by Tony Tran
As Jin Zhuan stood admiring the fully armed Zhang, beasts began appearing from the woods. But just like the animals that had been here before them, these beasts were also fleeing. The sight of beasts such as tigers that often-ruled forests and jungles such as this one fleeing for their lives from something unknown made fear seep into the hearts of many people who bared witness.
But it did not take long for them to encounter what could have caused all of the commotion. As if they had crawled out from the deepest darkest depths of hell, hundreds of beasts with blood red eyes began appearing. These beasts were not of the kind that Zhang had face thus far, they stood on two hind legs while their entire bodies were coated in fur from head to toe and were armed with sharp claws and large fangs. Also, to make things worse than they already are these beasts had swords and axes griped in their hands and of course, armor, really thick armor, was covering parts of their bodies.
“Werewolves?” Zhang thought as he watched these hairy humanlike beasts approaching the camp.
“Women, children and the elderly in the center! Everyone else take up arms! Werewolves are attacking!” Zhang yelled out to the rest of the camp.
However, it turns out that these werewolves in fact we're not their enemies but rather they were also fleeing from some unknown enemy. The dozens of werewolves ran straight past the camp without paying any attention to anyone.
As the werewolves fled, their pursuers quickly slid through the earth and in a blood curdling moment dozens of unknown tentacle like things shot out from the earth and impaled a few dozen of them. Then in an instant the lifeless corpses of these werewolves were dragged down into the ground.
Those who saw this sight stood in silence trying to comprehend what had just happened. Dozens of werewolves which were demonic beasts of the sixth level had been slaughter in an instant without any chance of resistance.
Shortly after the bodies of the werewolves were dragged underground, geysers of blood spewed out from the ground and coated the woods in bright red blood.
“What the fuck was that!” Wang Ping screamed in horror.
Not long after the werewolves met their end, Zhang noticed something slithering just beneath the ground causing the earth to bulge and he sprang into action.
With swords in hand Zhang plunged into battle. While anticipating where the bulge was heading Zhang stabbed his sword into the ground.
Once Zhang’s sword was plugged into the ground, a reddish blood like goo oozed out from the earth. Then a deafening screech became audible from every corner of the forest as whatever Zhang managed to stab dislodged itself from his sword and slithered away. Although the word slither was used to describe this unknown being’s movement, in no way did it appear to be a snake of any sort.
It seems that after receiving Zhang’s attack, the unknown “thing” retreated and disappeared back into the depths of the forest, leaving only a path dyed in red.
From the recollection of those who had borne witness to the events that unfolded tonight and the nights and days to follow a tale of blood and death would soon be spread a vast region of the Warring States Region. The tale of a young man, the tale of a hero would soon be spread to the furthest reaches of the land.
After whatever had killed the werewolves and many of the creatures that dwelled in the forest disappeared without a trace, silence and serenity was restored to the forest.
“Zhang, you have my thanks, if not for what you did then perhaps it would have been the end of us.” Jin Zhuan said as he held the hand of a small boy that looked no older than the age of four. From the looks on this boy's face he had no idea of what events had transpired.
“No need to thank me senior, I'm only doing what is needed to be done.” Zhang replied with a smile as if what he had did was not something worth mentioning.
After a small chat with Jin Zhuan, Zhang stood guard for the rest of the night until the sun peeked out from the horizon above the tree line. Of course, he did not stand guard alone, he was joined by dozens of Jin Zhuan’s guards and when no one was looking he release the hundreds of Golden Titanic Spiders from the Ruler’s Domain to scan the forest around the camp.
Once the sun no longer hid itself behind the tree line, the camp packed up and Jin Zhuan’s clan began their journey once more. But they were now joined by Zhang's party because their destinations were the same, both groups were now headed towards Red Star City.
When the two groups began their journey once more, the four beauties finally showed themselves. They were first seen with Zhang who sat atop his carriage watching over the camp. The people of the Jin clan had only awoken and had left their tents to spot these four sitting fast asleep in their husband's embrace. It was a sight to behold as the morning sun’s rays shone through the tree line and seemed to wrap around Zhang and his lovers.
After some introductions, the beauties quickly became fond of Jin Zhuan’s four-year-old grandson and even asked Jin Zhuan’s daughter to join them in their carriage with her son.
It could be said that Ling and Yuying were especially fond of this child because they often dream of having a child of their own with Zhang. As for Ai, she could be considered a child herself at times.
So once the four beauties were introduced to the Jin clan, many of the clan’s men would try to catch glimpses of them but they could only look in envy as these four were always with their husband. Envy soon turned to idolization as every man dreamt of one day to become like Zhang.
As the group now traveled through the forest they would often run into other groups who unlike them had meet gruesome ends. Mangled bodies could be seen hanging by a limb from trees, trials of blood could be seen, bodies that had been dragged into the forest and dismembered, mangled bodies with gaping holes in them laid about on the dirt road and all sorts of other horrors were just waiting to be discovered.
