Chapter 232

The dryad’s ability had been greatly enhanced in the forest.

Some dryad tribes were very aggressive and not any less tyrannical than Grade 4 tribes of demonic beasts.

Some may be even stronger.

After all, the forest was full of flowers and trees, which were to their advantage.

It was an absolute home-field advantage for them.

Truthfully, most of the flowers and trees in the forest were not precious or extraordinary.

Nevertheless, even the most common plants could grow powerful after years of immersing in the essence power.

As such, ordinary flames were completely useless against them.

It would be impossible for a single spark to ignite the entire forest.

Besides, the dryads were completely immune to ordinary flames.

It would not even be possible to intimidate them with the flames.

Being a dryad meant it was already operating outside the confines of ordinary trees. Its weaknesses had also evolved.

Chen Jingzhai did not expect the Hunchback Dryads’ weaknesses to be that odd.

After scanning the dryad with his special talent, he discovered their third weakness, which turned out to be music.

That was very interesting information!

Chen Jingzhai immediately entered the Primordial Essence World to borrow the Ocean Taming Drum and Double Dragon Hammer.

“Follow me, everyone. Stay in formation!”

After giving them the instruction, he beat the Ocean Taming Drum with the Double Dragon Hammer, spreading the sound throughout the forest.

When everyone saw that, they immediately flew up and followed behind him.

The agitated Hunchback Dryad listened to the drum beats and stood there in a trance.

It did not move a muscle when Chen Jingzhai and the others flew over it.

Tu Ruoyan was stunned by the scene. She looked at Chen Jingzhai with her beautiful eyes. No one knew what she was thinking at that moment.

Meanwhile, everyone else had gotten used to Chen Jingzhai’s capability. They were no longer surprised by anything he did.

It did not take long before the drum beats attracted more Hunchback Dryads.

They followed the drum beats and walked unhurriedly behind the group.

It was not until the group left the dryads’ territory that they began making noises again.

“We made it through so easily?” Sage Xu felt it was unbelievably too simple.

“Is that the Ocean Taming Drum?” asked Celestial Maiden Miao Yun as she looked at Chen Jingzhai.

“Yes.” Chen Jingzhai nodded and smiled. “But this is not the power of the Ocean Taming Drum. It’s just ordinary drum beats because Hunchback Dryads are very sensitive to music.”

“The sound of a drum is considered music?” asked Celestial Maiden Han, incredulous.

“Who knows!” Chen Jingzhai burst out laughing. “But it worked.”

Everyone was relieved and did not press him too much. However, they kept that incident in mind.

It was not widely known that the Hunchback Dryads actually liked music.

Next time, they would have new ways of dealing with a group of pesky little dryads.

The Hunchback Dryads’ territory was very broad.

Everyone flew off and continued to move forward as they had not consumed much energy.

Afterward, they encountered the Fushan Elephant Crocodile Tribe, Flying Chinchilla Tribe, and Windy Hedgehog Tribe. It was not easy to get along with the three tribes. Fortunately, Tu Ruoyan’s illusion technique was surprisingly useful.

Moreover, since she knew the three tribes very well, their journey was safe and smooth.

Everyone now looked at Tu Ruoyan with admiration. They thought differently about the demon fox, who had taken the initiative to follow Chen Jingzhai’s side closely. At least she was useful and had made a real contribution.

Everyone was already exhausted from the nonstop fighting throughout their journey. Fortunately, Tu Ruoyan’s guidance had saved them a lot of time and a lot less fighting. They had time to recover and rest. They were grateful for that.

Their experience in the Woods Ocean Ancient Path felt like a dream. From separating from the team when they first entered the forest to encountering various tribes of demonic beasts at that moment. Everything felt so surreal.

Every one of them was reckless!

Certainly, the Little Master-Uncle was the most reckless one. He had even pissed off several True Venerable Spirits.

Everyone sighed inwardly but remained expressionless as they followed Chen Jingzhai to the final section.

“It’s so peaceful here!”

“Are there no tribes here?” asked Qiao Haisheng.

They had passed over the Flying Hedgehogs and reached that part of the forest.

Unlike the rolling hillsides before, the woodland was very flat.

The surrounding trees were also unimaginably huge. It was as if everyone had shrunk and fallen into the depth of an ancient forest.

This kind of hallucination could easily cause panic. Fortunately, they were all cultivators.

They had experienced so many things along the way. They were now very different from when they first entered the forest.

