Rise of Humanity
chapter-279

Zhong Yue, Qiu Jin'er, and the others' scalps tingled, cold sweat rushed out of their foreheads. It was too peculiar; they couldn't even discern the nature of these lanterns – were they animals, plants or inanimate objects?

Whatever they were, one thing that was certain was that they were extremely dangerous!

Some of the Martial Masters and Qi Practitioners were in no way weaker than Ao Shanshan or Zhu Jushan, but they were all indiscriminately eaten by the lanterns even if Zhong Yue and the others were in their place, they wouldn't be able to survive either!

Zhu Jushan let out a ferocious war cry, he turned into a two hundred feet tall giant, breathing hot steam out from his nostrils as he looked at the red lanterns in mid-air. Despite his imposing appearance, his voice trembled in fear, "Sister from the Ao family, didn't you say the Divine Jungle isn't dangerous at all?"

"I want this big-sized head!" One of the red lanterns shouted merrily, it opened the lantern and threw out a head, pouncing down happily at Zhu Jushan.

The other lanterns heard it and also pounced down right after it; Ao Shanshan's hairs bristled up, and she also cast out her [Atman Body as One] state. She clasped her soul weapon tightly in her hands and braced herself for the impact. She replied to him in exasperation, "How would I know? I've never been here before either!"

“【Sword Seeding Art】!”

Qiu Jin'er murmured, she slammed her palm on the wooden wheelchair and immediately, the earth beneath them quaked vigorously. A little green sapling extruded out from the ground; in an instant, it grew into a sturdy vine whose body was as thick as a dragon's. The vines curled around the trees surrounding them as it formed a huge impregnable dome, enclosing them at its center!

Her【Sword Seeding Art】was a sword art contained in the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】, it could be used as both offensive and defensive measures; when the inexhaustible Wood Sword Qi formed into a sword dome, it would possess incredible defensive capabilities.

Bang bang bang——

The sounds of impact could be heard incessantly as the red lanterns crashed onto the sword dome, Qiu Jin'er could sense countless Wood Sword Qi being destroyed away as their roots clashed with the Wood Sword Qi and fought against it.

Not only that, but the red lanterns were gnawing at the Wood Sword Qi, devouring the sword dome away piece by piece.

Thousands of red lanterns attacking at the sword dome at the same time, even the sword totem patterns of the【Great Boundless Sword Qi】were unable to withstand their attacks. Even if the vine were growing incessantly, the damage being inflicted on it far exceeded the rate at which it was able to recuperate. It wouldn't be long before her defense completely broke down!

“Senior martial brother!” Qiu Jin’er shouted.

With a thought, countless blazing red Sword Qi shot out in all domains, thin like silks, the Sword Qi didn't blast out of the vine-formed dome, but instead, they pierced into the huge vines.

Chi chi chi——

Hundreds of Sword Qi waltzed in the air. They were like the pens drawing marvelous works of art, meticulously engraving the totem patterns on the surface of the vines.

These totem patterns crisscrossed over one another and merged together – it was utterly abstruse! Zhu Jushan looked anxiously at the shuddering sword dome, not knowing what Zhong Yue was doing.

“Senior Martial Brother Zhong, what are you … En? The Kui Long totem patterns!?”

Zhu Jushan was shocked and exclaimed out involuntarily, “This is … the Kui Long Celestial Race’s totem patterns?”

The totem patterns were formed as Zhong Yue’s Sword Qi engraved them out, Zhu Jushan immediately recognized the totem patterns as the supreme totem patterns of the Kui Long Celestial Race which were highly regarded and were kept away from the others, he had only seen it on the bodies of the Kui Long Celestial Race!

That was when Zhu Jushan followed the elder of the Zhu Jian Celestial Race to pay a visit to the Kui Long Celestial Temple. The chief of the two races had fought a round of battle, and that was when Zhu Jushan caught a glimpse at the totem patterns on the Kui Long Celestial Race chief's body, they were very similar to the ones Zhong Yue was carving on the vines!

