Chapter 249 Gathering of The Way of the Extraordinary, Strategy for the Boss
Hearing the mission prompt, Zhang Yuanqing had a feeling of sudden enlightenment.
The five-hour time limit was to allow The Way of the Extraordinary to seize the time to decipher the outer layer's plot and reach the area to enter the middle layer.
After more than five hours, the outer layer dungeon boss would begin to kill The Way of the Extraordinary.
"I, I..." Asano Ryo's face turned pale:
"I've killed a tree demon, will I be chased by the Tree King?
Peony Fairy breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, I haven't killed a tree demon... Don't worry too much. You've only killed one tree demon. Even if the Tree King wants to take revenge, it won't be your turn."
As soon as she finished speaking, the three of them suddenly heard a sharp scream, like the sound wave generated when a missile is launched, sharp and shrill.
"Be careful!"
Peony Fairy seemed to sense something and warned urgently. At the same time, she waved her arms.
The lush branches and leaves above the three people's heads shook and grew crazily. The branches and forks intertwined, forming a green barrier.
But in the next moment, this barrier was shattered by a whip, and broken branches and leaves flew in all directions.
A thick afterimage broke through the barrier and slammed into Asano Ryo.
Peony Fairy's barrier bought the girl precious time. She pounced to the side and rolled continuously.
Bang!
A deep gully appeared where she had been standing.
Zhang Yuanqing stared intently. The thing that struck the ground was a vine as thick as a water tank, covered with clusters of green leaves. Its tip was as sharp as a thorn, and its root extended into the sky, with no end in sight.
Zhang Yuanqing's gaze followed the vine all the way up until his vision was blocked by the thick canopy.
A towering tree, a towering tree of unimaginable height... He retracted his gaze and made a judgment.
The vine was like a tentacle, a giant snake, twisting and turning, with its tip raised, striking at Asano Ryo again.
The island girl had not yet gotten up. She supported herself on the ground with both hands and pounced out again, hiding behind a large tree. She heard a "crack" sound and felt a strong wind blowing through her hair.
The tree with a diameter of half a meter was snapped in two by the vine.
"The Tree King's combat power is that of a standard Saint. Every strike of the vine is equivalent to a Level 4 Saint's attack. For a Level 3 Saint, it's simply a nightmare..."
"Wood Demon professionals have powerful recovery abilities, and such thick vines are not easily cut by blades. We need to use fire..."
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was considering whether to summon the Yin-Yang Robe to help Asano Ryo, an even worse scene occurred.
Around the three of them, one tree demon after another awakened from their slumber. Ugly human faces protruded from the tree trunks. They had been summoned by the Tree King and joined the Avengers alliance.
"Eat you, eat you~"
Countless murmurs intertwined.
Hard tree roots broke through the soft and rotten soil, and vines hanging between the branches twisted like tentacles.
"They've gone completely crazy!" Peony Fairy's pretty face was solemn.
As a Wood Demon, plants were no different from humans in her eyes. She could communicate with them without obstacles and feel their emotions. But now, she had lost this ability.
These tree demons were not her kind, just like humans and zombies were not the same. They couldn't communicate.
When zombies saw humans, they would only pounce on them while howling.
The tree demons in front of her were the same.
There's no way around it. I have to start a fire... Zhang Yuanqing was about to summon the Yin-Yang Robe to do something big when he caught a glimpse of Asano Ryo, standing a few meters away within the encirclement of tree demons, getting up calmly.
Her right hand, holding the hilt of her blade, slowly drew an upward semicircle, raising the Ice Soul Blade above her head.
"Frost Descends!"
As she chanted the spell softly, the blade, covered with icy crystal patterns, crackled and condensed a layer of ice shell, emitting visible cold air.
At the same time, Asano Ryo's skin took on a dreamlike ice-blue color. Her long hair, hanging down her back, rose without wind, each strand spreading out, with starlight-like ice crystals swirling between the strands.
Her pure face was cold and indifferent, like the legendary high-cold and beautiful Snow Woman.
With a flip of her wrist, Asano Ryo thrust the Ice Soul Blade, which she had been holding high, into the ground in front of her.
