vncnus Page 259
Page 259
No one expected that the Fire Dragon Elder would have a mocking expression on his face, looking at the Giant Ape Elder as if he were provoking and taunting him...
Upon hearing the old man Flame Dragon say such a thing, the giant ape elder did not hesitate at all. He grabbed the meat of the 8th-tier magical beast scorpion from the cat angel's hand and began to eat it in large mouthfuls. It was so delicious that his mouth was full of oil, and he had no regard for his image at all.
"Haha, what are you guys waiting for? The meat of an eighth-tier magical beast scorpion is incredibly delicious and tender, containing abundant energy. It would be a waste not to eat it!" The Giant Ape Senior devoured the meat of the eighth-tier magical beast scorpion, his eyes glancing at everyone to see their expressions. He kept urging them on, and he wasn't lying. "Holy crap! Judging by how much the Giant Ape Senior is eating, there's definitely nothing wrong with this eighth-tier magical beast scorpion meat. It's all that old bastard Flame Dragon's fault; he's so infuriating, utterly disrespectful to his elders!"
The group rolled their eyes at the old man, the Flame Dragon, then quickly snatched a piece of meat from an 8th-tier magical beast scorpion and stuffed it into their mouths, as if afraid they'd miss out on the 1.9th-tier sensation if they ate too slowly. "My goodness, this 8th-tier magical beast scorpion meat is incredibly rich in energy! I only took one bite, and my body is already full of energy! This feeling is just too amazing!" Slime Mirror, with her fiery personality, was shouting excitedly as she devoured a bite of 1th-tier magical beast scorpion meat, making sure everyone could hear her.
Actually, everyone felt the same way, but those people were too reserved to say it. Only Slime Jing was shouting and yelling, and no one paid any attention to him, including Liu Ziming.
"Flame Dragon, you old bastard! If you don't eat this eighth-tier magical beast scorpion meat soon, you might not even get a fart. What are you waiting for? Do you expect someone else to invite you?"
Chapter 355 More trials await.
As they devoured the flesh of the 8th-tier magical beast scorpion and felt its abundant energy, everyone's faces and hearts were filled with surprise and joy. After all, their abilities had been enhanced once again in the magical beast forest. There were too many dangers in the dungeons of this game, and improving their abilities was at least a form of protection. Who wouldn't be happy?
"Heh, you guys really have no taste. You're wasting the meat of an eighth-tier magical beast scorpion. If you eat it like this, it's really a waste of a precious resource."
The old Flame Dragon seemed quite helpless. He picked up a piece of roasted meat from an 8th-tier magical beast scorpion from the stone slab and savored it slowly, bite by bite, eating with great refinement and elegance, displaying a very cultured demeanor.
Everyone who saw the old Flame Dragon's behavior rolled their eyes at him and ignored him once again. Wasn't he just showing off and being arrogant in front of everyone? These people knew better than anyone what kind of person he really was.
"Don't waste too much time here, otherwise we won't even know if other dangers occur."
Liu Ziming simply ate some meat from an 8th-tier magical beast scorpion, then solemnly reminded everyone. He could clearly sense that this cave was definitely not a place to linger, which was why he did this.
"You stinky spider, are you trying to sense some danger beforehand? If so, you might as well just say so. Why all this secrecy? It's really annoying."
While devouring the meat of an eighth-tier magical beast scorpion, Slime Mirror kept muttering to himself and gave Liu Ziming a big eye roll, looking very impatient.
"Hehe, since Boss Spider has already reminded us, everyone hurry up and eat. After we finish eating, we should set off immediately. If we stay here too long, who knows what other dangers or higher-level magical beasts might crawl over. That would really not be fun!"
The venerable giant ape looked dignified, and his expression was particularly solemn. Although he hadn't sensed any danger, he trusted Liu Ziming since he had given him a heads-up.
The group exchanged glances without saying anything, but they quickened their pace of devouring the eighth-tier magical beast scorpion meat. They knew this cave was no joke, and the smell inside was rather unpleasant. "Boss Spider, where do we go now? Is it really like that girl Yuebai said, that we'll go straight to the elven settlement through this cave?"