Other than the Kui Long totem patterns, there were some other totem patterns like the Great Sun Golden Crow totem patterns, connecting together with the Kui Long totem patterns.

“It’s an array formation!”

Ao Shanshan was also shocked, the Great Sun Golden Crow totem patterns and the Kui Long totem patterns were connected and intertwined together; meanwhile, another kind of totem pattern emerged by itself on the vines as if they were present the whole time. These totem patterns would be the ones that Qiu Jin'er had placed down.

The newly emerged totem patterns featured a human-faced bird-bodied celestial being who stood on two dragons — it was the Gou Mang! One of the abstruse aspects of her spirit that Qiu Jin'er came to understand – it then turned it into the form of totem patterns.

The three types of totem patterns connected together and intertwined with one another. They quickly carved out an array formation on the vines, and the array formation was nearly completed.

Suddenly, Zhong Yue kept the Sword Qi and said solemnly, “Junior martial sister, the Trio Saga Array!”

Huuu——

Qiu Jin'er nodded right away and all of a sudden, the sword dome ignited itself. It was completely engulfed in the blazing fire while a thousand feet three-taloned Golden Crow emerged from within. The Golden Crow spread its wings out and soared; then, a cow-like loud roar trembled the air, a thousand feet tall Kui Long stood in the blazing on one leg, and the Gou Mang celestial being soon followed its emergence!

Two beasts and one celestial being, the trio saga emerged from the array formation and pushed away the human head lanterns, making the sword dome a kill zone for the peculiar lanterns!

"Trio Saga Array?" Ao Shanshan lifted her head and looked over, thousands of red lanterns were pouncing down, but they were all blasted away. They failed to leave even a single impression on the array formation.

This Trio Saga Array was shockingly abstruse; during their past two months of traveling, Qiu Jin'er and Zhong Yue had spent all their time together. The duo studied the totem patterns on the Kui Long's cowhide, trying to attain more insights on the Immortal Body; although they had yet to deduce the ways to cultivate the Immortal Body from the Kui Long's cowhide, they were eventually able to come out with an array formation – the Trio Saga Array.

The Trio Saga Array required two people to cast out the three sagas — Golden Crow, Gou Mang, and Kui Long; the inexhaustible wood kindled the blazing fire, while the Kui Long's undying nature enhanced the defense.

This was the first time they have cast out the Trio Saga Array since its inception.

The Trio Saga Array unleashed its power, every moment there would be lanterns getting taken down; rays flashed across Zhong Yue’s eyes, suddenly, he reached his hand out of the array formation and pulled a red lantern back to him.

As soon as the lantern was pulled back, its roots tightly curled around Zhong Yue, and it gnawed down at his head!

Zhu Jushan and Ao Shanshan were shocked, they quickly rushed over to the rescue, clenching on the roots and pulled them away!

Zhu Jushan morphed his fingers into five dragons that were strong and sturdy like real dragons. His finger dragons then bit on the lantern; while at the same time, he cast out his Yin Yang Sword Qi and slashed down right at the lantern's roots!

In terms of sheer strength, Zhu Jushan was stronger than Zhong Yue, with him pulling at the roots, the lantern failed to bite at Zhong Yue and had only managed to gnaw at the air.

"I don't want this small head. I like the big and round ones!"

The lantern suddenly kept its roots from Zhong Yue and struck at Zhu Jushan instead, curling around at Zhu Jushan tightly and opened its mouth widely, even bigger than Zhu Jushan’s head!

Zhu Jushan was shocked, half of his head was in the lantern's mouth, and he lamented in his heart, I’m dead for sure…. All of a sudden, a surge of godly aura burst out as a golden sword was held against the roots!

"If you dare to eat him, I'll slice you into half!" Zhong Yue held the Golden Peng Sword and threatened with a cold face.

The human head lantern felt the godly aura and froze abruptly.

