The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 174

When Han Ning's gaze fell upon the silhouette of the giant tree demon, and the distinctive dark red vines covering its body, he couldn't help but blurt out:

"An Ironthorn Tree Spirit?!"

That said, considering the Ironthorn Tree Spirit's limited mobility, he hadn't visited it for some time, but now he had no choice but to go and pay a visit to this friend.

Han Ning did not alert anyone.

After leaving the snow cakes in the settlement as guards, he walked out of the cave alone.

With a slight thought, his body began to twist and swell.

In the blink of an eye, a giant osprey with a wingspan of over 4 meters, its entire body covered in deep night-blue feathers and adorned with dazzling starlight, appeared on the spot.

With a flap of its wings, the Starry Osprey stirred up a powerful gust of air, its body soaring upwards, transforming into a streak of light that pierced the sky.

The wind high above was icy cold, and below lay a desolate scene of floods and jagged mountains.

Han Ning maintained his altitude, his starry vision fully open, his eyes piercing through the thin clouds and pervasive moisture as he observed his surroundings.

The journey of about thirty kilometers passed in a flash.

Han Ning's bird-like eyes darted around, instantly locking onto the rugged black rock canyon in the image.

Above the canyon, dense clusters of large red trees grow.

As the distance closes, the outline of the canyon gradually becomes clear in the field of vision.

However, before he could descend, he could vaguely hear the sounds of fighting.

Han Ning's heart tightened, and he immediately folded his wings, silently landing on a large red tree, looking in the direction from which the sound came.

Deep in the canyon lies a relatively open, rocky beach.

There were about thirty or forty humans, who were forming several combat teams and launching a fierce attack on more than a dozen huge ironthorn tree demons.

These humans were equipped similarly to the members of the Rock Gathering he had seen before, all wearing light metal armor, but the style seemed more uniform and sophisticated.

A burly man wielding a shield inlaid with iron plates stood at the forefront, blocking the tree demon's dark red thorny tentacles covered with sharp barbs.

Some Awakened Ones skilled in melee combat attacked from both sides.

Behind them, seven or eight ranged Awakeners continuously attacked the tree spirit's weak points with poisoned arrows or abilities that shimmered with energy.

The besieged Ironthorn Tree Spirits were all three or four meters tall, their tough, dark red bark covering their entire bodies, and their thick branches swayed and roared with immense power.

The tendrils-like thorny branches are exceptionally flexible, pricking or entwining, forcing humans to be constantly vigilant.

Moreover, they have extremely strong defenses; ordinary knife and axe cuts can only leave white marks on the bark, and only attacks imbued with energy can cause effective damage.

The fighting was extremely fierce.

Humans, through sheer numbers, equipment, and teamwork, continuously shrink the treants' territory.

The tree spirits were individually powerful, their attacks were heavy and powerful, and their thorny tentacles appeared and disappeared unpredictably, forcing the human formation to remain vigilant in the slightest.

In the center of the battlefield, several mangled human corpses and severed thick thorn branches lay scattered on the ground, the mud and water stained dark red.

Both sides clearly paid a price, and for a time they were locked in a stalemate, with neither able to quickly gain the upper hand.

Han Ning's gaze swept quickly across the battlefield, his brows furrowed.

He did not find his friend among these tree spirits.

However, the tree spirit he knew was incredibly powerful; if it were here, it could probably wipe out this group of people instantly.

Unable to find any familiar friends, Han Ning decisively abandoned his plan to observe from this location.

He remembered that there was a mangrove forest area above the canyon, composed of tall ironthorn trees.

He nimbly weaved through the dense branches and leaves of the ironthorn bushes, hugging the mountain walls and tree canopies, avoiding the noisy battlefield below, and flew towards the top of the canyon.

The higher you go, the less impact the flood has, and the rugged black rock walls become increasingly steep.

Soon, a small but dense dark red forest came into view.

The ironwood trees here are generally taller and thicker, and their age is obviously older than that of the trees on the outer perimeter.

The dark red canopies overlapped and intertwined, forming a repressive and mysterious kingdom of trees.

As soon as Han Ning landed on one of the thickest ancient trees, whose bark was almost dark brown, rustling sounds immediately filled the air.

"Shashasha~"

The smaller ironthorn tree spirits nearby immediately noticed the uninvited guest.

