Chapter 74: The Forest of Demonic Vines

The middle-aged man raised his hand, grasping at the air, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth trembled. It was as if an invisible giant hand enveloped both Yin Tianfang and Liu Feng. The overwhelming sense of oppression slowed Yin Tianfang’s movements. His expression grew grave as spiritual power surged within him; the small golden sword swelled to the size of several meters, its golden radiance dazzling.

"Cut!" he commanded, pointing forward. The giant sword cleaved through the air with a thunderous boom, its golden light splitting the void itself. The unseen hand was sliced apart by the golden blade, and, seizing the moment, Yin Tianfang grasped Liu Feng and shot downward at breakneck speed.

Three days later, on a barren desert, Yin Tianfang’s face was caked in dust. He sensed the dwindling reserves of power within him and murmured bitterly, "At this rate, my cultivation will soon be exhausted. I must find a place to hide and recover as soon as possible."

"Don’t worry about me. If it comes to death, so be it. With your cultivation, that man likely can’t do anything to you anyway," Liu Feng replied calmly, noticing the pallor on Yin Tianfang’s face.

During the past few days, he had come to understand just how terrifying a Foundation Establishment cultivator could be. Yet what astonished him most was that Yin Tianfang had managed to survive for so long under the relentless pursuit of such a formidable foe.

Hearing Liu Feng’s words, Yin Tianfang’s expression remained as calm as still water. He looked toward the horizon, a glint of killing intent in his eyes. "He’s coming again," he said coldly.

With that, he tapped his storage pouch, and a small golden sword appeared. Its luster was dim, marred by several scratches. Over the past three days, Yin Tianfang had deployed the golden sword multiple times, but assassinating a Foundation Establishment cultivator through ambush was clearly a daunting task.

After summoning the sword, Yin Tianfang swept his divine sense across the surroundings, his gaze suddenly locking onto a particular direction. There, a range of mountains sprawled endlessly, shrouded in a layer of swirling purple-black mist, obscuring the view.

Without hesitation, Yin Tianfang changed course, bringing Liu Feng with him as they shot toward the mountains. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the forest’s edge, and without a second glance, plunged headlong into the woods.

Yin Tianfang knew all too well he had no advantage in stamina against a Foundation Establishment expert. If he continued flying in the open sky, it was only a matter of time before he was overtaken. Better to give up flight and move through the dense forest. He didn’t know why the mist above the forest was so strange, but his divine sense had just detected that, within it, his spiritual awareness moved as though wading through mire, its range reduced to only a few dozen feet.

Not long after Yin Tianfang entered the forest, a rainbow streaked across the sky, circling above before descending to the ground. The middle-aged man now showed signs of fatigue; after three days of relentless pursuit, his spiritual energy was greatly depleted. Even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was proving too much. Had he not seen that Yin Tianfang was in even worse shape, he would have given up the chase long ago.

But greed gnawed at his heart, driving him onward. He desperately wanted to overtake Yin Tianfang and seize his treasures. Moreover, when he first began the pursuit, he hadn’t expected it to be so difficult. With his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he believed he could wear down his quarry eventually. So, he had not hurried, intending to wait for his opponent’s spiritual power to run dry before delivering the fatal blow.

To his astonishment, Yin Tianfang seemed inexhaustible, as if his power would never be depleted. The only explanation he could find was that Yin Tianfang possessed some rare and precious artifact. The desire to kill him only grew stronger.

Standing at the forest’s edge, the middle-aged man hesitated, pondering, "This wild forest is shrouded in mystery, enveloped year-round in thick mists. Rumor has it the place is fraught with strange dangers. Entering rashly can only bring disaster. Should I pursue or not?"

After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth. The lure of the treasure solidified his resolve, and he dashed in without a word. If he could seize the magical weapon and return to his sect, his status would soar, and with better cultivation resources, his talent would surely let him rise to unprecedented heights.

Within the forest, ancient trees towered overhead, each competing for sunlight. The ground was littered with dead branches and decaying leaves, beneath which poisonous insects rustled. Massive, thousand-year-old trees were everywhere, and all manner of strange flowers and grasses flourished. Fierce beasts and predatory birds clashed for dominance, and the stench of decay rose from rotting foliage and carcasses.

There were also mysterious odors emitted by certain plants. Over time, these smells accumulated, forming lethal miasmas invisible to the eye.

The forest was perpetually shrouded in mist, its ancient trees growing in bizarre patterns. Countless demon beasts, some more powerful than Foundation Establishment cultivators, lurked within. Every step was fraught with peril; the slightest misstep meant certain death.

Yin Tianfang spread his divine sense and darted through the forest at top speed. Suddenly, Liu Feng cried out anxiously, "Stop! Stop immediately!"

Yin Tianfang halted on the spot.

"We can’t go any further," Liu Feng said, his voice tinged with fear. Looking ahead, Yin Tianfang saw a stand of trees, but unlike the rest of the forest, this area contained only one type of plant—thick, upright trunks reaching straight into the sky, with long vines dangling from their branches, swaying gently in the air. At first glance, nothing seemed particularly unusual.

Yet Liu Feng had gone pale, his body trembling.

"Under no circumstances should we enter that forest," Liu Feng said, his voice quivering. "Once inside, there’s no way out."

"What’s so strange about it?" Yin Tianfang asked, frowning. He’d probed the area with his divine sense but detected nothing out of the ordinary. Still, given Liu Feng’s fear, there must be a reason.

"That’s likely the Forest of Demon Vines," Liu Feng said.

"The Forest of Demon Vines?" Yin Tianfang echoed in surprise. "What’s that?"

"Do you see those vines? From here, they seem harmless, but once you enter and disturb them, they’ll lash out like tentacles and bind you fast."

"Then we can simply cut them down," Yin Tianfang replied.

"If it were so easy, the Forest of Demon Vines wouldn’t be so feared. Even Foundation Establishment experts who venture in are likely to leave nothing but bones behind. Those vines possess a strange energy. Once they ensnare you, they slowly drain away your power. No matter how strong you are, if you can’t escape in time, you’ll die when your spiritual strength runs out."

"I read about it once in a book, but I never expected to see the real thing today," Liu Feng said with lingering terror. Thankfully, Yin Tianfang had stopped in time; otherwise, they would have been trapped, their bones lost forever.

Looking around, Yin Tianfang saw gray vines hanging from the trees, twisting through the branches like venomous snakes, swaying gently in the air.

These vines looked utterly ordinary, no different from any common creeper. Even his spiritual sense detected nothing unusual. Mulling it over, Yin Tianfang lightly flicked a branch with his toe, sending it flying like an arrow into the forest ahead. At the same time, he withdrew with Liu Feng at high speed.

A piercing, pained whistle echoed through the woods as the branch struck a vine. In an instant, all the vines in the Forest of Demon Vines writhed and danced like a nest of serpents—a terrifying sight.

Yin Tianfang drew a sharp breath, his expression turning grave as they retreated several dozen more feet.