The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 169

Han Ning distributed four of the seeds to four bees and kept two for himself.

The rest of the fragments were all handed over to Chairman Wu and his team.

"Start absorbing now, I'll protect you," Han Ning said to everyone.

Each team member picked up a crystal fragment of varying size and sat down in an area away from the floodwaters.

"Shh~"

Little Eight and the three bees were very excited, and each of them held a crystal and hid it in their thick fur.

They are not human and cannot directly absorb the energy within the crystal.

The deep green energy flowed into the body through the contact point.

Vice President Zhao felt that his physical strength not only recovered quickly, but also became more concentrated and powerful.

Physical strength has significantly increased, and the muscles beneath the skin contain explosive power.

Xu Ming felt a surge of heat coursing through his limbs and bones, his muscles, bones, and fascia emitting a faint hum, and a sense of power that was more abundant than ever before, as if something inside him was awakening.

His head was rapidly turning white, gleaming with a jade-like luster.

Yu Na's pale face quickly regained its rosy hue, and her depleted mental energy was like a dry riverbed receiving sweet rain. Not only did it recover completely, but her perception range and mental strength also increased significantly.

After absorbing the crystal, everyone's abilities were enhanced to some extent.

...

The area that has changed the most is Gangwon.

The crystalline energy he absorbed quickly merged with the newly formed tree-like power within his body. On his exposed skin, the bark-like keratin layer hardened, and strange patterns appeared on his vine-like arms.

Just as everyone was resting, Lan Jing, who had been scouting in the nearby forest, suddenly returned, buzzing and emitting a mental fluctuation.

"What did you discover?" Han Ning, who was preparing to absorb energy, looked at Lan Jing.

"Buzz~ Buzz~"

"You mean... are there any creatures with the aura of the Black Tide ahead?"

"Buzz!"

Lan Jing agreed and asked if she could go over and take a look.

"Let's go together," Han Ning said after thinking for a moment.

In this situation, it's better to join a tour group.

After a short rest, the team immediately changed direction and followed Lan Jing, wading through the puddles.

The further into the forest you go, the more difficult the path becomes. The forest floor, eroded by the Kuroshio Current, is covered with rotten silt and gnarled, dark purple roots.

Lan Jing stopped not far from where she detected the biological aura, about 500 meters from their resting place.

Among dozens of twisted, dark purple trees, there appeared an exceptionally thick but decaying, dark yellow tree.

A faint sense of life emanates from the tree trunks.

Han Ning, sensing the vibrant atmosphere, curiously walked over.

Pushing aside the rotten branches and leaves, I crawled into a cramped tree hole.

A baby-sized, emerald-green tree-man was curled up, surrounded by several still-emerald-green branches, as if they were protecting it.

The little tree's left side is a vibrant emerald green, with clearly defined veins in its leaves, exuding a pure, natural aura.

The right side of his body, however, was blackish-green, like a festering sore. The skin was dry and cracked, and several cracks were oozing a thick black liquid, emanating a putrid odor.

The emerald green light struggled against the erosion of the black tide's aura.

Its leaves drooped listlessly, curled up there, motionless, barely breathing.

Chapter 191 The Incomplete Fountain of Life

"Coo coo~ Coo coo coo!"

"Shh~"

Led by Xiao Ba, several bees kept shaking their legs and buzzing at Han Ning.

"You want me to save it?" Han Ning asked, sensing the bees' mental signals.

"Goo!"

Xiao Ba said that this is a Cuiwei tree spirit, a very kind tree-person race. It is skilled in farming and can also manipulate life energy. If you save it, it may be able to help you in some way.

"Is that so? Then I'll give it a try."

Han Ning nodded, his fingertips shimmering with emerald light, as the power of nature's blessing flowed continuously into the rotten, dark green part of the little tree-man's right side.

The emerald green halo clashed fiercely with the putrid black liquid, hissing and steaming up foul-smelling black smoke.

The little tree-man's body trembled slightly, and the festering wound on its right side visibly contracted, forcibly peeling away the black tide pollution to reveal the newly grown tender green skin underneath.

However, even after the last trace of filth was cleansed, the little tree-man's body remained yellowish and listless.

The leaves drooped listlessly, their life force like a flickering candle in the wind, slowly fading away, irreversibly weakening.

