Chapter 449: Setback

From the moment Nie Tian set foot on the green, vegetated ground, the green aura within his heart started swimming around unceasingly.

The crystal-like chains within the green aura glittered with sparkling light, as if they were tiny snakes that were madly twisting their bodies.

Meanwhile, the innumerable green spots within the crystal-like chains shone with increasingly bright light.

Standing there without moving a hair, Nie Tian felt copious amounts of green, misty energy pouring into his vortex of wood power.

Drops of liquid that were made of concentrated wood essence rapidly came to form at the bottom of his vortex of wood power.

The luxuriant, hundred-meter-tall tree beside him looked like a huge umbrella, blocking almost the entire sky over his head.

Not only did he not feel that it was dangerous standing under the tree, but he even felt rather relaxed, as if the tree was protecting him.

He could vaguely sense that something in the depths of the forest was attracting the green aura in his heart.

“I don’t believe the tree will attack me again!” With these words, Dong Li, who couldn’t find an answer to what had happened just now, once again dashed into the forest.

Staring coldly at the enormous tree, she infused her bone shield with dazzling spiritual power.

Changes occurred again!

The enormous tree, which had turned a blind eye to Nie Tian, once again launched attacks because of Dong Li’s entrance.

One sharp branch after another whizzed directly towards Dong Li before hitting her bone shield, giving rise to loud clanking sounds.

Gritting her teeth, Dong Li struggled to bear the strong impacts and trudge forward, regardless of Nie Tian’s incessant calling and dissuasion.

At this moment, an even thicker tree in front of her suddenly started moving.

Its sharp, blade-like branches shot down towards Dong Li as if they were falling from the heavens.

Dong Li raised her bone shield with both hands to fend them off.

CLANK! CLANK!

Repeatedly bombarded by the tree branches, Dong Li started to feel intense soreness and pain in both her hands. Apparently, she was having great difficulty defending herself from the trees’ attacks.

Not only did she stop moving forward, but she even started trudging backwards.

Under Nie Tian’s gaze, she slowly backed out of the forest. Only then did the tree branches stop attacking her and slowly shrink back.

Standing in the dark-yellow wasteland, Dong Li panted heavily as she stared at Nie Tian and said, clenching her jaw, “Why are they not attacking you?”

With an innocent expression on his face, Nie Tian said, “Perhaps it’s because wood power is one of the powers I practice.”

“What kind of fool do you take me for?!” Dong Li asked with a cold snort. “For thousands of years, countless people who practiced wood power just like you have come to the Realm of Unbounded Desolation during their last years, hoping to find this magical place. Many of them were experts who practiced nothing but wood power. However, every single one of them died of old age before finding the slightest clue.

“What has allowed you to find this place so easily on your first trip to the Realm of Unbounded Desolation?

“Don’t you tell me that you discovered this place by relying on the wood power you practice. Lots of them had far superior cultivation bases and understandings of wood power than you.

“They all failed. Why did you happen to succeed?”

Nie Tian rubbed his nose and said with a dry laugh, “Perhaps it’s because I had better luck than they did.”

“Save your nonsense!" Dong Li said with a cold snort.

The tip of Nie Tian’s eyebrow rose as he said, “How about this: Since you can’t seem to enter this forest, I’ll go to the heart of the forest by myself. If I do discover the Fruits of Life in the depths of the forest, I’ll get one for you.”

“Don’t you dare leave me here!” Dong Li strongly disagreed.

Before Nie Tian could open his mouth again, she attempted to summon her black phoenix with a thought, hoping to have the black phoenix carry her over the barrier of enormous trees before her.

However, no matter how hard she tried, the black phoenix didn’t answer her summons.

“Even you are not going to help me?!” Cursing the black phoenix inwardly, she gathered her remaining strength, preparing herself for a third attempt.

After a moment of hesitation, Nie Tian realized that his persuasion had failed, and thus took the initiative to walk out of the forest. “Wait!”

After arriving by Dong Li’s side, he gave a soft laugh and said, “Okay, I’ll see if I can get you inside.”

Dong Li was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“This forest is bit strange. As you’ve noticed, these enormous trees only attack you, but won’t identify me as a target.” Nie Tian pondered as he spoke. “Why don’t you try to stay close to me?”

He gradually realized that it probably wasn’t because of the wood power in his spiritual sea that he was free from the ancients trees’ attacks.

