Chapter 387: Being clever but being misled by cleverness

After the thrilling maze journey in the previous chapter, Qin Feng and his companions finally got a break. However, what was waiting for them ahead seemed to be a bigger test. After walking out of the maze, they entered a dense forest with towering trees and intertwined vines. The air was filled with a strange fragrance that made people a little drowsy.

"What a strange forest." Chu Tian rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly, "Why does this fragrance make me so sleepy?"

Ye Li frowned, keenly aware that this might be some kind of illusion: "Everyone be careful, this fragrance might be a trap of some soul beast, everyone should not let down their guard!"

Zhang Meng was already lying under a big tree, with a happy smile on his face, as if he was ready to have a good sleep: "It's so comfortable here... Why don't we take a rest first?"

Qin Feng hurried forward, grabbed Zhang Meng's ear, and pulled him up from the ground: "Don't sleep! Zhang Meng, you can't let down your guard at this time!"

Zhang Meng rubbed his ears, muttered in dissatisfaction and stood up: "Okay, okay, I don't know why you are so nervous, I just want to take a nap..."

Just then, a strange laugh suddenly came from the bushes, and the eerie laughter made people shudder.

"Hahahaha! Finally, some guys who are not afraid of death have come!" The owner of the laughter was a slender soul beast. Its body seemed to be made up of shadows, and the vaguely visible outline made it difficult to distinguish its true appearance.

"Who are you?" Chu Tian pulled out the Storm Wolf Martial Spirit and asked vigilantly.

The soul beast smiled sinisterly and said, "I am the guardian of the psychedelic forest, Ying Mei. I think you little guys are interesting, why don't you play a game? If you can win, I will let you go. If you lose..." Ying Mei licked his lips, and a trace of evil light flashed in his eyes, "Then you will have to stay here forever and become my collection!"

"It sounds bad." Ye Li whispered. The Frost Fox was ready for battle.

"However, since you are so hospitable, we can't refuse." Qin Feng smiled slightly, and the Dragon Shadow Sword trembled slightly, as if it was ready to go.

Shadow's laughter became even more piercing: "Very good! Then let the game begin! I want you to find a gem I hid deep in this forest. Only in this way can you leave here."

"So simple?" Zhang Meng scratched his head. "Then won't we be able to go back and rest soon?"

Qin Feng shook his head: "No, it's definitely not that simple. Everyone be careful, Shadow Phantom's ability is definitely not just as simple as hiding things."

Ying Mei laughed loudly: "Smart boy! But your cleverness may backfire. Every step in this forest may be a deadly trap!"

They decided to split into two groups to speed up the search for the gem. Qin Feng and Ye Li were in one group, and Chu Tian and Zhang Meng were in another. The two groups began to walk through the forest, looking for the gem.

Qin Feng and Ye Li walked through the forest carefully, stopping every few steps to observe the surroundings. The dense trees made the light dim, as if walking in a maze at dusk.

"Ye Li, do you feel that this forest is a little weird?" Qin Feng said in a low voice.

"Yes, the plants here seem to have their own consciousness." Ye Li nodded in response, "Just like these vines, they always move quietly when we pass by."

As they moved forward cautiously, they suddenly saw an open area in front of them, with large patches of strange flowers growing on the ground. These flowers exuded a strong fragrance that was so strong that it was irresistible, as if it had some kind of magic.

"There's something strange about this flower!" Ye Li covered her mouth and nose, but still couldn't help but inhale some of the flower's fragrance.

Qin Feng nodded, his vision gradually became blurred, he felt that everything in front of him began to become distorted, and Ye Li beside him also turned into a shadow, grinning at him.

"Qin Feng! Wake up!" Ye Li's voice seemed to come from far away and was gradually drowned out by laughter.

"No, I can't just fall down like this..." Qin Feng bit his tongue hard, and the intense pain made him sober instantly. He quickly raised the Dragon Shadow Sword and swung it at the flowers.

"Boom!" The sword energy was like a rainbow, and the flowers were cut off in an instant, and the fragrance dissipated. Ye Li held his forehead and stood up weakly.

"It seems that every inch of land here cannot be underestimated." Ye Li panted and said, "We must be more careful."

