This time, Yue Zheng climbed the rope from behind while Xu Song was in front.
Seeing that Xu Song was climbing fairly steadily, Yue Zheng casually asked, “Are you from the village at the foot of the mountain?”
Before heading up the mountain, Wenge’s group had investigated the nearby area, and there was only one village closest to the mountain base, while the others were over ten miles away.
“Not exactly. My grandfather and ancestors are from Zhao Village. Later, they went to the city to make a living and brought my father and grandmother out of the mountains. My father grew up in Y City, and our family settled there.”
“A few years ago, my grandfather felt his health deteriorating and came back to his hometown. He was eventually laid to rest here. I grew up in Y City and have only come back to Zhao Village less than ten times.”
“The old man wanted to return to his roots before he passed away and be buried in the ancestral grave, and naturally, my father didn’t object.”
“Although it’s called Zhao Village, besides the Zhao surname, the Xu surname is also prominent. There is the ancestral home and cemetery of the Xu family in the village. When my grandfather passed away, I was in my third year of high school, so apart from coming back for the funeral, this is the first time I’ve returned here alone.”
“Do you recognize the way down the mountain?”
“I should. I came up from the southern entrance of the mountain, so as long as we head south…” As Xu Song spoke, he continued climbing up. One foot stepped onto the ground while the other remained suspended in mid-air. He froze in place, dumbfoundedly looking around.
“Why did you stop climbing?” Yue Zheng tapped his leg from below.
“Brother Yue, do you, do you remember what the mountain looked like when we came up?” Xu Song swallowed hard and slowly climbed up, making room for Yue Zheng.
Yue Zheng didn’t answer. Judging from his appearance, something unexpected seemed to have happened above. He pulled out his dagger from his waist, held it in his teeth, and with both hands exerting force, he rapidly climbed up. When he saw the surroundings, he was just as stunned as Xu Song.
In the summer mountains, the vegetation was dense.
But even in the densest forest, it was not an untouched wilderness. The growth of the trees would have certain limits, and there would be paths and gaps where weeds grew.
But now?
Yue Zheng was astonished, staring blankly at the forest that had become at least three times denser than when they climbed up as if there were no gaps at all.
“At least… at least doubled in height,” Xu Song struggled to speak again, “I can’t see the small path we took up.”
Not only was the path missing, but the ancient tomb where the two of them were located had just exploded yesterday. Now, apart from the barren land around the pit, as far as the eye could see, all the trees had at least doubled in thickness! Vines coiled around the trees, extending their tendrils upward.
The trees themselves were also stretching desperately upward, with even the thick roots breaking through the soil and climbing onto other plants, entangled in a mess.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“How do we go down from here?” Yue Zheng wore the same dumbfounded expression. No wonder no one had come up to investigate the situation until now. With the forest growing like this, who could make their way up?!
“Vtbeiv kf… ags ab olcv j kjs?” Tef Itfcu ibbxfv vbkc ja atf rwjii vjuufg lc tlr tjcv jcv atfc ja atf qijcar atja tjv aegcfv lcab abkfglcu uljcar. Pa kjr j rajgx mbcagjra. Jbeiv atfs mjgnf j qjat vbkc atf wbecajlc klat remt j rwjii xclof?
“Qf tjnf cb mtblmf.” Tef Itfcu rlutfv jcv mjgfoeiis jvperafv atf yju bc tlr yjmx, mjealberis tfjvlcu rbeat.
As they approached, the two of them realized that although the trees had mutated, it was not entirely impassable. The massive tree roots intertwined on the ground formed a network, and as long as they stepped carefully, they could still find footholds.
“Be careful, the moss is slippery.” Yue Zheng reminded, forging ahead.
Xu Song followed behind, looking at the gnarled tree roots and the rampant moss under his feet, feeling slightly uneasy.
“Brother Yue, be careful. I’m afraid there might be something in the forest…” Something? He wasn’t sure, but he had a subconscious feeling that something was off.
“Are there snakes in the mountains?”
“Definitely. Those things are always present in mountainous and forested areas. But I haven’t seen venomous snakes. I’ve only seen a wild garden snake once, and my father said he was bitten by a snake when he was a child.”
With more people walking in the mountains, the number of birds and animals naturally decreased, but there were still some left, like snakes and the like.
When they climbed up the mountain the previous day, it took them just over an hour to walk from the mountain path to this point. Now, as they descended, after climbing through the woods for twenty minutes, they had no idea where they were.
Gnarled trees and shrubs surrounded them from all sides. Above them, the dense foliage blocked their view, and they could hardly see the blue sky.
The forest was eerily silent, devoid of the usual sounds of insects and birds.
After just twenty minutes, both of them were slightly out of breath. Yue Zheng kept looking up at the sky, realizing that the forest had undergone a tremendous change. It was almost impossible to distinguish the directions of east, south, west, and north.
Fortunately, as he planned to go up the mountain before, he wore a wristwatch with a compass function.
One step, two steps, and suddenly, Yue Zheng felt a tightness around his ankle. He looked down and saw a vine that had somehow gotten tangled around his leg.
Bending down to remove it, suddenly, a powerful force came from his foot, pulling him down to the ground!
Seeing Yue Zheng fall, Xu Song was initially stunned. He followed the direction of the vine and noticed that not far away, several large trees were covered with a vast expanse of vines. These vines had grown who knows how much overnight, hanging densely between the trees.
He quickly scanned the vine network and noticed two rabbit-like creatures that resembled mummies near their feet. Xu Song’s face changed, and he tightly grabbed Yue Zheng’s arm. With his other hand raised, he exerted all his strength and tried to produce a spark to ignite the vines reaching towards them.
