The other side of the forest directly connected to the Pool of All Beings, and Qian Ye could sense the intangible boundary within the woods. Within a kilometer, there were no living creatures, only a myriad of nameless, peculiar plants growing densely together, almost impossible to pass through.
The massive aquatic beast in the Pool of All Beings had already shown its presence, though it was unclear if it was the most formidable. On the other side of the forest, a six-armed giant blocked the path of escape. Though Qian Ye did not know what the giant was waiting for, he knew it was nothing good.
However, this forest was no place to linger, as it was fraught with dangers. Not to mention the countless insects, the beasts living in the woods were all ferocious. Tiny snakes, as thin as chopsticks, blended perfectly with their surroundings, but moved like lightning. Even Qian Ye, with his vigilance, had been bitten twice.
These small snakes were highly venomous. After being bitten, Qian Ye felt numbness spread throughout his body, and his blood core’s pulse began to slow, with his blood starting to coagulate. Fortunately, his dark golden blood aura was the bane of all poisons. A steady stream of golden blood flowed from his blood core, burning away the toxins. The congealed blood eventually turned into a gush of black, expelled from his body.
After being poisoned, Qian Ye took these small snakes seriously, never daring to underestimate them again. If it were any other blood clan, even one from the twelve ancient lineages, they would not last long against the snake’s venom.
Moreover, the little snakes were incredibly resilient. After being bitten, Qian Ye’s first attempt to crush it failed; he had to exert more force to finally break its head.
These small snakes were just one of the hundreds of snake species in the forest and not the most dangerous. Qian Ye had once seen a small snake emitting a faint red glow, coiled around a tree. This snake, instead of hiding, made itself conspicuous, visible from afar. Seeing such an abnormal snake, Qian Ye wisely chose to detour, avoiding its territory.
Aside from snakes, the lizards, rats, and weasels here were all peculiar, each with their own kind of venom. Only an unremarkable little weasel was non-venomous, but its bite was so powerful that it left two deep marks on the mighty Dongyue. From then on, Qian Ye avoided it, not daring to provoke it.
Qian Ye doubted whether a bloodline prince like Edward could survive if he strayed into this forest. Perhaps only a spider demon like Luo Le could adapt here. But thinking of Luo Le’s massive size, Qian Ye shook his head. If Luo Le entered, he would be too conspicuous, likely to be devoured by the swarms of ants and insects.
Qian Ye found it difficult to stay here. He finally located a small clearing under a large tree, cleared the vegetation with Dongyue, burned it with blood fire, and then sat down to rest. A faint layer of blood fire constantly enveloped him, repelling all poisonous insects.
Finding a safe spot, Qian Ye breathed a sigh of relief and began to carefully observe his surroundings. Soon, numerous insects and small animals gathered, but they feared the blood fire, forming a thick, fluffy layer around him, too scared to approach.
Thus, Qian Ye dared not retract the blood fire. Fortunately, he had plenty of essence blood, enough to sustain the blood fire for ten to fifteen days. Even if his essence blood ran low, the Great Vortex was rich in it; a simple use of Vitality Plunder would replenish him to the brim.
Qian Ye noticed that the species he encountered in the forest were almost all different, each small region having its own characteristics. Even the ancient trees, which looked similar, upon closer inspection of their bark and structure, revealed themselves to be two different species.
His gaze fell on a rock, covered in bluish-purple moss. A sudden thought crossed his mind. He approached the rock, scrutinized it, and confirmed that the moss was Longlin Moss. A key ingredient in a military-grade stimulant, Longlin Moss was used in minuscule quantities but was indispensable. The patch of Longlin Moss on the rock was enough to produce hundreds of doses of special stimulants, a rare treat typically reserved for elite units like Red Scorpion’s high-ranking officers.
This Longlin Moss, though not exceedingly rare, was valuable due to its quantity. Carefully, Qian Ye scraped it off and stored it. During his earlier flight from the six-armed giant, he had depleted some of his supplies, leaving a bit of space in Anduia’s storage. After a thorough inspection, he placed the Longlin Moss inside. With this, perhaps hundreds of high-ranking officers in the Empire might survive on the battlefield.