Just as Dong Li had said, for thousands of years, countless Qi warriors who specialized in wood power had come to search the Realm of Unbounded Desolation, but none of them had actually stepped into this magical land.

That meant that it wasn’t his wood power that had allowed him to discover this place, but rather the green aura in his heart, which contained the profound truths of life.

Similarly, it was also the green aura that had allowed him to enter the forest without having to deal with the gigantic trees’ attacks.

“Stay close to you?” Dong Li went blank for a moment. A rare look flashed across her bright eyes as she asked, “How close?”

“Okay, try to take my hand and stay close to me,” Nie Tian proposed.

Biting her lower lip, Dong Li chuckled softly. “You’re not trying to take advantage of me, are you?”

Nie Tian cleared his throat and glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, saying, “Considering how you look now, I’m good. Thank you.”

“I see. You don’t like my current face, do you?” Dong Li rolled her eyes and ripped her mask off, revealing her unmatched, beautiful appearance.

With a bright smile, she took the initiative to step over and wrap her arm around Nie Tian’s. “How about now?”

The moment she ripped off her plain-looking mask, Nie Tian’s eyes lit up, seized by her bewilderingly charming looks.

As Dong Li spoke, she emitted a pleasant scent, and endless tenderness filled her deep, bright eyes. With a look at them, any man would be enchanted and wish to swim in them forever.

“Better... This is much better.” Nie Tian answered subconsciously.

Dong Li suddenly let out a cold harrumph, killing the smiles that were filling her face a moment ago. “Let’s go! Remember to protect me. I’ll make you pay for it if you dare to use this opportunity to take advantage of me!”

With these threatening words, she dragged Nie Tian towards the lush forest.

She came to a stop when they were only one step away from entering the forest. With a deep breath, they took the final step simultaneously, side by side.

THUMP!

The moment her feet landed on the vegetated ground, tree branches once again shot directly towards her.

Dong Li’s expression flickered.

However, Nie Tian noticed that all the branches were aimed at the other side of her body.

The side of her that was clinging to him hadn’t become the target of the branches’ attacks.

This new finding made him realize that his method would work.

Nie Tian didn’t move a single muscle. Looking at Dong Li, who was busy raising her bone shield to fend off the branches, he suggested, “Hey sister, if you can stick your whole body to me, perhaps you won’t be attacked anymore.”

Dong Li was instantly enlightened.

She also noticed that the sharp branches were only targeting her other half, which was away from Nie Tian.

Just as more incoming branches were about to reach her, she gritted her teeth and made a bashful decision.

She turned her extremely curvaceous body to face Nie Tian’s front. With a leap, she spread her limbs and clung to Nie Tian’s torso like a baby monkey.

She hooked her arms around Nie Tian’s neck, wrapped her slender legs around Nie Tian’s waist, and buried her face in Nie Tian’s chest as she exclaimed softly, “Put your hands around me!”

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

At that moment, two sharp branches shot directly towards Dong Li’s exposed back.

“Hurry!” Dong Li urged.

Nie Tian snapped back to his senses, gently wrapped his thick arms around Dong Li’s tender back, and stared coldly at the two approaching branches.

Surprisingly, the moment he put his arms around Dong Li, the branches froze in the air, only inches away from piercing into Dong Li’s back.

They stayed in the air, completely motionless, as if they were searching for something.

At this moment, Dong Li was curling up in Nie Tian’s chest, her arms and legs wrapped around Nie Tian’s neck and waist like snakes.

She was both bashful and fearful, fearing that the branches might find something and continue attacking her.

After a while, the two branches seemed to have lost their target and thus shrunk away from them.

Upon seeing the branches shrinking back, Nie Tian, who was just as nervous, let out a sigh of relief. Looking down at the woman who was clinging to him in a weird position, he said, “That was a smart move.”

Like conjoined twins, the two of them were stuck closely to each other, including their arms and legs.

At first glance, they looked like one person.

“Hurry! Take me to the heart of this forest to find the Fruits of Life!” Burying her head in Nie Tian’s chest, Dong Li listened to his throbbing heart, and for the first time, felt butterflies in her stomach. She didn’t even dare to look up at Nie Tian’s taunting expression. Instead, with great force in her voice, she said, “I won’t let you off if you dare to take advantage of me! Do you hear me?!”

“What?! You’re taking advantage of me, alright?!” With a broad laugh, Nie Tian strode towards the depths of the forest.

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