Picking Up a Bargain

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

As the sky grew darker, more and more mosquitoes appeared in the grass.

The mosquitoes that had drunk their fill from Lin Li seemed to be calling their friends over, and more and more mosquitoes flew toward him.

"It's so itchy! If this keeps up, I'm afraid I'll be sucked dry by these swarms of mosquitoes before the White Ape Exotic Beast even discovers and kills me...

"No, I can't take it anymore... If the White Ape Exotic Beast discovers me, then so be it! I'll just hide in the Mysterious Small Island for shelter."

Lin Li's ability to endure while hiding in the grass was ultimately limited. After being tormented by more and more mosquitoes, he finally couldn't stand it any longer.

With a rustle, he sprang out of the dense grass. Just as he was about to form the thought of hiding in the Mysterious Small Island, he noticed something wrong.

He had jumped out of the grass, yet the White Ape Exotic Beast in the distance was still standing motionless in the same spot.

"Strange? I made such a huge commotion. There's no reason that powerful White Ape Exotic Beast couldn't have heard it!"

Lin Li temporarily abandoned the idea of hiding in the Mysterious Small Island for shelter and stared suspiciously at the White Ape Exotic Beast standing in the distance.

"Could it be..."

A bold conjecture surfaced in Lin Li's mind. To verify it, he prepared to retreat into the Mysterious Small Island at any moment while raising his left hand.

"Fwoosh."

A pale golden Spiritual Light flashed across Lin Li's left hand, and then a fist-sized Small Fireball appeared at his fingertip.

"Go on, you..."

Looking somewhat nervous, Lin Li gave a soft shout. Then he swung his left hand and threw the Small Fireball.

"Whoosh..."

The orange-red Small Fireball shot out explosively, flying straight toward the head of the motionless White Ape Exotic Beast in the distance.

Faced with the incoming orange-red Small Fireball, the White Ape Exotic Beast still stood motionless, allowing it to strike its head.

Boom.

The heatwave produced by the Small Fireball's explosion spread in all directions. The not-too-powerful impact knocked down the White Ape Exotic Beast, which had been standing motionless.

Bang.

When Lin Li saw the White Ape Exotic Beast knocked down by his Small Fireball, a delighted expression appeared on his face.

The scene before him proved his conjecture: the White Ape Exotic Beast's desperate counterattack earlier had been its final struggle before death.

It had been a final burst of life! Before dying, it had severely wounded the enemy it hated most and forced him back. After that, it had died without regrets.

"Stay calm. That middle-aged man's fate just now was a bloody lesson!

"My strength is far inferior to that middle-aged man's. If the White Ape Exotic Beast imitates what it did before and hits me with another attack, I'll definitely be killed instantly."

Lin Li cautiously watched the fallen White Ape Exotic Beast. He retreated several more steps, widening the distance, and then began carrying out what he considered the safest response.

"Fwoosh."

"Whoosh."

"Fwoosh."

"Whoosh."

One orange-red Small Fireball after another was created by Lin Li and then hurled toward the fallen White Ape Exotic Beast.

Boom, boom, boom...

Every orange-red Small Fireball struck the White Ape Exotic Beast squarely on the head.

After the bombardment continued without pause, the White Ape Exotic Beast's head finally couldn't withstand it any longer and exploded.

Bang.

Red-and-white matter flowed all over the ground. Moreover, because of the high temperature produced by the explosions, the red-and-white matter had been roasted half-cooked.

"Whew..." Lin Li let out a long breath. Looking at the White Ape Exotic Beast with its head blown open, he muttered, "The White Ape Exotic Beast is like this now. It should be dead beyond dead.

"If it can still come back to life and launch a desperate counterattack against me after this, then I'll accept my fate if it kills me."

As he spoke, Lin Li tightened his grip on the Spirit Artifact Longsword and slowly, sluggishly walked toward the White Ape Exotic Beast with its head blown open.

"Squish, squish..."

After reaching the White Ape Exotic Beast, Lin Li stabbed several more times at its vital areas.

It seemed that the middle-aged man's sudden reversal earlier had affected Lin Li tremendously, to the point that he now had to be this cautious.

"This White Ape Exotic Beast is truly dead beyond dead."

Lin Li looked at the White Ape Exotic Beast, whose head he had blown open and whose body now had several more holes in it. At last, a relieved expression appeared on his face.

At that moment, the sun's final ray of light on the horizon completely vanished.

Darkness enveloped the earth. The already exceedingly desolate wilderness became even quieter after night descended.

"Whew..."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

A wind suddenly rose, making the flowers, grass, and trees on the wasteland sway and rustle. The insects in the grass began chirping in soft, scattered bursts.

Lin Li knew that the wilderness at night was extremely dangerous. He immediately crouched down, extended a finger, and touched the White Ape Exotic Beast's corpse. With a thought, he collected it into the Mysterious Small Island.

Then he didn't linger any longer and immediately ran swiftly toward the safe zone.

Fortunately, there was a moon that night. Its bright, spotless moonlight poured across the earth, allowing Lin Li to see the road beneath his feet.

Not long after Lin Li left, several figures came from the distance and arrived at the place where the White Ape Exotic Beast had died.

All of them wore camouflage uniforms, carried backpacks, and held various Spiritual Energy weapons.

"Captain, it's already dark. Let's head back! So much time has passed—the heavily injured White Ape Exotic Beast must have disappeared long ago."

"To think the other side actually turned the tables in that situation. Old Li really lost a great deal of face this time."

Under the night sky, these people discussed the matter for a few moments before turning around and returning to the safe zone.

On the Mysterious Small Island.

The White Ape Exotic Beast's corpse appeared out of thin air on the grass of the Mysterious Small Island. Immediately afterward, a vast amount of white mist drifted out from the corpse.

This time was different from before. The Miracle Small Tree seemed somewhat impatient.

It didn't wait for the white mist drifting out of the White Ape Exotic Beast's corpse to condense into a cloud of mist. Instead, it directly drew the drifting white mist over.

Thus, the white mist drifting from the White Ape Exotic Beast's body rapidly surged toward the Miracle Small Tree, shrouding its sparse branches and leaves.

The Miracle Small Tree's emerald-green leaves flashed with pale golden Spiritual Light. Then its green branches and leaves absorbed the white mist covering its crown as swiftly as sponges.

When all the white mist had been absorbed completely, the Azure Fruit that had grown on the Miracle Small Tree suddenly multiplied in size several times, becoming about as large as a pigeon's egg.

Pale golden Spiritual Light appeared on the surface of the pigeon-egg-sized Azure Fruit, flickering from time to time. One look was enough to tell that this Azure Fruit was no ordinary fruit.