I changed the world.

Thinking to himself that he must have guessed correctly, Zhang Jing breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense body gradually relaxed. He looked at the spore in his hand again, only to find that the spore was staring at him with its little eyes open. He tried to reach out and gently stroke it, and it whimpered like a dog being petted by its owner, which was quite amusing.

"Hello, can you understand me?" Zhang Jing then tried to communicate with it.

However, it was clear that these spores were not very intelligent and could not communicate with Zhang Jing in any complex way. Zhang Jing soon discovered that these spores could only express their feelings through simple benevolent humming and fearful screams; as for anything else, they could not provide any further response.

With a casual toss, the spore was launched into the air, and after drifting a short distance with the wind, it hovered there.

Ignoring the spore, Zhang Jing landed from the treetop where he was hiding and then carefully walked towards the mushroom forest.

As he approached, mushrooms of all sizes turned their attention to him, but because of the key mark on the back of his hand, their gazes shifted away after a moment, no longer focusing on him.

Zhang Jing walked step by step into the mushroom forest. Around him, large spores danced in the air, like a vast purple mist. Combined with the colors of the mushrooms themselves, the entire forest was filled with a dreamlike, unreal beauty.

However, adhering to the belief that the more beautiful something is, the more likely it is to hide danger, Zhang Jing was still quite cautious about these mushrooms. Even though they showed some kindness, he remained careful and tried his best not to touch them.

In this forest, besides the giant mushrooms, there are also some vines and huge trees. Among these trees are many gymnosperms similar to cycads. The vines are not the same variety that Zhang Jing had seen outside before, the one with the fruit bearing human faces. Instead, they are vines with red thorns, as thick as a bowl. Zhang Jing is not a botanist, so he doesn't know what kind of plants they are.

Chapter 188 Stone Statue

Some plants that appear to be ferns are growing on the ground. Perhaps because the surrounding light is relatively dim, the plants here seem somewhat peculiar and quite different from the plants outside.

So far, Zhang Jing has not seen any large animals or even birds in this world. He has only occasionally seen some small reptiles, which may be lizards, and some brightly colored but strangely shaped insects scurrying by.

After continuing forward for about fifteen minutes, Zhang Jing gradually became familiar with the large number of mushrooms around him, and also confirmed that these mushrooms really wouldn't attack him.

He even tried to reach out and touch the stem of a giant mushroom that was half his height. After the mushroom did not show any resistance, he boldly scratched it and then discovered that the mushroom was making a rhythmic sound that was almost like laughter.

"Well?"

As they ventured deeper, before a small mound covered in mushrooms, Zhang Jing noticed a faint, pale hue shimmering among the ferns beneath them. Intrigued, he wondered if some ruins lay hidden beneath. So, he used his longsword to part the dense foliage...

The next moment, he realized that the pale color was not a relic at all, but clearly a large piece of bone. These bones must have been there for a very long time, as they already showed signs of petrification.

Zhang Jing then cleared away the surrounding vegetation, revealing the skeleton beneath more clearly. It turned out that this small mound, which appeared to be about two meters high and five or six meters wide, actually contained the skeleton of a massive creature. Due to its age, nearly half of the skeleton was buried in the soil, blending seamlessly with the surrounding vegetation. The mushrooms, however, were growing atop this enormous skeleton.

Zhang Jing observed it for a moment and found that the skeleton's shape was strange. It was clearly not the type of skeleton of any creature he knew on Earth. On the contrary, it subconsciously reminded him of the strange monster skeletons he had seen in Lishan Cave...

After studying the situation for a while, Zhang Jing decided to move forward. In the subsequent operations, he discovered the same situation several more times.

Beside a particularly tall mound, Zhang Jing discovered a plant with bright red stems and leaves growing on top of the mound. The plant had ice-blue flowers blooming at the top, making it quite conspicuous.

"Hmm... what is this?" The name of a plant flashed through Zhang Jing's mind. It was a plant he had seen in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" before. Speaking of the Dharma Treasure, it was obtained together with the Demon Refining Pot.

Golden flames flashed in his eyes. Under the observation of the True Fire Refining Eye, he saw that there seemed to be blue flames rising and swirling around this plant, which was very strange.

Zhang Jingyue climbed the mound and bent down to examine it closely. He saw that the flowers of this plant, when viewed up close, looked like they were made of crystal, crystal clear, and even had a faint mist like frost on them, which was very beautiful.

This is... a Biluo flower? Zhang Jing finally confirmed that this should be the plant he had seen in the Dharma Treasury.

But wasn't this plant supposed to grow in shady and evil places? Zhang Jing looked around and suddenly realized something. He used his longsword to pry open the thick layer of humus covering the ground, and after about ten centimeters, he saw white bone...

Sure enough, this wasn't a mound at all; it was clearly the skeleton of a gigantic monster, covered only by a layer of humus due to the passage of time. And this Azure Flower grew on top of the skeleton...

