Chapter 82: Section 83: Re-entering the Forest


    Eight days later.


    Lord Zhenjin and the others arrived at the boundary between the desert and the forest. Sear?h the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This time, their direction was finally correct. They had successfully walked out of the desert and returned to the forested area.


    One step forward would take them into the dense vegetation of the forest, while behind them lay the vast expanse of the yellow-brown desert.


    Tall trees soared straight into the sky. The continuous green merged into a “city wall” that stretched beyond sight, isolating the sandy winds of the desert and containing vibrant life within.


    Cang Xu let out a sigh and pulled out a sheepskin map from his chest.


    ...


    He took a piece of charcoal, sharpened it into a pencil, and began to sketch lines on the map.


    “Although this place isn’t identical to where I entered the forest last time, they should be close by.”


    “Lord Zhenjin, I suggest we don’t rush into the forest but explore along this boundary line until we find the previous location,” Cang Xu proposed, while drawing on the map.


    Lord Zhenjin’s gaze flickered as he carefully considered Cang Xu’s proposal.


    According to the calculations, there was still plenty of time before the next teleportation. If they were unfortunately teleported back to the desert, a more complete map would provide more help.


    “Indeed, spending some time exploring to improve the map is necessary.”


    “However, I’ve had enough of the desert. Let’s enter the forest first,” Lord Zhenjin said.


    As soon as he finished speaking, someone nearby let out a cheer, like a hunting dog who had been locked up for a long time, suddenly reaching the outdoors and breaking free from its leash, joyously running into the forest ahead.


    “Ah, ah, ah!”


    The young man who rushed into the forest let out a sound of enjoyment.


    He tilted his head back, opened his arms, breathed in the air of the forest, and shouted hoarsely, “This is it, the scent of the forest! How sweet it is.”


    Then, he knelt on the ground, stretched out his hands to caress the grass, as if caressing the long hair of a beloved girl: “How smooth, how lush!”


    Suddenly, he stood up, threw himself against a tree, wrapped his arms around the trunk, and kissed the bark with his black, thick lips: “This is where I belong.”


    This young man was Bai Ya.


    Bai Ya was originally the son of a hunter and grew up in a mountain village, familiar with the forest.


    Having narrowly escaped death and arrived from the desert to the forest, he felt as though he had returned home.


    Compared to his previous time in the forest, he had changed significantly.


    His lips had thickened, resembling two chunks of fish intestines, and had turned very dark. His voice also became raspy and unpleasant.


    These changes were due to him sucking black poisonous blood from Lan Zao’s wounds while in the Oasis.


    Lord Zhenjin had also sucked wounds from Zi Di’s injuries, but as a young knight with strong physical attributes, it didn’t affect him much. Bai Ya, however, was just an ordinary person, and despite taking a light blue potion in advance, he still experienced significant lingering effects.


    Bai Ya’s transformation was not only reflected in his appearance but also in his personality.


    After a life-threatening ordeal, Bai Ya seemed to have opened his heart; from originally being reserved, he became outgoing, turning into a chatterbox. It seemed that if he didn’t express all his thoughts, he would feel extremely uncomfortable, extremely regretful.


    “This guy Bai Ya…” everyone chuckled lightly, all understanding Bai Ya’s feelings.


    Only Lan Zao remained expressionless.


    He was at the back of the group, carrying numerous water bags on his back. Most of these water bags were made from the stomachs of Acid Liquid green lizards; only a few were pottery jars.


    Perhaps due to problematic soil in the Oasis, Cang Xu frequently failed at making pottery jars, leaving only a few finished products.


    However, under the joint effort of Fat Ball Flying Fish and Lord Zhenjin, many bodies of green lizards were left in the Oasis.


    When Fat Ball Flying Fish returned to the depths of the lake, Lord Zhenjin led people to process these green lizards, cutting their meat into pieces, making leather from their skins, and sewing the cleaned stomachs into crude water bags.


    Thanks to Bai Ya’s adventure and the potions prepared by Zi Di, Lan Zao had his life saved.


    This originally calm and robust middle-aged man had also undergone tremendous changes. He became silent and taciturn, hardly speaking a word all day, giving the impression that he had lost the ability to speak.


    He only responded submissively when addressing Lord Zhenjin’s commands—


    “Yes, Master.”


    “Understood, Master.”


    “I will follow your orders, my Master.”


    Zi Di’s expression suddenly changed, and he quickly stepped forward, grabbed Bai Ya’s shoulder, and pulled him back.


    Bai Ya was pressing his cheek against the tree trunk and turned to look at Zi Di, puzzled, “Lord Zi Di?”


