Revenge for Stolen Meat

"Mm?"

The Purple Beast was enormous and incredibly fast, yet over such a short distance, it somehow missed its pounce, brushing past Ling Li. Its back was completely exposed before him.

"Venom!"

Ling Li did not hesitate. Dou Qi within his body rapidly flowed into Dark Night, and black mist slowly rose from its black blade. Thick black Dou Qi dripped from the tip, corroding a patch of ground into blackness.

"Swallow Return!"

Three dark blade qi slashed toward the Purple Beast. Borrowing the recoil, Ling Li swiftly retreated, preparing to flee.

If he could not win, Ling Li would run. That had always been his way. But swallowing his grievances like broken teeth was not in his nature.

The three blade qi spread apart from the blade, then slowly converged as they struck simultaneously toward the Purple Beast's nape.

Venom combined with Swallow Return was already the strongest move Ling Li could use. With Dark Night's terrifying cutting power and the strange nature of dark-attribute Dou Qi, even some three- or four-star Dou Spirits would not dare take such an attack to the nape head-on.

"Hiss!"

Just as the blade qi was about to strike the Purple Beast, an invisible Energy Barrier seemed to appear around its body, and the blade qi vanished in a bizarre manner.

"Awoo, awoo, awoo~"

The Purple Beast seemed to have suffered a heavy blow. It swiftly grabbed the roasted magical beast leg from the ground in its jaws, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled with miserable cries.

Ling Li: "???"

"What the hell was that?" Ling Li stared at the scene in utter confusion.

Had he just scared off a fifth-tier magical beast?

This Purple Beast had definitely reached the fifth tier. Combined with that strange Energy Barrier, even an ordinary Dou Wang might not be able to do anything to it. So what was this sudden escape? Did it simply disdain fighting him?

"Huh, my blade technique experience actually increased by one point? Do I need to keep courting death and survive by the skin of my teeth to improve quickly?" Ling Li was even more confused. Why had he gained Experience Points?

Shaking his head, Ling Li extinguished the campfire and packed up the tent, preparing to travel through the night. There was actually a fifth-tier magical beast in this place. It was far too dangerous. If he slept here for one night, he would probably end up in a beast's stomach by morning.

Ling Li was not traveling slowly. In the gloomy weather, he watched the surrounding mountains and trees continuously slide backward, feeling terribly bored.

"Mm?"

Ling Li, who had been hurrying along, turned his head toward the empty Woods behind him. He released his Soul Power, yet still failed to detect the slightest trace of an aura.

Recently, Ling Li had constantly felt as though someone was watching him. Especially when he stopped to rest and eat, he would feel as if a ferocious beast were staring at him. His heart would race and cold sweat would pour down his back. Yet whenever he carefully searched his surroundings, he found nothing.

"Was I frightened that badly that day? Forget it. Since I've stopped, I'll find a magical beast and have a meal first." Ling Li carefully searched every movement in the Woods, but still discovered nothing.

To make sure he ate well along the way, Ling Li had specifically chosen a route that followed the mountain range toward Twilight City.

He casually killed a third-tier magical beast in the Woods, slit its throat and drained its blood, skinned it, removed its bones, gutted it, cleaned out its organs, marinated it, lit a fire, and roasted it. The entire process was practiced to perfection.

Open flames easily burned barbecue, making large magical beasts difficult to cook through. The wait was long, but Ling Li was never careless when it came to food, and he was patient as well. Watching the magical beast's skin gradually change from pinkish white to golden brown was both torment and enjoyment.

I wonder whether using a Mysterious Flame to roast meat would be more convenient. As Ling Li brushed red oil over the magical beast, the thought could not help arising in his mind.

Mysterious Flames were considered a rather special existence on the Dou Qi Continent. As long as someone possessed an attribute compatible with a Mysterious Flame, they would have a certain affinity with it and might have a chance to claim it for themselves. A Mysterious Flame, meanwhile, could use its violent energy to forcibly alter or grant a cultivator a certain attribute. Thus, nearly all cultivators had a chance to obtain a compatible Mysterious Flame.

Even the exceedingly rare light and dark attributes had the twenty-first-ranked Yin Yang Twin Flames, which were compatible with them. This trait could also produce a group of alchemists lacking innate talent. Coupled with the refining effects brought by the Mysterious Flames' terrifying temperatures, whenever a Mysterious Flame appeared on the Dou Qi Continent, it would inevitably be fought over by all cultivators.

If I could Devour the Yin Yang Twin Flames, I should be forcibly granted the fire attribute. The fire attribute's powerful offensive force would suit a weapon like a blade perfectly. Speaking of which, with the fire attribute and the Dark Wood Attribute, could I possibly become an alchemist? What a pity. This Mysterious Flame was never mentioned in the novel at all, Ling Li thought.

"Crunch."

Dark Night spun in his hand, its blade slicing through the golden, crispy skin on the magical beast's hind leg and exposing the tender meat beneath. A fragrant aroma immediately spread through the air.

"Another ten minutes or so, then some seasoning, and it'll be ready to eat!" Ling Li's eyes lit up. With a flip of his hand, he took out special seasoning from the System Space and used Dou Qi to scatter it over the magical beast.

A fantasy world really was this convenient.

"Drip."

"Glug."

Ling Li's ears twitched as he sprinkled the seasoning. He looked upward and saw the Purple Beast floating above him, purple Dou Qi Wings growing from its back. Its eyes burned as it stared at him, filled with humanlike longing and greed.

It was exactly the same as last time. If the Purple Beast's drool had not dripped down, Ling Li would never have noticed its presence.

"Aah~ wooo~"

Seeing that Ling Li had noticed it, the Purple Beast opened its tooth-filled bloody maw wide and pounced down.

"Fuck!"

Ling Li cursed. With a tap of his toes, he shot backward while slashing Dark Night in his hand. Three blade qi merged and exploded, kicking up dust where he had just been standing.

It was not as though he had some cough syrup on him. Why had this fifth-tier magical beast set its sights on him?

When the smoke and dust dispersed, Ling Li saw that the Purple Beast had actually shielded the roasted magical beast with its body. Its face was full of pain, and tears were nearly falling from its purple vertical pupils, yet it was completely unharmed. Not even the slightest scratch had appeared on the scales covering its body.

After the blade qi dissipated, the Purple Beast first bit off and swallowed the roasted magical beast's two hind legs in one mouthful. Then it grabbed the remaining portion in its jaws, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled away with a whimper.

"Fuck me... this really feels awful!" The veins on Ling Li's forehead throbbed as an exaggerated smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He had spent hours painstakingly roasting that meat, only for someone to suddenly take a bite right in front of him and pack up the rest to carry away. It felt like someone snatching away a cup of instant noodles he had waited five whole minutes for and taking it away unopened.

He finally understood. This magical beast had come specifically for his roasted meat! If it had openly fought him and then stolen the meat, that would have been one thing. But what the fuck was this supposed to be?

"Bastard!" Ling Li slashed out, and nearly thirty feet of blade qi swept forth, sending countless trees crashing down.

Enough was enough. So what if it was a fifth-tier magical beast? The grudge of stolen meat could not be forgiven!