"Eh? I really don't have any."
Mozzie, Li Juan, and I only noticed this problem after Dafei reminded us. From the moment we entered the dense forest area, there were indeed no animal footprints.
Dafei's concerns were not without reason when it came to an unknown underground world filled with countless unknown dangers. I looked at the surrounding trees. There were no vines, so it was impossible for there to be anything like Man-eating Vines. So I really can't think of anything here that can pose a threat to us.
"Everyone, you must be careful. Be careful of the road under your feet and don't casually touch the surrounding plants.”Dafei said seriously.
The three of us nodded to signal. Dafei continued to scout ahead, and I walked at the back. After taking two steps, I tripped over something.
I looked down and saw a tree root as thick as an arm. It was covered with red, blue, and yellow wavy patterns. I was very curious as to why the tree root was colorful. I couldn't help but kick it.
"Eh?"
The root was soft when kicked, but it was not purely soft. It was like meat and had some elasticity.
Hearing my voice, Dafei turned around and looked at the roots under my feet. He then looked around and quickly said to us,"Hurry up and leave this place. It might be the Kroon cannibal tree.”
When I heard the words "Kellon Man-eating Tree", I was very surprised. When I first entered the investigation bureau to study, I specially learned about this kind of tree in the "Mystical Affairs Archives". This was an ancient tree species that only grew in dark and humid places. It could not survive under the sun.
The Keron Cannibal Tree did not have a specific form. Its seeds would take root under a large tree. Then, its roots would wrap around the roots of the big tree, slowly infiltrating its genes and combining with the genes of the big tree. Finally, the original genes of the tree would disappear and become the tree. To put it in layman's terms, it was 'borrowing a corpse to resurrect a soul'.
In ancient legends, this kind of tree had a more domineering name, called the "Formless Demon Tree". It could take the shape of any tree, and the only thing that could distinguish it was its colorful roots.
There were hundreds of branches of the Ke Long Man-eating Tree, the size of a human arm, extremely tough, tens of meters long, criss-crossing. Once a living creature passed by, it would scuttle to the ground and entangle it tightly. At this time, the tentacles on the roots would drill into the flesh and suck the living creatures dry to replenish nutrients.
By the time we reacted, many similar tree roots had appeared under our feet and quickly covered the ground. They were like intertwined snakes that wriggled densely, making our scalps numb.
Looking at the scene in front of him, there was no need to doubt that this was indeed the legendary "Formless Demon Tree". I quickly fired at the tree roots, wanting to open up a path. Unfortunately, the bullets only left a very shallow mark on the tree roots. It was useless.
Before I could even finish firing a clip, a few tree roots immediately came over and wrapped around my feet. Dafei wanted to come over and save me, but he hesitated for a moment. He stood where he was and told Mozzie and Li Juan not to move.
I quickly understood that the roots of the Formless Demonic Tree relied on the vibrations of the ground to identify the location of their prey. If they moved, they would end up like me. I was too anxious just now and didn't think of this.
However, this was only a stopgap measure. They could not just stand there and do nothing. The number of tree roots was increasing. If they dragged on, none of them would be able to escape.
I looked at the three of them and smiled at Mosquito."Do you still remember the password to my bank card? Don't forget our promise. Remember to visit my parents when you get out."
Mosquito was stunned for a moment. Before she could speak, I shouted and pulled the trigger.
Those tree roots instantly rolled towards me. Seeing this, Dafei grabbed Mozzie and Li Juan and ran out. When I was completely submerged by the surging roots, I saw that Mozzie and the others had already escaped from the encirclement of the roots. I smiled in relief.
"Rat, rat!"
The mosquito howled in pain. However, as the tree roots wrapped around me layer by layer, I gradually couldn't hear his voice.
I was suffocated by the roots of the Formless Demonic Tree. It was as if there was something weighing a thousand pounds on my body, and my internal organs were about to explode.
