CHAPTER 336 ADVENTURES IN THE MALICIOUS FOREST

As Marin was making plans to retake control of the Rough Slope from the Timber Spirit Empire, Rocky

was advancing to the Myriad Beasts Ground. He groped his way through the mysterious forests. It was

like a maze in which he would never find a way out.

He was aware that the deeper he went into the forest, the more dangers he would have to encounter.

Rocky felt like he had been traveling through the forest for years already. He had so far encountered

the Trunk Giant and the cluster of Venom Hounds some time earlier. He would have died if he fought

them outright, but he tricked them to engage in a battle against each other instead. Thanks to that, he

was able to leave the scene unscathed and immediately continued on his journey to the south. The

further he went, the stronger the wild spirit-manipulated beasts were. The spirit-manipulated beasts at

the second grade of the three-star level were everywhere. They were as prevalent as the rubbish one

or two-star wild spirit-manipulated beasts in the previous areas. On top of that, even the spirit-

manipulated beasts at the third grade of the three-star level were also gathered in packs and herds.

Although none were as powerful as the Trunk Giant, it could be their end if they fought against more

than one.

With this dangers he had encountered, Rocky proceeded with extreme care. He gave his utmost effort

and chose routes that had no evident tracks of spirit-manipulated beasts. This strategy did not fully rid

him of attacks but it did lessen these encounters which made these situations more manageable.

Rocky would have regretted entering the mystical but highly perilous forest if not for the precious

treasures it also held. Thanks to the Rainbow Glow Unicorn, Rocky had already discovered three

priceless rare treasures in only half a day's time. These treasures were more effective than the Dark

Heaven Egg. The discovery convinced him that there must be more precious treasures in his coveted

destination, the Myriad Beasts Ground. However, from the dangers that surrounded its periphery and

made up its border, one could easily surmise how much more dangers it surely held.

Rocky's train of thought was interrupted when he saw that the Rainbow Glow Unicorn seemed to be

ready to proceed on their journey once again. He had decided to take a short break before they This material belongs to .

entered a dim basin which was surrounded by marshland.

"Do you sense anything?" Rocky tapped the elegant, slim neck of the Rainbow Glow Unicorn as he

asked it.

The Rainbow Glow Unicorn raised up its head alertly and then ran forward suddenly. It had taken a few

steps as Rocky watched until it disappeared.

Rocky hinted at Uriah and Rubygon that it was time they tailed the Rainbow Glow Unicorn. They

followed it into the marshland basin which was full of hazardous traps. Rocky and his beasts tensed, as

little by little, they traveled deeper into the marshland. It got darker each step they moved forward.

Flying bugs and termites were everywhere and strange growls and howls echoed from everywhere.

Not too long after, they found the Rainbow Glow Unicorn as it stood beneath a tree. It was staring at an

abnormally gigantic tree that stood a few hundred feet away. Just its trunk seemed to be at least ten

feet in diameter. Its branches and leaves were spread out to shade the surrounding environment.

Besides its size, it exuded the feeling of something ancient and powerful. Something that had existed

even before all the trees and beasts around were alive. It had grown in the middle of a swathe of

swamp. It seemed peaceful at the first impression, but a closer observation revealed the unearthly

power that throbbed within the tree.

Rocky wondered what kind of treasure it could be hiding as he checked out the old tree from afar. It did

not take long before he found a tree hole in which some sort of gem kept glittering.

He was distracted when all the three beasts suddenly became restless as if they wanted to come

closer too.

When he saw this behavior, Rocky's eyes narrowed in contemplation. He speculated that it was a

spiritual crystal because only this treasure could attract all the three beasts. The spiritual crystal

seemed to be endowed with an irresistible charm to any spirit-manipulated beast. It was a unique

treasure that was especially effective if he wanted to elevate the star level of a spirit-manipulated beast.

In fact, this kind of spiritual crystal in its lowest grade would give more power if eaten by any beast

compared to other rare treasures. It would probably take multiple rare treasures to attain the power that

the crystal could bestow.