Qin Feng nodded in agreement, and they continued forward, determined to find the gem.

On the other side, Chu Tian and Zhang Meng's exploration seemed a bit chaotic. They passed through a dense bush and were about to move forward when they suddenly heard a strange sound.

"Is it the sound of water?" Chu Tian listened attentively, "It sounds like the sound of a waterfall."

Zhang Meng said excitedly: "Waterfall? That's great! I haven't taken a bath for a long time!"

Chu Tian smiled helplessly: "Zhang Meng, are you still thinking about taking a bath now? Our mission is to find that gem!"

"The mission is the mission, and the bath is the bath." Zhang Meng smiled slyly, "Who knows if the gem is hidden behind the waterfall?"

They followed the sound of water and found a stream. At the end of the stream was a high waterfall, and behind the waterfall was the entrance to a small cave.

"See, I told you so!" Zhang Meng patted Chu Tian's shoulder proudly, "We've come to the right place!"

Chu Tian looked around vigilantly: "Be careful, this place doesn't look right."

Zhang Meng didn't take it seriously: "Hey, what's there to be afraid of? I'll go take a look first." As he said that, he jumped into the stream and swam quickly towards the cave under the waterfall.

Suddenly, countless long and thin tentacles emerged from under the water. Zhang Meng was horrified: "What is this?!"

Chu Tian was quick-witted and immediately used the Storm Wolf's soul skill "Thunder Claw" to attack the tentacles. The tentacles immediately retracted into the water after being attacked, and Zhang Meng took the opportunity to escape back to the shore, panting in embarrassment.

"What did I say? It can't be that simple." Chu Tian warned while panting, "Look carefully before you act impulsively!"

Zhang Meng scratched his head and laughed awkwardly: "Hehe, it seems that I was too careless this time."

They continued to explore carefully and finally found a sparkling gem in the cave behind the waterfall.

"Found it!" Chu Tian shouted excitedly.

"Don't worry," Zhang Meng calmed down, "There may be other traps here, we have to be careful."

They approached the gem carefully, and sure enough, the wall next to the gem was covered with traces of mechanisms. After careful observation, Chu Tian found a hidden mechanism switch.

"Let me try this." Chu Tian pressed the switch, and the mechanism on the wall stopped working immediately.

"Great!" Zhang Meng grabbed the gem and almost jumped for joy.

The two groups finally met on the other side of the forest and shared their experiences with each other. Qin Feng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Chu Tian and Zhang Meng had found the gem.

"Not bad, you found the gem so quickly." Qin Feng said with a smile.

"Of course, we have always been lucky." Zhang Meng proudly raised the gem in his hand.

However, just as they finished speaking, Shadow's voice echoed around again: "Hahaha! Congratulations on finding the gem, but the game is not over yet!"

A dark shadow flashed out from the bushes, and Shadow Phantom appeared, smiling cunningly: "The gem was just a cover, now it's my turn to have some fun!"

As soon as the voice fell, the shadow suddenly launched an attack, and the surrounding trees instantly turned into countless shadows, attacking Qin Feng and others. Qin Feng and others quickly entered the combat state, and the power of the shadow made them feel more pressured.

"Everyone be careful, this guy is more cunning than we thought!" Ye Li shouted, and her Frost Fox released a frost field, temporarily forcing Shadow back.

Qin Feng used the Dragon Shadow Sword to fight against the Shadow Phantom. The collision of the sword light and the shadow caused ripples. Chu Tian and Zhang Meng were responsible for clearing the surrounding shadows to prevent them from approaching.

After a fierce battle, Shadow Phantom finally showed a flaw, and Qin Feng seized the opportunity and used a "Thunderbolt" to hit Shadow Phantom's body. Shadow Phantom let out a shrill scream, and his body turned into countless fragments and dissipated in the air.

"We won!" Chu Tian shouted excitedly.

After the shadow disappeared, the forest returned to calm, the fog around it dissipated, and the hidden path appeared again. Qin Feng picked up the gem on the ground and said with a smile: "This game is finally over."

They looked at each other and laughed. After so many adventures, the tacit understanding between teammates has become closer. They know that no matter what challenges lie ahead, as long as they unite as one, they will be able to overcome everything.