Chapter 460 - Someone Lives Deep in the Skull Forest
Explore the latest events in "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" Chapter 460: This is the ancient nest of Yan Xiao, marked on the map as âThe Forest...
This is the ancient nest of Yan Xiao, marked on the map as âThe Forest of Hanging Skullsâ.Those skulls hung silently on the trees, their hollow eye sockets seemingly observing every visitor.
This silence, this hopelessness, had persisted for hundreds of years.
The four of them spread out.
Qing Qishu walked in the front with his shield, his expression more solemn than ever.
From now on, he was to fulfill his responsibility.
Any danger targeting the Dragon Godâs envoy, he as a warrior of the Holy Tribe, had to bear the brunt first.
For Jiang Wang and the others, it was an adventure, a gamble of seeking gains amidst danger.
But for the warriors of the Senhai Holy Clan, it was a struggle against a grim fate.
It was the divide between darkness and light.
Qing Qishu didnât even bring his sword, fearing that his instinctive counterattack might hurt Yan Xiao and thus trigger Yan Xiaoâs revival condition.
Previously in Hidden Snake territory, he had been attacked by Hidden Snake many times, bearing excruciating pain, but nevertheless, he did not retaliate even once.
It was all training for today.
This was the best chance the Holy Tribe had had in a millennium, perhaps also the last, his grandmother had said before he left.
The Hidden Clothes he concealed within his robes had trimmings of the Hidden Snake kingâs skin, second only in quality to the one Jiang Wang had made entirely from the skin of a Hidden Snake king, a small favoritism from the old priest.
The Forest of Hanging Skulls was very quiet, although it was afternoon, it felt as silent as the night.
This quietnessâŚ
reminded Jiang Wang of the dead silence he experienced when he first came to the Forest Sea Source Realm.
Was there any connection between that place and the Forest of Hanging Skulls?
Back then, he also heard the cry of Yan Xiao.
The leaves rustled beneath their feet.
âDonât be impatient,â Jiang Wang reminded.
Su Qi pursed her lips and truly managed to restrain her urge to bolt forward.
Wu Quji walked along, casually pricking the trees they passed with his Golden Needle.
âNo toxins,â he said.
An unusual calm.
The four proceeded cautiously, yet they encountered no attacks on their way.
The terror of the Forest of Hanging Skulls seemed to end with its appearance.
They moved forward, deeper into the skull-laden forest.
The trees around them were like bare, straight poles, but bursting with foliage at the very top.
At the connection between branches and trunks, hung those ghastly human skulls.
Qing Qishuâs gaze swept over those skulls.
He didnât look longer than necessary, didnât dare to.
âIf we fail today, those who may hang from these trees in the future could be me, or my children,â he said.
Jiang Wang examined several skulls carefully but remained silent.
Suddenly, their field of vision opened up.
The dense forest thinned, revealing a clearing.
This should be the central location of the entire Forest of Hanging Skulls.
Unexpectedly, there was a small wooden hut here.
Jiang Wangâs hand was already on the hilt of his sword.
There was a dwelling deep in the skull forest!
The hut was a very ordinary-looking wooden house, nothing special about it.
The main door was open, allowing a direct view inside the hall.
A square wooden table, four stools.
Just like any ordinary commonerâs home.
There were also wooden bowls and chopsticks, dishes made of wood on the table.
As if some family was in the middle of a meal.
Except the bowls and dishes were empty, and there was no one at the table.
Jiang Wangâs gaze stopped outside the house.
Under the eaves of the wooden hut, there hung a swallowâs nest.
A swallow poked its little head out from the nest, looking at them curiously.
That gazeâŚ
Unexpectedly held joy!
Perhaps it was too happy, for it hopped lightly within the nest, allowing everyone to see its full form.
It wasnât as large as the other beasts in the Forest Sea Source Realm, and its body size was quite similar to its kind in the real world, very petite.
It looked just like an ordinary swallow, the only difference being that it had no tail.
The Tailless Swallow!
Su Qiâs dagger was already inverted in her grasp, Jiang Wang silently performed a hand seal, Wu Quji clutched a Golden NeedleâŚ
The Tailless Swallow lowered its head and pecked gently at the edge of the nest.
Suddenly, the world spun around.
