Hunter and Prey

Li Mu felt like his entire body was being scorched by fire. His internal organs had been displaced by the impact, and the surging pain was pushing his consciousness to the brink of dissipation.

"I didn't expect to get beaten this badly even with the Thorn Armor. This was just a Level 1 Demon Beast. I can't even imagine the strength of higher-level Demon Beasts. Wake up, wake up, Li Mu, you can't just give up now!"

In his consciousness, Li Mu gritted his teeth, desperately trying to stay awake. He knew that if he gave up resisting now, he might never wake up again.

Just as Li Mu's internal struggle reached a fever pitch, a green energy suddenly appeared and flowed through his meridians, circulating throughout his body. The burning pain gradually lessened under the cleansing effect of this strange energy, eventually disappearing completely.

"I'm saved. This power is so peculiar, containing such potent life force. I guess Xiao Yu must have given me some healing pills."

With the pain receding, Li Mu's consciousness began to stabilize. This sudden, strange energy was like timely rain, pulling him back from the brink of death.

On the stone platform, the young girl was drenched in sweat. Her delicate face was pale, her eyes tightly shut, and her expression was full of pain. Even so, she continued to circulate her healing cultivation method, constantly channeling her Yuan Qi into the young man in her arms. If I had to give my life to protect you, I wouldn't hesitate. This was Nie Xiaoyu's simple thought at that moment.

After an unknown amount of time, the young man's previously rapid breathing in her arms finally began to even out, and his burning body slowly returned to normal. Only then did the young girl let out a long sigh of relief. After giving Li Mu two more pills, she stopped channeling her Yuan Qi and quietly waited for the young man to wake up.

"Water..."

After an unknown amount of time, night had completely fallen. A whisper, so faint it was almost inaudible, caused Xiao Yu, who was meditating, to suddenly open her eyes.

"Brother Mu, you're awake? That's great. Here, drink some water."

Taking the bamboo water flask Xiao Yu handed him, Li Mu drank greedily. The cool spring water flowed down his throat, replacing the burning sensation with an indescribable comfort.

"Phew, that feels good. Xiao Yu, how long was I unconscious? Where are we?"

With the help of the pills and Xiao Yu's healing technique, Li Mu's injuries had mostly recovered. Although his chest still ached faintly, it was no longer a serious issue. He slowly sat up and looked around, finding himself in a naturally advantageous hiding spot.

Li Mu didn't offer any words of thanks to the pale girl beside him. Great kindness needs no thanks, especially a life-saving debt. If it weren't for the girl's support earlier, he wouldn't have had the chance to counter-kill the Storm Wolf. Even if he had succeeded by some fluke, if the girl hadn't moved him to safety, given him medicine, and helped him heal, he would likely be dead by now.

Looking at the mixture of exhaustion and joy in the girl's eyes, a desire to protect her surged within Li Mu.

How could I, Li Mu, be so fortunate to be saved by such a wonderful girl who risked her life for me? Xiao Yu, from now on, I will be your guardian. Anyone who dares to harm you will have to step over my dead body.

He silently vowed in his heart, already regarding the girl as someone he would cherish and protect for the rest of his life.

"The Storm Wolf was killed by a direct stab to the head with sword energy. Is that something a Half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator can do? Strange, strange. Could this kid have hidden some other techniques?"

The man in the black cloak squatted beside the Storm Wolf's corpse, carefully examining the wound. The shocking traces of battle around them all testified that the Storm Wolf had clearly held the upper hand. But what allowed the target, who was passively taking a beating, to suddenly counter-kill the Storm Wolf?

The man's doubts grew, realizing that the intelligence about his target seemed ridiculously wrong.

"The bloodstains disappear quickly here. It seems at least one of them is a cultivator with healing abilities. There's only one set of footprints from beginning to end, meaning the other has lost the ability to move. You're very careful, constantly erasing your tracks, but unfortunately, you're still inexperienced. Some things cannot be seen with the naked eye."

The man, wearing a token with the character 'Sha' on his waist, took out a wooden box from his embrace and slowly opened it. A strange, dark golden insect flew out, flapping its wings.

It was a Tracking Insect, a rare exotic insect capable of tracking targets by the faintest scent. Once it locked onto a scent, it would pursue relentlessly, no matter the distance. These insects were fierce by nature, and taming them was extremely difficult, requiring special methods for complete control.

The Tracking Insect wobbled over to a torn piece of cloth in the man's hand – a corner of Li Mu's robe that had been ripped during his fight with the Storm Wolf. With a flash of its body, the insect finally locked onto the target's scent and then shot out in one direction.

"Found you. I hope you don't disappoint me too much and fulfill your role as prey properly."

The moon above the Black Dragon Mountain Range was exceptionally round and bright tonight, illuminating half of the man's face. Horrific scars crisscrossed his skin. A slight smile played on his lips, a smile that sent chills down one's spine.

"Xiao Yu, I've almost recovered. How are you?"

After circulating the Heavenly Origin Art for a full cycle, Li Mu had completely stabilized the chaotic Qi within him, and his strength had recovered to ninety percent.

"Brother Mu, I'm fine too. Thankfully, I had your Golden Crow Qi Replenishing Pill. I've recovered to peak condition."

Xiao Yu re-tied her whip to her waist, stood up, and patted her skirt, indicating to Li Mu that she was ready to move again.

"Yeah, let's leave quickly and head back to the inn. I have a bad feeling about this. Storm Wolves shouldn't normally appear in the outer regions of this mountain range. I suspect we've been targeted by someone with ill intentions."

The sense of crisis cultivated by Li Mu over many years of online gaming alerted him. The Storm Wolf's attack was definitely not that simple. Right now, a pair of eyes might be tracking them closely. He and Xiao Yu, in this dense forest, were like prey, and the hunter was lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity.

The two reached a consensus and, without further words, sped towards the inn outside the mountain range.

About half an incense stick's worth of time later, a black figure landed on the rock. It was the mysterious Blood Fiend Camp assassin known as Beast Armor.

"Hmm? They went towards the outside of the mountain. Did they sense something? I was hoping to ambush them, but it seems I have no choice. I have to finish this quickly. It will be more troublesome once we're outside the mountain. If I let these two little brats escape, the boss might kill me. No, he definitely will kill me."

The expression on Beast Armor's face turned ferocious. He took out a black jade bottle from his sleeve. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and smashed it on the ground. As the bottle shattered, a thumb-sized rat-like demon beast appeared before him.

With short, crimson fur and blood-red eyes that sent shivers down one's spine, the rat demon, thrown to the ground, immediately entered a state of rage and lunged at the outstretched left hand of Beast Armor.

"Squeak..."

With a muffled groan, Beast Armor's left hand was fiercely bitten by the rat demon. Then, the demon beast's body visibly deflated at an alarming rate, its blood-red eyes dimmed, and its life finally extinguished, falling to the ground.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Meanwhile, Beast Armor clutched his left hand, letting out a violent scream. Veins began to bulge from his left hand, spreading throughout his entire body as a frenzied aura surged.

Breathing heavily, he finally adapted to the intense pain coursing through him. As he looked up, his eyes had turned blood-red, just like the little rat's.

"Come, the hunt has begun."

Taking a step forward, Beast Armor shot out in the direction the Tracking Insect had flown with astonishing speed. His surging, majestic aura was no longer concealed, and the dense killing intent caused the vegetation in his path to shatter.

In the distance, Li Mu, also running at full speed, felt this unconcealed aura and suddenly looked back.