The elder Flame Dragon looked worried, his tone towards Liu Ziming somewhat unfriendly. He felt that everything before them was Liu Ziming's fault, and therefore he had to take responsibility. "Heh, do we really have a better choice now? Going back seems unlikely, doesn't it?"
When the old Flame Dragon heard Liu Ziming say such a thing, his expression became even more displeased. If they really went to the Elf Clan's territory, not to mention anyone else, just the Elf King alone would be enough for them to deal with, let alone any higher-level magical beasts. They would really have a hard time then.
"Hehe, Spider Boss, are you really planning to do this? The Elf King in the Elf Clan's territory has terrifying strength, and there might be even higher-level elves or magical beasts there. We can't handle them. You need to think this through." The Seven-Colored Deer looked at Liu Ziming with a worried expression, as if he were pleading. He really didn't want to go to the Elf Clan's territory because he felt that the Elf King's terrifying strength could completely crush all of them.
It wasn't just the Seven-Colored Deer who thought this way; everyone else thought the same. They just didn't have a better way or choice, so they could only listen to Liu Ziming.
"This is not the time to discuss these issues. Do you people have any better options?"
To everyone's surprise, the fiery-tempered Slime Mirror actually sided with Liu Ziming, acting particularly arrogant and pointing fingers at everyone. "My goodness, this guy seems to have really changed his personality since coming to the Monster Forest. When did he start speaking up for Liu Ziming?" "Heh, this is really interesting. This fiery personality actually side with Liu Ziming; it's truly incomprehensible."
"Could it be that I ate too much eighth-tier magical beast scorpion meat, and the energy in my body wasn't excreted or fully absorbed? How could I be hallucinating? It's really baffling that Slime, with his fiery temper, is speaking up for the Spider Boss."
Despite the surprised expressions on everyone's faces, Slime Jing didn't care at all. She simply grabbed Liu Ziming and strode forward, looking incredibly arrogant. "Hehe, if you guys don't want to follow, you can go back the way you came. I'm not trying to persuade you, nor am I forcing you. It's entirely up to you."
Hearing Slime Mirror say such a thing, everyone felt even more displeased, because they simply couldn't understand what had caused him to become like this. "Heh, let me say something. Don't listen to Slime Mirror's nonsense. Right now, we can only keep moving forward; there's no chance of going back. If you don't believe me, look back and see if the path we came from still exists."
Since no one had intended to turn back after entering the Monster Forest, they were completely unaware of the changes that had occurred. It was only when Liu Ziming reminded them that they suddenly realized the path they had come from no longer existed, and they had no choice but to move forward.
"You stinky spider, it's all your fault! If we hadn't trusted that guy Yuebai, we wouldn't be in this mess now!"
Slime Mirror followed behind Liu Ziming, muttering to itself like a resentful little wife, making one feel a little guilty. "You'd better shut your mouth. If those people hear you, they'll be terrified," Liu Ziming said, walking ahead and constantly reminding Slime Mirror of its fiery temper.
Actually, Liu Ziming said this entirely to everyone, because many dangers awaited them.
Chapter 356 It would be strange if it weren't eerie.
Hearing Liu Ziming say that, everyone was unsettled. However, they also knew that when they entered the game instance and found the huge coffin, everything felt particularly eerie, so they had gradually gotten used to it.
"Hehe, Spider Master, there's no need to be so nervous. If your nerves are constantly on edge, your mental energy will probably be depleted very quickly, and you might run into trouble then?"
As a member of the dragon race, the elder Flame Dragon had a wealth of knowledge. He discovered that although Liu Ziming appeared carefree on the surface, he was always on high alert, constantly observing his surroundings like a radar scan, taking in everything around him.
"Hehe, thank you, Senior Flame Dragon! It's alright now. I've gotten used to this kind of life. If we didn't memorize everything and everything in front of us, we might really kick the bucket if danger struck."
Hearing Liu Ziming start joking, everyone relaxed, but they found that the scenery before them was becoming increasingly bizarre and constantly changing, like a virtual space—both real and illusory. "Have you noticed that the scenery in front of us is constantly changing? When we touch it, we find it's just an illusion. How can this be so strange?"
The cat angel found himself suddenly confronted by a stone wall. He felt terrified and gently touched it, but the scene before him seemed completely unreal, as if it had never existed. He was filled with fear and began to speak.