    Zi Di pointed at the tree trunk irritably, “You’re poisoned.”


    Bai Ya was stunned and confused: “Wha, what?”


    Lord Zhenjin focused his eyes and saw a thin layer of green moss on the tree trunk.


    “Isn’t this the poison moss that once poisoned me?” Zhenjin suddenly realized.


    He was still able to mutate this kind of moss through the Heart Core!


    Afterward, Zi Di gathered the moss, prepared potions, and detoxified Bai Ya.


    “Although we’ve returned from the desert to the forest, don’t forget, we’re still on this dangerously bizarre island. We must not be careless,” Cang Xu warned Bai Ya.


    The ordeal of Bai Ya sobered everyone up.


    The dense trees were like giant umbrellas, their roots deeply embedded in the ground, and their leaves sprouting freely, shielding them from the harsh sunlight.


    The temperature in the forest was much lower than in the desert.


    At noon, Zhenjin and the others dared not wander in the desert; they spent most of their time hiding behind sand dunes, gasping for breath.


    However, in the forest, they could travel during midday, greatly enhancing the team’s exploration efficiency.


    Zhenjin led at the front of the group.


    Suddenly, three iron-feathered birds swooped down from the sky!


    These fierce birds, creations of the Island Master, were only the size of an adult’s fist and liked to climb trees. They would leap from high treetops, utilizing gravity to propel their attacks on other creatures.


    The speed of an iron-feathered bird’s assault was comparable to arrows shot from a powerful crossbow.


    Two of the birds aimed for Zhenjin, and another targeted Zi Di.


    Zi Di looked up and before she could even scream, she heard a sharp whoosh.


    Then, the iron-feathered bird targeting her was struck by a wooden dart, flying sideways straight away.


    With a thud, the dart embedded deeply into the trunk of a tree, and the bird, like meat skewered on a spit, clung to the trunk motionless.


    Almost at the same moment the iron-feathered bird died, Zhenjin’s left hand tightly gripped a wooden long spear, releasing it like a viper from its hole, striking swiftly twice.


    The two birds targeting him were hit by the spear tip, instantly losing momentum, their lifeless bodies falling weakly to the ground.


    The crisis had suddenly erupted and was just as suddenly resolved by Zhenjin.


    Lan Zao had just reached for the hilt of his sword, and Bai Ya had barely bristled, his muscles just beginning to tense.


    Then, all returned to calm.


    “Wow, wow, wow! Lord Zhenjin, you are truly incredible. How many times have the iron-feathered birds attacked us now? You’ve saved us again. Your martial arts are simply… simply…” Bai Ya shouted loudly, gazing at Zhenjin with shining eyes, admiration and adoration overflowing from his heart.


    “Concise and streamlined, humble yet decisive in battle, achieving tremendous results,” Cang Xu picked up Bai Ya’s words.


    “Yes, yes, those are the words,” Bai Ya looked towards Cang Xu, “Scholar, you always manage to express exactly what I want to say.”


    “My lord…” Zi Di smiled at Zhenjin.


    Lan Zao remained silent, but his gaze towards Zhenjin was anything but calm.


    After the group of five entered the forest, Zhenjin took the lead, single-handedly dealing with many attacks with perfection.


    Originally, everyone was worried that the speed of exploration was too fast, increasing risk. But under Zhenjin’s protection, every attack turned into his victory.


    Hearing everyone’s comments, Zhenjin first controlled the Heart Core, changing his lizard vertical pupils back to human eyes.


    Then he turned around, facing the others with a smiling, handsome face; even his dusty golden hair seemed to shine brilliantly, catching everyone’s eyes.


    “Through the hardships we faced before, my martial arts seem to have reached a new level. I can’t use Fighting energy, and the power of each strike hasn’t changed. Still, each movement feels completely natural, as if I don’t even need to think it through. This way, it seems I can act much sooner than before.”


    Actually, Zhenjin had used the green lizard’s eyes to spot various hidden creatures.


    For example, the iron-feathered birds, although hidden among the lush foliage overhead, appeared as a conspicuous red mass behind the deep green to the vision of the green lizard.


    Thus, Zhenjin was always ready.


    Whenever they launched an attack, Zhenjin was already prepared, his responses perfectly timely.


    Of course, the green lizard’s eyes had their flaws; they did not provide a clear view.


    So, after the first use in the Oasis, Zhenjin modified the usage.


    Now, he mutated one eye, while keeping the other in its human state, swapping the state of his eyes periodically.


    Because he was leading at the front, squinting to observe, the rest of the team was kept in the dark.


    “This might just be… the power of the spirit?” Cang Xu pondered aloud.