Chapter 448: A Familiar Face

Chapter 448: A Familiar Face

"Sect Leader," Yu Changsheng addressed Lu Ran upon his return, "How was it?"

Lu Ran replied, "It was unexpected. The guards were cooperative, and knowing that I'm a Xianyang disciple, they didn't give me a hard time."

"Do you have any news about He Qifeng?"

"He said he's out on a mission and might return soon," Lu Ran said, his expression turning peculiar, "He Qifeng has even taken up an official position as a Hall Master in the Wujing Peak."

"Oh?" Yu Changsheng was also quite surprised.

It seemed that this woman's abilities were quite remarkable.

As a first-rate divine being, the disciples recruited by the Warrior Monk Sect were naturally all of exceptional talent.

The Wujing Peak was undoubtedly filled with experts!

To stand out in such a powerful sect and become a Hall Master, one's strength alone would not be enough!

Additionally, considering He Qifeng's young age and short time in the sect, her achievements in intelligence and methods were indispensable.

With this in mind, Yu Changsheng was even more eager to have He Qifeng join them.

"Let's wait a few more days, and then we'll take a look," Lu Ran suggested.

"Alright," Yu Changsheng asked, "Should we open up a cave and cultivate for a few days?"

Lu Ran turned to look south, "The captive mentioned that a few hundred kilometers south of Wujing Peak, there's a Deadwood Forest."

Yu Changsheng's heart stirred, and he cautiously asked, "Sect Leader, do you want to infiltrate the Demon Treeface's forces?"

The Demon Treeface was a type of demon resembling a withered tree, named for the terrifying human face growing on its trunk.

This clan was also the arch-nemesis of the Green Phoenix Sect.

Currently, Lu Ran only had two statue activation slots available. To increase this number, he would need to reach the Sea Realm.

At the moment, Lu Ran was only at the Third Stage of the River Realm, and it would take some time to advance to the Sea Realm.

He still planned to activate some statues that could make up for his shortcomings.

For example, statues from the Yan Qing Sect or their arch-nemesis, the Demon Seajewel clan.

Both could make Lu Ran fearless in water-based techniques and even allow him to conceal his form in water, which sounded quite enticing! However, the Demon Treeface clan was also worth considering.

After all, this clan was born to be tower defense experts! More accurately, the Demon Treeface was the "tower" itself.

Similar to the Green Phoenix Sect, the Demon Treeface clan was support-oriented, with decent output and formidable control and defensive capabilities!

Their size was quite massive, and once the dry branches expanded, they covered an extremely wide area.

If a Demon Treeface was planted on the Cloud Sea Cliff, the defense level of the Flame Gate's headquarters should be able to reach a new height, right? Hmm, it's a double-edged sword.

After all, the Demon Treeface clan had a huge size, and while their defense was indeed formidable, they also easily attracted enemies.

"Let's go!" Lu Ran commanded.

Regardless of whether they activated the statues or not, they would first capture some souls and keep them in storage, being prepared for any eventuality.

Having been a follower for so long, Lu Ran had been hiding in small places like the Cloud Alley for fifteen years, and he hadn't encountered the full range of demons. He had never directly confronted a Demon Treeface before.

They would kill for a few days and nights, gather some resources, then rest for a few days before returning to visit the Wujing Peak.

With that, the Flame Gate trio headed south.

A mere five to six hundred kilometers, the trio walked and stopped occasionally, sometimes opening the teleportation mirror.

Soon, Lu Ran and the others reached the so-called Deadwood Forest.

It was indeed easy to find because the Deadwood Forest covered an extremely large area!

"Whoa~~~"

On a hilltop, Lu Ran gazed south, unable to hold back a gasp of surprise.

The captive, Shi Yali, once said that within five hundred li of the Deadwood Forest, there's no sign of life or sunlight."

This statement was not an exaggeration!

Within the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm, there were two things in abundance: mountains and trees.

The trees in the mountains were mostly lush and vibrant, a stark contrast to the lifeless and withering forest before them!

And the scale of this forest was so vast that they couldn't even see the end of it.

Lu Ran used his enhanced vision to observe, and in the distance, he saw towering dead trees rising from the ground, their dry branches spreading horizontally, intertwining with each other.

It wasn't hard to imagine that the forest would be a place devoid of sunlight.

"If someone were to enter the Holy Spirit Mountain for the first time and be teleported directly into the Deadwood Forest, it would be too tragic," Lu Ran muttered.

Yu Changsheng nodded in agreement.

"Huff~" After observing for a moment, Lu Ran summoned an ancient bronze mirror.

Yu Changsheng immediately warned, "Sect Leader, the Demon Treeface clan has an extremely wide attack range, and their branches can extend for hundreds of meters."

"Hmm," Lu Ran casually acknowledged, and the oval-shaped ancient bronze mirror in his hand transformed into a standing mirror.

He stepped into the mirror, and his eyes instantly focused! At the edge of the Deadwood Forest, several hundred meters away, stood a Demon Treeface.

It was in a withered state, not too tall, but exceptionally thick, with numerous dry branches.

On the middle of its trunk, a cracked human face appeared on the bark!

Its expressionless face had deep-set eye sockets with a pair of yellowish eyes, both strange and startling.

Just a glance was enough to send a chill down one's spine!

The Demon Treeface clan!

Each Demon Treeface had its own territory.

Within a few dozen meters of this particular Demon Treeface, the ground was cracked and devoid of life.

Ordinary trees nearby looked half-dead, entangled by the Demon Treeface's dry branches.

The root cause of this was a cruel healing technique possessed by this clan!

