Chapter 506: Braving Obstacles

Although Su Che and the others promptly replaced their defensive tools, it did little to alleviate the crisis they faced—only buying some time. So far, not a single tentacle had been severed.

Su Che noticed that the wounds caused by his earlier “Spatial Slash” were still taking effect. After a dozen breaths, the wounds on those tentacles had expanded several times over, breaking through by about a quarter. This reduced the speed at which the nearly hundred tentacles near them swung, thus easing the pressure on them slightly.

The powers of the Great Dao were truly extraordinary. Even at an introductory level—far from reaching mastery—its power might not seem great, but its miraculous effects were clearly far stronger than those of ordinary supernatural abilities.

Moreover, Su Che guessed that Tian Yin must know the origin of these black tentacles. But due to the urgent situation, there was no time to talk to her, so he couldn’t ask for details.

In any case, it would be wise to follow Tian Yin’s instructions.

Bang!

The bell rang again.

Tian Yin’s sonic attacks were quite effective against these black tentacles. Though they didn’t cause direct damage, they disrupted them, giving everyone enough time to react.

It was obvious that without Tian Yin, the situation would be even worse.

“Don’t stop! Keep moving!”

Tian Yin shouted again, “Our attacks are too weak to eliminate them. We must keep fighting without stopping!”

Though everyone remained silent, they followed her orders and continued moving straight south. No matter how slow their pace, they couldn’t stop. Stopping meant death.

First, the game rules didn’t allow stopping. Second, more tentacles were emerging underground. If they stopped, they would become prey.

Hiss… hiss… hiss…

A creepy sound came from beneath the ground, as if countless pythons were swimming rapidly at their feet.

As Su Che and the others moved forward, those tentacles seemed capable of burrowing through the ground, chasing and following them effortlessly.

Swish… swish… swish…

Su Che unleashed “Spatial Slash” for the second time, sending nearly a hundred spatial blades flying out.

This time, due to different positions and angles, it was possible to attack the other side of those tentacles. In other words, on the opposite side of the same area where nearly a hundred tentacles had been damaged earlier, another spatial rift would form, continuously expanding the wounds until they were finally severed.
But as soon as the Space Blade struck its target, the black tentacles launched their third attack.
The tentacles, as thick as buckets, were covered with spikes; if defense failed and one was struck by them, even the body of a powerful cultivator at the Great Vehicle stage would turn into a mess of flesh. Hundreds of tentacles, acting like clubs, swayed in front of one’s eyes, writhing around…
In such a situation, those with weak mental fortitude could face fatal tragedy with just a moment of panic.
Fortunately, everyone present were mighty beings who had witnessed countless battles and faced countless challenges; even in the face of death, they could maintain sufficient composure.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
After enduring the third strike, everyone could clearly hear the spirit of the defensive talisman they controlled screaming in agony. Facing such overwhelming attacks was nothing short of torture for them.
There was no choice—no one could afford to show pity for them. No matter how many magical treasures were lost or how many spirits perished, as long as their own lives could be saved, the cultivators would spare no effort.
Dong!
The bell rang again, giving everyone another chance to counterattack and move faster…
But this time, the black tentacles finally noticed Tianyin as a disturbance. Though somewhat slow to react, they still made the right judgment: First eliminate Tianyin, then deal with the others—it would be much easier!
By instinct, they seemed to have understood this logic.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…
Over a hundred tentacles surged toward Su Che and Tianyin. If they were hit by their combined attacks, the bronze cauldron talisman Su Che was controlling would surely not be able to withstand it, and its defensive barrier would undoubtedly break.
There was nowhere to hide, and no way to defend—what could be done?
With no other choice, Su Che had no choice but to release Xiao Hei. In such a critical moment, he didn’t care if it violated the game rules.
Whoosh!
As soon as the black figure appeared, it instantly transformed into a black giant several zhang tall, holding a dark golden long-handled battle axe.
The double-edged battle axe given by the Witch God!
Without hesitation, it swung the axe to strike. Xiao Hei never wasted time being polite—each time it appeared, its only mission was to slay all enemies!
The giant axe, nearly ten zhang long, had a blade alone that was four zhang wide.

The weapons crafted by the Witch Clan are, strictly speaking, not considered magical treasures; they contain no special powers. Their sole goal is to be indestructible. Simple, direct, and representing the ultimate pursuit—this is the characteristic of the Witch Clan.

Magical treasures in the world require a certain level of cultivation from their users. Those with insufficient cultivation cannot wield higher-grade treasures, which is part of the fairness of the natural laws. Otherwise, absurd situations might arise, such as someone at the Golden Core stage wielding a divine artifact and forcing someone at the Great Vehicle stage to flee in disarray.