The sight of many at the scenes that they encountered cause some with weak stomachs to spew the contents of their breakfast. For now, the only emotion that everyone felt was fear, fear of the unknown, fear of joining the ranks of those who had met such unfortunate ends and the fear of death filled their hearts. Of course, there was an exception to everything and that exception was Zhang and his party.
Zhang and the four beauties could not even be placed in the same sentence as the word fear. As for Zhang’s men, they had witnessed the horrors of war and been through the horrid events in the Black Wind Province so there weren't many things that could incite the emotion of fear within them any longer.
So tonight, when the sun went back into hiding and the moon illuminated the sky, Zhang’s men stood guard. Tonight, Zhang’s men would watch over the camp as to alert their lord if anything occurred. Although Zhang wanted to find out what was lurking in the woods but his attention was required elsewhere.
Tonight, the four beauties and Zhang once more retreated to their carriage and would not show themselves unless the situation called their intervention. It was their honeymoon and as they saw it unless the situation truly forced them to help they would try their best to enjoy their trip meant for leisure and staying up all night to fight some unknown beast lurking in the forest was not something one should be doing on a trip meant for enjoyment.
So as the night grew cold and the people in the camp drifted into their dreams, Zhang’s men and the Jin Clan’s escorts stood watch to ensure everyone's safety. But of course, if a situation did arise these men wouldn't be able to do anything besides alert Zhang of the approaching danger.
Chapter 2: Blood Forest Two
While Jin Zhuan and Zhang’s men stood guard, the wind whistled through the forest. As these men stood guard, wait for the end of their shift, all kinds of horrors came to life in their minds. Memories of mangled bodies and geysers of blood were ever present in their thoughts as the night embraced them.
The many lit torches around the camp danced and flickered as the howling wind continued blowing.
As these men stood waiting for the executable to occur they could
n't help but worry for their own safety. Unlike Zhang’s seasoned soldiers, the Jin Clan’s escorts were merely hired guards who most likely have never even engaged in battle before. Although they currently stood guard and put up a brave front to make a living, if faced with life or death they would certainly abandon their clients or maybe even turn their swords on those they were paid to protect for their own gain.
As they stood watch, the moon’s brilliance was clouded by clouds and the light from the torches extended by the wind, the earth began to bulge as some unknown entity borrowed its way toward the camp.
Before anyone noticed due to the lack of light dozens of tentacle like limbs shot forth from the earth causing a few unlucky souls to lose their lives without even being able to put up an ounce of resistance.
Limbs were crushed and lives were taken as blood sprayed all about. Be it swords or shields nothing was able to stop these whip like limbs. Swords were shattered, shields were dented beyond repair and armor was penetrated before this unknown foe.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!” A few men who survived the onslaught began yelling, pleading for assistance.
Answering their cries was a lone man donning nearly transparent white armor with a pitch-black cape fluttering in the wind. In his hand an eerie black fire danced and flickered about.
In a hairs breath, the black flame in Zhang’s hand shot forth and smashed into one of the tentacles that were one sidedly slaughtering the Jin Clan’s escorts. By a hint of luck of some sort, Zhang’s twenty soldiers have been able to survive the one sidedly slaughter with only skin deep injuries.
They dodged, they rolled and if needed they jumped, to keep the tentacles from ending them. But without vision these men had to leave their lives to luck and heaven’s will.
Once the black flame smashed into a part of the tentacle, it was severed from the rest of whatever it had been connected to and laid motionless on the ground. This sight was extremely odd because the black flame had never been able to physically damage anything and Zhang had only used it to test if his foe possessed a soul or not because he could not see a hint of essence being emitted from them.
“I shouldn't think too much of it… If the black flame can do damage the. I might as well keep using it.” Zhang thought as more black flames ignited around him.
Soon one after another the tentacles were severed using the black flame, but unlike the night before none of them could be seen oozing a blood like goo.
However, before Zhang was able to sever all of the tentacles, even more popped up from the ground. But this time instead of going for the escorts or the soldiers the tentacles shot toward the tents where the people of the Jin Clan were. Although they had been awoken by the commotion outside these people could be considered defenseless against the incoming attack and would only be slaughtered senselessly.
Thankfully dark green vines began sprouting from the ground and created a protective dome over and under those defenseless people. Then dozens of razor sharp crescent water blades shot through the air and sliced through the tentacles. Though Ai was able to shield protect the people of the Jin Clan for now it did not mean she could keep protecting her because soon after the tentacles once more sprang out from the earth.
This time perhaps instead of a few dozen tentacles, there were a few hundred. As the battle went on the clouds above the sky finally released the moon’s rays from their dark curtain, allowing light to shine down on the battlefield below.
