Collecting

After turning around, Xiao Ming saw clearly what exactly had attacked him.

It was a centipede with a ferocious face and a dazzlingly multicolored body. Two pairs of blood-red wings on its back beat so quickly they left afterimages, keeping it suspended in the air.

"Seven-Colored Flying Centipede!"

Xiao Ming recognized the centipede's species, and the corner of his mouth twitched unnaturally. He felt a lingering fear over having merely tilted his head to dodge earlier.

The Seven-Colored Flying Centipede was a highly venomous insect. It was not an especially high-ranked Magical Beast itself, but its venom was extremely potent. If an ordinary Da Dou Shi was bitten on the head, they would lose the ability to move on the spot at best, and die outright at worst.

Xiao Ming's simple act of tilting his head had still been incredibly dangerous. These flying insects could turn in midair. Although he had life-saving medicinal pills in his Na Ring and would not die, it would still hurt to use them.

"Where did that Poison Ghost find a Seven-Colored Flying Centipede? He actually set it up here. How sinister."

Xiao Ming cursed under his breath. Anyone who came here and saw the Green Rock Profound Water would probably have lost their mind and rushed forward immediately.

And then, the Seven-Colored Flying Centipede hidden among the corpses would have caught them off guard with a strike.

No one would likely have been able to react in time.

The Seven-Colored Flying Centipede had no interest in giving Xiao Ming time to observe his opponent. All it wanted now was to kill this intruder who had entered its territory.

"Buzz, buzz!"

Increasing the frequency of its wingbeats, the Seven-Colored Flying Centipede transformed into a streak of colored light and shot at Xiao Ming's head once more.

"Are you done yet?!"

As mentioned before, the Seven-Colored Flying Centipede itself was not particularly terrifying. Its only threat was its dreadful poison.

Having lost the chance for a sneak attack, it posed little danger to Xiao Ming by attacking head-on.

Xiao Ming flipped his palm, and a Magic Core Treasure Sword had somehow already appeared in his hand.

He casually slashed at the incoming Seven-Colored Shadow.

With a wet splat, the shadow split into two and fell to the ground.

Green venom gushed from the two writhing, twisting halves of the Seven-Colored Flying Centipede. The intense pain even made it let out a strange cry.

Xiao Ming waved his right hand, and blue flames enveloped it. In an instant, the Seven-Colored Flying Centipede was reduced to a pile of ashes.

He then used the blue flames to scorch the blade, ensuring it was clean.

After putting the sword into his Na Ring, Xiao Ming turned his gaze toward the Green Rock Profound Water at the center of the Green Pool.

"Let's collect the Green Rock Profound Water first."

Xiao Ming did not want to touch the green liquid that had soaked so many corpses. He selected several small rocks from nearby and tossed them into the pool a few meters apart, creating a path.

Treading Wind Chasing Shadow!

With a stomp, he leaped into the air. Landing on the small stones, Xiao Ming rapidly approached the Green Rock Profound Water.

As Xiao Ming gradually drew closer, the Green Rock Profound Water began hissing again, and the emerald cactus-like exterior emitted a burst of green light.

A water arrow shot out from its body toward Xiao Ming.

I knew it wouldn't be this easy!

Facing the attack, Xiao Ming showed no panic. A Peach Blossom Flame appeared in his hand and collided with it.

Under the flames' intense heat, the water arrow evaporated into a cloud of white mist.

The Green Rock Profound Water's self-protection mechanism was clearly not that simple. Aside from that water arrow, it continuously released green mist.

Unfortunately, all of it was futile before Xiao Ming's Peach Blossom Flame.

In the end, Xiao Ming easily approached the Green Rock Profound Water and stood with it on the small island, roughly a meter across.

Looking at the gorgeous cactus-shaped object before him, Xiao Ming did not hesitate. He slashed down with his sword, severing its roots.

At that moment, something unexpected happened. The cactus-shaped Green Rock Profound Water suddenly turned liquid and floated in midair. A huge mass of green liquid crushed down directly at Xiao Ming from close range.

