"Blackroad Mystical Ironwood?"
Ye Yunfei was taken aback, never having heard of such a tree.
"Blackroad Mystical Ironwood was extremely rare even in ancient times, a sacred treasure for artifact forging. In the Ancient Era, some powerful beings sought out Blackroad Mystical Ironwood for forging. I didn't expect to find so much of it here."
"Hun Lao, are you sure these are Blackroad Mystical Ironwood? There's so much of it here that it has formed a primordial, dense forest. It doesn't seem extremely rare; rather, the quantity is enormous," Ye Yunfei asked.
"You don't understand. When forging artifacts with this Blackroad Mystical Ironwood, you only use its iron pith. These trees may look tall and large, but their iron pith is very small. From one tree, at most you can refine an iron pith about the size of a strand of hair. So, if this entire primordial forest is truly only Blackroad Mystical Ironwood, the total refined iron pith piled together would likely only form a small heap," Hun Lao explained.
"So that's how it is. Do you think these are genuinely Blackroad Mystical Ironwood?"
"It should be. They match the description of Blackroad Mystical Ironwood in my Racial Inheritance memory almost exactly," Hun Lao said, scrutinizing the dark forest before them.
"Alright, forget the Blackroad Mystical Ironwood for now. Let's go find the person first."
With that, Ye Yunfei led the seven True Immortals into the strange, dark, dense forest. As they advanced, he focused on sensing Lu Feng's aura.
"Hmm? Young Master, look! There seems to be a precious herb over there. It looks very peculiar!" a short while later, one of the True Immortals exclaimed softly, pointing in a direction.
Everyone immediately looked. On the ground in that direction, two fleshy, pointed protrusions had emerged, pale gray-white in color, emitting waves of a rich, intoxicating herbal fragrance.
"Fleshy horns growing from the ground, and such a potent medicinal scent. It's highly likely some kind of valuable ancient medicine!"
The seven True Immortals stared at the fleshy horns with greedy eyes. However, they knew that with Ye Yunfei here, any precious herb would be his to harvest, not theirs. Their gazes all turned toward Ye Yunfei.
"Something's off. That pair of horns has a murderous aura. It doesn't feel like some ancient medicine; it seems more like some ferocious beast is lying in ambush there," Ye Yunfei shook his head after sending out his senses.
Boom rumble!
The next moment, the very earth trembled and the mountains shook as the ground there abruptly split apart. An enormous head thrust up from beneath the surface.
Rooooaaar!
A deafening roar erupted, shaking the entire forest. It was actually a snail! The creature stood several hundred *zhang* tall. Its shell was dark brown, and it sported two fleshy horns. Beneath the shell, a soft, fleshy foot was visible, oozing a large amount of mucus. It was a rather disgusting sight.
Boom!
Upon emerging, the giant snail immediately began moving its massive body, charging toward Ye Yunfei and his group with astonishing speed.
Swoosh swoosh...
Numerous fleshy tentacles continuously extended from its shell, like countless grasping hands, reaching out and launching spews of something toward Ye Yunfei's party.
Hiss... Hiss...
Wherever the tentacles went, large amounts of viscous liquid sprayed forth, actually corroding the very air, causing it to smoke and creating dark, gaping spatial holes. Pungent, nauseating thick smoke rapidly spread out.
"Vile beast, get lost!" Ye Yunfei roared in anger. He threw a punch, his arm extending, his fist swelling in size, smashing into the snail's shell from a distance with a thunderous impact. The snail's shell rocked violently, and the creature was forced back several paces.
Bzzz... Bzzz...
Countless mysterious white runes continuously swirled off the snail shell, resembling a vast cloud of white fireflies. They whistled through the air, converging on Ye Yunfei.
"You beast, if you want death, I'll grant your wish!" Ye Yunfei declared coldly.
"With Young Master here, we have nothing to fear," the seven True Immortals stood behind Ye Yunfei. Seeing him punch back the snail in one blow, they felt reassured.
However, the next moment, Ye Yunfei's face changed slightly.
"We need to leave, now!" With a sweep of his sleeve, he pulled the seven True Immortals along, swiftly fleeing in another direction.
BOOM! BOOM!
Just as Ye Yunfei moved away, the forest clearing they had been in began to crack open again and again. Snail after snail crawled out from the earth in an endless stream, each roaring menacingly.
"It seems we've stumbled into a snail nest!" Seeing this, the seven True Immortals paled.
After escaping the snail-infested area, Ye Yunfei led the True Immortals deeper into the mysterious, dark primordial forest. Waves of a putrid, decaying stench wafted through the trees—an aura of death that made everyone uncomfortable.
Caw!
A while later, a red bird suddenly burst from the forest ahead. Roughly the size of a fist, its entire body was wreathed in raging flames. It let out a strange cry and shot toward Ye Yunfei's group. Ye Yunfei swung his palm, intending to knock it aside.
BOOM!
To his shock, a terrifying, colossal force slammed back at him, causing his body to shudder violently.
"How is that possible!" Ye Yunfei found it hard to believe.
How could such a little bird, no larger than a fist, possess such immense power? It was simply incredible.
Boom rumble!
The impact forced the red bird back as well. It seemed enraged, screeching maniacally before hurtling at Ye Yunfei again for another collision. An immense, terrifying force erupted from its small frame, shaking the surrounding giant black trees.
"Damn beast, what strength!" Ye Yunfei exclaimed in awe. He had no desire for a prolonged fight. With a wave of his hand, he instantly laid out dozens of Formations, trapping the small bird within them in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go!" Ye Yunfei shouted, leading his seven True Immortal companions toward the distance.
"Young Master, it seems there are many ancient, rare beasts in this forest, likely leftovers from ancient times," one of the True Immortals commented.
"Indeed. I've never seen these kinds of strange creatures either," Ye Yunfei replied.
Boom! Boom!
Behind them, the trapped red bird was madly ramming against Ye Yunfei's Formations, the impacts shaking heaven and earth.
From then on, as Ye Yunfei and the True Immortals pushed onward, they encountered several more types of ancient beasts, all terrifying in their own way. One such creature was a giant, bluish-green ant, each as large as a water buffalo. They moved through the forest in massive swarms, spewing streams of corrosive, bluish liquid that pitted and scarred the ground. Not only the ground, even the Blackroad Mystical Ironwood and the surrounding air were corroded and shattered by the acidic substance. Ye Yunfei and his group had no choice but to beat a frantic retreat.
"Young Master, this forest is far too dangerous!" The seven True Immortals trembled, their faces ashen.