"You know what, I had the same feeling. Every now and then, a few big trees would appear in front of me, but when I actually stepped over them, they wouldn't even be there. It's really too eerie. Karma!"
Even the elder of the Fire Dragon lineage couldn't help but voice his thoughts, because he found the scenery before him quite strange, not at all like the simple cave that Yuebai had described. "It's all that stinky spider's fault. If it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't have crawled into this place, and we wouldn't have fallen for that girl Yuebai's trick. What should we do now?"
The Slime Mirror also noticed this strange phenomenon. Hearing everyone talking about it in unison, it became even more unhappy. Behind it, it kept gesturing at Liu Ziming's back as if it wanted to eat him up.
I'm starting to have doubts.
"Senior Giant Ape, is there a connection between the scenery before us and our thoughts? If everyone can completely relax their minds, perhaps the scenery before us will truly cease to exist?"
Liu Ziming simply stopped and looked at the giant ape elder sending him a distress signal. He knew his own thinking was limited, and that combining everyone's wisdom might yield a better solution. Hearing Liu Ziming's words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat. When they discovered these strange phenomena, some really weird thoughts had crossed their minds. Had this guy been right? Everyone was unsettled.
"Hehe, these things are a bit strange, but maybe it really is as you say. I'm not quite sure either. If that's the case, why don't we try it and see?"
The giant ape elder had an embarrassed expression on his face, because he didn't know what was causing the phenomenon. Hearing that Liu Ziming had such a bold idea, he decided to give it a try.
"Hehe, I wonder if everyone agrees with this old monkey's suggestion? If you completely calm your mind and relax your state of mind, try to feel whether the scenery in front of you still exists or if it's just a simple cave." Now that the giant ape elder has spoken, everyone's expression looks a little awkward. However, if you really want to calm your mind and relax your thoughts, it is not an easy thing, because the situation in front of you is not something they can do.
"If you don't believe what I'm saying, you can stop here, calm your mind, clear your mind of all distractions, and see for yourself whether the scene before you is real. Then you'll know."
Since Liu Ziming had already seen from everyone's eyes that they didn't quite believe it, he simply stopped and let everyone experience it for themselves. Wouldn't that make them all understand?
"Hehe, this suggestion is better. It won't take more than a few minutes anyway, so let's just consider it a short rest?"
The seven-colored deer was already quite afraid of the scenery before it, so when Liu Ziming made the suggestion, it immediately agreed and seemed particularly happy. "You little rascal, do you really trust this stinky spider that much? What will you do if he's lying to you?"
The Slime Mirror noticed that the Seven-Colored Deer's gaze towards Liu Ziming was somewhat different, and felt a pang of jealousy. So it directly retorted to the Seven-Colored Deer with a "C".
However, the Seven-Colored Deer completely disregarded his words, following Liu Ziming's instructions and requirements to eliminate all distractions and examine whether what she perceived around her was real or virtual. "Everyone should try it out for themselves as Spider Boss suggested. I think everything he said might be true, and the scenery before our eyes might really be related to our thoughts and evil intentions."
After the giant ape elder finished speaking, he simply sat down, cleared his mind of all distractions, and completely relaxed. Sure enough, the scenery in front of him became real; it was just an ordinary cave, and it looked particularly spacious. There really was nothing else there.
Seeing that the giant ape senior had already done this, and having no better choice, everyone simply sat down as well, thinking that they would understand everything by experiencing it for themselves.
After about ten minutes, they realized that what Liu Ziming had said was true.
Chapter 357 Things Are Not That Simple
"Hehe, you're still saying that, but this guy is right. When you're relaxed and your mind is clear, the illusion in front of you won't exist?"
The seven-colored deer seemed delighted, for he discovered that as long as his mind was free of selfish thoughts, the illusory scenery before him simply didn't exist; it was just a simple cave. So he exclaimed happily, "Hehe, you stinky spider, you guessed right this time! But I hope you can remain this way in the future!"
The Slime Mirror, through its own experience, realized that the illusory scenery before it was entirely caused by its own delusions and desires, and was closely related to its own will. However, it remained stubbornly unwilling to admit it. "Alright, now that everyone understands what's going on, let's continue. Although this cave is getting wider as we go in, it's definitely not quite the same. Everyone should be careful," Liu Ziming habitually reminded everyone to be cautious. After all, there were many unknowns ahead in the cave, and he didn't know what dangers lurked within.
