Purple Swamp, Snake Cave

Whoosh... Bang, bang, bang!!

The sound of flesh being pierced rang out beside the two girls. After the lead ape let out a mournful howl, more than a dozen white Ten-Year Spirit Rings and one Hundred-Year Spirit Ring slowly rose from the corpses.

"Eh?" One girl turned around, saw that all the Apes of Harmony had fallen, and immediately collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

"Whew... Who saved us?" The other girl looked around, but found nothing.

Whoosh!

Another arrow flew out and lodged itself in a large tree beside them, with a note hanging from it.

The girl took it down and read its contents aloud:

"Don't think too much of it. If you hadn't run toward us while fleeing for your lives, we wouldn't have wanted to save you. Leave our territory immediately, or bear the consequences yourselves."

Qian Yuxi turned back and glanced at the two girls bowing in thanks in his direction before leaving the other way. He said nothing and continued roasting meat.

Using "we" instead of "I" made them think he was not alone. Combined with the intimidation of killing more than a dozen enemies with one arrow, it was enough to dispel any thoughts they might have had of repaying kindness with hostility. After all, Qian Yuxi had no idea what kind of people the two girls were.

Night slowly fell, and the most dangerous time in Misty Trace Grand Canyon had arrived. Qian Yuxi had already relocated his camp and wiped away all traces of human activity. Thus, this night would also be the best time to hunt.

Fire one shot, then change positions. This was something every qualified old six from Qian Yuxi's hometown had to remember. As a music student, he had played games like this in his spare time. In the end, he was gradually becoming the kind of person he hated most.

"Huh, what's going on? Why is there a fragrance?"

Qian Yuxi frowned. He caught a faint whiff of an intoxicating scent. It was not particularly strong, but it made his mind feel hazy, and he could not help covering his nose with his sleeve.

Following the scent, Qian Yuxi arrived before a swamp shrouded in purple mist. Aside from the mud, there were many seemingly tranquil patches of water throughout the swamp. The water was somewhat murky, and it was impossible to tell how deep it was.

Qian Yuxi's gaze suddenly sharpened. Beneath the surface, he seemed to see a creature as thick as a water barrel flash past. It appeared to be a dark-purple giant snake, and its body was more than ten meters long!

This seemingly tranquil swamp concealed countless dangers within...

"It might be a Thousand-Year Spirit Beast. I could fight it, but there's no need." Shaking his head lightly, Qian Yuxi turned and left to search for another suitable campsite.

The Spirit Beasts of Misty Trace Grand Canyon came in all shapes and forms, and some even possessed special abilities, making them extremely troublesome to deal with.

For example, there was a snake-type Spirit Beast Qian Yuxi had seen on page ten of the Spirit Beast Encyclopedia. It was very likely the master of this swamp—the Poisonous Miasma Fierce Python.

His top priority was to find a suitable campsite as soon as possible and rest for the night. He had no one to keep watch for him, so he also had to make an alarm himself.

After walking for a long time, Qian Yuxi still had not found suitable terrain. Just as he was about to stop and rest, he suddenly spotted a cave beneath a rock wall not far away. The cave was at least three meters in diameter and gave off a faint ghostly blue glow in the dusk, making it seem exceptionally mysterious.

"A Spirit Beast's cave?" Qian Yuxi thought to himself. He summoned his martial soul and quietly approached the cave. He found that it was quite spacious inside, with no venomous insects or anything of the sort, though the smell of blood was very heavy.

As soon as Qian Yuxi neared the entrance, he heard several faint sounds coming from within, and his heart instantly tightened.

Spiritual power gathered over his eyes again as he peered into the darkness. Sure enough, coiled inside the cave was a Jade Green Python over ten meters long. Behind it, it seemed to be guarding something.

A Thousand-Year Mandala Snake!

Squelch, squelch...

It was the sound of a Spirit Beast feeding.