The tip of the blade pierced the ground, and the cold air spread rapidly in all directions, freezing everything in its path - the ground, the tree trunks, the treetops. Everything was covered with a layer of ice shell.
In an instant, the sultry tropical rainforest seemed to have turned into an extremely cold place. Ordinary people would suffer permanent lung damage if they breathed in the air here.
Zhang Yuanqing and Peony Fairy retreated again and again, avoiding the ice shell that spread to their feet.
The two of them exchanged a look and saw surprise in each other's eyes. They never expected that the island girl, who had been bullied all the way, could unleash such terrifying power. The thick vine from the Tree King whipped down from the sky and froze into layers of thick, hard ice shells before it even touched Asano Ryo.
"Crack!"
The front end of the vine, congealed with an ice shell, broke off and crashed heavily on the ground, which was also congealed with ice shells.
"Whoosh~"
This thick vine from the sky seemed to be in pain and suddenly retracted, retreating back into the sky.
"Huff, huff..."
Asano Ryo sat down on the ground, gasping for breath as if she were exhausted.
Zhang Yuanqing took a deep look at her, retracted his gaze, issued an order to the Yin Corpse Blood Rose to protect his physical body, and used Spiritual Travel to let his spiritual body out of his body and float upwards, breaking out of the thick canopy layer.
His vision instantly widened.
He saw the blood-red sunset, the magnificent golden-red sunset glow, and also saw a giant tree.
He couldn't estimate its height. Like the legendary World Tree that connected to the Heavenly Court, its canopy was like a cloud layer, and its branches stretched out for dozens of miles on both sides.
Compared to it, this tropical rainforest was like seedlings and weeds under a large tree.
At this moment, vines were hanging down from the cloud-like canopy, as flexible as tentacles, whipping towards various parts of the primeval forest, punishing the ants who dared to kill its clansmen.
The canopy next to Zhang Yuanqing shook. He turned his head and saw Peony Fairy climbing up nimbly, even more adept at climbing trees than a monkey.
She emerged from the canopy and swayed on the slender branches, always maintaining a delicate balance.
Peony Fairy looked up at the sky and was struck by lightning:
"Oh my god~"
The plump body of this Wood Demon young woman trembled slightly, as if she had encountered a natural enemy.
She didn't dare to look again, and fell back to the ground with a pale face.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing swooped down and returned to his body.
"It's too terrifying. That tree must be Saint-level, invincible!" Peony Fairy's face was pale.
Zhang Yuanqing came to Asano Ryo and said in a deep voice:
"How many times can you use that move just now?"
Asano Ryo knelt on the ice shell, her face pale, her eyes dim, and full of fatigue:
"I can only use it three times a day, with two hours between each use. The price is that my body becomes weak and my joints stiff for half an hour after using it."
After speaking, she added in a panic:
"There's a countdown on my panel, ten minutes. This is the time for the tree demons' next attack. I, I definitely won't survive the next attack."
She has such a strong trump card, which means that she was pretending to be so pitiful and desperate when she was besieged by three evil professions and tree demons before?
She acted so much like it. The Queen is indeed an actress. Also, she is from Japan and dares to enter the killing dungeon. She must have one or two tricks up her sleeve...
Thinking about it, if it weren't for himself, Asano Ryo would have used "Frost Descends" to resolve the crisis. But after he arrived, she started to act pitiful and weak, begging for mercy as much as possible, trying not to use her trump card if she could avoid it.
Later, when she discovered that he was a good person, Asano Ryo became even more "tolerant and burdened", acting as a guide dog and biding her time.
Zhang Yuanqing realized that this righteous partner was not so righteous after all.
To be precise, she wasn't so silly and sweet, and was a bit calculating.
Peony Fairy comforted:
"Wang Tai and I will try our best to help you."
There are still many good people among the lawful professionals.
As soon as she finished comforting the island girl, she saw Wang Tai look at her coldly:
"Have you ever killed monkeys?"