Half of Zhu Jushan's head was in the lantern's mouth, his face was completely pale white, and he shouted, "Senior Martial Brother Zhong, why do you even threaten a lantern? Just slice it off already!"

"If you dare to slice me, then I'll eat him!" The lantern refuted, there was a ring on the top of the lantern that wobbled as it spoke.

Zhong Yue reached out his hand and held onto the ring. Immediately, the lantern's roots softened like an inflated balloon. It shouted, "Let go of my head …. Ey, this is so comfortable….”

Zhu Jushan quickly freed himself from the lantern's mouth. He turned around and saw the lantern settling down like an obedient puppy. Its roots would lift up and scratch on itself from time to time.

A shadow flashed across his eyes, and he raised the Yin Yang Sword Qi, just when he was about to slash on the lantern, Zhong Yue lifted a hand to stop him, and he said solemnly, "Brother Zhu, stop. We'll keep it and let it lead the way."

“Lead the way?”

Zhu Jushan kept the Sword Qi and glanced around. The other human-headed lanterns were still gathering around the sword dome, pouncing incessantly at the Trio Saga Array. They slowly but steadily eroded off the energy in the array formation. Zhu Jushan said frantically in worry, "We are now trapped, how do we get out?"

Zhong Yue's eyes flashed, and he said, "This Trio Saga Array can't last for long. Please, may Brother Zhu and Senior Martial Sister Ao drill a tunnel underground so that we can escape?"

Ao Shanshan nodded, she surged her psyche out and formed a huge dragon with it. It opened its mouth wide and held Zhong Yue, Qiu Jin'er, and herself within it. Ao Shanshan then said, "Senior Martial Brother Zhu, the Divine Jungles's earth crust is incredibly hard, my earth style skills can't penetrate through at all. You Zhu Jian Celestial Race is proficient in the earth style techniques, the best in the whole West Barren, you'll lead the way!"

Zhu Jushan was proud, and he smirked, "In terms of earth style techniques, only the monster race's Qiu Qingshan can compete against us of the Zhu Jian Celestial Race!"

He burrowed into the ground and drilled a huge hole, opening a tunnel in the underground while Ao Shanshan controlled the huge dragon and followed behind. The Divine Forest’s earth crust was incredibly hard, even when Zhu Jushan was proficient in the earth style techniques, he was still exhausted after drilling for a few miles and couldn’t continue anymore; left with no choice, he drilled up and surfaced from the ground.

Ao Shanshan dispersed the huge dragon, and they bolted away. As there were more and more Qi Practitioners entering the Divine Forest, the other lanterns were alerted and swarmed over the whole Divine Forest to prey on their heads.

They had just escaped from death, and the last thing they would want was to plunge into another adversity. They scanned their surroundings cautiously and realized that they were only half a mile away from the spot where the Qi Practitioner found the treasure.

With a thought, Zhong Yue visualized a Jiao Dragon and placed the human-headed lantern in the dragon's mouth.

The lantern’s weakness was the ring on its top, it would calm down as long as the ring was held onto.

Zhong Yue heaved a breath of relief and said, "These lanterns should be the ordinary lanterns in the Imperial Palace. But due to the long passage of time, the magical energy in the palace seeped and gave them basic life. They then started roaming around to feast on heads; but as long as they are held up, they will calm down."

"Senior Martial Brother Zhong, what use does this lantern have?"

Zhu Jushan was puzzled, he said, "We might as well just crush it!" The lantern in the dragon mouth was shocked, it quickly said, "Don't kill me! We are called the Propitious Lanterns, we have the ability to bring about luck, and we also know the locations of the treasures in this Divine Forest! There is one treasure, just right in front of you, as long as you don't kill me, I'll bring you there!"

A thought flashed across Zhong Yue's mind, and he said smilingly, "There's a danger surrounding this treasure, just before this when we were in the sky, we saw a Qi Practitioner exploding like a firecracker. So then, what danger is there around the treasure? And what is this treasure?"