There was a layer of light green gas on the periphery of the demonic beast forest. It was so faint that it was almost impossible to catch it with the naked eye. As they went deeper, the green color would gradually deepen and become more and more obvious. It was the miasma that had not melted for many years in the forest.
No one knew how it was produced. It was as if it had existed since the beginning. If one stayed in such a miasma environment for too long, a small amount of poison would be inhaled in the body, affecting the use and flow of spiritual power.
Therefore, everyone had taken the detoxification pill before hand. After that, they stepped into the dark and dense forest. The surrounding trees blotted out the sky and the Sun, and the branches were thick and strong. Even if several adults joined forces to hug them, they might not be able to hold them.
As they entered, no one knew that a slender figure was following closely behind.
“Demonic Beast Forest, huh? It just so happens that this is the place where your bones are buried.”
The clear and cold female voice was like the jade of Mount Kun. It sounded very pleasant, but the words that came out of her mouth caused people’s hearts to sink to the bottom.
At the same time, the teachers in the team warned everyone, “Everyone, be careful. This isn’t some hunting or field trip. You must not act on your own.”
Due to the large area of the Demon Beast Forest and the fact that it was outside the four great academies’ sphere of influence, they rarely set foot in this place and were not too familiar with it. Therefore, the third elder led the way in front while the Shao family disciples and some of their students stayed behind. The rest of them were in the middle.
The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became. The towering trees crisscrossed and blocked almost all the sunlight outside. Only a few rays of light were left. It was as if they had entered another world.
The other disciples did not dare to let their guard down. They were constantly alert of the situation around them. For a moment, no one spoke. It was extremely quiet. They could only hear the chirping of insects and birds, as well as the sound of stepping on the branches and withered leaves.
“Wait a moment!”
Third elder suddenly stopped in his footsteps. As if he had noticed something, he made a hand gesture, causing everyone’s hearts to rise.
“Plop –”
A bird not far away suddenly flew up and circled in the sky. It was cawing and screeching there, making things even more frightening.
“So it’s just a bird.”
Everyone could not help but heave a sigh of relief. However, it was still too early for them to be relieved. A huge shadow flew over their heads, bringing with it a gust of strong wind that caused their faces to hurt.
“What the hell is that?”
“Everyone, be careful!”
Everyone hurriedly rolled to the side, and the neat formation was instantly scattered. Before they could react, a huge fireball fell from the sky and brushed past them. The scorching temperature seemed like it was going to roast their entire bodies. Everyone was so shocked that they kept patting around.
The air was filled with a burning smell. Some people’s bodies were emitting sparks, and their hair was burning. Lin Bai reacted in time, and with the blessing of Little Red’s attributes, he was not afraid of these flames.
Golden light and flames interweaved. The creature flying in the air was like a small sun, and the outline of a bird could be vaguely seen.
It flapped its huge wings and rolled up a stream of heat that splashed onto the surrounding sparks. As if it had been stimulated, it suddenly jumped up to the height of half a man and licked everyone’s clothes again.
“It’s a Houtian eighth-stage flaming bird.”
Lin Bai couldn’t help but sigh. Their team’s luck was a little too good. They had just entered and were already attacked by a Houtian eighth-stage flaming bird. It was quite troublesome to deal with.
A huge fireball descended from the sky like a meteor. Lin Bai leaped up and saw a huge crater where he had just been. He did not know if it was his imagination, but he felt that the fireball was aimed at him.
The leading teacher hoped that the third elder could take care of it. After all, with his strength, it would be easy for him to deal with this flaming bird.
However, the third elder said nonchalantly, “Their lives are not in danger yet. It is not a bad opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity to train.”
Although the bird couldn’t threaten them for the time being, the pain of burning their flesh was unbearable for ordinary people.
Just as the elders of the Academy were hesitating whether they should take action, the third elder seemed to have seen through their thoughts. “Don’t tell me you want to nurture these students into flowers in a greenhouse? How can they not go through some trials and tribulations?”
What he said seemed to make sense.
The Sword Cultivation Academy’s disciples, led by Bai He, had already begun to pick up their swords to resist.
The third elder’s gaze swept over them, but he did not obtain any useful information.
He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to see if there were any students using wooden swords. Perhaps he could follow the clues and catch the murderer of Shao Yuchen. Unfortunately, he did not even notice anything with the Sword Cultivation Academy, which they were focused on.
The flaming bird spat out fireballs crazily in the air. There were trees everywhere. Very soon, they ignited. Thick smoke billowed. Lin Bai was about to make a move, but he was held down by the dean.
“Save your strength.”
The dean lowered his voice and signaled him to look to the side. Although Bai He and the others had made a move, it was clearly not like the power he had shown in the mystic realm.
Everyone was not a fool. If they wanted to go to a place like the capital and they were unfamiliar with the place and the situation was unclear, it would be best to preserve their strengths. Moreover, there were elders and the others here. If they really could not hold on any longer, someone would intervene.
Lin Bai only dodged and did not attack. Looking at the raging flames around him, the strange thought in his heart became even more intense.
The flaming bird was indeed staring at him. The people around him only received a few small fireballs at most, but when it reached him, the attack suddenly intensified. It was truly extremely difficult to deal with.
His gaze landed on the third elder’s side. They seemed to be quite satisfied. The corners of Lin Bai’s lips curled up, and a thought appeared in his mind. It was also to verify his own thoughts.
He deliberately ran towards the third elder’s side, and the huge fireball followed closely behind him as if it had eyes.
The third elder also noticed the figure rushing toward him. He was about to scold him, but it was already too late. The heat wave rolled over. If he had not opened the protective shield in time, even the beard on his chin would have been burned.
“Elder, save me!”
Lin Bai revealed an extremely panicked expression. He pretended to fall to the side carelessly. He had dodged it, but the people behind him were dumbfounded. The huge fireball was close at hand.
“Roar!”
With a roar, a huge water dragon descended from the sky and blocked in front of the Shao family’s disciples. The fireball seemed to have met its natural enemy and was instantly extinguished. Only white smoke rose from it.
The flame bird was most afraid of water. All fire-type creatures were like this. The water dragon seemed to have a life of its own as it instantly tangled with it.
The third elder formed a spell with his hands. He was probably almost a half-grandmaster, so how could the flame bird be his opponent? With a wail, the flame bird finally fled. Everyone could not help but heave a sigh of relief when they saw this. However, the third elder’s expression was not good.
