Having made up his mind, Li Su hesitated no longer.
He spent several days thoroughly surveying the surroundings of his new foothold. He also absorbed the lingering remnants of the ancient battlefield and hunted solitary Fierce Beasts whenever possible, accumulating 35 Evolution Points. After his foundation had advanced, the points required for evolution had increased drastically. His cultivation had also fully stabilized at the peak of the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm.
On this day, he took one final "look" at the mountain of corpses, sea of bones, and ancient battlefield that had given him his first growth—and had nearly claimed his life. His eighty-foot Mo Xing Bamboo Body trembled slightly as its main root was completely pulled from the ground.
The journey west began!
He did not choose to fly through the air. That would make too large a target and consume too much energy. Instead, he used his bamboo roots as feet and "glided" close to the ground.
Countless fine roots moved like nimble tentacles, supporting his bamboo body as he swiftly traveled over the ground and between rocks. When he encountered ravines, he briefly leaped across them. Though he was not as fast as flying, he was more concealed and agile, and consumed far less energy.
The radiance of his Mo Xing Bamboo Body was restrained, while his divine sense contracted to a range of one hundred feet around him, serving only as an early warning system. He did everything possible not to attract the attention of any powerful beings.
But how could the westward road through the Primordial World possibly be smooth?
Less than a thousand miles after leaving the ancient battlefield, a desolate stone forest blocked his path.
The baleful energy within the stone forest was especially dense, even forming a faint black mist.
Li Su swept the area with his divine sense, and his heart tightened.
Deep within the stone forest lurked dozens of Fierce Beasts resembling cheetahs, though their entire bodies were covered in bone spines.
Their individual strength ranged from Spirit Refining Returning to Emptiness to the early Earth Immortal realm. Yet they moved like the wind, utterly silent, and had vaguely formed some kind of encirclement.
It was an ambush! These Fierce Beasts had clearly taken him, a "moving bamboo," for prey!
He could not force his way through! Li Su made his judgment in an instant. Once he was entangled, the commotion would grow too great. Who knew what it might attract?
He immediately changed direction and tried to circle around the stone forest. But the bone-spined cheetahs were extremely cunning. Seeing this, they instantly shot out of the stone forest and flanked him from both sides. They were astonishingly fast, forming a complete encirclement in the blink of an eye!
Awoo!
The largest bone-spined cheetah at the front, whose aura was fully at the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm, let out a low growl. All the cheetahs lowered their bodies at once, their bone spines rising and glinting with a ghostly light. They clearly carried either potent poison or an effect that could pierce protective energy.
There was no way back!
Li Su's bamboo body paused, and he stopped trying to flee.
Since he could not avoid them, then he would fight! This was the perfect chance to test his newly acquired strength!
With a thought, dark radiance flowed over his body. The divine ability Star Evil Body Protection activated on its own, and a thin black halo glittering with starlight enveloped his bamboo body.
At the same time, the first three bone-spined cheetahs had already pounced! Their claws shrieked through the air as they viciously tore toward his bamboo body!
Screech!
A grating sound that set teeth on edge rang out!
The halo of Star Evil Body Protection rippled violently, and the sharp bone claws actually left shallow marks upon it!
Yet they ultimately failed to break through his defense! Instead, a rebounding force mixed with Stellar Evil Energy corroded its way along the bone claws and into the three cheetahs!
The three cheetahs let out pained shrieks. A thin layer of black frost spread across their claws, and their movements instantly stiffened.
Now!
Li Su's bamboo body swayed gently. More than a dozen dark bamboo leaves streaked with starlight silently fell away, transforming into lightning-fast blades that precisely shot toward the three rigid cheetahs' eyes, throats, and other weak points!
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Blood burst forth! Caught completely off guard, the three cheetahs were instantly grievously wounded, screaming as they rolled across the ground.
Having succeeded in one strike, Li Su did not linger. His bamboo roots moved as he charged fiercely toward the flank, trying to tear open the encirclement.
But the cheetah king at the front reacted incredibly quickly. It let out a low roar, and the remaining twenty-odd cheetahs simultaneously spewed streams of gray-black air!
The streams intertwined in midair, forming an enormous, sticky net of baleful energy that descended upon Li Su! Ghostly light flickered over the net, which clearly contained the power to bind and corrode!
An area attack! These beasts really had some tricks up their sleeves!
Li Su's pupils—his divine sense—contracted. Taking that baleful net head-on was not a wise choice. His speed would definitely be hindered, and then he would be completely surrounded.
He abruptly stopped, driving his eighty-foot bamboo body deep into the ground!
"Rise!"
At the urging of his divine sense, countless sharp bamboo roots glowing with ghostly light instantly burst from the earth within a hundred-foot radius around him!