Realizing that he was standing on top of a huge skeleton, even with Zhang Jing's composure at that moment, he still felt a little uneasy.

After calming himself down, Zhang Jing began to remove the "Biluo Flower." In the "Compendium of Materia Medica," it is an important auxiliary medicine, and this material is needed when preparing various medicines.

After picking it up, Zhang Jing put it in a sealed plastic bag and then placed it in his backpack.

After walking for a while, they could faintly hear the sound of flowing water ahead.

Zhang Jing quickened his pace. Similar to his time in the filthy woods, when navigating unfamiliar terrain like this, he didn't move at high speed, but rather explored at a pace only slightly faster than normal, out of concern for potential attacks. Especially when encountering strange mushrooms, Zhang Jing always made sure to display the key mark on the back of his hand in a conspicuous place so they could see it.

After traveling a distance, Zhang Jing came to see a stream winding by, and on the other side of the stream were large areas of dilapidated buildings.

While in the mushroom forest, Zhang Jing noticed that there were very few building ruins, just a few scattered pieces, unlike the occasional human remains seen outside the mushroom forest. On the other side of this stream, however, the density of buildings was significantly higher than in either of the previous two areas.

Connecting these three points, Zhang Jing could easily deduce that he might have already arrived at the core area of ​​this ruin. It was highly likely that the initial area with numerous vines and human-faced fruits was the outer perimeter of the ruins, while the mushroom forest was the central area separating the outer perimeter from the core area, probably serving some kind of defensive function.

As you continue forward, the number of mushrooms around you gradually decreases, and the spores seem to follow some kind of mysterious boundary, no longer drifting inward at the edge of the ruins.

After crossing the stream, Zhang Jing began to venture deeper into the ruins. The environment here reminded him of the ancient architectural ruins deep in the Mexican rainforest that he had seen in documents and media in his previous life. Everything seemed to have been abandoned by time, quietly sleeping in silence with its westward glory and honor, gradually merging with the plants.

Zhang Jing carefully examined the surrounding environment and found a tall tree about ten meters high not far away, which looked like some kind of cedar tree.

Two breaths later, Zhang Jing had already appeared at the top of the large tree, which was the highest point in the vicinity. From here, he could see the situation further into the ruins.

According to Zhang Jing's observation, the site appears to be a large garden. The exterior of the site contains what should have been a wall structure, but most of it has now collapsed, with the broken remains blending into the plants, leaving mostly only some foundations.

Further inside were vast, dilapidated ruins, revealing that there must have once been numerous fences and some exquisite buildings. In the very heart of the ruins, Zhang Jing could see a tall, gray building, somewhat resembling the Japanese castle towers he had seen in his previous life.

Zhang Jing immediately spotted the building that looked somewhat like a castle tower, which was also the most central and prominent building in this ruin.

Zhang Jing landed quietly on the ground, checked the direction, and headed towards his target.

Perhaps because no one had passed by for a long time, a thick layer of humus had accumulated on the ground. When you picked it up, you could hear the sound of tiny leaves cracking. Zhang Jing consciously activated the mental technique of "Earthly Fiend Forbidden Technique: Floating," and moved silently through the forest like a light ghost.

He quickly reached the ruins of the wall and climbed over it. He then noticed that the area behind the wall seemed to be slightly higher than the area outside. Zhang Jing crouched down, used his longsword to clear away the dead leaves, and dug down a short distance. He soon discovered the stone paving stones hidden beneath. The stones were made of some kind of bluish-green natural stone, indicating that this area had been leveled and paved with them at some point.

It's clear that this was once a beautifully decorated courtyard, and its former owner must have put a lot of care into its arrangement.

Zhang Jing cautiously made his way to the heart of the courtyard. He noticed that the courtyard was dotted with many statues, each taller than a person. These statues, mostly carved from hard stone, depicted monsters and were remarkably lifelike. However, almost without exception, these statues were damaged to varying degrees, and many had even been shattered by some immense force, their fragments scattered on the ground.

Zhang Jing squatted down next to a broken statue, picked up a fragment from the ground and examined it. The fragment was hard and smooth, with a shell-like texture at the broken part, and its texture was somewhat similar to granite.

Zhang Jing used the True Fire Refining Eye Technique to observe. In the field of vision of the technique, these statues looked like ordinary stone carvings, without any trace of aura.

It seems to be just a statue...

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Jing continued walking forward.

However, before he could get very far, things changed.

"Roar..." A deep roar came from his side not far away, rolling across the entire courtyard like muffled thunder.

Zhang Jing turned his gaze to the roar the moment it was heard, his eyes flashing with golden flames.

Then one could see a monster statue with the head of an animal and the body of a human, covered in numerous wounds. The rocky texture on its body was rapidly fading away, revealing a brownish, muscular true form.

In Zhang Jing's view, the stone sculpture, which had been perfectly normal, began to glow with a faint orange-yellow light after the stone material was removed.