Peony Fairy was stunned, then reacted, her face stiffening slightly. "I killed one. They kept chasing me and forced me into a corner... Are you saying... you're saying..."
Zhang Yuanqing said in a deep voice:
"Since the Tree King will avenge his clansmen, why wouldn't the Monkey King? As one of the outer layer dungeon's bosses, don't you think the Monkey King is too docile? So far, the monkey群 have been chasing The Way of the Extraordinary. Why doesn't it take action? You can see by the Tree King."
After the Tree King, the next one to take revenge may be the Monkey King... Peony Fairy frowned:
"We must enter the central forest before the Monkey King takes revenge."
The Tree King is so terrifying. How could the Monkey King be much weaker? Even if it's not as good as the Tree King, don't forget that there are many monkey群 in the outer region.
Her eyes moved, as if she had thought of something, and she whispered:
"We still have time. The Tree King won't target the two of us. Others may not be so lucky. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to eliminate evil professions."
Zhang Yuanqing wasn't happy at all and let out a breath:
"Eliminating evil professions will also eliminate lawful professions. Especially those at the top of the list, they must be the Tree King's targets for revenge. While we wait for the Monkey King's revenge to come, let's study how to enter the central forest."
"The longer we delay, the more people will die."
Speaking of this, Zhang Yuanqing opened the score list and found that the number of people had been reduced to 103, and 17 The Way of the Extraordinary had died in just a few minutes.
Anyone who has killed tree demons to get points is in danger.
Including acquaintances such as Jiang Jingwei and Yuan Ting.
Guan Ya's score has also increased. Zhang Yuanqing isn't sure if she got it by killing tree demons, monkeys, or evil professions. But he doesn't dare to gamble.
……
Vines fell from the sky and whipped towards various areas of the primeval forest. The Way of the Extraordinary in each area were constantly injured and killed.
Guan Zhongkui Bao, who was an Earth Guard, ran wildly through the dense forest. His posture wasn't graceful, and every step he took left a deep footprint on the ground.
Like a wild bull rampaging through the forest.
Not long ago, he was still watching the battle between Zhao Chenghuang and Only I Am Supreme, looking for opportunities to snipe them.
As a result, before the two could decide the winner, the Tree King's revenge descended.
The three parties were instantly thrown into chaos and suffered injuries from the Tree King's whipping vines.
The three parties discussed and decided that rather than being defeated one by one by the Tree King and dying in the instance, it would be better to gather everyone together and take down the boss together.
Guan Zhongkui Bao, who had endless endurance, was entrusted with the glorious task of gathering The Way of the Extraordinary.
"Bang!"
A vine fell from the sky and hit Guan Zhongkui Bao squarely.
He groaned and flew out more than ten meters. After landing, he sprang up and continued to run wildly.
The vine, which could kill a scout with one whip, only caused a slight internal injury and pain.
A few minutes later, Guan Zhongkui Bao followed the sound and arrived at the nearest "battlefield". The scene was quite tragic, with five or six incomplete corpses lying on the soft and rotten ground.
Internal organs were flowing everywhere.
They were all crushed by the vines.
A Yi, Bai Wujinji... Guan Zhongkui Bao suddenly stopped and stared at the people in the field, revealing a look of vigilance.
The group also noticed him. The young man in the lead cast a blank gaze, his eyes empty, like a doll.
The young man wearing big shorts and slippers looked at him with scrutiny and said:
"A simple and honest face, a bit familiar... Oh, you're Guan Zhongkui Bao, the sixth-ranked guy on the casual修 list."
You're the simple and honest one... Guan Zhongkui Bao said in a deep voice:
"I'm representing Zhao Chenghuang and Only I Am Supreme to summon The Way of the Extraordinary to fight against the Tree King together. Everyone, put aside the factional conflict and fight the boss together. This is our only way out."
Bai Wujinji pondered for a few seconds, "There's really no reason to refuse."
Guan Zhongkui Bao felt a slight relief and showed a happy expression. He immediately said:
"Then let's go to the tree to meet up. I'll continue to gather people."
After speaking, he left immediately.