"Look at that thing in front of us! It looks like a strange little tree, and it's covered in some really bright red fruit. Is it even usable?" After walking for about ten minutes, the group was surprised when Seven-Colored Path pointed ahead excitedly, as if the scene before them was real. "Hehe, you little rascal, you're not up to any other selfish thoughts, are you? There's no such thing as a little tree or fruit as you're talking about!"
The old Flame Dragon kept his head down as he walked, not even looking up to see the scenery in the distance. So he habitually spoke up, saying that Liu Ziming had said before that if he didn't have any distracting thoughts, there would be no illusory scene in front of him. It was just a simple cave. That's why he said that.
"Hehe, you old man, you're wrong this time. There really is a small tree in front of you, and it's covered with many brightly colored fruits that are radiating a dazzling light. If you don't believe me, look up and see for yourself. I, the old monkey, am definitely not lying to you." The Flame Dragon Elder was completely taken aback when the Giant Ape Elder slapped himself, forcibly lifting his head to look into the distance, confirming that the Seven-Colored Deer had not lied.
"Holy crap, you know what? There really is a strange little tree with several brightly colored fruits on it, radiating a dazzling light?"
Seeing the surprised expression on the old man's face, the giant ape smiled, and it was a very natural smile, without any pretense.
"Stinky Spider, look at this little tree in front of us. It's covered in some brightly colored fruit that's emitting a strange glow. Don't you think there's something wrong with it? This is a cave, there's absolutely no environment for survival here. How could a little tree suddenly appear?"
In fact, not only the slime thought so, but everyone else did too, because it was a nearly enclosed cave, which was not suitable for the growth of plants at all. It was really illogical to find a tree of medium size with a few fruits growing in a cave.
"Ahem, everyone, don't forget, this is the Monster Forest, and we haven't even left the Misty Forest yet. Anything is possible."
Liu Ziming really didn't know what to say, because the small tree in front of him was truly strange. He had searched the map of the Warcraft Forest for a long time but couldn't find it. What on earth was it? So, he looked somewhat embarrassed. "Stinky spider, since you say so, you must know what this thing is. Why don't you tell me? Don't tell me either?"
The Slime Mirror seemed to have finally seized an opportunity. Seeing Liu Ziming's somewhat embarrassed expression, it was overjoyed, its face contorted with exaggerated glee, as if it had found a treasure. "Everyone, be quiet! I smell a faint fragrance. Could it be coming from this fruit?"
As a member of the dragon race, the elder Flame Dragon likely possessed an extraordinary sense of smell. He detected a faint fragrance and assumed it was coming from the beautiful fruit. Therefore, he told everyone to be quiet so as not to disturb his senses.
"Old man, are you starving? I can't smell anything. I've lived in the forest all my life, these things are very familiar to me."
It's no wonder the giant ape elder said that, after all, he lived in the forest all day long and had seen all kinds of exotic flowers and fruits, but he really had never seen this thing before.
"Hehe, you stinky monkey, since you're saying this, you must know what this thing is. Can it be used or not? My mouth is watering, so hurry up and tell me!" Seeing the Flame Dragon Elder's somewhat bizarre expression, everyone laughed, and they laughed so hard they were doubled over, completely disregarding their image.
"You all better stay here and don't move. I'll go check what it is. If there's no danger, then you can go over."
After saying this, Liu Ziming didn't give anyone time to react. He transformed into a black shadow and instantly appeared beside the brightly colored sapling, picking a fruit and stuffing it into his mouth. "You stinky spider, what are you doing? Aren't you afraid these things are poisonous?"
The slime was astonished to find that Liu Ziming had simply walked up to the sapling, picked a fruit without hesitation, and stuffed it into his mouth, eating it greedily. So the slime said worriedly, "My goodness, Spider Boss is too awesome! He doesn't even know if that thing is edible before stuffing it into his mouth. Isn't he afraid of being drugged or harmed?"
The cat angel looked at Liu Ziming with an unusual light in his eyes, feeling extremely anxious. However, he didn't express it because he noticed that the slime mirror guy was looking at Liu Ziming with a particularly urgent expression, so he swallowed his inner thoughts.
