Chapter 419
Chapter 419 Spider Forest
The forest around Plaguewood appeared to be unnaturally quiet under the faint light of the stars.
There were no signs of large carnivores. Even the chirping of birds and the calls of cicadas had vanished. The entire Black Forest was like a graveyard, so deathly silent it was eerie.
The hill upon which Plaguewood stood had disappeared. The large crater from the collapsed ground had swallowed the hundreds of tons of dirt and trees. This place was no more than a messy pile of rocks now.
A strange scratching sound was coming out from a corner of this pile of rubble. The noise was as soft as a mole digging through the ground at first. However, it gradually became louder and louder.
Boom.
There was a massive explosion as a strange magical creature with a short neck and tail emerged from underground. It was a peculiar beast that looked like both a dragon and a griffin. It had a muscular body, immense strength, and sharp teeth and claws. However, despite its apparent power, it had some horrifying wounds on its tough gray hide.
Greem leaped off the manticore and took a good look at this menacing forest before him.
Compared to the Black Forest, this place should have been called the ‘White Forest.’
Towering, ancient trees filled this mountain valley that Tula had picked for his home. However, one couldn’t see the green canopy, the undergrowth, or the vines and bushes. All of these had been replaced with one thing- haunting white webs.
They covered the canopy, were between the branches, between the trees…
White and sticky webs were everywhere. There were small white cocoons littered here and there as well.
These cocoons hung between the branches. Some hid in the hollows of trees, and others hung on either side of the path. They swayed in midair as the night breeze blew past.
Greem could sense weak life auras from within some of the white cocoons. Most others already had all the liquid extracted from their bodies. Only mummies remained in those cocoons.
Strangely enough, Greem and Unguja didn’t find any spiders, even after walking for several hundred of meters!
Did they all die in the sea of lava?
Greem immediately dismissed the idea the moment it crossed his mind.
Tula was a sly magical creature lord. There was no way he would ever commit to such a resolute act of war. There had to be enough spider subordinates to defend his home hidden in this den. Tula had most likely run back home to treat his wound right after he escaped.
If Greem wasn’t mistaken, abducting the medusa was probably part of Tula’s plan to hasten his recovery. The only thing Greem wasn’t sure about was how Tula was going to consume the medusa. Would he eat her alive? Steam her, or even fry her?
Greem couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity when he thought of the medusa’s pretty face and slender body. Eating a ‘beauty’ like that was such a waste!
Blue light flashed in Greem’s eyes as he slowly scanned the spider forest before him. A solemn expression quickly overtook his face.
His elementium sight was picking up slight flows of energy in the webs every time he scanned them. Warnings continually popped up in his mind.
“Warning. Warning. Detecting unknown defensive forcefield. Said forcefield can absorb Spirit and obscure spiritual senses.”
Hmm? A spiderweb that could obstruct spiritual senses?
Greem promptly walked towards a tall tree. He extended a hand and grabbed the thick cobwebs that enveloped and covered the branches. He pulled and tore at the webs.
It was sticky, tough, and had a trace of numbness to it. A numbness that could paralyze a person’s spirit.
If Greem were an ordinary animal, all his spirit would have been quickly drained away from him when he bumped into a web like this. He would then find himself in one of the many cocoons.
Greem used all his strength, yet even his three points of Strength couldn’t rip this ordinary-looking web. It was important to note how much three points was. A grown black bear in the Black Forest had no more than three points of Strength. Three points of Strength would allow Greem to become a human monster in these woods. He wouldn’t need to use any magic. His bare hands would let him defeat most carnivores.
Of course, that was not taking into consideration magical beasts like Earth Maulers and Iron Rhinoceroses!
Greem snapped his finger, and his right hand that gripped the web quickly burned with fire. The elastic webbing immediately sizzled and vanished under the application of magic.
It seemed fire was the weakness of these webs!
Greem put his blazing palms forward, and the layers of webs on the tree melted like snow splashed with boiling water.
Soon, the black and wrinkled bark of the tree was revealed.
Greem punched ahead without any hesitation. His flaming iron fists instantly smashed the bark and went right into the tree.
The tree was hollow!
When Greem pulled out his fist from the tree, purple and black blood oozed out from within the hole. Countless spiderites surged outwards. Greem could see the pile of bones and fur left in the hollow of the tree.
His discovery seemed to have triggered the entire spider forest. Those mummies that were hanging in between the branches suddenly started moving strangely. They started tearing away the webs on their bodies with dull and stiff motions.
Yet the moment they broke free of their constraints, they were able to leap along the tall trees with the agility of leopards. They howled as they lunged at Greem and the three-headed demon hound.
The entire spider forest erupted into a riot!