In the instant light was restored to the battlefield and those in it, the sight of hundreds of thick brown tree roots were visibly whipping about above ground. With this everyone was able to realize what their opponent was. Obviously, it was some sort of demonic tree, but of course, no one could name an exact kind since the term tree includes a wide variety of species. Although one could argue a demonic tree could be classified as a plant, there was a fundamental difference between the two. Demonic plants such as the one Ai’s whip was made out of, which live off of the essence in the earth. Then there were demonic trees which often times feed on other creatures and use them as it’s nutrients.
Unlike demonic plants, demonic trees are many times more dangerous because they can extend their roots to encompass a huge area and also, they possess the overly powerful ability of connecting their roots into regular trees and controlling them. This meant that when someone faced a demonic tree in battle, they were not facing one foe but an entire forest of foes.
But from the looks of things the demonic tree that they were facing right now, is but a fledgling. Had it been a fully grown demonic tree then Zhang’s story would have ended here. A single man cannot face an entire forest of trees in battle, theoretically it was impossible for this scenario to play out favorably for the man. Even if fire came into to play the amount of time required to burn down a vast forest was immense and the demonic tree could always extinguish the fire itself by sacrificing a few regular trees. But now that the opponent was identified as a demonic tree it would explain why the black fire was effective against it. This was because the demonic tree possesses other trees not by using its essence but by implanting a part of its soul into the other trees.
However, the heavens never look too favorably on any single lifeform thus demonic trees possessed one fatal weakness. Although they are sentient and are able to control an entire forest, demonic trees cannot move from the spot that they spawned from. It is said that underneath the spot where a demonic tree grows there are treasures called The Fruits of Eternity. Every single demonic tree starts out with at most ten such fruits and never grow anymore for the rest of eternity, hence the name. As for the effects of the fruits no one has ever openly spoke about it.
“Ling you watch over the others I’m going to tree something.” Zhang said to Ling who seemed to be the only one of the four beauties to be able to counter the roots of the demonic tree.
What Zhang was able to do could be considered truly foolish and extremely idiotic. He began running at full speed at one of the tree roots whipping about at the escorts of the Jin Clan. In an instant Zhang pounced onto the tree root and then splintered his hand with it. As blood oozed out from Zhang’s palm he channeled essence from the Underworld Heart and sent it into the tree root. Over the course of seconds, Zhang’s essence traveled through a vast network of tree roots that ran through a vast area of the forest.
It did not take long for Zhang’s essence to locate where the main body of the demonic tree was. After finding what he wished to find, Zhang burned the tree root that was stabbing into his hand with black fire. Once the tree root turned into nothingness only a bloody hole was left in Zhang’s hand. But it did not take long for the Underworld Heart to do its job and mend Zhang’s hand back to how it was.
“I wonder if I can get my hands on a Fruit of Eternity.” Zhang muttered as he ran off toward where the demonic tree was rooted while twinkling stars could be seen in his eyes. There were but a few things that could get Zhang’s attention and they were his wives and treasure. Being an extremely rare fruit that has unknown abilities, the Fruit of Eternity could be considered a treasure. Thus, Zhang wished to possess it.
Zhang ran through the forest as hundreds of tree roots shot up from the ground trying to block his path. But they tried to no avail because the shadows around Zhang gave birth to a dozen Abyssal Demonic Beasts, whom took all of the deadly blows for their creator.
Though something that did manage to stall Zhang was the sight of a group of travelers being ripped to shreds by the tree roots. There were most likely many more groups traveling through the forest who were being assaulted by the demonic tree just like Zhang and Jin Zhuan’s group.
“I guess the fruit can wait, it’s not like they are going to just magically disappear.” Zhang thought as he changed the direction he was heading in and headed toward the group of people in peril.
By the time, Zhang arrived to their aid, this group of people had lost nearly half their numbers. Men and women had been torn limb from limb once they were
caught by the roots. As they were ripped apart, blood sprayed on the faces of their friends and family. With Zhang’s arrival, the ten or so remaining members of this group found salvation.
Although using the black flame took up a considerable amount of essence stored in the Dragon Heart Necklace, Zhang felt that saving anyone he could in such a situation was the right thing to do. So, with that thought in mind, dozens of black flames ignited and began extinguishing the tree roots.
Only after saving these people did Zhang realize that he was in a dilemma. If he continued heading toward where the demonic tree was rooted, then he would not be able to protect these people from the assault of the tree roots. But if he stayed in protected these people then not only would be not being able to get the Fruits of Eternity but he would also have left his wives to fend for themselves to protect some strangers.
“Fuck… What should I do…” Zhang cursed to himself in his mind.
Of course, he couldn’t just abandon these people, but he couldn't bear to no go obtain the Fruits of Eternity nor could he bare protecting these strangers while not protecting his own wives. Thankfully after a few moments of brain racking thought, Zhang came to a conclusion.