……
"You guys immediately head towards the Tree King. Zhao Chenghuang and A Yi are summoning all The Way of the Extraordinary to push the boss."
"Who are you? Why should we believe you?"
"You have no choice. Rather than being whipped to death here by the Tree King, you might as well join everyone and fight it out. Anyway, even if you don't go, you'll still be attacked by the Tree King."
"Really, Zhao Chenghuang and A Yi are calling for us?"
"You're Human Nature Is Evil, the illusionist ranked fourth on the Five Elements Alliance bounty list? A Yi and Zhao Chenghuang are summoning everyone to push the boss. Please release your illusion and put aside the factional conflict."
"The world is white and justice is in the blade, right? A Yi, Zhao Chenghuang, and Human Nature Is Evil have already gone to hunt the Tree King. They asked me to summon you."
"The one who uses double blades... you're Jiu Louyu? Good, please go to the bottom of the Tree King immediately. I've already summoned everyone to hunt the boss together."
……
"You guys are from the Five Elements Alliance? Good, Zhao Chenghuang asked me to summon you to meet up at the bottom of the Tree King and push the boss together."
"Have you seen Yuan Shi Tianzun?" a little red-haired girl asked.
"No, that guy is like he's dead. If it weren't for seeing him on the score list, I would have suspected he was dead... Hey, little girl, why do you attack as soon as you speak? You're so violent at such a young age."
……
"You two, go to the bottom of the Tree King immediately. I represent Zhao Chenghuang and A Yi to summon everyone to take the boss."
"Not interested!"
"What's your name?"
"Tianxia Guihuo. By the way, have you seen Yuan Shi Tianzun?"
"Dead!"
……
In this way, thanks to Guan Zhongkui Bao's continuous efforts, casual修, official, and evil factions, as well as a few foreign The Way of the Extraordinary, were summoned.
They rushed to the location of the Tree King one after another, preparing to gather their strength and take the boss.
In addition to the fact that Zhao Chenghuang and A Yi's banner was useful, The Way of the Extraordinary responded in this way mainly because they had no choice.
The Tree King's attacks were continuous. Although repelling one attack provided a brief respite, it wasn't a long-term solution.
In addition, taking down the boss would definitely have generous points rewards. Since someone was organizing it and there were top experts in the extraordinary realm like Zhao Chenghuang and A Yi participating, there was really no reason to refuse.
Yin Chi met Tianxia Guihuo very early. Under his advice, she didn't hunt tree demons to get points and strictly followed the precautions, so she wasn't resented by the Tree King.
"Why did you refuse that guy's invitation? Taking down the boss should give you a lot of points." Yin Chi asked puzzled.
"That's the evil path!" Tianxia Guihuo snorted:
"After taking down the Tree King, there will be the Monkey King next. If we deal with the dangers of the outer layer in this way, at least half of us will die. And the reality is that we haven't even figured out the plot of this instance."
Yin Chi frowned.
Tianxia Guihuo continued:
"The correct way is to research the method to enter the central forest. According to the difficulty shown by the instance, I think that whoever enters the central forest first will get a big reward of points."
Yin Chi suddenly understood:
"Do you have any ideas?"
Tianxia Guihuo shook his head:
"The 'Precautions' we collected are limited. At most, we can infer that there are contradictions between the notice boards. However, that Yuan Shi Tianzun is a Night Wanderer. He can kill people to ask spirits. If nothing goes wrong, he is doing that right now."
Speaking of this, Tianxia Guihuo's tone was a bit depressed.
He has already figured out the correct way to play the instance, but he can't implement it due to insufficient ability (not knowing Spirit Devouring).
………
In a field full of ditches and potholes, Zhang Yuanqing stood in front of several corpses, the blackness in his eyes gradually fading.
After the Asking Spirit just now, he gained a brand new precaution: [Monkeys are the guardians of the forest. They live in jungles full of wild fruits. Please do not disturb them]
I seem to know how to enter the second level... Zhang Yuanqing combined the previous information and had a guess in his mind.
At this time, the The Way of the Extraordinary of the two major camps, enduring the attacks of the vines, were struggling to reach the area where the Tree King was located.