bookrandom Chapter 364 Mystery in the Dense Forest
Chapter 364 Mystery in the Dense Forest
Chapter 364: Mystery in the Dense Forest
The group stepped into a dense forest, where towering trees and intertwined branches blocked out the sky.
Suddenly, a strange, low growl came from ahead.
The group stopped and looked around warily.
"careful!"
Qi Yuxuan reminded him in a low voice.
Before the words were even finished, a huge black bear suddenly burst out of the bushes and pounced on the soldier at the back of the group.
The soldier panicked and tried to dodge but failed, and was knocked to the ground by the black bear's paw.
"careful!"
Qi Yuxuan shouted and quickly drew his twin swords to meet the attack.
But the black bear was incredibly strong, and with a swing of its sharp claws, it forced him back several steps.
Seeing this, Li Cunxu also drew his sword to help, but even with the two of them working together, they still could not suppress the raging beast.
The black bear's eyes were filled with ferocity, and each roar made the air vibrate; it seemed to have locked onto the entire group.
Just when the situation was critical, a series of muffled footsteps suddenly came from behind them, and the ground trembled slightly.
Qiu Ziyue looked back and saw the stone-armored behemoth slowly emerge.
Its thick shell gleamed with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight, and its eyes shone brightly like burning flames.
The black bear clearly sensed a new threat and turned to face the stone behemoth, letting out an angry roar.
However, before it could make a move, the stone-armored behemoth had already launched an attack.
Although it is not as agile as ordinary beasts, it has amazing strength, and every step it takes seems to crack the ground.
Faced with such a colossal creature, the black bear was not to be outdone, and opened its blood-red maw to pounce on the stone-armored behemoth.
However, when its claws touched the stone-armored behemoth's shell, they only produced a screeching sound and could not cause any damage at all.
Without hesitation, the stone-armored behemoth swept its forelimbs, sending the black bear flying several meters away.
The black bear, which had fallen to the ground, struggled to its feet and pounced on the stone-armored behemoth again. This time, it chose to attack from the flank, intending to find an opening.
However, the stone-armored behemoth had already anticipated its intentions, and nimbly twisted its body, lashing out fiercely with its hard tail.
The black bear let out a miserable cry and was thrown into a large tree, sending branches and leaves flying everywhere.
Finally, the stone-armored behemoth opened its massive jaws, revealing sharp, fang-like teeth.
It bit the black bear's shoulder and dragged it to the ground.
The black bear howled in pain, finally realizing it was no match for the bear, and fled in panic into the depths of the forest, disappearing from sight.
The stone-armored behemoth stood still, its breathing gradually slowing, its gaze sweeping over the crowd as if to confirm their safety.
Qiu Ziyue, Qi Yuxuan, and Li Cunxu exchanged a smile, their admiration for this silent guardian growing even stronger.
"Thanks to the stone-armored behemoth, otherwise we would probably not have escaped this calamity today."
Li Cunxu remarked with emotion.
The stone-armored behemoth lowered its head and sniffed the soldier who had been knocked unconscious by the black bear, then signaled to the group that they could continue forward.
It strode back to the rear of the group, silently taking on the responsibility of protecting everyone.
After passing through the dense forest, they came to a seemingly flat meadow.
However, after taking only a few steps, several soldiers became deeply mired in the mud, and the more they struggled, the faster they sank.
Qiu Ziyue immediately realized that this was a dangerous swamp.
"do not move!"
She shouted,
"Pull them out with ropes!"
At the same time, Li Cunxu swung his sword and cut off a thick vine nearby, tied it into a makeshift rope, and threw it to the trapped person.
Finally, with everyone's concerted efforts, everyone was safely rescued.
Just as everyone was catching their breath, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly appeared from the depths of the swamp.
A giant water snake covered in scales slowly rose up, opening its blood-red maw to attack them.
A foul stench wafted towards us, and the snake's forked tongue gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
"careful!"
Li Cunxu shouted and pulled Qiu Ziyue behind him.
The soldiers raised their weapons to try and defend themselves, but the water snake was incredibly fast.
Its tail swept across, sending several people flying.
The stone-armored behemoth stepped forward and intertwined with the water snake.
However, the water snake was too agile, and the stone-armored behemoth was unable to break free from its entanglement.
At the critical moment, Qi Yuxuan did not hesitate at all.
He drew his long sword from his waist, pushed off the ground with his feet, and his body shot into the air like an arrow.
His movements were incredibly swift; he thrust directly at the water snake.
Sensing a new threat, the water snake quickly twisted its massive head and lunged at Qi Yuxuan in mid-air.
However, Qi Yuxuan had already calculated the attack route. He flipped his body in mid-air,
The longsword in his hand drew a silver-white arc, pointing straight at the water snake's throat.
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
Everyone held their breath, watching the sharp sword light tear through the air and brush past the water snake's fangs.
With a soft "swoosh," the water snake's throat was cleanly and decisively severed.
Blood gushed out, staining the surrounding water red.
Qi Yuxuan landed steadily, and returned his longsword to its sheath.
The whole process was smooth and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.
The water snake struggled a few times, then finally collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.
"Yu Xuan, you're really something!"
Li Cunxu couldn't help but praise him, his eyes revealing sincere admiration.
Qiu Ziyue also breathed a sigh of relief, and her gaze towards Qi Yuxuan held a hint of admiration:
"My husband, that sword strike was truly beautiful."
Qi Yuxuan smiled slightly and waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for praise.
The water snake is dead, and the swamp has returned to calm.
"Oh my god, this is so dangerous! I wish I hadn't come here to search for treasure!"
Li Cunxu said.
"You, Li Yazi, are you trying to annoy me? Can we go back now? Be good and keep moving forward."
Qiu Ziyue muttered.
Qi Yuxuan didn't say anything, and the group continued walking forward.
After overcoming numerous difficulties, they finally arrived at the old pine tree in the due east direction.
The tree trunk is covered with lines left by time, and it looks like it is a thousand years old.
According to Granny Cuici's clue, the treasure should be hidden near this tree.
Qiu Ziyue carefully examined the tree trunk and discovered a complex mechanism hidden within it.
She tried to rotate some of the protruding parts, but triggered an arrow device buried underground.
In an instant, sharp crossbow bolts shot in from all directions!
At the critical moment, Li Cunxu wielded his longsword to block most of the arrows, while Qi Yuxuan protected Qiu Ziyue.
After some effort, they successfully cracked the mechanism and revealed a stone slab under the tree roots.
After lifting the stone slab, an old wooden box came into view.
Upon opening the wooden box, one finds a dragonfly-shaped key, a yellowed ancient book, and several strange jade pendants.
Ancient books record a secret method that can protect all living beings, while jade pendants symbolize the user's responsibility and mission.
The words of the mysterious old man echoed in Qiu Ziyue's ears once again:
"Remember, use the treasure where it is needed, and do not fail the original intention and painstaking efforts of the past kings who cared for the people of the world."
As they examined the items, the sound of horses' hooves and shouts came from afar.
It seems someone has tracked us down, intending to seize this treasure...
To be continued in the next chapter!