These bamboo roots were not physical entities. They were phantoms formed from his own roots combined with Stellar Evil Energy and the power of the earth. Together, they created a temporary, rudimentary trapping and killing formation—the Secluded Bamboo Trapping Array!
After advancing to the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm and improving his foundation, he had developed this crude divine ability himself by combining his own traits with the little he had understood about formations from the lingering remnants of the ancient battlefield.
Using his roots as a medium, he communicated with the baleful energy of the earth veins to form a combination of Illusion Array and killing formation. It would not last long, but it could erupt with power in an instant!
The bone-spined cheetahs had clearly not expected this bamboo to possess such a method, and they immediately fell into the formation.
The scene before their eyes shifted, as though they had fallen into an endless sea of bamboo. Sharp bamboo roots stabbed at them from every direction. Most were illusions, but genuine attacks were mixed among them, making them impossible to guard against!
The baleful energy net lost its target and slowly dissipated.
The cheetah king let out an enraged roar. The bone spines on its body erupted with intense ghostly light, and with a violent shudder, it forcibly tore open a corner of the Illusion Array!
But its subordinates behind it did not possess such strength. Their formation immediately descended into chaos as the elusive phantom bamboo roots wounded and entangled them, drawing out endless miserable cries.
This was exactly the opportunity Li Su wanted!
His bamboo body suddenly tore free from the ground like a dark arrow released from a bow, instantly rushing toward the gap in the formation that the cheetah king had torn open!
At the same time, the Soul-Devouring Dark Light he had prepared for so long shot forth without a sound. Its target was the cheetah king, which had just broken the formation and had exhausted its old force before new strength could arise!
The cheetah king's spiritual senses were keen. Sensing a fatal threat, it abruptly turned its head aside to evade!
Sssht!
The Soul-Devouring Dark Light grazed its neck, taking away a small chunk of flesh along with a great deal of its essence, energy, and spirit!
The cheetah king immediately released a shrill howl. Its aura weakened by more than half, and fear flashed through its eyes. It actually did not dare to pursue him further, turning and fleeing instead!
With its leader gone, the remaining cheetahs trapped in the formation lost all will to fight. Panicked, they scattered and fled in every direction.
Li Su did not pursue them.
He swiftly withdrew his divine ability, moved his bamboo roots, and left the stone forest at top speed. Only after traveling several thousand miles and confirming that there were no pursuers did he find a concealed mountain hollow to root himself in again and briefly catch his breath.
Though the battle had been short, the expenditure had been considerable. In particular, setting up the Secluded Bamboo Trapping Array had nearly drained thirty percent of his Stellar Evil Energy.
But the results had also been remarkable. Outnumbered, he had wounded the cheetah king and frightened off the beast pack, all without suffering the slightest injury himself.
After this battle, he gained a clearer understanding of his own strength. At the mid-stage Earth Immortal realm, coupled with his advanced foundation and two divine abilities, he now possessed a certain degree of self-preservation in this region. But when facing packs of Earth Immortal-level Fierce Beasts or even stronger existences, he still needed to remain cautious.
At the same time, the Secluded Bamboo Trapping Array's first use had shown him a path forward.
He himself was bamboo, his roots spread everywhere, and he could communicate with the earth veins. In the future, he might achieve great things in the path of formations.
After a brief period of recovery, Li Su continued westward.
The journey remained perilous. All manner of bizarre Fierce Beasts appeared without end, while strange terrain and environments were also filled with deadly dangers.
He had encountered gigantic flowers capable of spewing poisonous mist. He had nearly fallen into a bloody marsh of quicksand that devoured everything. He had also been pursued by a flock of flying Fierce Birds for an entire day and night...
But through caution, steadily increasing strength, and occasional flashes of inspiration in using formations, he escaped danger time and again.
The name Mo Xing Soul Devouring Bamboo also seemed to quietly spread across this vast and dangerous wilderness as he traveled westward, passed along by the few surviving intelligent creatures—a black bamboo that could move, set formations, and devour Beast Souls.
Li Su had no interest in such matters. His goal had always remained clear—Kunlun, in the northwest!
Evolution Points accumulated slowly, while his cultivation steadily improved through actual combat.
His perception of stellar power also grew increasingly clear. When traveling at night, he drew upon Taiyin Star Light and the power of the surrounding stars to temper his body. The effect was actually somewhat better than absorbing baleful energy.
On this day, he arrived at the edge of a Black Desert.
The baleful energy in the desert was thin, yet an eerie, deathly aura filled it, one capable of dissolving divine sense and spiritual power.
Just as he hesitated over whether to detour around it, the fragment of the "Bedrock Rune" in his possession began to grow warm once more!
Before you continue