After the mind-reading cripple junior sister, the entire sect rose to prominence.

Chapter 296 Strange Fruit
Seeing that the thing wasn't moving and was really just a vine, the four of them visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

It immediately turned into excitement.

"This tree is so special. I've never heard of it or seen it before. This is the first time I've seen it in this secret realm. It must be something valuable!" a female cultivator said excitedly.

"This fruit seems to be no ordinary thing; it looks so appealing." The male cultivator looked up at the fruit. "I wonder what its effects are."

“Let’s just pick some. We can sell one or two after we leave the secret realm, and then we’ll know what it’s used for,” suggested a female cultivator in red. “Until we know its function, we shouldn’t eat it lightly.”

This is what Chen Lan taught them.

If you encounter something completely unfamiliar in a secret realm, don't put it in your mouth. Otherwise, if you get poisoned, there will be no cure.

If you want to be even more careful, you should wrap your hands in a cloth or similar material before picking the fruit to prevent direct skin contact and potential poisoning.

"Sure, shall we give it a try?"

"Don't rush, let me knock off another fruit and see how it is. It seems a bit long..."

The only male cultivator stopped his companion, then threw another leaf, accurately severing the fruit stem, and the small pink fruit fell straight to the ground.

It rolled on the ground and rolled right up to the four of them.

"Oh, what a coincidence! It just rolled here. Let me see..." The female cultivator in red laughed and bent down to pick it up.

The instant her skin touched the fruit, her fingers felt a warmth and smoothness, as if she were touching not a fruit, but a child's rosy cheek.

This was so bizarre that the female cultivator instinctively withdrew her finger, her expression changing. "Something's not right..."

"Watch out!" the other three exclaimed.

Because right after she touched the fruit, it actually moved.

It wasn't a rolling movement, but rather a movement as if something was inside; something inside the fruit peel bulged out, like...

That thing was also trying to touch the female cultivator's hand!

This scene was so terrifying that the three people who saw it immediately felt their hair stand on end and broke out in a cold sweat!

But the changes came later.

When one fruit is "startled," all the fruits on the tree begin to shake, swaying joyfully and excitedly from side to side among the branches.

The forest rustled, the sound growing louder and louder, as if a sudden gust of wind had risen.

The wind is moving, the trees are moving, the fruit is moving, and the vines hanging from the trees are moving as well.

At first, no one noticed anything unusual about the vine, because when the whole tree was shaking, its movement seemed perfectly normal.

until……

"Quick, look..."

The female cultivator's teeth chattered as she spoke. She pointed with her slender finger at the severed vine on the ground, her eyes filled with terror.

The other three looked over and gasped in shock.

The half-vine was moving, moving on its own without any wind. It seemed to be swimming on the ground. At first, it was a little stiff, but slowly it became flexible.

It regrown another half from its broken end, and once it was whole again, it swam toward the four of them. Suddenly, a tongue emerged from the thicker end, hissing as it approached them.

It really was a snake!
Not only that, but all the vines on the tree were moving nimbly. They detached from the treetops, shot to the ground one by one, and then all swam towards the four people.

"what--"

The four men turned pale with fright and hurriedly turned to run away.

But humans are inherently slower than snakes, and besides, they spent too much time in a daze. It's too late for them to run now!
They realized this and had to stop. "Stop running, fight!"

The female cultivator in red spoke with tears in her eyes.

These tears weren't under her control; they were entirely caused by the terrifying scene she had just witnessed.

Her limbs were still a little weak, but when she thought about the consequences of not resisting, she suddenly felt an immense strength.

We'll just have to fight it out!

The four stood back to back, with the male cultivator with the highest cultivation level holding a sword to defend, while the other three frantically took things out of their Qiankun bags.

They took out any offensive talismans without hesitation and threw them out. With a series of bangs, several snakes were hit and turned into a bloody mess.

But there were far too many snakes in the trees; these were not enough, far from enough.

"Quickly, ask the Peak Master for help!" the male cultivator urged.

They then remembered that Chen Lan had given out yellow smoke talismans to everyone, so that they could throw the talismans to call for help from their teammates when they encountered danger.

The yellow smoke talisman flew into the air and emitted a thick cloud of smoke. The altitude was actually quite low, so only those who were relatively close could see it.

[Poor children, they must be terrified!]

[But don't worry, these snakes are all show and no substance; they're not that strong.]

And it's not poisonous!

This is a rare opportunity to practice movement techniques. In terms of speed, the Infant Vine Serpent is among the best of all snakes. Being able to spar with them is a rare chance.

Chen Lan watched quietly as the four people fought against the numerous infant vine snakes, and couldn't help but feel anxious.

Because of her junior sister, she actually knew the vital point of the Infant Vine Serpent, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she could defeat it in one move.

But as Jiuwei said, this opportunity is too rare, so let the disciples use it to hone their skills.

It can not only improve your movement skills and increase your combat experience, but also boost your courage.

Most importantly, it will teach these four people a lesson, making them realize that not everything can be touched casually.

"My God, what is this?"

"Ru Xue, we're here to help!"

Soon, some disciples who were nearby rushed over. They were startled when they saw this strange scene, but seeing that the four people did not seem to be in any danger, they hurriedly went to help.

Disciples from nearby areas arrived one after another, and soon about thirty disciples had gathered. However, compared to the tree full of infant vine snakes, their numbers were still somewhat insufficient.

Chen Lan watched with great interest.

Believe it or not, with more people around, more ideas came out, and everyone pooling their wisdom actually caused some trouble for the snakes.

"I'll try using the alchemical fire to burn them."

"I haven't had a chance to use my new magical artifact yet. It's called the Thousand Blade Wheel. Move aside, I'm going to throw it away!"

"What do you think would happen if I sprayed poison powder? Would these snakes be afraid of poison?"

"Uh, I think the toxic fans will poison us first, right?"

"I have the antidote... but it seems there aren't enough for all of us."

"Waaah, another snake has wrapped around my neck! Help me..."