Li Mu felt as though his entire body were being scorched by fire. His internal organs had been jolted out of place, and wave after wave of pain had pushed his consciousness to the brink of collapse.
I never expected to be beaten this badly even while wearing Thorn Armor. And this is only a Level 1 Monster Beast. I truly dare not imagine what kind of strength higher-level Monster Beasts possess. Wake up, wake up, Li Mu. You cannot admit defeat like this!
Li Mu gritted his teeth within his consciousness, constantly struggling to stay awake. He knew that if he gave up resisting now, he might never wake up again.
Just as Li Mu's battle against himself reached a white-hot stage, a stream of turquoise energy suddenly appeared and flowed through his meridians to every part of his body. Under the cleansing of this strange energy, the burning pain gradually eased before finally vanishing completely.
Saved. This power is so strange—it actually contains such dense vitality. Xiaoyu must have given me some kind of healing pill.
Once the pain receded, Li Mu's consciousness gradually stabilized. This sudden strange energy was like timely rain, dragging him back from the gates of hell.
Upon the stone platform, the young girl was soaked through with sweat. All color had drained from her delicate face, her eyes were tightly shut, and pain covered her expression. Yet even so, she continued circulating her healing cultivation art, ceaselessly sending her vital energy into the boy in her arms. If she had to give up her life to protect him, she would not hesitate. That was Nie Xiaoyu's simple thought at that moment.
Who knew how long passed before the boy's previously ragged breathing finally began to steady, and his blazing-hot body gradually returned to normal. Only then did the girl let out a long breath. After feeding Li Mu two more pills, she stopped supplying him with vital energy and quietly waited for him to awaken.
"Water..."
Who knew how long passed before night had fully fallen. That nearly inaudible murmur made Xiaoyu, who was regulating her breathing, abruptly open her eyes.
"Brother Mu, you're awake? That's wonderful. Here, drink some water."
Taking the bamboo water flask Xiaoyu handed him, Li Mu drank in great gulps. Cool spring water flowed down his throat, replacing the fiery burning sensation with indescribable comfort.
"Whew, that feels good. Xiaoyu, how long was I unconscious? Where are we?"
With the help of the pills and Xiaoyu's healing cultivation art, Li Mu's injuries had already recovered by more than half. Though his chest still ached faintly, it was no longer anything serious. He slowly sat up and looked around, discovering that this was a naturally ideal hiding place.
Li Mu did not offer words of thanks to the pale-faced girl beside him. Great kindness needed no words of gratitude, much less a life-saving debt. Without the girl's support earlier, he would never have had the chance to kill the Storm Wolf in return. Even if he had succeeded by sheer luck, without her moving him to safety, feeding him pills, and treating his injuries, he would most likely have already breathed his last.
Seeing exhaustion and joy intertwined in the girl's eyes, an urge to protect her kept surging within Li Mu's heart.
What virtue or ability do I, Li Mu, possess to be saved at the cost of such a good girl's life? Xiaoyu, from this day onward, I will be your guardian. Whoever wants to hurt you will first have to step over my corpse.
Silently repeating those words in his heart, Li Mu had already regarded the girl as someone he would cherish and protect for the rest of his life.
"The Storm Wolf was killed when Sword Qi pierced straight through its skull. Is that something a Half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator can do? Strange, strange. Could it be that this kid has some hidden method?"
The man in the black cloak crouched beside the Storm Wolf's corpse and carefully examined the wound. The shocking traces of battle all around proved that the Storm Wolf had originally held an overwhelming advantage. But what had allowed the target, who had been passively taking blows all along, to instantly kill the Storm Wolf in return?
The man's doubts deepened. He realized that the intelligence regarding the target seemed wrong beyond belief.
"The bloodstains disappear quickly here. It seems that at least one of the two is a cultivator capable of healing. From beginning to end, there is only one set of footprints, which means the other has already lost the ability to move. You were very careful, constantly erasing your traces, but unfortunately, you still lack experience. Some things cannot be seen with the naked eye."
The man with a token bearing the character Baleful Intent hanging from his waist took a wooden box from his robes and slowly opened it. A strange dark-golden insect flapped its wings and flew out.
The Tracking Insect was a rare exotic insect that could track targets through the faintest scents. Once it locked onto an aura, it would pursue it relentlessly to the ends of the earth. Such insects were naturally ferocious and exceedingly difficult to raise and tame, requiring special methods before they could be fully controlled.
The Tracking Insect wobbled over to a scrap of torn cloth in the man's hand. It was a corner of Li Mu's robe that had been ripped apart during his battle with the Storm Wolf. As its body flickered between light and dark, the insect finally locked onto the target's aura. Then it shot out in an instant, flying in one direction.
"Found you. I hope you will not disappoint me. Properly fulfill your duty as prey."
The moon above the Black Dragon Mountain Range was especially round and bright that night, illuminating half the man's face. Terrifying scars crisscrossed it densely. The corners of his mouth curled upward slightly, and that smile made one's blood run cold.
"Xiaoyu, I've mostly recovered. How are you?"
After circulating the Heavenly Origin Art through one Greater Celestial Circuit, Li Mu had completely sorted out the previously chaotic energy within his body. His strength had also recovered to ninety percent.
"Brother Mu, I'm fine too. Thanks to your Golden Crow Qi Replenishing Pill, I've already recovered to my peak condition."
Xiaoyu tied her whip back around her waist, stood up, and patted down her dress, signaling to Li Mu that she was ready to set off again.
"Mm, we should leave quickly and return to the inn first. I have a feeling something is wrong. Logically, the Storm Wolf should not have appeared in the outer region of this mountain range. I suspect someone has set their sights on us."
The sense of danger Li Mu had developed over many years in online games warned him that the Storm Wolf's attack was definitely not so simple. At this very moment, perhaps a pair of eyes was tightly tracking him. He and Xiaoyu were like prey in this dense forest, while the hunter waited in the shadows for an opportunity to strike.
The two reached an understanding and said no more, racing at full speed toward the inn outside the mountain range.
After roughly the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, a black figure landed upon the rock. It was the mysterious Blood Fiend Camp assassin known as Beast Armor.
"Hm? They headed out of the mountains. Did they notice something? I had planned to ambush them, but it seems there's no choice now. I have to end this quickly. Once they leave the mountains, things will become troublesome. If I let these two little brats escape, the boss might kill me. No, he definitely will kill me."
Beast Armor's expression gradually turned savage. He took a black jade bottle from his sleeve, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and smashed it against the ground. As the jade bottle shattered, a thumb-sized rat-like Monster Beast appeared before him.
Its entire body was covered in short crimson fur, and its blood-red eyes sent chills down one's spine. The moment the rat demon hit the ground, it flew into a rage and lunged directly at Beast Armor's outstretched right hand.
"Squeak, squeak..."
With a muffled groan, Beast Armor's right hand was viciously bitten by the rat. Then the Monster Beast's body shriveled at a visible speed, its blood-red eyes dimming until its life finally ran out and it fell to the ground.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Beast Armor clutched his right hand and let out a miserable scream. Veins began spreading from his right hand, snaking across his entire body as a violent aura surged upward.
Panting heavily, he finally adapted to the excruciating pain throughout his body. When he raised his head, his eyes had turned as blood-red as that little rat's.
"Come. The hunt has begun."
Taking one step forward, Beast Armor shot toward the direction the Tracking Insect had flown at astonishing speed. He no longer concealed his vast and surging aura, and the dense killing intent caused the grass and trees in his path to burst apart.
Far away, Li Mu, who was also running at full speed, sensed that undisguised aura. He abruptly turned and looked behind him.
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