It seemed that the stone-like state did indeed have some hidden function, allowing it to disguise itself as a lifeless object to confuse infiltrating enemies. Zhang Jing suddenly understood.

Just as the monster was rapidly transforming, Zhang Jing raised the back of his hand, showing the monster the mark of the key.

....................................

Chapter 189 Destroying the Stone Statue

At this moment, the monster had completely shed its rocky texture and jumped off the pedestal upright. With a thud, it landed in front of Zhang Jing. It stood on its hind legs like a human, but its lower limb joints were clearly bent backward. Its right hand held a chain mace that looked extremely heavy, while its left hand was severed at the elbow, indicating that it had been injured beforehand.

This monster has an extremely strong, naked body like a Greek sculpture, with its entire body covered in solid, brown muscles, but its head is that of a ferocious beast, and it is about two meters tall.

But it tilted its head and looked at the mark on Zhang Jing's hand. Its expression softened slightly, but it still blocked Zhang Jing's way, growled softly, and uttered two characters.

Although the language it spoke was completely different from modern language, Zhang Jing could still understand it. It was saying:

"Back off!"

“Guardian, I mean no harm. Perhaps your master needs help.” Zhang Jing offered a kind smile and tried to communicate with the monster.

"Back off! Back off!!"

It was clear, however, that this monster wasn't very intelligent, merely repeating the same phrase over and over. And the key in Zhang Jing's hand wasn't enough to allow him to delve deeper into the area.

Zhang Jing looked around and realized that the statue in front of him seemed to be the most intact one in the area, and he hadn't encountered any other obstacles along the way. In other words, most of the guardians here had been destroyed, and only this one, or a very few others, were still guarding the place.

Since that's the case, we can't just retreat empty-handed; we have no choice but to take action...

Zhang Jing sighed softly, his waist and hips slightly lowered, and the next moment, he slashed his sword at the monster's right arm holding the weapon.

Previously, Zhang Jing had observed the broken statues and found that most of them were severely damaged. Considering that the guardians before him were transformed from stone statues, it was very likely that their vital points were different from those of ordinary humans. In other words, what was vital to humans might not be vital to them. Therefore, the best way to fight them was not necessarily to kill them with a single blow, but to first eliminate their offensive capabilities.

Especially this guardian in front of him, one of its arms is broken off, leaving only one arm. That means if he cuts off this arm, the guardian will most likely lose its main attack capability.

However, the guardian in front of them reacted extremely quickly. Faced with the sudden attack, it parried with a backhand while leaping to the side, its bent legs displaying powerful mobility.

However, Zhang Jing's attack was ultimately a surprise, and it still left a wound on his right arm.

The sword didn't penetrate deeply, just like an ordinary person cutting into a rubber tire, creating immense resistance. Zhang Jing felt the sensation in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and without stopping, chased after the guard, swinging his sword again, still targeting its wrist.

In the blink of an eye, their figures intertwined, and the two had already exchanged several blows. The guard, missing an arm and with Zhang Jing's sudden preemptive strike, had not been able to find a good opportunity to counterattack, and roared angrily.

As its roar spread in all directions, two other statues not far away also began to sway and shed their rocky color.

Zhang Jing's eyes narrowed instantly. He knew he had to finish the fight quickly, or he might face an attack from three guardians.

Based on their brief exchange, Zhang Jing had already sensed that the guardian before him possessed physical attributes at least equivalent to a late-stage second-tier cultivator.

He rushed forward and swung a slash at the one-armed guard, sparks flying, but he was blocked once again.

This time, however, Zhang Jing did not withdraw his longsword to reorganize his attack. Instead, he suddenly crouched down, grabbed the hilt of the Heavenly Punishment Sword at his waist with his left hand, and with a swift motion, used the force of drawing the sword to slash directly at the guard's left leg at a tricky angle.

The guard had just parried Zhang Jing's attack when, caught off guard, he was unable to defend against Zhang Jing's sneaky sword strike. He could only retreat abruptly, using his left leg to withstand the blow.

Unlike Zhang Jing's usual cyan longsword, the Heavenly Punishment Sword, though seemingly a broken sword with dents and a missing section, pierced through the guard as easily as tofu when it struck him.

Not only that, but as the sword struck the opponent, a faint flash of electricity appeared on its blade. The next moment, the guard froze, his entire body stiffening as if he had been electrocuted.

In a battle between masters, there is no room for the slightest change, let alone such an obvious flaw. Zhang Jing would naturally not let it slip by. Using the momentum from the Heavenly Punishment Sword, he spun around and swung again, his right hand wielding the cyan longsword across the guard's neck...

A heavy thud echoed as the guardian, having lost all its strength, collapsed to the ground, its body instantly turning to stone once more. Like many of its kind here, it became a broken statue.

However, Zhang Jing didn't have time to carefully observe the stone statues on the ground. What he needed to face at this moment were two other guardians who had already deactivated their stone statue status.