Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1619 - 1656: Strange Branches
Ding Fan and his two companions spent the night training, without encountering any attacks from Yuan Beasts.
The next day.
Ding Fan and his companions continued on their journey. Ding Fan had already identified the cave with the Sword Washing Pool using his Divine Sense. Ah Du did not say much, but occasionally felt quite shocked, because sometimes Ding Fan led them down paths he did not know or had never taken. Yet somehow, as they continued, Ding Fan led them back to paths Ah Du had previously walked. What shocked Ah Du the most was that the routes Ding Fan took were much shorter to the Sword Washing Pool than what he had taken before; they were evidently shortcuts.
This left Ah Du very surprised. He knew this was Ding Fan’s first time entering, yet not only did he choose the correct direction without any hints, but he also occasionally found hidden shortcuts. It was simply inconceivable!
At this point, Ah Du came to believe that Ding Fan and his companions could have found the cave with the Sword Washing Pool even if they hadn’t traveled together from the start. The Guardian Yuan Beast there might not even be a match for Ding Fan, considering a Seventh Grade Yuan Beast had already been swiftly defeated by him.
Ah Du had seen the Yuan Beast guarding the Sword Washing Pool before. Although it was formidable and beyond his ability to handle, it was probably around the Seventh Grade rank. Ah Du truly doubted that the Guardian Yuan Beast would pose much difficulty for Ding Fan, especially since he had effortlessly taken down a Seventh Grade Yuan Beast before.
At this moment, Ah Du felt a bit relieved. Luckily, he had chosen to follow them; otherwise, he might not have been able to revisit the cave with the Sword Washing Pool, and would have likely perished to the various Yuan Beasts.
As the three walked through the jumbled ancient trees, these trees appeared exceptionally strange. The roots were blackened and decayed, with some roots exposed above ground. In the Cultivation World, such trees couldn’t possibly survive. However, here, the tree crowns flourished vibrantly, presenting a stark contrast to the roots.
The trio, after traversing for some time, found the oasis peculiar, but since they hadn’t encountered anything unusual, they gradually became accustomed to it.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
As Ding Fan and his companions moved on, in unseen places, some strange-looking dead branches slowly crawled. Indeed, the dead branches were crawling, with long limbs resembling octopus tentacles. After Ding Fan and his companions passed, they sometimes moved rapidly, sometimes very slowly.
These peculiar branches were all over the places Ding Fan passed, their numbers incalculable, creating a terrifying sight.
...
"Ouch!"
Guo Linn, trailing behind Ding Fan and the others, exclaimed. He had been tripped by a branch, and when he attempted to kick it away, the branch remained intact despite his efforts. This astonished Guo Linn; he had never thought the branch would be so tough.
"What happened?"
Hearing Guo Linn’s voice, Ding Fan turned around with concern. Seeing Guo Linn unharmed, he was less worried. Still curious about Guo Linn’s dazed expression as he stared at the ground, Ding Fan asked again:
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"Big brother, this branch is so hard, I couldn’t break it even with a kick!"
Guo Linn looked at the branch beneath his foot, kicked it a few more times, yet still couldn’t break it. Even when he infused it with True Qi and kicked hard, the branch wouldn’t break. This left him astonished and a bit incredulous, quietly deeming these branches quite eerie.
"Heh, is this the so-called exceptional disciple selected by the Thirty-Six Caves? Can’t even break a single branch?"
Ah Du, hearing Guo Linn’s words, mocked with disdain. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a Wind Blade towards the branch hanging nearby. He wanted to see what kind of branch could stump a disciple selected by the Thirty-Six Caves. Inside, Ah Du felt amused and contemptuous...
Thunk!
However, when Ah Du’s casual Wind Blade struck the branch, it produced a dull thud; the branch remained intact with not even the slightest movement, staying as still as ever!
Ah Du saw this scene and was startled, his expression showing a hint of anger. He hadn’t expected that his Wind Blade couldn’t even cut through a tree branch, which was unbelievable! Even though it was just a casual Wind Blade, it should have been enough to cut down a small tree.