But the Witch Clan’s battle axes are not magical treasures. As long as one has the necessary strength to lift them, they can be used to strike enemies. There are no complicated rules or explanations.

Whoosh!
With a single swing of the axe, all who stand in its path are defeated. The awe-inspiring power that can create and destroy worlds appears once again.

The silent Xiao Hei, every time he appears, can only be described as “magnificent.” No other word seems fitting. Standing several zhang tall, once he swings his massive battle axe, an area of over ten zhang in radius falls under his attack.

Pfft… pfft…
The dozens of tentacles in that area, which were once moving arrogantly, suddenly froze as if under a paralyzing spell, turning into grotesque black pillars.

“It should be broken now?”
As this thought crossed Su Che’s mind, he saw the dozens of “black pillars” break apart, with their upper halves collapsing and crashing to the ground with a loud thud. Upon touching the ground, black smoke rose immediately, turning into pools of foul-smelling black water that quickly seeped into the ground.

“Great!”
Su Che and the others cheered loudly, even those in the Spirit Realm. This swing by Xiao Hei gave them hope of escaping—great hope at that.

“Let’s go!”
Unexpectedly, Tian Yin still shouted solemnly, “This won’t cause much damage to them. They’ll still…”
Before Tian Yin could finish, Su Che and the others sped forward even faster. Whatever the reason, since Tian Yin said “let’s go,” it was time to leave. After all, no one wanted to stay here…

Boom! Boom! Boom…
The giant Xiao Hei strode forward, clearing a path with his battle axe, swinging it back and forth above Su Che and the others’ heads. Su Che and the others, being of normal human height, appeared like dwarfs compared to Xiao Hei and the tentacles. They didn’t need to dodge, as they wouldn’t be injured by his repeated swings.

With the battle axe paving the way, nothing could stand in their way!

The black tentacles in front and the large trees were no different from each other—they were all cut in half without any hindrance. The speed of progress had increased by at least ten times! Su Che knew best that Xiao Hei itself did not possess such formidable power; in its bare form, it was only at the mid-Yuan Ying stage. The reason for its sharpness was, of course, the battle axe given by the Witch God. Since the battle axe was forged by the Witch God herself, did that mean its “invincible” trait had been taken to its extreme? At present, Xiao Hei’s strength was limited, and it couldn’t fully unleash the true power of this axe. However, this also meant that the weapon could definitely accompany him all the way into the Immortal Realm, and it would be sufficient when the time came to fight the immortals. Whoosh… One after another, the black tentacles were easily cut off. Boom… The large trees also began to fall one after another. Xiao Hei, wielding the battle axe, was like a king of destruction sent from the heavens. If he continued like this, he would carve a straight path through this forest. The target: due south! Su Che followed closely behind Xiao Hei. As they moved forward rapidly, he still had time to look back and saw that the upper halves of the cut black tentacles had turned into black water, while their lower halves, still stuck in the ground, began to rise again with a whooshing sound. It seemed as if there was an immeasurable length hidden deep underground; what had been cut was only a small part at the front, which didn’t pose much of an impact. “How long are these things exactly?” Su Che asked through telepathy. With Xiao Hei’s protection, he finally had the chance to ask Tian Yin. “Dark Beard Monster!” Tian Yin replied telepathically, “Like a primitive beast, it is also an ancient creature that has long gone extinct in the mortal world. This monster is extremely huge, but its main body is hidden thousands of feet deep underground. All we can see are its hair-like tentacles.” “Hair-like tentacles?” Su Che was quite surprised and quickly asked, “If just the hair-like tentacles are this thick and over a thousand feet long, then how big must its main body be?” “Its main body is extremely ugly. From a distance, it looks like a huge mass of rotten flesh covered in black hair,” Tian Yin replied in a low voice. “I can’t determine exactly how big this Dark Beard Monster can be. But in my past life, I once saw a Beard Beast whose main body had a diameter of a hundred miles and whose tentacles stretched for a thousand miles.”

“This ancient creature doesn’t know how to cultivate; it simply acts on its instinct to survive by hiding deep underground and using its tentacles to prey on all living things on the surface.”
“To kill it, one must possess true cultivation at the Tribulation stage.”
At this point, Tianyin smiled bitterly and shook her head. “Today, although this forest is not short of cultivators at the Tribulation stage, unfortunately, they are all sealed. Without someone like Xiao Hei, those cultivators would become nourishment for the Demon Tentacle Beast.”
After finishing her explanation, Su Che was still shocked by the terrifying figures he had heard earlier—“a main body diameter of a hundred miles, with tentacles stretching a thousand miles long.”
“If the Demon Tentacle Beast we encountered today is even half that size, how much effort would it take to escape its hunting range?”
“Does it really mean Xiao Hei has to fight his way through all obstacles just to leave this forest?”