Although they do not have eyes in the true sense, their senses are exceptionally sharp.

Almost the instant Han Ning landed, several thorny tentacles covered with sharp barbs came hurtling through the air from different directions with a sharp whistling sound.

Its speed and angle were so sharp that it completely blocked any space for him to dodge.

Han Ning was about to spread his wings to dodge or forcefully block.

at this time.

"Shh!!"

A powerful spiritual wave swept across the entire arena.

The thorny tentacles that were attacking Han Ning stopped abruptly in mid-air, then slowly retracted.

Han Ning looked towards the source of the mental fluctuations.

Rumble rumble~

Heavy footsteps were heard.

At the same time, he also sensed a familiar presence.

Its body is nearly 6 meters tall, covered with iron thorns that resemble red steel, giving it an imposing presence.

It was the leader of the Ironthorn Tree Demons that he had met before.

The Ironthorn Tree Spirit watched Han Ning's transformed Starry Owl with its burning emerald green eyes, and with a few rustling sounds, it extended a slender vine.

Han Ning understood and gently touched the vine with its paw.

"We meet again, my friend," Han Ning said with a smile, transforming into human form.

"Shuffle~"

The Ironthorn Tree Spirit crouched down and sat in front of Han Ning, stretching out a hand larger than a small car, made of intertwined branches.

Han Ning jumped onto the big hand.

The tree spirits around them also sat down, forming a circle.

A pair of green, fiery eyes stared intently at Han Ning.

Chapter 198 Trading

"Friend, I just arrived at the outer edge of the canyon and saw humans attacking your kind. What's going on?" Han Ning asked in confusion.

The Ironthorn Tree Spirit leaned slightly forward, its heavy branches scraping against the rocky ground with a low thud.

It had no vocal organs, but its mental fluctuations carried a hint of anger: "Humans are greedy invaders. They have occupied the warm cave below, the place where lizard dragons have lived for generations."

"The lizard dragon is our partner." The Ironthorn Treant's mental fluctuations transmitted through the air.

"They dwell in the warm caves of the canyon, while we take root here, sharing the water source. They are one of the guardians of this canyon... Humans came, wanting to take over the lizard dragons' home, and even more so, their scales, claws, and strength. They attacked and killed the lizard dragons, and many lizard dragons fell."

“We accepted them.”

“Here, the lizards are with us, but… the humans won’t give up.”

At this moment, the Ironthorn Tree Spirit's green flame-like gaze locked onto Han Ning, and it asked with a hint of wariness:

"Those humans, are they your companions? Are you here to help them?"

Han Ning quickly shook his head and explained:

“No, my friend, you must know that humanity is not a whole. Just like there are different tribes in the forest, we… well, we are like people from different ‘nests,’ with different goals, and even enemies of each other.”

“The group that attacked you is not one of my people. My settlement is further east, and I have no connection with them.”

The tree spirit leader stared at him silently, as if trying to discern the truth or falsehood of his words.

After a moment, its branches swayed gently: "I believe in you. You possess a great natural will, and you will not attack us."

"So, my friend, what is the purpose of your visit here? As a guest?"

"I do have something very important that I need your help with."

Han Ning paused, glancing at the menacing tree spirits around him, carefully choosing his words.

“Uh… I desperately need some… lizard blood essence, it’s crucial for my companion.”

The spiritual message of "Lizard Dragon Essence Blood" has been sent out, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

"Rustling!"

The surrounding tree spirits immediately became restless.

The branches and leaves above their heads kept shaking.

The thick, dark red branches trembled violently, taut in the air, pointing directly at Han Ning, who stood on the palm of the tree demon leader.

These tree spirits had just survived the brutal hunting of lizard dragons by humans.

At this moment, Han Ning, a human, actually asked for the blood of their only remaining companion.

This is blatant provocation.

If their leader hadn't been there, they probably would have launched a fierce attack on Han Ning immediately.

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze, leaving only the low murmur of thorns rubbing together.

Han Ning remained expressionless, quietly watching his Ironthorn Tree Spirit friend above.

"dart out!"

The Ironthorn Tree Spirit took a step forward and stomped heavily on the rock.

The thickest vines wrapped around its trunk rose up and lashed out at the tree demons closest to Han Ning.

"Crack! Crack!"