But now, it couldn’t even cut through a branch as thick as a chopstick, and the branch didn’t even sway. How could he not be shocked? At the same time, he was very upset, thinking to himself that the trees in this Xuantian Secret Realm were indeed peculiar!
However, he knew that even if they were peculiar, trees were ultimately just trees. How could his Wind Blade not cut through them? So, Ah Du directly drew his Longsword and slashed at the dangling branch again!
Thunk!
With another strike from Ah Du, there was a dull thud, but the hanging branch only swayed slightly and still wasn’t cut down, appearing unscathed. This left Ah Du astonished, finding it incredibly unbelievable!
At this moment, Ding Fan also saw this scene, and his brows furrowed deeply. It was evident that things were very strange here, especially these trees. Ding Fan was surprised to see Ah Du’s attempt, not expecting the trees here to be so sturdy that even a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator couldn’t cut them with a sword. It was simply unbelievable!
Ah Du and Guo Linn were both shocked, each drawing their Longswords and slashing at the branches around them, whether on the ground or hanging in the air. But despite their wild slashing, they couldn’t even cut a single branch, leaving Ding Fan and the others very shocked.
Ding Fan, seeing this, gained some understanding of these trees. He knew that even for him, cutting a branch wouldn’t be easy. Immediately, Ding Fan expanded his Divine Sense to observe the surroundings, and the sight truly startled him.
At this time, Ding Fan discovered a large number of branches behind them, continuously moving toward the three of them. He couldn’t tell what those things were, but he knew it was nothing good, so he shouted to the others:
"Everyone gather together, these branches are dangerous!"
Guo Linn and Ah Du were shocked upon hearing Ding Fan’s words. But before they could react, suddenly all the branches nearby, long and short, thick and thin, fiercely entwined around the three. Instantly, two branches firmly wrapped around Guo Linn’s arm, while several quickly entangled Ah Du’s leg, leaving them both utterly shocked.
They couldn’t believe this was happening, that the branches would actively attack them with such speed, catching them off guard. Fortunately, Ding Fan reacted quickly, channeling his Divine Vigor into his Flying Sword and swinging it toward the branches reaching for him. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
However, despite several strikes from Ding Fan, the branches weren’t cut, though he managed to knock them aside, preventing them from wrapping around him. Ding Fan swiftly moved to Guo Linn and Ah Du’s sides, striking fiercely at the branches binding them, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t cut through them.
The three were incredibly shocked, never expecting to encounter such a situation. Countless branches were entangling them, and since Guo Linn and Ah Du were already bound, Ding Fan couldn’t lead them away. Besides, he knew that even if they weren’t entangled, the surrounding forest of ancient trees made escape impossible.
Unless they returned to the desert, but Ding Fan knew that even if they could escape, the desert’s danger was even more terrifying.
"What do we do, Brother?"
Guo Linn’s arm, relentlessly entangled by the branches, was being squeezed, threatening to be crushed at any moment. In fear, he cried out to Ding Fan.
"Brother, my arm won’t hold on! It’s going to break..."
Guo Linn shouted in agony to Ding Fan, overwhelmed with pain from his arm.
Meanwhile, more branches were approaching Ding Fan and the others, swiftly attacking Ding Fan. In no time, Guo Linn was covered in branches and vines, rendered immobile.
Even as a Nascent Soul cultivator, Guo Linn’s True Qi was utterly useless against the branches and vines. On Ding Fan’s other side, Ah Du’s situation wasn’t much better. His legs were tightly wrapped, the branches and vines constricting visibly, nearly deforming his legs. Ah Du, in pain and unwillingness, knew that at this rate, death was certain. He hadn’t expected to die in the Xuantian Secret Realm, unable to fulfill his life’s ambitions.
Ah Du and Guo Linn’s faces were filled with pain as they looked at Ding Fan. Ding Fan had been their hope, but now, despair set in as even Ding Fan’s Flying Sword couldn’t sever the exceptionally sturdy branches and vines. Meanwhile, Ding Fan’s feet were also firmly entangled, leaving him unable to move.
Ding Fan, anxious and unable to believe the branches so unyielding, frantically wielded his sword with the two free hands he had, focusing on a single vine to cut, no longer scattering his attacks across multiple branches and vines like before.
