Chapter 451: Lan's Thoughts

Right in front of the group of cultivators a clearing in the forest appeared. All trees had been uprooted and thrown down in a stack at the side, while a single stalk of a flower occupied the middle.

This stalk of a flower looked like a regular red rose, so red that it seemed to resemble blood.

Because of the many uprooted trees, some sunshine shone down on the single rose, and the wind carried some fresh air, which made the rose flutter in the breeze.

This single rose seemed so unremarkable, it seemed very out of place and so strange, but none of them dared let their guards down. The atmosphere was so oppressive that one could cut it with a knife. The rose was nothing simple at all.

This rose, which was swaying in the wind, was the main body of the Monarch Piranha Flower.

It was hard to believe that this vast forest, which was full of nothing but trees, was the territory of such a single stalk of flowers. The big wall of vines they had fought to get through had vines with a thickness larger than their thighs, but even so, this main body of the Monarch Piranha Flower was so thin that it looked as if any force could crush it.

It was adept at masking its ruthlessness.

The group took a deep breath, but they did not rush to advance towards the flower. Although it looked harmless, the complete lack of life in the forest proved that this was a real horror for anyone who entered.

But Xue Wei and the others felt odd. The moment the Scarlet Bees had entered the forest, they had fallen prey to the Monarch Piranha Flower, yet they had gotten this far and were now able to see the main body of the plant.

Everyone knew that the main body of the plant was the most vulnerable part. It was capable of always creating new vines endlessly, so if it lost a vine or two, it really would not matter.

The main body was different. If anything happened to the main body, the vitality of the Monarch Piranha Flower would be seriously injured.

So why had the flower allowed them to get so close? It was quite an intriguing question, but it was also what made them even more alert.

The only one who was casual about it all was Lan. He stood behind the others. His arms were crossed over his chest, and a sliver of a smile adorned his lips. His eyes were staring right at Xue Wei, interest brewing deep within his pupils.

Even so, he said nothing and just observed. This was a test he had made for Xue Wei. If he could not even overcome this, then what was going to happen later would, without a doubt, leave him dead. As such, Lan had no other option than to train him, and he had been training him ever since he first sent him away from the Chang'an Continent.

He was the one who intentionally created a space storm in the dimensional tunnel, which directed them to Yan Dalu instead of the Demon Phoenix Continent.

Luoluo was his first test, and he had passed it with flying colors. Secondly, he had wanted to see if he could cross the Sea of the Enchanted on his own, and once again, everything had been done well, with him even becoming a friend of Tao Wu.

Then he had been sent to the Ascended's Realm, where he had also done an excellent job. But it seemed that the challenges that he faced were simply too light for him. Ever since he had left the Chang'an Continent, he had never really faced any life-threatening difficulties or any moment where he had to erupt with all he had to stay alive.

Now, it was time to see what he would do when his life was on the line. Therefore, Lan had sent them to this forest. Of course, he was not going to really let them die, Xue Wei still had a crucial task to fulfill in Lan's eyes before he would be allowed to die, but he would also not move on the Monarch Piranha Flower unless Xue Wei was only a sliver away from death.

Xue Wei, Lin Xiao, Luoluo, Hei Gou, Bai Tianyi, and the many beasts within the beast tag were all unaware of Lan's thoughts; if they knew them, they would perhaps no longer trust him as much as they did before.

Lan had a purpose in training Xue Wei. He was the key to solving the only regret he had in life, and he was not befriending him without wanting something in return.

That was why the smile on his face turned increasingly radiant as he thought about how his plans would be brought to fruition soon.

At the same time, Xue Wei observed his surroundings. Everything was quiet as before, and the flower just casually swayed in the wind. The Monarch Piranha Flower was a type of plant spirit. It was a plant that had grown intelligence and a soul, so even though it looked like a stalk of a rose, it was not to be looked down upon.

It had to have something planned to be swaying so casually in the air. But it had no intention of acting, and Xue Wei could not help but frown. "Little Rainbow, go and see if you can burn it down," Xue Wei said to his Luan Bird.

His naming ability was rather bad, considering that the bird was rainbow-colored, and he named Little Rainbow. Hei Gou was even worse, his was named Little Blue, and only Luoluo had found an original name for her bird, calling it Soaring Cloud.