liu Erlong, standing beside the master, asked directly.
"The Jianmu tree is extremely difficult to deal with. Its territory is the area its shade covers, so everything within a kilometer radius of the trunk is within its attack range. It
usually attacks with wooden spikes, but this is a 50,000-year-old Jianmu tree. We don't know if it has any other special methods. Records of Jianmu trees over 10,000 years old are scarce."
"It's just wood, just burn it."
"Indeed, fire counters wood, but ordinary flames might not be able to harm it.
We can hardly help with dealing with the Jianmu. Even Elder Bai won't be of much use. Taking down this Jianmu will depend on Erlong and Hongjun."
The group now stood a kilometer away, beginning to devise tactics.
A moment later, they began summoning their martial spirits.
They ate the sausages and bread from Oscar and Xiao Yuanyuan.
They accepted Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda for assistance.
The group moved out, with
the three support characters remaining outside, not allowed within a kilometer of Jianmu.
Bai Baoshan's Heavenly Star Furnace appeared, having consumed Oscar's flying mushroom sausage, and was the first to attack.
As Bai Baoshan entered Jianmu's range, wooden spikes suddenly appeared on the ground, extending towards him.
Tree branches also lashed down from above. Bai Baoshan flew rapidly, approaching the tree trunk.
He threw out the Heavenly Star Furnace, which crashed into the trunk.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, Jianmu trembled and shook, countless huge green leaves cascading down.
At the same time, Flander flew into the sky, Liu Erlong from below, and Zhao Wuji from the ground.
The three Soul Saints attacked from above, middle, and below.
Xiang Chengxian and Dai Mubai followed behind Zhao Wuji, preparing to slowly approach the tree trunk.
They needed to activate their Soul Fusion Skill, Black and White Demon Tiger.
Now that both of them were Soul Masters, their individual attacks wouldn't have much effect on Jianmu.
However, the mental damage from their Soul Fusion Skill might have some effect.
Facing the ancient Jianmu tree, its robust body served as its greatest defense; ordinary physical attacks were utterly ineffective.
Mental attacks, however, were impossible to defend against. In fact, the two
of them were even more effective against Jianmu than the two Soul Saints, Flander and Zhao Wuji. Ma Hongjun and Ning Rongrong didn't use their Soul Fusion Technique; their own would be largely ineffective against Jianmu and would only deplete their Soul Power.
Flander and Liu Erlong began to disrupt the attack,
while Bai Baoshan continuously rammed the Jianmu with his enlarged Heavenly Star Furnace. The three's attacks effectively restrained Jianmu, allowing Zhao Wuji and his Black and White Tigers to approach. At approximately 100 meters away, Xiang Chengxian and Dai Mubai activated their Soul Fusion Technique.
The purer black and white flames, like two paintbrushes, clearly painted onto the Jianmu's trunk.
"Whoosh!"
A fierce wind arose around Jianmu, and falling leaves formed whirlwinds that swept towards Zhao Wuji and the others.
It seemed their attacks had also caused some damage to Jianmu, prompting this reaction.
Bai Baoshan, piloting the Heavenly Star Furnace, approached them.
At this moment, Ma Hongjun attacked. After the two tigers retreated, Zhao Wuji and Bai Baoshan once again escorted him to the Jianmu, one on each side.
The remaining people stood a kilometer away from the Jianmu.
They couldn't get close, otherwise the Jianmu's spikes would easily pierce their bodies and take their lives.
The cat-owl Flander, now a woodpecker, relentlessly attacked the branches of the Jianmu from its upper part.
Liu Erlong continuously spat fireballs, but her flames couldn't burn the trunk, only destroy the branches and leaves.
The Jianmu's vitality was extremely tenacious; as long as the main trunk remained, it could continue to live.
Therefore, Liu Erlong could only burn its leaves, not threaten its life.
Flander, a Soul Saint, was even less of a threat; he was merely tickling the Jianmu.
The Jianmu's trunk was too large to easily damage its core.
Countless spikes protruded from the ground, and Ma Hongjun and the other two on the ground ate mushroom sausages again and flew into the air.
This gave him time to deal with the splinters on the ground.
However, the lashing branches in the air were a deadly attack.
Ma Hongjun had already summoned his dragon scales; otherwise, a single lash from the Jianmu tree would tear his skin apart, possibly even killing him instantly.
No matter how agile Ma Hongjun was, he couldn't withstand the dense barrage of branches.
Although the dragon scales protected him from the branches, the pain of being struck was still excruciating, like the bamboo sticks his mother used on him when he was a child—they wouldn't break the skin, but they still hurt.
Bai Baoshan and Zhao Wuji, being of too high a level, couldn't be helped by Oscar's mushroom sausage for long, and the two landed on the ground.
Relying on their powerful defenses and strength, they clashed with the Jianmu tree trunk.
Their attacks were slightly more effective; their greater strength meant that even a simple collision would shatter the Jianmu's interior.
At this point, the Jianmu's attacks were extremely fierce, and Ma Hongjun hadn't had a chance to use his abilities, so he could only barely cope.
The Jianmu tree, seemingly unable to withstand the onslaught from Bai Baoshan and Zhao Wuji, unleashed its ultimate attack.
Branches descended from the sky, enveloping a kilometer-wide area.
Flander, already airborne, swiftly flew out, the dense branches forming a vast net.
Roots also appeared on the ground along the kilometer-wide area, attempting to connect with the descending branches.
Besides Flander, Bai Baoshan, Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, and Ma Hongjun were all enveloped within.
At this moment, a large circle had formed within a kilometer radius of the Jianmu tree; the upper half was composed of green branches and leaves, while the lower half consisted of yellowish-brown roots.
"This is the World of Trees."
(End of Chapter)