Chapter 67: with translation of chapter title

Soon, the two arrived at the target area.

Along the way, Gong Changlong also took the opportunity to explain to Tang Wulin why he had brought him here, because this is the territory ruled by the Myriad Monster King.

The Myriad Monster King is the fifth-ranked among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, with a cultivation level reaching five hundred thirty thousand years, and is truly the king of plant-type soul beasts.

In the Star Dou Great Forest, the growth of ordinary plant-type soul beasts is far more difficult than that of animals, after all, the vast majority of plant-type soul beasts must wait until they are a thousand years old to gain some self-defense capability, whereas animal-type soul beasts possess such capability at the ten-year level.

But the Myriad Monster King is different; back when it was growing, it once controlled one-third of the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Although it was now forced to move to the Land of Great Ferocity due to Di Tian's wariness, losing control of its territory, its prestige remained, causing the plant-type soul beasts in these areas to grow far more vigorously than elsewhere.

Gong Changlong was precisely the one who brought Tang Wulin to this area; at this moment he was constantly observing the surrounding plants to judge the direction ahead.

While conducting his observation, he explained to Tang Wulin:

"Life-attribute plants differ from other plants; their growth significantly affects the surrounding environment. Usually there are two scenarios: one absorbs the life force of surrounding plants to strengthen itself, the other emits life force to have nearby flora and fauna protect it. In either case, we just need to follow the direction where plants show abnormal growth to find them."

Tang Wulin nodded.

He could understand Gong Changlong's words; as the possessor of the Natural Son martial soul, his perception of life force was extraordinarily keen, and he could clearly feel that as he and Gong Changlong delved deeper into their exploration, the surrounding life force was rapidly weakening, while conversely, a faint but powerful life force was emanating from ahead.

When Tang Wulin followed Gong Changlong to the destination, what lay before their eyes was a swamp.

At first glance, this swamp appeared boundless, with no plants growing on it and not a single animal moving about, exuding a heavy aura of death.

Gong Changlong stared at the swamp, nodding thoughtfully.

"I see, so it's that; no wonder."

Before Tang Wulin could ask, he voluntarily began to explain.

"If I'm not mistaken, the plants growing here should be Deep Mire Ghost Vines, a kind of existence that lives in swamps and grows by absorbing the life force of nearby organisms."

Speaking, a ball of fire rose in his hand and he slammed it violently into the swamp.

"Boom!"

The flames fell, and the swamp instantly boiled over, as countless hidden vines suddenly burst out from within, brandishing themselves in a terrifying manner.

Tang Wulin felt an incredibly strong life force emanating from it; obviously, it was the culprit behind the barrenness of the surrounding area.

Gong Changlong nodded satisfactorily.

"It's about seven thousand years old, basically right at your absorption limit—good, good, I'll leave it to you to handle."

Saying that, he suddenly leapt back, leaving Tang Wulin where he stood.

Tang Wulin was dumbfounded.

"Dean?!"

Gong Changlong's voice came from afar.

"Rest assured, I just burned it, so its strength should be weakened; if you encounter danger I will intervene, so fight boldly!"

"I..."

Just as Tang Wulin was about to say something, a strong sense of danger welled up in his heart, and he quickly leapt high to dodge the Deep Mire Ghost Vine's assault.

A rumbling sound rose, and the Deep Mire Ghost Vine's attack kicked up a huge cloud of dust; obviously, Gong Changlong's attack had thoroughly enraged this domineering soul beast.

Vine after vine shot toward Tang Wulin; with nowhere to borrow force in midair, he had to unleash the Golden Dragon Claw, sending all the attacking vines flying back. Landing again on the ground, Tang Wulin couldn't help but furrow his brow.

Something is off.

He clearly did not feel any particular hardness from these vines, and although the shattering property activated successfully, none of the branches he struck back suffered any damage.

After all, even if Xie Huan Yue took a Golden Dragon Claw strike head-on, he would suffer heavy injury, yet these branches feel softer than an ordinary Soul Master, yet they are unharmed.

This is clearly an abnormal phenomenon; there's definitely something fishy about it.

Tang Wulin shouted loudly.

"Dean, I request knowledge assistance; even if you don't help me fight, just telling me its properties would be fine, right?"

He wouldn't be foolish enough to investigate the truth of this anomaly himself; right beside him is such a big shot, so he might as well ask.

Gong Changlong's voice came over.

"The Deep Mire Ghost Vine has two traits that respectively compensate for its shortcomings in offense and defense."

"One is devouring; it can absorb the life force of target organisms through this ability to carry out attacks."

"The other is damage sharing; it can distribute the damage it receives evenly across all its vines, thereby reducing the harm to the attacked part, so if your attack power is insufficient, you may very well fail to break its defense."

"Understood!"

Tang Wulin dodged the Deep Mire Ghost Vine's attack again, his eyes turning sharp.

Having heard Gong Changlong's words, he gained a certain understanding of this thing's combat style.

Tang Wulin was not particularly afraid of its attacks; the combat power of plant-type soul beasts was never particularly strong even ten thousand years ago, and it has allocated a considerable portion of its attack talent to devouring life force.

It's not that the talent for devouring life force is weak; it's just that it doesn't work well against Tang Wulin specifically.

Mu En had once evaluated his life force; according to him, Tang Wulin's current life force surpasses that of the vast majority of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.

To speak without exaggeration, even if Tang Wulin stood still and let this Deep Mire Ghost Vine absorb him, it would pose no threat to him.

As for its whip-like strike, judging by the sensation Tang Wulin felt when he used the Golden Dragon Claw just now, its power is not particularly strong—it belongs to the level where being whipped causes some pain but rarely leaves a wound.

What is truly troublesome is its defense, or rather its defensive talent.

This swamp is so vast that nobody can say exactly how many branches this Deep Mire Ghost Vine has.

If it had over a thousand branches, then Tang Wulin would truly have no way; with over a thousand branches sharing damage, an attack power below Soul Emperor level could never possibly kill it.

And it's obvious that Tang Wulin does not possess such an attack method.

Of course, if he ever reaches the point of being at his wit's end, Gong Changlong will surely intervene.

But if possible, Tang Wulin wants to personally deal with this prey.

Tang Wulin pressed his lips together and began running toward the center of the swamp.

One seeks riches amid danger; since Gong Changlong can guarantee his safety, he will adopt a more daring combat style.

(End of chapter)