The energy circulation within the scorpion tail appeared unusually peculiar to Richard. Although the cycle seemed quite independent, Richard noticed that it had at least two interfaces.
Apart from being connected to the spider's body, the scorpion tail should also be able to connect with other things.
But now was not the time for research. Richard looked at the scorpion tail that was continuously attacking its surroundings and used Shadow Step to reach its base.
"So lively. I wonder if you'll still be this lively after getting a dose of medicine."
Richard chuckled as he pulled out two bottles of giant creature anesthetic from his Magic Pocket. This anesthetic was specially created by Wizards for massive creatures, so its numbing effect was extremely potent.
The two bottles in Richard's hands were even more advanced versions, highly effective even against Third Circle creatures.
Originally, Richard had made this anesthetic for Fire Lizard to capture Flame Behemoths in the Magma Sea. However, he later discovered that it didn't work well on semi-elemental creatures like Flame Behemoths, so he casually tossed the two bottles into his pocket.
Unexpectedly, today, this useless item could finally be put to use.
Three scorpion tails attempted to attack Richard, but his position made it difficult for them to strike effectively.
As a result, Richard easily blocked the feeble stings of the scorpion tails with just his Magic Barrier.
"Hehehe, struggle all you want. The more you struggle, the faster the medicine will take effect."
Richard cackled as he tore open the scorpion tail's carapace, extracted a tenth of the anesthetic with his Magic Power, and injected it into the scorpion tail.
Within seconds, the once lively scorpion tail immediately went limp.
Seeing this, Richard quickly repeated the process on the remaining two tails.
Soon, the other two scorpion tails also collapsed limply to the ground, occasionally twitching.
Satisfied, Richard nodded, then opened a Spatial Rift and handed the strange creature over to World Mushroom for safekeeping.
At the same time, Ulysses flew over from the lakeside.
"Damn, this place is really eerie. Even a lake is so troublesome," Ulysses landed on Richard's shoulder and, after glancing at the surroundings, said in surprise, "Being in the Third Circle really makes a difference. You didn't even need my help to solve the problem."
Richard glanced at him, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
After all these years, he had finally gained some ability to protect himself.
"Let's keep moving. The sooner we deal with that thing, the sooner we can go back."
"Got it."
...
Passing through the dense forest, Richard saw the lake he had previously detected with his psychic senses.
The once emerald-green lake had now completely dried up, and in the corners of the lake, he saw several blue-black flames burning fiercely.
"This place is really eerie. Do you know what this lake is?" Ulysses explained to Richard, "This entire lake is made up of a type of algae, and this algae is a gestalt organism, meaning the whole is one, and the entire colony is a single entity.
The combat power of this single lake's organism is stronger than that of an average demigod.
If this thing flows into rivers or seas, it wouldn't be surprising if a World Master emerged."
Hearing Ulysses' words, Richard gasped in shock. If this creature's reproduction didn't have specific conditions, then it would essentially be another form of Flesh Cancer.
But after the initial shock, a glimmer of fervor appeared in Richard's eyes.
Such a miraculous thing undoubtedly held immense research value.
"Wait for me a moment, I need to collect some samples."
With that, Richard descended to the dried-up lake, extinguishing the blue-black flames from a puddle of lake water and storing it in an enchanted quartz tube.
Ulysses, witnessing his actions, didn't stop him but voiced his concern.
"That thing is dangerous. Even the slightest escape could cause a massive disaster. You need to be careful."
Richard nodded, his expression serious. "I'll be cautious."
Leaving the Green Lake, the two passed through a small dense forest and arrived at their destination—the location of the vine tentacle's mother body.
But honestly, when Richard saw the mother body of the vine tentacles, he almost thought they had made a mistake.
Through the layers of dense forest, Richard's spiritual perception saw that the mother body looked quite ordinary, resembling the towering trees commonly found in the forest.
In fact, the mother body was even smaller than the average large tree.
How could this possibly be the mother body of those vine tentacles, each of which could rival a towering giant tree?
But appearances can be deceiving. When Richard opened his energy vision, his expression instantly turned grave. The seemingly unremarkable vine mother body was connected to countless energy pathways.
These pathways spread underground like a spider's web, and even with his energy vision, Richard could only glimpse a fraction of them.
What was even more terrifying was that all the towering trees around the mother body were connected to it through these energy pathways.
In other words, what they were about to face wasn't just a massive mother body, but an entire forest.
Richard frowned slightly as he looked at the mother body.
"This is a bit troublesome. It seems we'll have to wait for others."
It wasn't that he couldn't deal with the mother body, but most of the methods were time-consuming and laborious, and prone to complications. It would be better to wait for other Third Circle Wizards. With more people, they might even be able to seal the mother body.
The mother body showed no unusual reaction to Richard's approach, seemingly considering this Third Circle creature a kilometer away as no threat.
But a faint sense of crisis lingered in Richard's heart.
