Chapter 3550: Chapter 3550: Inquire
Zen was not the only one who felt curious. The others—including the Snake Goddess, Fuxi, and even the members of the Magic Dwarf and Misty River races—all watched from a distance, eager to know the truth.
Leaves swished and rustled
as the branches danced on the ground again.
“A long time ago, a fireball rushed down from the upper reaches. The fire was so fierce that the Divine River, which was overflowed with water, evaporated completely, leaving the riverbed dry. When the fire was finally extinguished, only these three limbs were left. It is not known who they belonged to.”
Everyone felt a slight tinge of disappointment at the answer given by the Flaming Maple Forest. After all, everyone wanted to explore the secrets of the Supreme Pure Realm and the Jade Pure Realm.
Based on that story, however, it must have been an extremely long time since the fireball struck the river. In fact, these three black limbs had been preserved in the Flaming Maple Forest for many years. The black limb in Hawley's hands was also a secret gift from the forest.
“How do you know that the charred corpse is lethal to the Eternal Realm warriors?” Zen asked.
The Flaming Maple Forest stretched out a branch and wrote more words on the ground. “See for yourself.”
“No need. I trust you,” Zen said, shaking his head. He could try and test the truth of the claim, but there was no reason to doubt the forest.
The air was filled with a rustling sound as the Flaming Maple Forest withdrew the branch.
The members of the Misty River race and the Magic Dwarf race breathed a sigh of relief.
The head of the Misty River race, Wheeler, was especially overjoyed.
He had tried countless times, hoping to reach Wheeler's level. But his efforts didn't pay off.
He was the successor to the previous ruler of the Misty River race, but it had always been very clear that he was just a nominal head.
But now he had a chance to change that. If he devoured the black limb, he would be able to become as powerful as Hawley.
Before the other members of the Misty River race had any idea what he planned, he quickly stuffed the black limb into his mouth and began gnawing at it.
After all, the Flaming Maple Forest had given the black limb to the Misty River race, not to Wheeler specifically. If the other members of the Misty River race were unconvinced, the situation would be even more troublesome.
Meanwhile, the members of the Magic Dwarf race also had the same thought.
The population of the Magic Dwarf race was much larger than that of the Misty River race. They boasted over forty clans. Every now and then, one of the clans led a foray into the Flaming Maple Forest, while the head of the Magic Dwarf race rarely came to the forest.
Logically speaking, the clan who had taken the black limb should present it to the head of the Magic Dwarf race. But that was impossible now, since the clan leader was already devouring the black limb. This would greatly increase his strength, and it was likely that there would be conflict and slaughter when he returned.
Zen had no interest in the internal disputes of these races. He was more concerned about the wealth of resources given by the Flaming Maple Forest.
On the other side of the forest, a wave of energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It shimmered in the air, and then formed the shape of a door.
Before the door could solidify, countless maple leaves clustered on the surface of the door. Then, the leaves exploded, destroying the door before it could become fully formed. RåΝỐᛒÈꞨ
On the other side of the door, dozens of long-haired monsters had gathered.
They were shocked at the burst of power they felt when the outside of the door was shattered by exploding maple leaves.
The monsters all began talking at once. “That explosion released real energy!”
“We can't withstand the damage of real energy.”
“It would be rash to go out now. We would die.”
The long-haired monsters looked worried and helpless.
Through great effort, they had finally managed to catch a creature from outside. The news they heard had spurred them to rush straight to the Flaming Maple Forest, but they had underestimated the strange powers of the forest. The maple leaves actually contained a terrible real energy.
This kind of real energy could pierce through most defensive methods. The more energy the maple leaves released, the more damage they would cause to the target, and there was almost no way to eliminate or reduce the energy.
“I don't care what's in there!” said a crisp new voice from behind them. “You must find my grandma by all means!” The voice continued, “If my grandma dies, the curse on you will never be removed for the rest of your lives!”
Meanwhile, not far away, a human woman sat quietly in a corner, her slender pale legs tucked to one side. It was none other than Dorothy.
There had been significant changes in her body and overall appearance.
Her midnight black hair had turned into vivid purple crystals. Even her eyebrows were made up of amethysts. Her eyes shone like glowing purple gems.
Compared to before, her aura was countless times stronger.
Even the creatures in Stage Thirty-three could no longer stand against her.
The long-haired monsters heard Dorothy's threat, and they were quick to respond. They were afraid of hearing such threats from this violet-haired woman.
“We have worked very hard,” said one of the monsters.
“We've heard that she should be in the Flaming Maple Forest now.”
“But... What if your grandma died a long time ago?” a monster asked tentatively.
Dorothy was merciless. “Then the curse will not be lifted from you. I will help you only if my grandma is alive,” she said curtly, pursing her lips.
A white-haired monster walked towards her, carrying a square, black brick in its hand.
The brick was hollow, filled with a bubbling violet liquid. A white mist flowed out from the surface of the boiling liquid. As the white-haired monster approached Dorothy, it said, “If your grandma is alive, you need enough strength to save her. If she is dead, you also need enough strength to avenge her. Drink this.”
Dorothy was at first inclined to refuse, but as she stared at the purple liquid, she began to think that it was sensible advice. She hesitated for a moment, and then she took the black brick and tilted it to her mouth. She swallowed down every drop of the drink.
“Since the door can't take shape in the Flaming Maple Forest, we can try moving it outside. Then we can enter the forest and look for your grandma,” the white-haired monster suggested.
“But if we are exposed...” said one of the monsters in an anxious tone.
The white-haired monster chuckled. “We can't hide for the rest of our lives. Sooner or later, they will know.”
These words helped to build the resolve of the long-haired monsters. Looking resolute, they moved the door out of the Flaming Maple Forest, as they had been ordered to do.
When the door was opened, four of the monsters silently slipped into the forest. The door disappeared after them.
The rest of them waited, not saying much, but anticipating new developments. Four hours later, the four long-haired monsters returned.
They did this by knocking on the air, which caused the door to reappear. They quickly filed through the door, and when they had all passed, the door vanished once more.
“Have you got any news?”
Dorothy demanded, wearing a worried frown.
“Yes,” answered the monster in the lead. “Your grandma is still alive.”
Dorothy stood up immediately. A vibrant purple light emanated from her eyes, spreading out across her face and air. She was projecting a powerful, fierce aura.
Even though the long-haired monsters present had their own astonishing strength, they were all suppressed by Dorothy's incomparable aura. The one standing nearest to her made a harsh sound as it felt the force of her power, unable to speak.
The affected monster started to cough. It reached up and grabbed its own throat.
Only then did Dorothy realize what happened. She quickly restrained her aura and said, “I apologize...”
She hadn't been able to fully control her own strength.
The long-haired monsters glanced at each other. When they were certain she had regained control, the one in the lead stepped forward. It took a few deep breaths before telling her what had happened in the Flaming Maple Forest.