Chapter 1681: 1681 ### Chapter 1681: I Came First, Are You Planning to Snatch It? Meng Li’s soul was shrouded in a thin layer of black mist. It was this black mist that caused Meng Li to fall unconscious. The black mist contained some rule power. Lin Muyu understood the essence of the black mist with just a glance. The black mist was not a poison mist but rather something that would make the soul fall asleep and believe it was poisoned. When the soul thinks it is poisoned and that its life is continuously draining away, this illusion becomes a reality. The rule power within the black mist was very thin and weak, but it was still rule power. For cultivators, those with higher cultivation could hold on longer, while those with insufficient cultivation would succumb within seconds. Because the rule power of the black mist was very weak, it would be erased by the power of the greater world as soon as one left the Maple Forest Secret Realm. Its essence was the same as that of the Black Rain Secret Realm. The Maple Forest Secret Realm made you believe you were poisoned, while the Black Rain Secret Realm guided people into an illusion, causing them to sink into it voluntarily. One was active, the other passive. Neither could be said to be stronger or weaker; they had different uses. Comparatively, the illusion of the Black Rain Secret Realm was more concealed and lasted longer. Once the essence was understood, the solution was simple. There was no need for anything else; just a stimulus to Meng Li’s soul to wake him up would suffice. The rule power in the black mist was minimal and easily interrupted. Lin Muyu exited Meng Li’s soul world and lightly tapped his finger. Stellar-level spell: Soul Curse! Lin Muyu did not use the fusion spell Time Curse, only the Soul Curse, and he controlled his power. He wanted to stimulate Meng Li’s soul, not kill him. If he used too much force, Meng Li might die. A red light flashed, and the curse power reached the soul. Meng Li screamed and jumped up suddenly. He clutched his head in pain; the pain at the soul level was not something an ordinary person could endure. Amidst his screams, Meng Li saw Lin Muyu and shouted angrily, "What are you doing?" Lin Muyu ignored him, "You are poisoned, use the escape talisman to leave." Meng Li was stunned, only then remembering that he was indeed poisoned and had just been unconscious. For a moment, a drowsy feeling came over him, and he felt he was about to relapse. At this moment, he realized that Lin Muyu had saved him. "Thank you!" Meng Li did not hesitate and immediately activated the escape talisman, leaving the secret realm. If he had been two seconds later, he would have fallen unconscious again. Lin Muyu had only stimulated his soul to wake him up but had not dispelled the black mist. There were many ways to save someone, and naturally, the simplest method was chosen. After Meng Li left, Lin Muyu looked towards the forest. There were signs of rolling in the forest, and a stone seemed to have been broken. From the break in the stone, Lin Muyu analyzed Meng Li’s previous situation. Meng Li had flown in from afar, flying urgently, and then fell from mid-air, breaking the stone and falling unconscious. The poison that affected Meng Li naturally came from the poisonous creatures in the secret realm. But most of the poisonous creatures in the secret realm appeared in the Maple Forest. From this, it could be deduced that Meng Li must have fallen into the Maple Forest as soon as he entered the secret realm. Then, before he could react, he was attacked by the poisonous creatures in the Maple Forest and chased. If he hadn’t encountered Lin Muyu, Meng Li would have died inside. This was the basic situation; otherwise, the speed of his injury would have been too fast. At the same time, Lin Muyu had already analyzed Meng Li’s flight trajectory. Following Meng Li’s flight path, he would surely find the Maple Forest. Lin Muyu’s speed was much faster than Meng Li’s. In just two seconds, a Maple Forest appeared in his sight. The Maple Forest was quite large, with over a thousand maple trees. The maple trees were much taller than ordinary maple trees! The most ordinary maple trees were over fifty meters tall, and the slightly taller ones were nearly a hundred meters. If placed on an ordinary planet, they would definitely be towering trees. The tall maple trees had huge leaves. Each maple leaf had a diameter of over half a meter. The maple trees were lush and verdant, swaying as if there was wind, even though there was none. From time to time, maple leaves would fall, accumulating a thick layer on the ground. However, most of these maple leaves were green, with few red ones. Even if there were a few red maple leaves, they were useless. The task required blood-red maple leaves, as red as fresh blood. Blood-red maple leaves could grow on the trees or be found on the ground. According to statistics, the ratio of leaves on the trees to those on the ground was about three to seven. Lin Muyu stood in mid-air, scanning the Maple Forest. He quickly found a few blood-red maple leaves, two on the trees and four on the ground. The probability of blood-red maple leaves appearing had also been statistically analyzed. On average, one blood-red maple leaf appeared for every hundred maple trees. This meant that in this forest of over a thousand maple trees, there was a high probability of completing the task. Lin Muyu did not care much about the task, but it wouldn’t hurt to do it while he was at it. He was about to take the maple leaves when a flash of lightning approached rapidly. The newcomer was very fast, arriving in an instant with fire and lightning. The newcomer’s name was Lei Wenbin, from the intermediate area, a minor god who had comprehended the law of thunder. The law of thunder was a type of lightning law, but more powerful, ranking among the top of the second-tier laws. With his minor god cultivation, his combat power was extraordinary, stronger than the likes of Dongfang Ze. Although the secret realm was large, with over a hundred cultivators above the fifth rank of the god king, it would seem small at their speed, and it was normal to occasionally encounter others. "It’s you!" Lei Wenbin naturally recognized Lin Muyu. Lin Muyu had made such a big splash earlier that it was impossible not to know him. Lei Wenbin said nothing, his gaze shifting between Lin Muyu and the Maple Forest. He quickly found the blood-red maple leaves, his eyes lighting up. According to unwritten rules, this Maple Forest was found by Lin Muyu first, so the priority belonged to him. But rules were just rules, and they were unwritten. Every year, there were people who did not follow them. Although they wouldn’t directly fight, it was normal to snatch some blood-red maple leaves together. As long as they didn’t directly attack people, there was no place to argue. In the end, it depended on who had the bigger fist. Lin Muyu’s fist was not small, but how big it was, Lei Wenbin didn’t know. He was now very conflicted about whether to snatch or not. Lin Muyu smiled, "I came first." Lei Wenbin said, "I know." Lin Muyu looked at him, "Are you planning to snatch?" Lei Wenbin did not speak, still conflicted about whether to act. If it were another sixth-rank god king, he would definitely snatch. But Lin Muyu was different. No one knew how strong Lin Muyu really was. Some said Lin Muyu was very strong, comparable to a god. Others said Lin Muyu was just good at clearing secret realms, and his combat power might not be that great. But Xiao Sheng and Qing Jian, two genius gods, were his brothers. Lady Yu even called Lin Muyu a friend. If he offended these people for a few maple leaves, it wasn’t worth it. Lei Wenbin finally decided not to snatch! He said to Lin Muyu, "Junior Brother Lin, go ahead, I won’t snatch." Lin Muyu roughly understood Lei Wenbin’s thoughts. He had too many concerns and didn’t dare to snatch even if he wanted to. At the same time, he also wanted to see Lin Muyu’s strength. "In that case, I won’t be polite!"