"Hehe, don't worry, this little fruit is no problem for me. Even if it's poisonous, it won't cause much harm. Don't worry."
Liu Ziming knew that everyone had come to the Monster Forest because of him, and it wouldn't make sense for him not to test it out himself.
Chapter 358 Unexpected Consequences
Everyone who saw Liu Ziming eating the bright red fruit, his mouth dripping with juice that looked especially sweet, was filled with worry. After all, no one knew what this thing actually was.
"Spider, do you have any other unusual sensations in your body, or are you in a hallucinatory state? If your condition is not good, you'd better stop. Don't risk your life for these things; that would be such a waste." The giant ape elder looked at Liu Ziming with a worried expression. He really couldn't imagine how this young guy could be so bold as to put anything in his mouth. This was practically courting death.
Actually, the others were filled with worry as they watched Liu Ziming devour the bright red fruit, but they knew they shouldn't say anything, as it wouldn't make a difference. They could only wait anxiously. "Hehe, don't worry, everyone. This fruit tastes very sweet and is very juicy. It's not like what you imagine. It doesn't seem to pose any great danger."
Seeing Liu Ziming's carefree and nonchalant expression, as if he didn't take the matter to heart at all, the Slime Mirror was furious, his eyes bulging with anger. However, he knew he couldn't retaliate at this moment, since Liu Ziming was currently putting himself in danger.
After about five or six minutes, Liu Ziming finally devoured a bright red fruit and returned to everyone's side, looking quite satisfied. He saw everyone grinning foolishly, seemingly lost in thought. "You stinky spider, hurry up and say something! Are you feeling any discomfort? If so, think of something quickly! Don't let anything go wrong, or what will I do?"
Seeing that Liu Ziming had finally returned to his side, the slime's eyes were filled with tears. He reached out and looked Liu Ziming up and down, as if afraid that any danger might occur.
In fact, Cat Angel and Seven-Colored Deer also felt a great deal of concern for Liu Ziming, but seeing the Slime Mirror's expression, they had no choice but to hold back. After all, their personalities were rather introverted, unlike the Slime Mirror's fiery temper.
"Hehe, there's no major problem. This fruit tastes really sweet. After eating it, I feel a warm, comforting sensation, like a warm current flowing through my body. I picked a few when I came back. Why don't you try some?"
No one expected that Liu Ziming would pick a few on his way back. They looked quite surprised. What kind of move was this?
But seeing the confident expression on Liu Ziming's face, everyone was filled with mixed feelings. Could this fruit be some kind of treasure? Otherwise, why would the Spider Boss do this? "Hehe, this fruit tastes good, but now I feel a little... why is my body so hot? I feel extremely thirsty, and my throat feels like it's on fire?"
When Liu Ziming finished speaking, everyone realized that he wasn't thirsty at all; his entire body had turned a deep red, like a volcano about to erupt. Everyone was terrified. "Senior Giant Ape, please take a look at this guy! What's wrong with him? Why is his body so hot? Like an active volcano! What should we do?"
The Slime Mirror noticed that Liu Ziming was burning hot and his body was crimson red. His eyes were looking at the Giant Ape Elder, sending him a distress signal, because he felt that only the Giant Ape Elder might have a way to help Liu Ziming.
"Silly girl, don't forget that this is the Monster Forest. We know nothing about the situation here. The Spider Boss risked his life to swallow those brightly colored fruits, which is why he ended up like this. We have no other way to help him now but hope that nothing unexpected happens to him."
At this moment, Liu Ziming was lying on the ground, as if he had fainted. His whole body was burning hot, and the color was particularly painful, which was quite shocking to see.
Ask for flowers.
In fact, everyone was worried that something might happen to Liu Ziming. If something happened to him, they would be completely clueless in the Warcraft Forest, since only he could understand what the things on the Warcraft Forest map were.
"Senior Flame Dragon, you'd better think of a solution quickly. After all, you are a member of the dragon race. If even you can't find a solution, then Liu Ziming might really be going to kick the bucket?"
Slime kept pleading with everyone, thinking that only the Flame Dragon senior might be able to wake Liu Ziming up immediately and get him out of danger. But he had no idea that Liu Ziming was undergoing a transformation.