Asura in Arknights

Apart from Magellan, the others were in no better condition. Even with their eyes tightly closed, they could feel the light seemingly penetrating their eyelids, constantly stimulating their fragile eyeballs.

"Is this what you rely on? A light that can blind people?" Li Ang once again tore off the talisman from Xue Si's body and grabbed his collar, asking.

They've only lost their sight temporarily, but what if they stayed here longer? Wouldn't they go completely blind?

Xue Si gave Li Ang a sinister smile and said mysteriously, "What do you think?"

Seeing his smug look, Li Ang couldn't help but punch him in the stomach. Only after Xue Si knelt down on the ground clutching his stomach did Li Ang turn his attention back to the others.

Because of the pain in their eyes, the others are now struggling to even stand, let alone return the way they came to leave the forest.

Li Ang's speed was somewhat limited in the forest, and since he didn't want to touch the ice crystal trees, it would take a considerable amount of time to send everyone out one by one, and the last person might not be able to withstand the corrosive light.

This can't go on, Li Ang thought, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a solution.

The surrounding area was filled with ice crystal trees of varying heights, and the dazzling light reflected from the trees covered every inch of the space, leaving nowhere to hide.

If there's no space, then just clear out a section yourself.

Within seconds, Li Ang figured out what he should do now—set the mountain on fire!

"Explosive Flame - Wave Sword!"

As soon as Li Ang thought about it, the short sword automatically unsheathed and fell into his hand. The Explosive Flame Wave Sword, with about seven-tenths of its power, poured out, and the dazzling firelight blocked most of the glare reflected by the ice crystal trees. The expressions on the faces of everyone else couldn't help but relax.

boom--

The liquid sea of ​​fire plunged into the ice crystal forest and then burst into flames.

Although the light refracted by those ice crystal trees was strange, they were made of ordinary ice. Adele could melt them with a casual flick of her wrist, so the Explosive Flame Wave Sword that Li Ang was now using was no match for them.

Once the Originium energy supporting the flames was exhausted, the small patch of ice crystal forest in front of them disappeared, replaced by a patch of ice that had re-frozen on the ground.

Next, Li Ang used the same trick again, and a raging sea of ​​fire swept away everything around them, clearing a large open space near them.

The environment here suddenly became much darker. Although the ice crystal trees in the distance could still reflect some glare, it was much better than before when the light was so intense.

The group was still unable to open their eyes, but the tears had stopped, and it seemed they would recover after a period of rest.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally damaged some of your territory. I don't think you'll mind such a small thing, will you?" Li Angxue said with a smile as she sheathed her short sword.

In Li Ang's mind, Xue Si should have shown some emotion after he destroyed so many ice crystal trees.

Ke Xuesi merely glanced at Li Ang a few times with a meaningful look, without saying anything more.

This puzzled Li Ang, who wondered what the guy was up to... But Li Ang didn't have time to deal with this guy right now. After confirming that the seal on his body was still intact, he took out a tent from his bag and set up a temporary camp on the spot.

Whatever their next move, they must wait until everyone has recovered before making any plans.

It took Li Ang a little while to lead everyone into the camp.

"...How embarrassing, I never expected to fall for such a trick." Jingzhe took a few deep breaths, her mood not particularly calm.

Having reached this level of skill, Jingzhe is no longer a novice who has just begun his journey. It's unexpected that he would stumble in such a small place.

Even if Magellan and Xuancheng's previous investigation results had lulled Jingzhe into a false sense of security, it cannot be denied that she had become too relaxed.

Xuan Cheng lowered his head deeply in shame. "Lord Tingwei, this is all my fault. I failed to notice the abnormality of these trees in time."

“This is not your responsibility,” Jingzhe shook his head. “Even I didn’t notice the problem with these trees, so it’s normal that you didn’t see it either.”

"It seems... this road is indeed difficult to travel."

They had only been on their journey for a short time when the mountain worship route had already given them such a big surprise; one can only imagine how difficult the road ahead would be.

These glares may seem harmless, but upon closer inspection, they are actually a terrifying defensive measure. Even sunglasses cannot block the effect of this light, and perhaps only some unorthodox Originium Arts can counter it.

The most insidious thing is that, just like snow blindness, people won't notice anything unusual at first. They might even take a few extra glances at the beautiful rainbow light. By the time their eyes start to have problems, they've probably already ventured far into the Ice Crystal Forest.

Having lost their sight, who could possibly emerge alive from this ice crystal forest that stretches for kilometers?

