Free Web NovelChapter 224: Chapter 224: Tree Hollow
The moment it saw Di Youlin’s figure, the Little Fox perked up. Seeing the dozen or so mutant wolves surrounding Chen Nan, the Little Fox lifted a forepaw. A flash of white light streaked past, and the mutant wolves were instantly decapitated.
The Little Fox then scanned the other areas, killing off the remaining frenzied mutant wolves one by one.
Yun Han, just like the Little Fox, also began to slaughter the mutant wolves.
With Yun Han and the Little Fox joining the fray, the once-numerous wolf pack was reduced to just a few in an instant.
Ning Xuan and Di Youlin landed. Ning Xuan frowned, overwhelmed by the thick stench of blood.
The Little Fox expertly leaped into Ning Xuan’s arms. Lin Mo, Yun Han, Chen Nan, Qinghe, Nine-tailed, and Lan Xin all bowed to Ning Xuan.
"Contractor, our vehicles are still further back. That area isn’t part of the battlefield, so it’s relatively clean. Let me take you there," Lin Mo said, stepping forward immediately when he saw Ning Xuan frowning.
They had just been ambushed by mutant wolves. To protect the vehicles, they had lured the majority of the wolf pack away to this spot, turning it into a battlefield.
"Alright." Since the battlefield still needed to be cleaned up, Ning Xuan followed Lin Mo to the vehicles.
Even though everyone was skilled at processing the corpses of Exotic Beasts, it still took considerable effort to properly sort through the spoils from the hundreds of wolf carcasses.
The convoy set off again. Following the map she had drawn, the first place Ning Xuan led them to was a large mushroom colony.
The mushroom colony was home to numerous types of fungi. Most of them were very delicate, requiring extreme care during harvesting to ensure they remained intact.
After arriving at their destination, Ning Xuan began by explaining the types of mushrooms, their uses, and their harvesting methods to everyone.
For example, a mushroom that reflected points of blue light was called a Noctilucent Parasol. Its cap was covered in phosphorescent spots and could be refined into a night-vision potion. When harvesting it, the cap absolutely could not be damaged; if it was, its effects would be greatly diminished.
A round, bright red one was called a Coagulant Gel-Cap. Its surface secreted a blood-colored gel that could stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration in just three seconds. When harvesting this type, the root system shouldn’t be damaged; it needed to be dug up along with the soil.
Another was called a Phantom Mist Mushroom. It could release hallucinogenic spores in the form of a mist. It also needed to be dug up together with its roots and soil. frёewebηovel.cѳm
This one was a Draconic Incense Mushroom. Its head looked like a fleshy growth. When cut open, it yielded a type of aromatic crystal that could be added to any ingredient during cooking to enhance aroma and flavor, making it a valuable spice.
While harvesting these mushrooms, they were attacked by three waves of Exotic Beasts. This time, no one else needed to act. The Little Fox single-handedly intimidated them all, preventing the three waves of Exotic Beasts from even getting close to the mushroom colony.
"Little Fox, you’re just too amazing!" Ning Xuan praised it with some exaggeration.
The Little Fox yipped proudly a few times, then dragged the black bear Exotic Beast before Ning Xuan as if presenting a treasure. With one swipe of its claw, it sliced open the black bear’s abdomen and pulled out a bloody bear gallbladder. The Little Fox knew Ning Xuan liked and was skilled in Alchemy, and a bear gallbladder was considered a valuable medicinal ingredient, so it presented it to Ning Xuan as a gift.
Just as it expected, Ning Xuan was delighted. She took the bear gallbladder, placed it in a box, and stored it in her Ring Space.
One wave had yet to settle before another rose. Just as Ning Xuan finished storing the bear gallbladder, she heard the sound of metal striking stone from behind her.
It turned out to be three Iron-beaked Eagle Falcons diving down, attacking Lin Mo and the others who were harvesting mushrooms. Claws like cold iron were about to seize Lin Mo’s head when the Little Fox shot over like a bolt of lightning. The clash with the cold-iron claws sent a shower of sparks flying.
"Watch out for their feathers!" Ning Xuan’s warning had barely left her lips when dozens of Black Feathers rained down like a torrential storm. The golden marking on the Little Fox’s forehead suddenly flared, and a pale cyan astral wind erupted around its body, shredding all the Poisonous Feathers. The shredded feathers fell to the ground, corroding it and releasing wisps of green smoke. The surrounding grass and trees withered in an instant.
’So the Black Feathers are poisonous.’
A Purple-striped Python that had been lying in wait took the opportunity to strike, its tail sweeping out to shatter boulders.
Ning Xuan leaped forcefully onto a treetop. As her fair hands formed seals, the Jade Pendant at her waist burst forth with a radiant glow. She had been about to intervene.
However, she saw the Little Fox had already finished off the three flying enemies and was now spewing Fox Fire at the giant python.
The giant python had been about to spew a venomous mist from its mouth, but the Fox Fire flung by the Little Fox shot into its throat first. The venomous mist in the python’s mouth was forced back down. At the same time, the massive python began to thrash violently as if in immense pain. To prevent it from rolling into the mushroom colony, the Little Fox instantly rode the wind to its side. With a single swipe of its claws, it severed the python’s head. Its next move was to slice open the python’s belly and retrieve a shimmering, purple Snake Pill, which it then presented to Ning Xuan like a trophy.
"The inner core of a Purple Python? This is good stuff, too!" Ning Xuan said in pleasant surprise, taking out a Jade Bottle and placing the inner core inside.
"You really have an eye for treasure. You always bring back good things." Ning Xuan gently stroked the soft fur behind the Little Fox’s ears. The little one squinted its golden eyes in comfort, the tip of its tail curling around the girl’s wrist and swaying gently. The look on its face was both affectionate and full of smug pride.
It took about two hours for everyone to finish clearing out everything of value from the mushroom colony. Chen Nan straightened his sore back. Although he was exhausted, digging up these things was almost addictive. He felt a deep sense of satisfaction throughout the harvesting process.
"This is great, Master! From now on, we’ll never be short on mushrooms for soup," Nine-tailed said happily to Ning Xuan.
After all, the special mushrooms with miraculous effects were in the minority; most had extremely high culinary value. When it was time to eat, Nine-tailed used the harvested mushrooms to make a pot of soup, and its delicious flavor was simply indescribable.
Due to time constraints, they traveled at full speed for the rest of the journey and finally, before nightfall, reached the tree hollow Ning Xuan had found.
Everyone looked up at the massive tree that soared into the clouds. When they heard Ning Xuan say the tree hollow was 30 meters up the trunk, looks of shock appeared on their faces.
The bark of the ancient tree housing the hollow was mottled like Dragon Scales, and it gleamed with a grayish-blue metallic luster in the twilight.
Chen Nan ran his hand over the crisscrossing grooves on the trunk, his fingernails immediately filling with damp moss. At a height of thirty meters, the treetop was completely swallowed by the deepening twilight, and only the hollow sound of wind could be heard from above.
"This bark is smoother than a mirror; it seems difficult to climb." Lin Mo scraped the trunk with his tactical dagger, dislodging a few dark green flakes. "Even with climbing claws, it would be impossible—"
Suddenly, a chorus of howls rose from a distant mountain pass. The cries carried far and wide in the deepening darkness. Mutant Beasts were approaching.
"Get out the climbing ropes. We’ll use the vine to go up." Ning Xuan released her Ghost-faced Red Vine. The thick vine climbed up the massive tree, forming a ball-shaped foothold every meter or so.
The Little Fox was the first to leap onto the vine, scrambling up it rapidly.