“This is the last section of the Woods Ocean Ancient Path.

At least I haven’t heard of any tribes of demonic beasts breeding and living here.

We just need to keep moving forward.”

Tu Ruoyan spoke hesitantly.

She obviously had something to say but did not do so. However, no one was bothered.

She was not being straightforward with Chen Jingzhai. Since she did not explain the situation, it meant that some mysteries could not be explained in detail, but they would not be fatal.

When everyone thought of that, they relaxed and followed Chen Jingzhai.

Half an hour later, none of them noticed anything amiss. However, except for Tu Ruoyan and Chen Jingzhai, everyone else was walking in a daze. They were moving forward mechanically.

Chen Jingzhai’s divine mind had been searching for possible dangers around them. Nonetheless, he did not expect the problem to be right next to him. That creeped him out a little.

“What’s going on?” Chen Jingzhai questioned Tu Ruoyan via voice transmission.

“Master is not affected. No wonder you are a genius talent!” Tu Ruoyan gave him a seductive smile and said, “This is the last section of the ancient path. Cultivators have instability in their mind and cultivation will be drawn to auditory hallucination.”

“Auditory hallucination?” Chen Jingzhai narrowed his eyes. “Remnants from the ancient battlefield?”

“Master is so smart!” Demon Fox Tu Ruoyan grinned. She went into his arms in a flash and wrapped her arms around Chen Jingzhai’s neck. She said into his ear, “It is said that beneath the entire forest, there are buried remains of ancient immortals and the remains of many demonic beasts and cultivators. All kinds of evil spirits, resentments and whatnots have converged and formed a unique path of auditory hallucinations.”

A faint and familiar fragrance poured into Chen Jingzhai’s nostrils. He felt as if he was burning inside. The reaction had nothing to do with will or spirit. It was the innate ability of a demon fox, which directly aroused the desire of the flesh.

“How come I don’t hear anything?” asked Chen Jingzhai. He walked while both his hands boldly held onto her plump and delicate thighs, exploring deeper into her black robe.

“Because Master’s state of mind has surpassed that of ordinary Golden Core Sages!” Tu Ruoyan giggled.

“Is that so?” Chen Jingzhai snorted coldly. He forcefully tossed Tu Ruoyan out with both hands before throwing a punch into the air, leaving only traces of white smoke.

Bang!

The air vibrated. His fist shattered the hallucination.

Tu Ruoyan exploded in the air. Then, everything seemed to return to normal.

Tu Ruoyan was still by his side without the slightest abnormality.

“Congratulations, Young Master! I never thought you would get out of the hallucination so quickly,” said Tu Ruoyan with joy as she met Chen Jingzhai’s gaze.

“What’s going on?” asked Chen Jingzhai. His gaze was serious.

“The Realm of Auditory Hallucination, also known as the Path of Auditory Hallucination, has the remnant thoughts and vibrations left behind from the ancient battlefield. Cultivators with a strong state of mind will not be affected,” Tu Ruoyan said, “However, cultivators who are unstable would be easily seduced and be at risk of being harmed by the residual thoughts.”

“That’s it?” Chen Jingzhai frowned slightly.

“That’s it.” Tu Ruoyan nodded resolutely. “There are risks, but more than that, there are opportunities, especially for cultivators. On the contrary, it is easy for demonic beasts to fall into a state of madness here.”

Chen Jingzhai was doubtful when he heard the explanation. However, he did not feel anything unusual.

Nonetheless, the hallucination earlier felt so real, even the perfume.

Did the voice trace back to the memory?

Chen Jingzhai frowned. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Tu Ruoyan’s arm, pulling her over.

Tu Ruoyan was surprised but did not resist. Instead, she latched onto his neck.

“Did the young master see me in the illusion?” she asked with delight.

“You don’t know?” said Chen Jingzhai as he inhaled the perfume on her body and reached into her black robe.

“How could anyone else know? Eek!” Tu Ruoyan did not expect Chen Jingzhai to reach inside her robe. She let out a small cry in surprise. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in the crook of his neck. Her warm breaths were blowing into his ears.

“Is everyone’s experience different?” Chen Jingzhai asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Mmm!” Tu Ruoyan said softly.

Chen Jingzhai did not speak anymore. After checking with his hands for authenticity, he did not discover any anomaly. After a while, he let Tu Ruoyan down and began to pick up his pace.