“Alright, there’s no need to be so clear about who’s to blame right now,” Li Ang interrupted their conversation. “Are there any problems with your eyes right now?”

"...It's nothing serious. Aside from some blurry vision when looking at distant objects, my eyes feel very dry," Xuan Cheng hesitated for a moment before slowly replying.

The others were in similar situations, but Li Ang's decisive action prevented them from being severely affected.

"Let's rest here for a bit, then get out of this forest and figure out what to do next."

Li Ang ultimately made this decision.

"It'll be dark soon, won't it? Can't we wait until it gets dark before continuing? Without sunlight, these trees shouldn't pose much of a threat, right?" Rubbing his eyes, Magellan offered a perfectly reasonable opinion without much thought.

"No!" X2

Li Ang and Jingzhe retorted in unison.

The two were taken aback for a moment, then Jingzhe gestured for Li Ang to explain to Magellan, "This is the first checkpoint on the path of the mountain sacrifice. Don't forget that this is Sami. The night here can last for several days. I don't think it will be so easy to get through."

Jingzhe chimed in, saying, "I think this forest might become even more dangerous at night. If we want to move forward, it's better to do it during the day. Although the light is troublesome, it's not insurmountable."

"But a single day isn't enough to get through this ice crystal forest. We'll need to spend at least one night in the forest, or if we're lucky, we might encounter the midnight sun."

This is what Li Ang is worried about. They have not grasped the pattern of day and night here. If they cannot find the exact time of the polar day, they will definitely experience a night... a night full of unknowns.

Just as they were debating whether to continue or retreat to regroup, a voice drifted out from behind them.

"There's no need for you all to discuss this anymore, because... the polar night is just around the corner."

"No, it's probably more dangerous at night."

"But the problem is, one day is not enough for us to cross this ice crystal forest."

Chapter 79 The Living Tree (3/6)

The person speaking was none other than Xue Si.

While Li Ang was busy setting up the camp, he actually forgot to gag him again, so he just pretended to be deaf and dumb. Now, at this crucial moment, he directly poured cold water on everyone.

The polar night is coming, which is not good news.

Before Li Ang could ask a question, Adele opened her slightly sore eyes and looked outside the tent. "It's too late. The sun will be setting soon."

The sun hung low in the northern sky, and the enormous fireball had mostly sunk into the mountains, leaving only a small portion radiating light, which was refracted into an ominous seven-colored glow by the icy forest.

Even if Li Ang used his Wave Sword to clear a path regardless of the cost, they still wouldn't be able to get out of the forest before sunset.

"Let's retreat and see what changes occur in this forest after sunset."

This time, no one objected. Rather than braving the polar night to traverse this icy forest, it was better to take a step back and see what changes the forest would undergo at night.

There's still some time before sunset, so they plan to rest here for a while until everyone's eyes have recovered enough before leaving.

During this time, Li Ang approached Xue Si.

Although Xue Si's words just now poured cold water on Li Ang and the others, there is no doubt that he provided a crucial clue.

According to Li Ang and Jingzhe's guess, the forest would definitely change after nightfall. Imagine if they entered the forest and found that day had not yet arrived, it would be too late to adjust their plans.

Now that they know about the arrival of the polar night, they can make arrangements in advance.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Si did not mock Li Ang, but instead said with a flickering gaze, "I will not provide you with any assistance in this trial."

"Hmm? This trial?"

Li Ang realized the hidden meaning in Xue Si's words: if they passed through this ice crystal forest, Xue Si would cooperate with them.

After raising this question, Xue Si simply smiled noncommittally and did not answer Li Ang's question.

"Then let me ask you a different question: how long will this polar night last?"

This time, Yukishi didn't keep them in suspense. Instead, she said with a serious expression, "It's very long, much longer than you think. Perhaps... this night will last forever."

"What do you mean by this?" Li Ang's heart skipped a beat. Hearing the obvious hidden meaning in Xue Si's words, he quickly pressed for an answer.

Ke Xuesi had already closed her eyes, seemingly not intending to answer Li Ang's question.

"Tsk..." Li Ang clicked his tongue in displeasure.

If this old man doesn't cooperate, he really doesn't have any good solutions.

What puzzled Li Ang was that he had previously acted as if he would rather die than submit. What had happened to make him suddenly change his attitude?

After they arrived at a place not far from the Ice Crystal Forest, they were able to remove some of the seals on Xue Si.

During this period, the only noteworthy event was that Li Ang used his Explosive Flame Wave Sword to burn down a large area of ​​Ice Crystal Trees.