With the Longlin Moss secured, Qian Ye’s eyes fell on a thorny bush with serrated thorns. Intrigued, he took out a short knife, peeled off a strip of the thorn’s bark, and found the young branches beneath to be golden, speckled with silver dots. He recognized it as Man Tianxing, a renowned medicinal herb. The young branches of Man Tianxing could be refined into a potent anesthetic and a drug. Its primary use, however, was to prolong life. No matter how severe the injury, as long as the person was still breathing, it could keep them alive for three to five days. Like Longlin Moss, its uses were vast.
With two discoveries, Qian Ye became more meticulous in his observations, easily identifying over a dozen herbs with various effects. The venom of the fist-sized mosquito bees, for instance, was undoubtedly precious, capable of yielding many potent medicines.
And the small snake that had bitten him, its meat, blood, venom, and gallbladder were all useful. The spinal bone, incredibly hard, could be processed into a spearhead. Even a simple iron rod attached to it would make a level seven weapon.
In summary, this forest was a treasure trove. Though Qian Ye’s knowledge was limited, mainly derived from his training in the Yellow Springs, he excelled in biology, not for exploitation, but for more effective killing.
Still, Qian Ye recognized numerous herbs and resources. There were countless more unknown to him. A small area of the forest could contain hundreds or thousands of different species, and the entire forest was home to an untold number.
Here, the density of insects and small animals was dozens or even hundreds of times greater than outside. Not only animals, but plants were also densely packed. Common sense dictated that such density required a lot of nutrients, as per the food chain, ultimately drawn from the soil.
Even the richest soil couldn’t sustain such high-density extraction for long, turning to desert within a year or two. Yet, the Pool of All Beings had existed for centuries, discovered shortly after the Empire explored the Great Vortex, remaining unchanged.
However, the Pool of All Beings was extremely perilous, treating both the strong and the weak equally. After initial attempts, the Empire only ventured in for the Lotus of the Sea and other precious herbs found on the outskirts, always leaving quickly. No humans had ever entered this forest. Not only humans, but Qian Ye suspected that the dark races who came in would never return.
Today, Qian Ye was forced into the forest by the six-armed giant.
This phenomenon in the forest was not normal, but in the Great Vortex, every anomaly had a unique explanation. Lost in thought, Qian Ye wondered: Was the existence of this forest and the Pool of All Beings truly natural? If not, what was its purpose?
As he pondered, Qian Ye continued his exploration, finding more strange and enigmatic items. However, he dared not venture far, always burning the ground with blood fire before entering a new area. Better to accidentally destroy treasures than to be bitten by something lurking in the soil.
Every now and then, Qian Ye climbed to the treetops, scanning the forest’s edge. He could still see the six-armed giant, standing still, occasionally glancing at the forest and the distant horizon. It was remarkable that such a temperamental giant could remain stationary for a day.
The longer it stayed, the more uneasy Qian Ye felt.
Descending from the tree, Qian Ye cautiously approached the Pool of All Beings. The closer he got, the stronger the call of desire. But in the forest, with its myriad creatures, it was easier to resist temptation.
Though the Pool of All Beings was a perilous place, the forest was a haven of restraint for humans. Few, if any, could enter the forest and survive.
The aquatic beasts in the Pool of All Beings, while comparatively docile, had not attacked anyone. Their agitation was caused by the six-armed giant. Still, Qian Ye was not naive enough to believe the water was safe. What did such enormous beasts eat?
The Lotus of the Sea was said to grow near the shore, not too far from the water. Otherwise, the Empire’s trained elites would never find it. Now that he was at the Pool of All Beings, Qian Ye wanted to try his luck.
So far, he had not seen anything resembling the Lotus of the Sea. Looking at the scattered islands in the pool, a flicker of hope arose, but he quickly suppressed it. He was not ready to test the appetites of the behemoths below.
After a brief standoff with the six-armed giant, Qian Ye saw countless double-armed figures on the horizon, among them the tall silhouettes of four-armed warriors, numbering in the hundreds.
The flood of double-armed and four-armed figures surged towards the forest. Qian Ye finally understood what the six-armed giant was waiting for. It planned to overwhelm the forest with double-armed masses, then send the four-armed warriors to hunt him down.
This strategy was effective, as Qian Ye had never seen so many double-armed figures. They moved like a black tide, slowly but surely, engulfing everything in their path.
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