The Demon Technique: Sick Tree Spring!

The Demon Treeface clan could absorb the life force of other living beings to replenish themselves.

Lu Ran had once seen some online images of pitiful humans who had been sucked dry by the Demon Treeface, leaving behind only mummified corpses!

"Conglong."

"Sect Leader?"

Lu Ran gestured towards the distant Deadwood Forest, "Why not sail a small boat over and let me have a feast?"

Yu Changsheng: "..."

Calling an 800-meter-long Dragon Carp Divine Boat a "small boat"? Lu Ran chuckled, "My Ink Carp Sinking Boat is a defensive technique, but it's too slow and lacks impact."

Yu Changsheng pondered for a moment, "Sect Leader, since the Deadwood Forest has been here all along, it represents the overall strength of this clan! There are probably many Sea Realm powerful demons in the forest, which is why they can protect their base so well."

Lu Ran nodded slightly, "You make sense, sir."

Yu Changsheng continued to persuade, "If we just skirmish, we should be able to kill a few. But if we go all out, the intensity of the battle will be too high, and the enemy camp might be in trouble."

"That makes sense!" Lu Ran immediately agreed.

A few days ago, the suffering he endured at the Night Venom camp was still fresh in his mind.

"Then I'll do it." Lu Ran casually summoned a small paper figurine and held it.

Yu Changsheng raised his eyebrows slightly.

It was rare to see Lu Ran use the sorcery of the Yan Paper Clan.

Lu Ran gazed at the solitary tree face demon at the edge of the forest and immediately cast his spell.

In the ether, the small paper figurine in his palm connected with the giant tree.

"Crack! Crack! Crack..."

As Lu Ran slowly clenched the paper figurine, the distant deadwood seemed to be grasped by an invisible giant hand.

The thick tree trunk was slowly crushed, and the cracked face on the tree continued to twist.

The terrifying face on the tree did have a "mouth" organ, but it was just for show; the Tree Face Demon clan itself was unable to make any sound.

"Crack..."

The River Realm Tree Face Demon had no ability to resist; the dense, thin dead branches were all immobile, and eventually, it met its end, crushed to pieces.

Yu Changsheng's heart couldn't help but palpitate in secret.

Was the sorcery of the Tree Face Demon clan sinister and cruel enough? It was! But the Sect Leader's methods were far more cruel than the demons!

"Killing one by one, how long will it take to finish them all?" Lu Ran thought unhappily.

Since the Tree Face Demons were deadwood, they were naturally weak against fire, Lu Ran really wanted to take out the Blaze Sky Hammer and smash it into the forest. But that would create quite a commotion, right?

There was no other way; the situation here was too special. The Deadwood Forest was the base of the Tree Face Demon clan, so they had to be treated with utmost caution.

It must be said: the Tree Face Demon clan was not the type to stand idly by!

They had flexible dead branches that could uproot themselves and directly "launch into action."

"I've got it!" Lu Ran's eyes lit up.

He extended his left hand, and from within his wide cloak, a Radiant Light Blade suddenly appeared.

Divine Weapon Realm: Auspicious Clouds!

"Open!"

Since when did Lu Ran like this word?

His divine power surged, and the Radiant Light Blade vibrated, slowly emitting a radiant light.

Yu Changsheng was puzzled, "Sect Leader, this is the Divine Weapon Realm. Is the combat intensity low?"

Lu Ran's face was full of confidence, "Killing fast, the commotion is small! Just watch, sir!"

Yu Changsheng: "..."

The golden-red radiant light was soft and graceful, moving forward close to the ground.

"Whoosh!"

At the edge of the Deadwood Forest, another deadwood tree sensed the anomaly and immediately sent out countless dead branches.

"Huff~"

The dead branches were instantly burned to ashes.

Lu Ran's body was surrounded by surging energy, his hair dancing, and his eyes glowing. With his divine nature fully revealed, the radiant light suddenly accelerated, rushing straight towards the tree face demon's roots.

The Tree Face Demon had no effective means of resistance!

Even if it controlled the dead branches and wove them into a thick shield, it couldn't stop the radiant light from penetrating and incinerating the tree trunk.

Two big characters—Heaven Devouring!

"Let's go, we'll find the isolated ones and circle around the edge of the forest~"

Lu Ran held the Radiant Light Blade in both hands, heading forward.

[Sect Leader, someone is coming from the northwest direction!] Yan Shuangzi's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Lu Ran frowned slightly and looked to his right rear, [You hide first.]



[Yes.]



[A voice echoed from a distance, recognizing the Radiant Light Blade, "Huh?"]



Lu Ran blinked, and in the lush green forest to the north, several figures rushed towards them.

Leading them was a young woman with a tall, graceful figure and a spirited aura.

She wore a golden-brown Warrior Monk robe, looking neat and refreshing, with short, jet-black hair blowing in the wind.

"Hey there?" Lu Ran was pleasantly surprised and couldn't help but laugh, "Isn't that someone? Isn't that the famous Great Summer's Second Heaven's Pride?"

He Qifeng was also surprised and delighted! The two had not interacted much before.

It was only at the awards ceremony last year that they shook hands and exchanged a few words backstage.

Lu Ran had declined her challenge very decisively, which hadn't made her very happy.

But now, encountering Lu Ran in the Holy Spirit Mountain, He Qifeng had no other thoughts; she only felt an immense familiarity!

"Haha!" He Qifeng burst into a hearty laugh, "You little rascal, you haven't changed a bit! Still as punchable as before!

Good!

It seems this Holy Spirit Mountain can't do anything to you either? Haha!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end