Chapter 155: The Palace on the Mountain
Chapter 155: The Palace on the Mountain
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The beast’s attack was sudden and swift, but Zhu Rong managed to react in time and counterattack.
As soon as his fist landed squarely against the beast’s face, a powerful burst of spiritual energy exploded, and a figure was sent flying at high speed until it crashed against a nearby tree.
The impact was strong enough to leave a deep dent in the trunk, which shook violently, making several leaves rain down.
Zhu Rong stood right where the beast had appeared just moments before, rubbing his fist with a thoughtful expression, then looking again toward the tree.
’What the hell is that beast’s skin made of? Why is it so tough?’ he grumbled inwardly, feeling his arm tremble slightly as if he had just smashed his fist against a thick wall of metal.
This made him curious but at the same time a little worried.
It was the first time since he had reached the fourth stage that he felt such resistance against one of his attacks.
It was clear the beast was anything but weak.
Just considering its inhuman speed and physical strength, this beast was already at the fourth stage, with the possibility of being at the fifth.
Zhu Rong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his terrible luck.
Encountering a beast like this right after entering was too much for anyone.
That said, he didn’t dwell on it too much, and soon, with a swift step, dashed toward the beast, another strike already prepared.
Just as the thin cloud of dust from the beast’s impact against the bark began to clear, it burst apart, revealing in full view the standing body of a creature with a badly bruised face, staring at its opponent with a ferocious expression.
Now that it had finally stopped, Zhu Rong could see the beast’s appearance, and as soon as he did, his brow furrowed slightly as he wondered what kind of creature it was.
’A wolf?’
He wasn’t sure if his guess was correct. The wolf like beast stood on two legs, almost three meters tall, and although its features were close to those of a wolf, at the same time they weren’t. Its body was thin, far too thin, so much so that its ribs were clearly outlined on its abdomen.
Its long arms ended with sharp and sturdy claws. Its fur was a dirty bluish black, but most importantly, the creature’s eyes were pale and glassy, as if its soul wasn’t there inside, as if it were just an empty vessel moving around.
He was certain he had seen something like this before, but the mere thought of what it might be sent chills down his spine. For that reason, he decided to attack immediately and confirm his suspicions.
With a quick burst he had already closed the distance between them, and just as the beast was recovering, ready to attack him again, he was already upon it, fist poised to strike.
While Zhu Rong was dealing with the rough welcome he received in various parts of the vast forest, others also found themselves in similar situations.
Some were lucky enough to remain unharmed upon arrival, others less fortunate, ending up directly in the jaws of the dangers present everywhere.
But even though everyone knew something like this could happen, they certainly didn’t expect to end up alone, far from the others. Still, they weren’t going to let themselves be killed, not without a fight, at least.
In another part of the forest, another fierce battle had begun.
Sounds of attacks echoed continuously, and a cloaked figure could be seen tearing through everything at high speed.
His features were hidden, but anyone who could see him would realize he was one of the members of the group formed by the other families who had decided to send a mixed squad.
Unlike the main families, who had their own slots, these had to divide the places assigned to them among themselves. Each family sent a certain number to complete the expedition team.
They had all agreed on mutual assistance, helping one another, but as for benefits, it depended on whoever obtained them first. If an item was contested by two people and acquired thanks to both, it would be set aside to be discussed later, so as not to spark internal conflict during the expedition.
This cloaked man was one of them, and upon arriving at the spot, he was met by an unexpected creature.
He dodged its attacks without showing the slightest sign of strain and soon came to a stop on a tree branch, staring at a series of thick wooden roots that had shot up from the ground like spikes and were now quickly retracting.
He followed them with his eyes and spotted in the distance a tree slightly smaller than the others surrounding it.
And yet, though smaller, it was anything but harmless, in fact, it emitted a terrifying aura.
At first its power barely reached that of a fourth stage, but as soon as he managed to parry its attacks and traps while damaging several of its roots, the tree seemed to grow furious, and its power quickly began to rise.
He trembled as its bark vibrated, a strange vertical line forming upon it, spreading more and more until the bark split into two equal parts.
As soon as this happened, a deep darkness became visible within, surrounded by rows of teeth ready to shred anyone unlucky enough to fall into its grasp.
The creature’s body began to move, rising as thick roots sprouted from beneath it.
The cloaked man watched it all with an expressionless face as he reevaluated the beast’s strength.
’Early phase of the Fifth stage.
Seems like this place is more dangerous than it looks,’ he thought, though his tone remained calm.
He looked on as the tree like creature writhed, pulling itself free from the ground, until finally he raised his hand, where a golden ring on his index finger glowed before releasing a streak of light. It landed on his palm and quickly stretched out, transforming in an instant into a massive greatsword, its blade black and smooth like obsidian.
Though enormous, he wielded it with ease in one hand. As soon as the creature was nearly free, he took his stance and, with a swift burst, launched himself forward from the branch.
His movement was so fast it shattered the thick branch he had just been standing on, but this didn’t slow his momentum. He shot forward like an arrow toward the beast.
Sensing him coming, the bark of its body gaped wide like a maw, releasing a loud screech followed by countless brown tendrils that shot in every direction, from its head, the ground, and even the surrounding trees.
The cloaked man was instantly surrounded by the tendrils from every side, and since he was in the air, he had little room to maneuver. Yet, though the situation seemed critical, he showed no sign of panic. From beneath his cloak, part of his face became visible,
Eyes gleaming with ferocity, a maniacal smile spreading across his lips. With a fluid, swift motion, he thrust the greatsword forward, its blade now glowing with intense violet light.
"You think your pathetic attack is enough to stop me? Then taste one of mine, let’s see if you can withstand it."
He spoke with a laugh as the greatsword shot forward, striking directly against the thick mass of tendrils rushing toward him.
The strike was sharp and precise, slicing through them effortlessly as if they were jelly. But it didn’t end there, when the sword completed its swing, a powerful slash of violet spiritual energy burst forth, speeding ahead until, in less than a second, it reached the tree behind the wall of tendrils.
The tree like beast seemed to sense the lethality of the attack and suddenly moved all its remaining tendrils to block it but it was in vain.
In the very next moment, a vertical line appeared on its body, and before it could even react, its trunk split cleanly into two symmetrical halves, collapsing to the sides.
The remaining tendrils, too, instantly lost their strength and fell lifelessly to the ground.
The battle with the beast was swift. Though several blows had been exchanged in that short span of time, the beast, despite having reached the fifth stage, met its end effortlessly.
The cloaked man looked at the scene before him with a calm expression, as though what he had just done was nothing special.
He rose as the greatsword in his hand became coated with yellow energy before streaking back into the ring.
He looked around, seeing nothing but dense forest in every direction.
Then he lifted his gaze upward, and in the next moment, his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing suspended in the air above the thick canopy of towering trees.
He looked down at the vast green sea of forest beneath him before scanning the surroundings more carefully to understand where he had ended up.
He could tell the forest was vast, but it wasn’t the only thing present.
His gaze traveled until it stopped to his right, where he spotted a massive mountain towering over the forest at its base.
At first glance, the mountain didn’t look like much, but upon closer inspection, near its peak, stood an enormous palace of white and gold, majestic and regal in appearance.