Jiang Wang came to his senses, steadied himself with effort, and when he looked up again, the world had changed.
A child-like voice chirped joyfully in his ears, âWelcome to my home as guests!â
The patterns beneath his feet were dense like a grass mat, gone was the solid ground he was used to treading.
Looking up at the sky, the blue expanse was no longer there, replaced by deep brown patterns.
The speaking Tailless Swallow stood before them, now a size that matched any of them, and on its left wing was indeed a torn bloody gash.
At the end of their vision, they could see the ground curling up, its patterns grass-like, as though the earth had been rolled up by some force at its edge.
An epiphany struck Jiang Wangâweâve been sucked into the nest?
âIs this your home?â Su Qi stared intently, âYouâŚ
you have a home?â
He held his daggers in a reverse grip and leapt forward.
There was indeed no need for pleasantries with a monster like Yan Xiao.
Wu Quji casually set several Golden Needles around himself and flicked his fingers, sending a streak of gold flashing rapidly.
The Tailless Swallow, however, only looked at Qing Qishu, its tone cheerful, âIâve already eaten my fill this year, you donât need to come over!â
As it spoke, the golden gleam took shape, weaving into a thread of gold that ensnared the Tailless Swallow.
Su Qi had already leapt close, his daggers stabbing vertically into Yan Xiao.
One dagger pierced its chest, the other found the torn wound and stirred brutally.
The Tailless Swallow seemed stunned for a moment, unable to comprehend why these people were attacking it.
But in the very next moment.
It suddenly opened its mouth and let out a strange screech!
Cold, piercing, it was an alarming sound to hear.
When Yan Xiao cries out, it must feast on a hundred heads.
The innocent, child-like eyes turned fierce and violent.
The golden threads around its body instantly shattered!
Su Qi, swift as shadow, abandoned his daggers and retreated, in the blink of an eye, he was far away.
But Yan Xiao only needed to flap its wings to close in, and it aimed a peck.
Thud!
A sturdy wooden shield intercepted the Swallowâs beak.
It was Qing Qishu arriving just in time, blocking the attack with his Qing Wood Shield.
Before anyone could even sigh in relief.
From the point where the Qing Wood Shield met the beak, blackness spread rapidly.
The color of the wood faded, the shield withered away.
That shield had withstood countless assaults in the land of the Hidden Snake, never once damaged.
During past hunts, it had saved Qing Qishuâs life uncountable times, never letting him down.
Yet what was truly frighteningâ
was that with just one peck from Yan Xiao, this treasure blessed by the Dragon God lost its vitality in an instant!
The green wood became decayed, collapsing upon touch.
In Qing Qishuâs hands, the shield was no more.
His greatest reliance had not lasted even a moment.
Yan Xiao charged straight in.
Cling~
The tip of the Lovesickness Sword clashed with Yan Xiaoâs beak.
Jiang Wangâs sword thrust shot forward like a meteor chasing the moon, intercepting the peck.
He had already witnessed the horror of Yan Xiaoâs beak.
Although he was confident in the quality of the celebrated Lovesickness, he feared for the swordâs integrity, so he extravagantly wrapped a layer of Path Origin around the swordâs tip.
Precisely because of this, he felt a cold force rapidly corroding the Path Origin.
Jiang Wangâs mastery over Path Origin was already exceedingly precise, yet the vivid and unsettling process of its collapse took him by surprise!
What kind of power was this?
At this moment, as the three of them tangled with Yan Xiao, Wugoujiâs golden threads had been shattered.
He was trembling his ten fingers violently, firing golden needles rapidly.
However, each needle was aimed not at Yan Xiao, but at the ground surrounding them.
Meanwhile, Su Qi relied on his agility to somersault in mid-air and landed on Yan Xiaoâs back.
Clasping his hammers, he aimed a blow directly at the back of Yan Xiaoâs head.
Yan Xiao spread its right wing.
Su Qiâs hammer strike met with nothing but air.
Yan Xiao was already hovering behind him, its head lowered to strike!
Splat!
Blood sprayed.
A hand was thrust in front of the Swallowâs beak.
It was Qing Qishuâs hand!
He had kept his promise.
Even without the Qing Wood Shield, he had still blocked an attack for the envoys of the Dragon God!