The Magic Core Is Mine

"Bang!"

Xiao Ling casually tossed aside a second-order Gale Wolf King. Feeling the lifespan increasing within him, he smiled with satisfaction and said,

"Xiao Zi, go see if there's a Magic Core."

"Chirp..."

The Purple Sable King answered and dashed toward the corpse. With one swipe of its claw, it twisted off the Gale Wolf's head. After rummaging around a little, disappointment appeared in its tiny eyes.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling called to it, and the two continued his grand treasure-hunting and plundering endeavor.

As for why he didn't absorb the Earth Core Life Pulse Marrow directly, it simply wasn't worth it. He planned to save it for refining into the Ninth-Grade Medicinal Pill, the "Heaven-Defying Fate-Changing Pill." Once he swallowed it, he'd have a thirty percent chance of breaking through to Dou Di. That was far more appealing than simply plundering lifespan.

Besides, he could always use Magical Beasts and enemies to plunder lifespan from.

There was no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Waste was shameful, after all.

As he walked along the woodland path carpeted with leaves, the ground creaking beneath his feet, Xiao Ling lifted his slightly pale, youthful face and shook his head. He decided to change direction and keep searching.

He had just swept the surrounding area with his soul power, but still hadn't found the mountainside cave. That could only mean he was headed in the wrong direction.

So he decided to follow the vague route he remembered and keep looking.

If that didn't work, he'd have to find an excuse to join Wanyao Pavilion's herb-gathering team and search with them.

There was a risk of being exposed that way, but with his strength, he had nothing to fear.

After all, it was all lifespan.

As Xiao Ling rampaged through the area, plundering and searching, the time soon reached noon. Unfortunately, he had not only failed to find the cave on the cliff face that morning, but also hadn't run into the Green Wood Demon Python or the Iron Wood Ape.

It seemed his luck had truly run out. But that was only natural. He wasn't the protagonist of this world, just an interloper. The true protagonist was his younger brother, Yan Di.

Various thoughts flitted through Xiao Ling's mind. He smiled wryly, then surveyed his surroundings. He was beside a small stream, with a waterfall not far away and dense thickets all around.

"This..."

Staring at the familiar-looking surroundings, Xiao Ling froze for a moment. Many thoughts crossed his mind, and a glint flashed in his eyes. Just then, an angry roar suddenly came from the distance.

"Roar..."

"Chirp..."

Startled, Xiao Zi let out a cry. Anger flickered in its lively little eyes.

Xiao Ling's eyes lit up. From the sound, he could tell the Magical Beast was at least third-order. A third-order Magical Beast would be a nourishing treat for him.

Without hesitation, Xiao Ling immediately took Xiao Zi and headed toward the sound.

Xiao Ling and Xiao Zi sped through the dense forest, moving incredibly fast. They made no attempt to conceal themselves as they charged toward their target.

After leaping over a boulder, the view ahead opened up.

In a small clearing before them, two Magical Beasts were facing off.

One was a third-order Iron Wood Ape. The other was a seriously wounded fourth-order Jellyfish Lizard, named for the eight tentacles behind its tail.

Xiao Ling narrowed his eyes slightly at the two Magical Beasts. The Iron Wood Ape was clearly trying to take advantage of the situation and kill the wounded Jellyfish Lizard.

Its target was, of course, the Magic Core inside the Jellyfish Lizard. The beast was probably hoping to reach the fourth order by relying on the principle of water and wood nurturing each other.

After all, on the Dou Qi Continent, there was a huge gap between third-order and fourth-order Magical Beasts, much like the difference between a Da Dou Shi and a Dou Ling among humans.

It seemed that no matter where you went, resources always flowed upward. The things those at the bottom fought desperately to obtain were nothing but scraps the powerful didn't want...

"Roar, roar."

The Iron Wood Ape stood upright and glared at the human who had suddenly appeared, as well as the third-order peer beside him. It let out a warning, signaling that they shouldn't try to steal its prey.

But it didn't attack outright. Its considerable intelligence told it that the human before it was no easy opponent. With another third-order peer nearby, it had chosen to issue a warning instead.

"Xiao Zi, what's that beast saying?"

Xiao Ling was furious. Damn it, that beast had no idea who it was dealing with. It actually dared to threaten him? It was asking for death!

"Master, the big guy says we should get lost," Xiao Zi said knowingly.

"Wretched beast, you're asking for death!"

Xiao Ling didn't bother to check whether that was true. He attacked at once; all he needed was an excuse.

Iron Wood Ape: "???"

When had it told them to get lost?

Even as it died, the unfortunate Iron Wood Ape was still wondering whether it had said something wrong.

Xiao Ling accepted the Magic Core Xiao Zi handed him with satisfaction. He took a wooden box from his Storage Ring and placed the core inside, then looked toward the Jellyfish Lizard, which had made no attempt to flee.

With his strength, he could tell that the Jellyfish Lizard was already at death's door, but he didn't choose to attack.

After all, it was a fourth-order Magical Beast. Its desperate counterattack before death would be more than enough to give him trouble.

That was also why the Iron Wood Ape had kept the beast pinned down without attacking.

"Human, how about we make a deal?"

"With your abilities and that mutated Purple Sable, I may not be your match, but my final attack would certainly take one of you down with me."

Hearing the voice in his mind, Xiao Ling's eyes flickered with surprise. Could this Jellyfish Lizard belong to some Magical Beast clan? Otherwise, it shouldn't have been able to communicate telepathically at only the fourth order.

Thinking this, Xiao Ling snorted. "Tell me what you're offering first. Then we can discuss the deal."

"Very well. I'll offer my Magic Core and the materials from my body. They're the most valuable things I have. What do you say?"

The Jellyfish Lizard spoke gently.

Xiao Ling wasn't surprised. The beast didn't look particularly well liked; it probably didn't even have a storage space... Thinking this, he softened his tone somewhat.

"Tell me what you want. But I'll say upfront that I won't agree if it's too much trouble. Once you're dead, your Magic Core and your body will be mine anyway."

The Jellyfish Lizard showed no anger at this. On the contrary, it liked this kind of honest person even more.

"It won't be any trouble. I just need you to look after my child and let him follow you from now on. He can do all the dirty, tiring work. Just spare his life."

Hearing the calm voice in his mind and realizing what the Jellyfish Lizard was willing to give up so its child could survive, even Xiao Ling was moved. Whether in his past life or this one, he hadn't been a cold-blooded person. It was just that his circumstances had changed.

If he wanted to fight for a more extraordinary life, then some things had to be sacrificed.

"Fine! I agree. As long as I'm alive, it'll be the guardian spirit beast of my Xiao Clan."