"I've done my best." Seeing that the little tree showed no signs of waking up, Han Ning sighed.

"Gululu!"

Xiao Ba anxiously circled around Han Ning, its chubby body bumping into his arm. Its compound eyes looked anxiously at the little tree man's withered roots, then pointed to the soil below.

"Its body has suffered irreversible damage, unless it is nourished by the Fountain of Life for a long time..." Han Ning translated Xiao Ba's meaning.

"so what should I do now?"

"Gu..."

The voice just fell.

Rumble!

The water outside rippled violently.

The ground trembled slightly.

It sounded as if a heavy drum was being beaten in the distance.

Then came the second, the third... The dull thuds grew louder as they approached, as if countless enormous creatures were moving through the forest.

An aura far more terrifying and violent than the previous tree demon aggregate surged forth from the depths of the Black Mist Forest.

A shiver, which I hadn't felt in a long time, spread from my tailbone throughout my body.

Han Ning felt a tightness in his scalp, as if a great disaster was about to befall him.

"Not good, they are at least at the Black Iron level." Han Ning's expression changed slightly, the scale of those auras far exceeded that of the previous tree demon.

"Coo!" "Buzz~" The bees bristled with short hairs all over their bodies, watching the distant forest with tense expressions.

Xiao Ba kept tugging at Han Ning's sleeve, trying to drag him out of the forest.

"Withdraw! Withdraw immediately!" Han Ning ordered decisively.

Time was of the essence. Han Ning glanced at the dying little tree spirit, gritted his teeth, and plunged his claws into the mud beneath it.

Large clumps of soil were turned over.

Beneath the soil layer, several pigeon-egg-sized, deep green crystals with a restrained luster appeared, arranged in a broken arc.

In the center of that arc, there was a small pool, no bigger than the palm of your hand, thick as honey, radiating an indescribable pure, life-giving emerald green liquid.

That rich life force is so strong that just one sniff is enough to make you feel completely refreshed.

"Coo!!" Little Eight was so excited that all the short feathers on its body stood up even more, and its wings kept flapping and cooing.

"This is the Fountain of Life?" Han Ning's expression shifted.

"Goo!"

boom! boom! boom!

The heavy footsteps drew closer, carrying an overwhelming force. The ground trembled more violently, and the black mist churned wildly, as if some terrifying being was being drawn by the aura of the spring of life.

"Take them all away."

Without the slightest hesitation, Han Ning lashed out his vines, forming a huge shovel bucket that scooped up the little tree-man along with the entire clump of soil beneath it, which was covered with crystals and emerald pools of water.

The soil, roots, and spring water were forcibly bound together as a whole by the vines, held beneath the claws.

"Go!" He flapped his wings and flew forward.

Outside, Chairman Wu and the others were already pale-faced and ready to retreat.

Vice President Zhao held his giant axe, steam rising faintly from it. Lin Qianqian drew her bowstring taut, pointing the arrow into the depths of the black mist. Cheng Rui, A Long, and the others stood back to back, nervously watching the direction of the epicenter.

Everyone was astonished to see Han Ning dragging out that huge "lump of earth," but no one asked any further questions.

Xiao Ba and three other bees formed a defensive formation around Han Ning.

"Follow."

Han Ning let out a low shout, unleashed his power, and sped towards the outer edge of the Black Mist Forest.

He deliberately avoided the areas with the most intense tremors and chose directions with relatively sparse vegetation.

The team members followed closely behind, running with all their might.

"Whoa!"

Heavy footsteps and terrifying roars followed closely behind, creating an oppressive atmosphere that was almost suffocating.

Fortunately, the massive beings that were attracted here did not seem to be very intelligent, and the complex terrain of the Black Mist Forest, with its tangled roots and vines, greatly hindered their movement.

With all their might, they finally broke through the edge of the churning black mist before those terrifying auras could encircle them.

When the floodwaters rose above their ankles again, looking back, all that could be seen were several silhouettes, larger than giant trees, frantically crashing and tearing at the surrounding rotting trees in the churning black mist, emitting unwilling roars, but ultimately failing to escape the range of the black mist.

Everyone was panting heavily, still shaken.

Han Ning carefully placed the clump of soil containing the little tree man and the spring of life onto a relatively dry rock.

The emerald green spring water gathered together without leaking, rippling through the soil and exuding a refreshing and invigorating life force.