The Thousand-Year Mandala Snake actually held a headless corpse in its mouth. After gently setting it down, blood still dripped from the neat venomous fangs in its savage, horrifying maw. It flicked its tongue, then began tearing into the corpse, scattering nauseating bits of flesh all over the ground.

Even Qian Yuxi, who considered his mental fortitude strong, felt a little sick at the sight of such a bloody scene. Still, he forced himself to remain calm.

This cave was excellent. It was the territory of a Thousand-Year Spirit Beast, and the pungent smell outside must have come from the Mandala Snake dripping venom to announce the status of the cave's master.

Qian Yuxi licked his slightly dry lips, his eyes locked on the Thousand-Year Mandala Snake as Soul Power surged rapidly through his body.

He wanted this cave. He had to end this quickly and secure victory with a single strike!

The Mandala Snake's weakness was its mouth, and that remained true even at a thousand years. As long as he killed it in one blow, that would be enough!

Closing one eye, Qian Yuxi's first Spirit Ring gave off a faint glow in the darkness. A Golden Arrow took aim at the Mandala Snake's open mouth as it fed, then shot out fiercely!

Squelch!

A Golden Arrow tore through the air and struck the Thousand-Year Mandala Snake squarely in its mouth. The pain was instantly unbearable, and it let out a howl. Qian Yuxi immediately followed up with two more arrows aimed at its eyes!

Puff, puff...

Violent impacts echoed through the cave as the Mandala Snake slammed wildly against the walls. Its mouth and both eyes had each been blasted into bloody holes by Qian Yuxi, and blood sprayed everywhere.

After struggling in agony for around ten seconds, it collapsed onto the ground, seemingly devoid of life. Only after seeing its Spirit Ring appear did Qian Yuxi finally enter with relief.

The cave was not especially large, but it was enough to house three people. Qian Yuxi continued deeper into the darkness and confirmed what the Mandala Snake had been guarding behind it. There were seven yellowish-white Snake Eggs, along with a shed snakeskin from its lifetime.

After clearing away the corpse, Qian Yuxi fixed his gaze on the seven Snake Eggs, and his heart began pounding.

The Snake Eggs were all oval-shaped and about the size of fists. He had no idea how long the Mandala Snake had incubated them, since he had not studied much about this kind of knowledge.

"I've only ever eaten fried eggs before. I wonder what fried snake eggs taste like..."

Having made up his mind, Qian Yuxi set up a fire and placed a frying pan over it. Then he began boiling water, preparing tonight's dinner.

There were vendors selling salt and seasoning powder in Death Camp's city, but the prices were too high, so he had not bought any. Qian Renxue had packed all of these in the bracelet for him.

For his first dinner surviving in the canyon, he could not mistreat himself. It had simply been too long since he had cooked for himself, so Qian Yuxi was a little rusty.

Frying eggs did not take long. Once he added the seasonings, they were quickly done. He picked one up with his chopsticks and took a bite. Mm... By human standards of taste, they were only passable.

"Ha... Looks like during these seven days in the canyon, I can also practice my cooking."

Before he knew it, Qian Yuxi had already finished one fried egg and began frying the next. Back at the academy, they served excellent fried eggs every day, and he would eat at least three.

"I really miss those aunties' cooking at the academy... As long as they didn't always have shaky hands." Qian Yuxi sighed and continued eating dinner. This might be a snake nest, but aside from the smell of venom, there was nothing uncomfortable about it. Once he found time to fetch some water from the river and clean it, people could sleep here.

Thud, thud, thud...

Before he could even close his eyes, more movement came from outside. Qian Yuxi rose impatiently, the Aurora Sacred Feather Bow appearing in his hand, and rushed out of the cave—only to freeze in disbelief.

Fifty meters away, a man and a woman were fighting a bear-type Spirit Beast while retreating, and they were running straight toward him.

If it had merely been an ordinary Thousand-Year Spirit Beast, he would have been confident in killing it within ten exchanges. But this one...

"A Thousand-Year... Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear?!"