He seemed to be overlooking something.
Soon, the first Third Circle Wizard arrived by Richard's side.
This was a Shaping Wizard, his body wreathed in dark blue flames, his skeletal frame making him look like a vengeful spirit risen from hell.
"I'm Robbie. Where's that damn thing?" the Shaping Wizard asked, his tone irritable.
Clearly, the various biological weapons in the forest had left this Shaping Wizard quite displeased.
"It's inside," Richard pointed in the direction of the mother body. "But all these trees are its offspring."
"These trees?"
Robbie glanced at the forest Richard indicated and casually summoned a fireball, hurling it into the trees.
In the next moment, the fireball was shattered by several vine whips, the scattered flames landing on the leaves and branches of the forest, spreading but growing weaker as they did.
Seeing this, the flames around Robbie flickered momentarily.
This was a sign of his emotional fluctuation, likely due to the abilities displayed by the vine offspring, which left him unsettled.
"The energy-devouring trait is a bit troublesome," Robby said gravely. "If it were just one or two, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if this entire forest has this ability, then we're in trouble."
Giant creatures with energy-devouring traits are natural nemeses for Shaping Wizards. They can weaken the power of their spells, and the creatures themselves have enough time to further diminish the spell's effectiveness.
"Then let's wait a bit longer," Richard said indifferently.
This expedition was led by the Garon Wizard Academy, and among the participating Wizards, there was no shortage of muscular brutes skilled in physical attacks.
Not long after, two more Wizards arrived. One was Stio, and the other was a two-faced, four-armed giant.
"Richard, you've got quite the skill," Stio laughed upon seeing Richard. "You managed to find such a godforsaken place. Do you know how many bizarre things I've encountered along the way?"
Richard shrugged innocently. "Who hasn't?"
Stio walked up to Richard and, looking at the forest behind him, asked, "How's the mother entity? Judging by your expressions, it must be quite troublesome."
"This entire forest is the mother entity's guard. The straight-line distance to the mother entity is about a kilometer," Richard explained. "And it seems this forest has the energy-devouring trait. The Shaping Wizards probably won't be of much help this time."
Hearing Richard's explanation, Stio rubbed his bald head and swung his hammer staff. Instantly, a large black snake emerged from the ground.
"Oh? Metal manipulation," Richard said, somewhat surprised.
His Dragon Eyes could clearly see that the snake was composed of tiny metal particles. When he switched to his energy vision, he noticed that the metal snake had an internal energy cycle—it was practically a living creature.
Stio looked pleased with himself. "A little something I came up with in my spare time. It's quite fitting for this place."
With a wave of his staff, the snake coiled around a giant tree at the edge of the forest. In an instant, wood chips flew everywhere, and the tree's branches shook violently. The metal particles on the snake's body flowed at high speed, grinding the tree into sawdust like a chainsaw. The tree, which had stood for over a thousand years, was reduced to a pile of wood chips in thirty seconds.
Seeing this, Stio nodded. "Physical attacks seem to work. I'll lead the way, and you all assist. How about that?"
"Agreed."
"Let's hurry."
"Fine."
With everyone's consent, Stio's Magic Power surged, and countless tiny arcs of electricity crackled around his hammer staff. In the next moment, he swung his staff, and black streams of metal erupted from the ground beneath them.
"Let's go!" Stio shouted, and the black metal streams transformed into a storm, shredding the giant trees blocking their path.
The Wizards followed closely behind. Meanwhile, the vine mother entity seemed to finally react, and its guard entities began to unleash their abilities. Some sprayed toxic mist, others summoned thunder, and some simply uprooted themselves, swinging massive vines that created sonic booms as they attacked.
But while these threats would be deadly to First or Second Circle Wizards, the group advancing now was composed entirely of Third Circle Wizards.
With a wave of Robbie's staff, the poisonous mist in the air was completely incinerated. As thunder struck, the metallic storm transformed into a lightning rod, deflecting the bolts entirely.
As for the "uprooted" giant tree, Richard and the two-faced, four-armed Wizard exchanged a glance, then grinned ferociously. They grabbed the tree's vines and forcefully dragged it into the metallic storm that Stio had opened up.
In an instant, elements flew wildly through the forest, wood chips scattered, and thunder and fire intertwined, creating a scene of extraordinary spectacle.
Boom! The last giant tree collapsed with a resounding crash.
The Wizards were now just one step away from the slightly slender Mother entity.
"Seal it or eradicate it?" Stio shouted.
The other Wizards were about to respond when suddenly, they heard countless faint sounds coming from the forest.
The noise resembled the movement of a large group migrating through the woods.
In the next moment, the Wizards' expressions changed drastically.
As a single venomous wasp appeared in their mental detection, a tide of insects gradually revealed itself before them.
The Mother entity was not unaware of their approach; like Richard, it had been waiting for reinforcements.
(End of Chapter)