However, this wasn't considered pain. What really made me feel pain was the tentacles on the tree roots. They were drilling into my flesh bit by bit. Not only was the pain unbearable, but it was also extremely itchy.
At this moment, I just wanted to die quickly. If I could still move my hand, I would definitely shoot my head without hesitation.
As time passed, I could clearly feel the blood in my body slowly flowing away. He wanted to move, but he could not. He wanted to shout, but he could not.
Just as I was about to give in, the pressure on my body suddenly lessened. My chest also relaxed a lot. I quickly took a few deep breaths.
For some reason, these tree roots slowly let go of me and left my body one by one. When light appeared in front of me, I realized that Li Juan was jumping and jumping in front of me. It seemed like she was performing some kind of ritual. As she jumped, she was throwing something at me.
Every time Li Juan scattered it, the tree roots on my body and around me decreased a little. When I completely got rid of these tree roots, I collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, but I didn't forget to crawl a few steps forward, afraid that I would be entangled by the tree roots again.
Dafei quickly came over to help me up. He and Li Juan carried me to a safe place and then carefully checked my body. Fortunately, there were no other problems other than the small holes on his exposed skin that had been pierced by the tentacles.
Mosquito punched me twice and scolded me for being a hero. I wiped the sweat off my face in shock and realized that my hands were covered in blood. Thinking of the tentacles that had burrowed into my flesh, I quickly asked the mosquito if my face was disfigured.
Mosquito laughed dryly and said," You brat, you still care about your face at this point. Do you still need to break that face of yours?" That blood belongs to Li Juan."
"What?"
It turned out that the Jiuli Race had already mastered the method to deal with the Formless Demonic Tree back in the ancient mythological era. Coincidentally, Li Juan had inherited it from her master.
However, due to my profession, the Mystical Police often analyze the interests and make a decision in an instant. Before Li Juan could stop me, I had already begun to take action.
By the time Dafei dragged the two of them away from danger, I had already been wrapped up like a dumpling by the roots of the Formless Demonic Tree. At this moment, Li Juan finally reacted. She quickly broke free from Da Fei's hand and ran back. She bit her finger and started a strange ritual.
According to Li Juan, the Formless Demonic Tree was a bloodthirsty evil god in the Jiuli legends. Regardless of whether they were righteous or evil, since they were gods, they could obtain their protection through sacrifices. Thus, the ancient Jiuli Race invented a ritual, and with the blood of the prayers, they could exchange their prey with the evil god.
After I understood the situation, I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that a girl had used such a method to save my life. Thus, I said disapprovingly,"Nonsense, what bullshit evil god, what era is this? What a cult. Isn't it just a piece of rotten wood? I'll go and burn it clean.”
Mosquito glared at me with dissatisfaction, then looked at Li Juan's disappointed expression. No matter what, she was the one who saved me. Otherwise, I would have been sucked dry by the Formless Demonic Tree.
Hence, he softened his tone and continued,"But as a Mystic Police officer, you can't look at all unknown things with a known scientific perspective. The ancients also had their own methods, right?”
Li Juan lowered her head in embarrassment and said with a smile,"It's nothing, it's nothing!"
Mosquito seemed to have thought of something and quickly asked Li Juan with concern,"Are you alright?"
After saying that, he tore off a piece of broken diving cloth from his body and wrapped it around Li Juan's bitten finger to prevent it from bleeding again. He also helped her wipe away the sweat on her forehead. I opened my mouth wide and thought,'F * ck, this is the rhythm of showing off dog food.'
Seeing that everyone was fine, Dafei said,"Alright, if there's nothing else, let's continue on our way.”
With the experience just now, we were careful. They tried to walk to places with sparse vegetation and fired a few shots at the surrounding ground every certain distance. Firstly, we can avoid entering the feeding range of the Formless Demonic Tree, and secondly, the gunshots can also deter the birds and beasts that are lying in ambush near us.
When we arrived at the mountainside, we saw a pile of simple ancient ruins.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。