"Hmm, look at you. Your mouths are watering now!" Rocky grinned at the three beasts as he looked at

the spiritual crystal in the tree hole. Since it was dim inside, he could not tell which grade the spiritual

crystal was. This was not important though because even the lowest grade of spiritual crystal could be

very difficult to acquire.

Rubygon was only a spiritual-manipulated beast at the first grade of three-star level, yet it performed

remarkably in their previous fight. If it would be elevated to the second grade, its performance would

improve exponentially. Unfortunately, the aptitude of Rubygon's race - the Bear-tigers - could reach the

four-star level only. It was a relatively impressive rank among the war beasts though nowhere near

Uriah's strength.

Rubygon was currently of an aptitude of only three-star level but Rocky thought it would be able to

exceed that if his research on the gene went well. The so-called genetic modification was what Rocky

tried to bring into realization. So, in order to receive the technique of genetic modification to transform

itself, Rubygon needed to be elevated to the third grade of three-star level first.

It was not an easy task for a spirit-manipulated beast to elevate itself. Uriah could be elevated to the

third grade of three-star level only because it ate several pieces of yellow spiritual crystal back when

they were still in the Palace City. It had also been drinking the magical saliva as its foundation for

cultivation. That was why it eventually elevated to the third grade of three-star level in the last match in

a short period of time.

It was a time-consuming task for a normal spirit-manipulated beast to upgrade itself in every single

grade. The higher the star and grade it elevated, the more time it needed. For example, for a spirit-

manipulated beast at the second grade of three-star level, it would take several years to reach the third

grade of three-star level if no treasures were used for a boost. That was the minimum time span for a

normal elevation; it could take a longer time for most spirit-manipulated beasts. Not to mention, the

time they needed to elevate its star. It could be a lifetime struggle for most!

That was why the spiritual crystal was so precious. He was sure every spirit manipulator yearned for it

even in their dreams. They needed it if they wanted to elevate the grades of their spirit-manipulated

beasts quickly.

All this summed up the reason why Rocky was so enthusiastic when he found the spiritual crystal.

"Wait here for the good news," Rocky said to the three beasts. The ancient tree was surrounded by

marsh and was at least thirty feet away from them. The beasts were certainly not able to jump through.

Neither was there any space for them to walk through. If he wanted that crystal, he would need to go

himself.

With this thought, Rocky relieved himself of the parcels he had brought along. He left only the Frozen

Wind Dagger with him so he would not burden himself. Next, he observed the marsh in front of him

cautiously. When he did not find any suspicious movements or presences, he raised his head to look

for a way forward. He found woody vines suspended from a tall tree's branches not far away. The

woody vines were quite long, most of them were long enough to touch the ground. He aimed at a tree

which was located nearest to the old tree. He leaped dexterously and landed on a big and solid branch.

He picked up several woody vines and twisted them to make sure they were strong enough to hold

him. He tied these extended woody vines to the branch of the tree, so that he could slip himself down

en route the woody vine. Lastly, he unleashed a stream of spiritual power to the tree trunk behind him.

The spiritual power hit the tree on its trunk with a thump. It formed the reverse-thrust power which

pushed Rocky and the woody vines together, higher and higher. The distance between Rocky and the

old tree shortened greatly.

Rocky grabbed the chance and leaped forward to the old tree. He was about to reach it when a long

figure sprang up from the gloomy marsh. It looked like a water dragon shot out from the sea which

splashed a hail of muddy water.

A giant scarlet mouth had opened and was coming right at Rocky. He was dangling on air as a long

tongue snapped out like a whip towards him.

Rocky kept calm and analyzed the situation quickly. He knew that there was not enough time to dodge

the whipping tongue since it was too close already. He quickly drew out the Frozen Wind Dagger and

cut into the air which formed a curved spiritual knife edge.

The spiritual knife edge he threw collided with the long tongue. The tongue was derailed from its

original direction and bashed Rocky on the shoulder. With a crash, Rocky was thrown off.