The branches reacted as if they were alive, swiftly charging toward them. Several tendrils had already wrapped around Xu Song’s outstretched arm. With a “puff” sound, he finally managed to create a fireball.
Upon contact with the fireball, the branches recoiled as if they were scalded, emitting a screeching sound and quickly retracting.
Directing his right hand towards the remaining branches, they also shrunk back upon encountering the flames, swiftly retreating from the two of them.
Gasping for breath, trying to calm their hearts that were pounding from excessive nervousness.
“Are you… are you alright?” Xu Song quickly asked as he saw Yue Zheng standing up.
“I’m fine.” His ankle might have been bruised, but in his eyes, it wasn’t even considered an injury.
Seemingly aware that the two could create fire, the mass of vines moved backward as a whole, seemingly wanting to distance themselves from the location of the two men. It revealed the trees, soil, and some dead birds and wild animals covered beneath it.
There were plenty of wild rabbits and mountain chickens, and in addition, some field mice and squirrels.
The two of them felt their scalps go numb. Yue Zheng’s lips moved, “Alive…”
Yes, the vines seemed alive, capable of hunting, attacking, and avoiding danger. If not alive, then what were they?
“I want to burn it all down, but it’s not possible…” Zhao Song looked regretfully at the vines he had previously burned. Perhaps due to the hot weather and the abundant moisture in the plants, the recent scorching only carbonized them, unable to ignite them. Even if he managed to completely burn them, he didn’t know how much mental energy it would consume.
Yue Zheng patted his shoulder. “Let’s go, let’s go down the mountain first.”
Even if they could start a fire, it wouldn’t be feasible. They were still in the mountains, and if they lit a fire here, surrounded by trees, they would have no chance of surviving and getting down the mountain.
They continued their cautious journey south, encountering a few more of the vines that had come to life. This time, before the attack came, Xu Song used fire to intimidate them. These plants seemed to possess some level of intelligence, as they stayed far away.
“Let’s take a break.” Yue Zheng handed water and a compressed biscuit to Xu Song. Xu Song had used his ability several times, and now he was feeling dizzy and empty-headed.
Xu Song nodded and sat down. Yue Zheng’s ability was also powerful, but it could only target individual targets and had limited intimidation power in the forest. Now, they had to rely on him to clear the way.
The two of them rested under a large tree. It had been an hour and a half since they entered the forest, yet they had no idea how far they still were from the foot of the mountain.
They had made several markings on the trees they passed along the way, but the dense forest made it impossible to determine the correct direction.
“Let’s go, let’s descend the mountain before it gets dark!” Having eaten and drank their fill, this time Xu Song stood up first. He had a feeling that the forest at night was even more dangerous than during the day, and the earlier they got down the mountain, the better.
Yue Zheng silently followed beside him. He also wanted to descend the mountain earlier. After yesterday’s explosion, it seems that the impact is far more than the abilities they have gained and the reanimated corpses.
These suddenly towering and enlarging plants, the vines actively hunting living creatures, who knew what other effects there might be? It was better to return to the city and contact his leader and colleagues before making any further plans.
However, because Xu Song had been responsible for clearing the way before, Yue Zheng understood the impact of excessive use of abilities on the body. So he needed Xu Song to conserve his energy, and therefore, he couldn’t actively urge him.
Glancing down at the dagger in his hand, even though his ability wasn’t like Xu Song’s, possessing a natural deterrent against the plants, it was still formidable. The progress forward was relatively slow now, but once his ability was depleted, if necessary, he could carry Xu Song on his back and fight their way out before the forest became even more terrifying!
Sweat dripped slightly from his forehead as Xu Song felt his head spinning. Since they rested earlier until now, they had encountered two different but equally aggressive plants.
Should he be thankful that only the vines had offensive capabilities? Otherwise, in this vast forest, if even the trees had the ability to attack, it would be better to die in that ancient tomb earlier!
“Swish, swish, ping, ping…”
A sound echoed, and both of them froze in place, exchanging a glance.
“Is it plants? Animals? Or… people?” Xu Song uncertainly sought confirmation from Yue Zheng.
Yue Zheng narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly.
“The trees are too dense, can’t see clearly. It’s better for us to go around…”
“Crack!”
“Rumble…”
Before the words finished, a vast expanse of trees made a thunderous noise. Several large trees were forcibly pushed askew.
The two of them stared in astonishment as the misaligned and displaced trees came closer and closer to their position. Xu Song felt a tightness on his wrist, and Yue Zheng pulled him to the side.
“Quick, let’s go! It’s coming!”
No matter how fast they were, they couldn’t outrun the falling trees. If it weren’t for Yue Zheng pulling Xu Song away in time, he would have likely turned into a pancake by now. However, a branch managed to reach them and pressed down.
Yue Zheng waved his hand, and the air in front of them distorted. The branch snapped off from the tree trunk, barely grazing the backs of the two as they forcefully leaped away.
And at that moment, the two finally saw what had caused the tremendous noise.
It was a running tree… with vines tightly entwined around it.
Running trees! I love it.
A tree. Out for a jog… hahahahaha. Thanks for the update 🤣❤️
Truly a survival of the fittest lol
A running tree lmao 😂
Thank you for the update!
Holy shit. I love this.
Wait! If the tree is running? Is it running for them or running away from something? Like what could be so terrifying make to make trees grow legs? Hahahah evil witch…?
A wild treant has appeared!💀