Chapter 185: Extraordinary Strength
"A few of you stay behind to guard this place. The rest, follow me," Li Tian said, his eyes narrowing as a cold light glinted within them. 'An existence of such superior strength... I wonder if they'll be a threat to us?'
He watched Li Tian's group recede into the distance. The corner of his mouth twitched into a mocking smile, and he slowly followed.
Lin Feng tailed them the whole way. He discovered that Li Tian and his people coordinated with flawless chemistry, clear evidence of a long-standing team. Moreover, their strength was considerable.
If nothing unexpected happened, this group and the person who had released the Heart-devouring Powder—who had yet to appear—would be his final enemies.
The group pressed onward, finally stopping deep within the dense forest. The environment here was harsh. Withered vines and rotten leaves were everywhere, weeds grew rampant, and the air was thick with the stench of decay.
Just then, they noticed the dried bloodstains and bits of flesh on the ground, and their expressions immediately grew solemn.
"Has someone already been here?"
Li Tian murmured, looking at the tracks beneath his feet. They showed the direction the people had departed. They must have been rushing toward this place, which proved there had been a battle here before.
"We need to move faster."
The young man in the lead spoke, then quickened his pace and ran forward. The others followed close behind.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group could already see a faint red glow ahead. It came from a giant tree, a full ten meters tall. Its branches were lush with leaves, and every single one was laden with crimson fruit.
The fruits were about the size of a fist, shaped like apples but not quite. Their surfaces shimmered with a faint, fire-like pattern, and a refreshing, sweet fragrance permeated the air, invigorating all who smelled it.
"Has the influence of the Red Flame Fruit reached this far?"
A brawny man chuckled, leaped up, and plucked a palm-sized fruit directly from a branch. He eagerly took a bite.
"Delicious! This is so delicious!"
The brawny man said, his face full of amazement. Then, with a loud GULP, he swallowed the fruit.
The closer one got to where the Red Flame Fruit grew, the more one could see how ordinary things had been affected by it.
"Stop wasting time. We need to get these fruits as quickly as possible, or someone will snatch them away sooner or later."
Li Tian reminded everyone. They couldn't afford to waste time; otherwise, by the time others arrived, there would be nothing left for them.
"Right, right! We have to be quick. Everyone here has gone crazy."
After saying this, a Cultivator rushed straight toward the Red Flame Fruit. He swung the long saber in his hand, cutting down several trees and clearing a path straight up the mountain.
'Peak of Late Stage Innate?'
Hiding in the shadows, Lin Feng's brow twitched. 'Such a domineering move... an ordinary person wouldn't dare do that unless they were absolutely confident in their ability to crush any opposition.'
'If there's someone like that in their group, I'll have to be careful from now on. If I get surrounded by them, my only option will be to retreat.'
Li Tian and the others wasted no more words, heading up the mountain along the path the man had cleared.
Their speed was extremely fast, but he didn't let his guard down. After all, they were deep inside the Immortal Realm now. There was no telling what kind of monstrous things might appear.
Sure enough, before they had gone a kilometer, one of the Ancient Martial Artists clearing the path up front froze, then hastily retreated!
"Dammit! Why are there so many venomous snakes here?"
Hearing this, the group looked around and, just as described, saw numerous venomous snakes with an eerie green sheen. They lay coiled, flicking their scarlet tongues from time to time—a chilling sight.
"These things have been affected by the Red Flame Fruit! Get rid of these beasts, quickly!"
The group immediately began to attack. But there were simply too many snakes. Even with their great strength, it would still take them some time to clear them out.
A full five minutes later, all the venomous snakes were finally wiped out. The group could breathe a little easier.
"These damn things are so annoying."
A burly man spat at the dense carpet of snake corpses on the ground, his face full of disgust.
"Don't forget our goal for today."
Another woman reminded him coldly. Their target this time was the Red Flame Fruit.
"Hmph. Those other people are all chasing after the Red Flame Fruit. How could they possibly notice what's going on here?"
The man who had just complained snorted. They had now reached the base of the Red Flame Tree. The Red Flame Fruits were right there, on the giant tree above them.
No one spoke. They silently stared at the giant tree before them. Although it couldn't compare to the towering ancient trees of the forest, it was still exceptionally thick.
The trunk was like a great building, its branches gnarled and twisted. The long, thin branchlets were like sharp swords, giving off an air of piercing sharpness.
They didn't enter rashly. Instead, they stood their ground warily, scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming it was safe did they slowly step forward.
"How is there nothing here?"
One of them asked in confusion after scanning the area.
Logically speaking, the journey here had been treacherous, so the danger at the base of the Red Flame Tree should have been the greatest. However, the group looked for a long time and saw nothing.
Li Tian glanced at the tree. He felt that this place was exceedingly strange, not just because of the bizarre tree itself, but also because of the Red Flame Fruits on it.
"What do you guys think? How come those other people haven't arrived yet? Are they deliberately slowing down to stall for time?"
Someone said with a frown. The journey had taken a fair amount of time; those people should have arrived here long ago.
"Who knows? They all have their own sinister agendas anyway," someone else sneered.
Li Tian raised his head and looked at the Red Flame Fruits. He carefully sensed the changes in his surroundings, a strange feeling faintly stirring in his heart.
"Not good!" Li Tian's pupils contracted violently. He suddenly roared, "Fall back!"
Hearing Li Tian's voice, the group turned to flee without hesitation. But they were too late. A loud RUMBLE echoed as countless black shadows erupted from the ground, soaring toward the sky!
It was a dense swarm of poisonous insects. After flying out, they gathered together in perfect unison as if summoned, then swarmed toward the group like a tidal wave, blotting out the sky!
"What is this!"
"Run, run!"
"What the hell is going on!"
The group stared at the dense swarm of poisonous insects, each and every one of them scared witless. But the insects were incredibly fast. In an instant, they had enveloped everyone, making escape impossible.
Li Tian was also stunned by the scene before him. 'I only sensed a faint, unusual fluctuation,' he thought. 'How did all these poisonous insects suddenly appear? What in the world happened here?'
"AHHH—help me!"
"I'll kill you, you bastards!"
Bloodcurdling screams, shrill and horrifying, erupted from all directions.
These poisonous insects were utterly terrifying. They didn't gnaw on their prey as one might expect. Instead, they surrounded the group and continuously sprayed a toxic gas.