Chapter 107: Dragon Scale Grass (1)

The trees at the edge of the nascent canyon had grown dense and lush, resembling those found in deep mountains. At this moment, Shen Duo and Feng Jun’s squad found themselves enveloped in thick layers of mist, adding an extra layer of danger.

Frowning, Shen Duo scanned the surroundings. The fog seemed to thicken by the minute, reducing visibility to mere meters. The dense trees blocked out any sunlight, plunging their environment into a gloomy and perilous atmosphere.

In such conditions, if they were ambushed by some venomous plant or wild beast, they would have no choice but to grit their teeth and endure the hardship.

She despised feeling so passive and vulnerable.

Retrieving several spirit stone lamps from her storage ring, she distributed them among her team members. Nearby, the other squads also drew out their light sources. This secret forest was too strange; without speaking, everyone instinctively huddled closer together as they advanced.

Feng Jun walked beside Shen Duo, constantly alert to any sounds or movements around them. Should danger strike, he would be the first to shield the girl at his side.

Lou Jingbai perched on Shen Duo’s shoulder, raising his head to survey the area while communicating silently with her.

His voice carried an unprecedented seriousness. "Duo, this fog is strange. Even a divine beast like me cannot see through it. Moreover, it seems to block spiritual power. I cannot sense any life beyond this mist—not even the plants."

Shen Duo was momentarily taken aback, then glanced at Feng Jun, who just happened to meet her gaze. In that instant, they understood each other’s thoughts perfectly.

She had suspected the fog was odd, but she hadn’t imagined it could sever spiritual perception so thoroughly.

Prompted by Lou Jingbai, she tested her spiritual power; it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to detect any activity beyond a dozen meters. With spiritual power cut off, it was as if a master had lost half their strength in an instant. And they were only at the canyon’s edge. No wonder even the Four Great Clans dared not send people deep into the gorge.

Their group of about twenty wandered like headless flies for nearly half an hour. Apart from the fog, not a single low-level magical beast appeared.

Some freelance illusionists grew impatient; the more irritable ones even began to curse.

Shen Duo approached Feng Jun, her expression grave. “Feng Jun, don’t you feel like we’ve been here before?”

“Third time!” Feng Jun replied flatly, his handsome face expressionless.

Shen Duo was speechless. How good was his sense of direction that he knew exactly how many times they’d passed this spot?

Setting aside her inner complaint, she asked, “Feng Jun, do you have any good ideas?”

Feng Jun furrowed his long brows and pondered briefly before pointing toward the sky, shrouded as it was in thick mist.

Shen Duo’s eyes lit up. Since the secret forest was filled with fog, why not traverse it from above? The other freelance illusionists lacked the means, but they certainly did not.

After discussing their plan, they turned to find that the two other freelance illusionist squads traveling with them seemed to have reached a decision as well.

Their leaders stepped forward and requested to part ways.

Shen Duo did not object; after all, it was their squads’ choice, and she was no martyr who felt obliged to help every freelance illusionist she met.

Soon, the original party of around twenty dwindled to just the four of Shen Duo and Feng Jun’s team.

The two freelance illusionists who remained with them hesitated as they watched the others leave but bit the bullet and stayed.

Shen Duo wore a gentle smile. “Since you’re willing to stand with us through thick and thin, you’re our comrades. We will never abandon you.”

With that, Shen Duo commanded Lou Jingbai to transform into his massive five-tailed fire fox form. She and Feng Jun were the first to leap onto the broad back of the creature.

The two freelance illusionists almost gasped in astonishment.

My goodness, they couldn’t discern the true strength of this illusion beast at all! It had to be at least divine beast rank!

What kind of fanatic cultivators had they randomly teamed up with...

Shen Duo chuckled at their dumbfounded expressions. “Come up. We’re going to fly over this misty forest.”

The two illusionists scrambled awkwardly onto Lou Jingbai’s back.

Lou Jingbai snorted haughtily through his nostrils. If not for Shen Duo’s insistence, he wouldn’t deign to carry these two low-level illusionists.

With a dazzling flash of light from the array beneath his feet, the group shot straight through the secret forest, soaring upward.

Soon, the dense woods lay far below. Shen Duo and Feng Jun stood on Lou Jingbai’s back, peering down.

The edge of the nascent canyon stretched endlessly, cloaked in rainforest, much of it hidden beneath the eerie fog. It seemed they were not the only ones facing such difficulties.

From the depths of the forest below came occasional sounds of combat and bursts of radiant spiritual energy arrays, but none of it drew Shen Duo or Feng Jun’s attention.

After flying for about half an hour, Lou Jingbai suddenly slowed, fixating excitedly on a spot in the forest.

“Duo, I smell the scent of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures,” Lou Jingbai said with telepathic excitement.

Shen Duo raised an eyebrow. Many high-ranked illusion beasts possessed olfactory senses far superior to humans, aiding them in locating precious materials.

Even Lou Jingbai coveted this treasure, so it had to be extraordinary. Her curiosity piqued.

“Let’s check it out,” she ordered, then explained the situation to the two freelance illusionists beside her.

Chen Boguang and Hu Ren’s eyes gleamed with excitement upon hearing of treasure. They had pinned their hopes on this opening of the nascent canyon to gather rare materials and bolster their strength.

Lou Jingbai suddenly accelerated, flying several times faster than before. The wind roared in their ears. Shen Duo wanted to roll her eyes at him—was it really necessary to pounce on a treasure like a ravenous tiger?

They soon landed in a deep forest where the annoying fog was absent. The ancient trees around them were thick and thriving.

A sensitive expert like Feng Jun even sensed the spiritual energy here was denser than elsewhere. Strangely, the plants on the ground all leaned or grew toward the same direction, as if following a light source—much like phototropism in Earth’s flora.

The four walked along the direction of the plants’ growth. The closer they drew, the more lush the vegetation became. Many plants bloomed with beautiful, multicolored flowers that emitted a faint glow in the dim forest, adorning this patch of woodland.

By all reason, in a dark forest where even sunlight could not penetrate, only mosses should grow on the ground. How could so many light-seeking plants flourish so vigorously?

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