There's more?!

Feeling that this attack was far more powerful than the previous water arrow, Xiao Ming could no longer maintain his calm expression and could only raise a defense to meet it.

Bang!

A violent crash resounded through the Rock Cavity.

Fortunately, the attack did not cause Xiao Ming much trouble. It merely knocked him back more than ten meters.

As he was sent flying, Xiao Ming left more than a dozen footprints of varying depths along the way.

Finally, Xiao Ming looked at his legs, wrapped in Dou Qi and submerged in the green liquid, then glanced at the rotting corpse right behind him. He could not help but sigh again.

"The Green Rock Profound Water truly deserves to be called a Heaven and Earth Strange Object. Its self-protection mechanisms really are not lacking in the slightest. And that Simulator never showed me details like this before..."

After that brief complaint, he dashed back to the small island.

The Green Rock Profound Water seemed to have exhausted itself after releasing its final attack and no longer struggled.

It had merely become a small pool of green liquid spanning several dozen square centimeters, floating quietly in the air and giving off strange ripples.

"This must be the source of the Green Rock Profound Water. That cactus was only its manifested form."

An unusual gleam flashed in his eyes. Xiao Ming took out a Jade Bottle from his Na Ring, circulated his Dou Qi, and forced the Green Rock Profound Water into it.

Xiao Ming had specifically sought out this Jade Bottle because it possessed a certain sealing function. Seeing that the Green Rock Profound Water inside showed no unusual movement, a smile appeared on his face.

The Green Rock Profound Water was finally in his hands. He should leave after collecting the Corpse Eggplant Flower.

Tucking the Jade Bottle at his waist, Xiao Ming turned his gaze toward the medicinal herbs.

A short while later, after gathering the herbs, Xiao Ming left the cave.

Pure moonlight shone upon the quiet forest, creating an indescribable stillness.

Ripples suddenly spread across the calm water, breaking the atmosphere.

A figure quietly emerged from the pool.

It was Xiao Ming.

After carefully surveying his surroundings and finding no one nearby, Xiao Ming leaped from the water onto the shore.

Using fire attribute dou qi to dry his body and clothes, Xiao Ming began planning his next move.

"Next, I need to find a place to absorb the Green Rock Profound Water. The Inn is a mixed bag and isn't suitable. I should find a cave on this mountain instead."

He looked over the surrounding terrain. This was the only mountain east of Green Rock Town. Though it was not especially large in height or area, it was far from small.

Xiao Ming remembered that when he had entered this forest, he could occasionally hear the long howls of wolves and roars of tigers echoing through the mountains.

Having made up his mind, Xiao Ming gripped the Jade Bottle tightly. He stomped heavily on the ground, and with an explosive burst of energy, his body shot upward before landing nimbly atop a massive tree nearby.

His body swayed slightly with the branch as his gaze swept across the lush mountain forest. Then, with a light tap of his foot against the trunk, he darted through the dense woods like an eagle in the night, rapidly heading toward the mountain peak.

Transforming into a black shadow, Xiao Ming spent quite some time before finally choosing a place he found satisfactory: a naturally formed cave.

The cave was located midway along a cliff dozens of meters high on the mountain peak. With the cliff face being almost vertically steep, he only needed to block the entrance with a rock, and no one would likely find him.

Nodding in satisfaction, Xiao Ming put a boulder roughly the size of the cave entrance into his Na Ring and began climbing the cliff.

This height posed no difficulty for Xiao Ming, and he quickly entered the cave.

Though it was not particularly spacious, it was sufficient for Xiao Ming's needs. He placed the Jade Bottle containing the Mysterious Water atop a huge rock.

Xiao Ming took several Moonlight Stones from his Na Ring and embedded them into the stone walls. At once, the slightly dim cave became brightly lit.

Using the bright light, Xiao Ming began inspecting the cave with extreme caution. He examined every tiny spot over and over several times...

Xiao Ming had no desire to be attacked by Magical Beasts or poisonous insects while absorbing the Green Rock Profound Water.