In other words... did you change your mind because of the strength Li Ang just displayed?

As for why they value Li Ang's strength, they'll probably have to ask Xue Si in person after they've passed through the Ice Crystal Forest to find out.

Once everyone's vision had mostly recovered and they had left the Ice Crystal Forest, the last rays of the sun disappeared just as they reached the horizon.

"The sun has set..."

The boundless night enveloped the earth, and the whole world was swallowed by darkness. The fear of darkness was ingrained in everyone's instincts, and the thought of not seeing the same person for a long time made them feel a sense of panic without reason.

Fortunately, they were relatively few in number, and each of them was quite capable. If it were a team with varying levels of strength here, it would take a considerable amount of time just to stabilize morale.

Although the sun had already set, the surrounding environment did not darken, and they could still clearly see each other's faces.

"Look at those trees!"

They quickly discovered where the light source was coming from.

Even after losing the sunlight, the ice crystal trees did not become completely dark; they still emitted a faint glow, providing sufficient light for the surrounding area.

Seeing this, everyone's expressions turned rather sour, which meant that even at night, they would have to consider how to resist the halo that would steal their vision.

Apart from that, the Ice Crystal Forest seemed unchanged, as if Li Ang and Jingzhe's previous worries were unnecessary.

"The light must be much dimmer than during the day, right? Is the effect still as strong as during the day?"

"Let me give it a try."

At this moment, Xuan Cheng stepped forward, staring wide-eyed at the halo emanating from the ice crystal tree, carefully sensing the changes in his eyes.

After about five or six minutes, Xuan Cheng finally looked away and said, "Looking directly at it for a long time still makes my eyes feel a little uncomfortable, but not as intense as this morning. If it's that bad, I should have a way to cope with it."

After speaking, Xuan Cheng hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "There's one more thing... Just now, I don't know if it was just my imagination, but those trees seemed to be moving?"

"Is the tree moving?"

Everyone paused for a moment, then turned their gazes toward the ice crystal forest.

There was no wind in the mountains at this time, and everything around was very quiet. There were no branches swaying in the wind. They stared at it for a while until their eyes felt a little sore, but they did not find anything unusual about the forest.

At this moment, even Xuan Cheng began to doubt himself. "Strange... I clearly saw a tree moving just now? Was it just my imagination?"

"You must have seen wrong. You stared at it for so long, your eyesight must have been affected."

"Maybe..." Xuan Cheng scratched his head and said, "Never mind that for now, give me your sunglasses first, I'll try to see if they can block this kind of light."

Afterwards, everyone except the two Xue Si and Li Ang took off their sunglasses and handed them to Xuan Cheng, who then added spells to all the sunglasses.

The halo emitted by the ice crystal tree at night is not as penetrating as it is during the day. As long as you close your eyes, you can block most of its influence. Xuan Cheng has personally experienced this. If it is only to this extent, the spell he added should be effective.

"Let's try it first. If it doesn't work, I'll think of other methods."

Xuan Cheng returned the sunglasses to everyone, but when he glanced at the ice crystal forest to the side, he suddenly froze on the spot.

"What's wrong? What did you find out?" Noticing Xuan Cheng's unusual behavior, Li Ang quickly asked.

“That tree,” Xuancheng said, pointing to the tree he had just been observing, “wasn’t in that spot.”

"The trees here are alive!"

Chapter 80 Coral (4/6)

Are you sure you're not seeing things?

“I’m certain!” Xuan Cheng said with absolute certainty. “I stared at that tree for a long time. The distance between it and the tree next to it wasn’t that wide just now. The position of this tree has changed!”

Just now, everyone was watching Xuan Cheng with great interest as he cast various spells on the sunglasses. No one paid attention to the situation in the Ice Crystal Forest. Who would have thought that the trees could move?

If what Xuancheng said is true, either the tree grew legs and ran away, or the location of the entire forest has changed except for this tree. The former is more likely.

To Li Ang, these ice crystal trees were just a few simple lines, indistinguishable from one another. Asking him to pinpoint the exact location of so many lines was a clear attempt to make things difficult for him.

"Since you're so sure, then let's give it a try."

Li Ang drew his short sword and walked toward the tree that Xuan Cheng had pointed to.

A rainbow of light, far more dazzling than the halo of the ice crystal tree, flew out from the short sword and sliced ​​the ice crystal tree in two with a crack, revealing a smooth, mirror-like cross-section.

The upper half of the tree trunk crashed to the ground with a thud, shattering into countless ice shards.