Battling a Demon Beast

The next day.

Qingyang Town bordered a vast forest. If they were lucky, people could occasionally find one or two spirit herbs among the trees, drawing many of the town's residents to seek a stroke of fortune for themselves.

Deeper in the forest, there were even more high-grade spirit herbs, and even the abandoned caves of powerful predecessors.

In the past, several lucky souls had lost their way and stumbled upon the caves those mighty experts had left behind.

Some obtained profound martial arts, while others found miraculous pills. What they all had in common was that they rose against the heavens and eventually became powerful figures in their own right.

These legends drew countless young cultivators into the forest. Everyone yearned for the day Lady Luck might suddenly look upon them with favor. Even vicious demon beasts could not extinguish the flame in their hearts.

"Whoosh... whoosh."

In the silent forest, two figures sped through at astonishing speed. The small animals beneath the trees raised their heads at the sound, but could only glimpse leaves drifting down.

"Cousin Yiqing, that cave is just up ahead."

The two figures threading through the forest were Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun. Both wore close-fitting outfits.

Lin Yun carried a long, silver-white spear, while Lin Yiqing had brought along the Refined Iron Dagger left by his former parents. It was the only weapon he had for now.

At that, Lin Yiqing began to slow down. Beside him, Lin Yun scattered a good amount of medicinal powder as he walked.

"Is that powder meant to drive away demon beasts?" Lin Yiqing asked.

It seemed Lin Yun had been preparing for this cave for quite some time.

"Yeah. I made it from the droppings of high-grade demon beasts I collected. Demon beasts are very sensitive about their territory. Once they smell the scent of a high-grade beast, they naturally won't come near. It'll cover our scent and save us a lot of trouble."

Lin Yun looked perfectly composed. Having lost both his parents at a young age, he had clearly developed quite a few ways to survive.

The two proceeded with caution, one following the other, each step slow and careful.

After about ten minutes, the dense forest finally came to an end. A valley surrounded by mountains appeared before Lin Yiqing.

The most striking feature in the valley was a lake at its center. It was no more than a few dozen zhang across. Low shrubs tangled along the lakeshore, while wildflowers bloomed in profusion, making for a beautiful scene.

Yet despite its beauty, the valley was deathly silent, as though some terrifying, primordial beast lay sleeping within. If it awoke, the very heavens would quake.

When Lin Yiqing activated his Origin Qi Vision, he couldn't help but freeze. In his sight, the world's Origin Qi gathered distinctly at the rear of the valley. Besides a winding stream of blue-black qi that marked the Green Water Snake, there was also a considerable amount of gathered wood-element qi.

"Looks like there's more to this cave than meets the eye!"

As the thought crossed his mind, Lin Yiqing glanced at Lin Yun from the corner of his eye. The other boy's face showed only excitement, with no sign that anything was amiss.

Looks like even he doesn't know the whole story, Lin Yiqing thought.

Lin Yun made a hand signal. The two darted forward and, after a while, appeared as if from nowhere in a concealed spot near the back of the valley.

Using the shrubs for cover, Lin Yiqing peered into the valley. Everything seemed calm, so it looked like they hadn't disturbed the Earth Origin Realm demon beast, the Green Water Snake.

A short distance ahead, several massive blue-black boulders lay scattered amid the overgrown weeds. On closer inspection, however, one could just make out a cave about one zhang wide, half-hidden by the grass.

"Move!"

After saying this, Lin Yun crept toward the cave, and Lin Yiqing hurried after him. Even with his composure, Lin Yiqing couldn't help feeling tense. This was the cave supposedly left behind by an Earth Origin Realm expert.

The cave had been made from a natural cavern. It was narrow at the entrance and widened farther in, with numerous marks from blades chopping at the surrounding stone.

They passed through a corridor, and the space suddenly opened up into a natural cavern hall several dozen zhang across. Strange rocks jutted everywhere and vines ran wild. Drops of water occasionally fell from the ceiling, and when they touched the skin, they were so cold they stung to the bone.

"Watch out for that beast. Last time, I sensed it as soon as I entered the cave. Luckily, I ran fast. Otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable."

At that, Lin Yiqing's expression turned grave. He gripped his dagger tightly and studied his surroundings with caution, not daring to let his guard down for a moment.

An Earth Origin Realm demon beast, even one badly wounded, was still a behemoth against two youngsters who had only reached the Body Tempering Realm. One wrong move, and they'd be dead.

"Bam!"

A shadow suddenly shot out from the dim depths of the cave. A foul stench followed as its tail came crashing down toward them. Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun instantly leaped back.

"Bang!"

Mud and stones flew. Lin Yiqing jumped several zhang away. Snakes were naturally swift and difficult to fend off. Their only chance was to seize an opening and finish the fight quickly!

"Careful! That's the Green Water Snake!" Lin Yun cried urgently.

Lin Yiqing looked closely and couldn't help but marvel. A blue-black serpent as thick as a barrel had raised its head, preparing to lunge at the two of them.

Its blood-red eyes brimmed with savage beastly fury. But what stood out most was the huge gash in its belly, which was pouring blood. Its entrails were even faintly visible.

"Whoosh!"

The Green Water Snake abruptly sprang toward them, its jaws wide open and its fangs bared.

Lin Yiqing planted a foot against the rock wall and sprang high into the air, dagger aimed at the snake's head as he searched for an opening to strike.

But the Green Water Snake simply swung its body, whipping its tail straight at him. Lin Yiqing had no choice but to abandon his attack and dodge by leaping from rock to rock. At the same time, Lin Yun's spear thrust forth like a roaming dragon, trailing flashes of cold light.

Seeing them attack again, the Green Water Snake turned and lunged straight at Lin Yun. Clearly, it remembered this intruder all too well.

Lin Yun thrust his long spear into the gash along the Green Water Snake's belly, widening the wound by several inches. But this only fully roused the beast's ferocity. As it thrashed, its tail slammed Lin Yun hard against the rock wall.

"Pfft!"

Lin Yun spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura weakening. It looked like he was badly injured.

"Roar!"

The Green Water Snake had suffered another wound on top of its old one. As it hissed, part of its guts spilled out, and its fury became impossible to contain. It lunged at Lin Yun with jaws gaping wide.

Just as Lin Yun was about to fall into its jaws, Lin Yiqing sprang up from behind and drove his sword into the snake's tail, pinning it down.

"Aaargh!"

The Green Water Snake roared in pain, wheeled around, and lunged at Lin Yiqing. In the split second he had, Lin Yiqing leaped over its head, then slammed a fist into its body.

"First-Grade Martial Art, Penetrating Fist!"

"Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!"

After nine cracks, another deep thud sounded from within Lin Yiqing's body. The force surged from his sinews and bones to his skin, building layer by layer until it converged in his fist. His heavy punch sent the Green Water Snake crashing toward the other side of the cave.

"Quick! Strike its seven-inch point!"

Seeing the rare opening, Lin Yiqing cried out. He had held the Green Water Snake at bay, giving Lin Yun a chance to catch his breath.

"First-Grade Martial Art, Roaming Dragon Spear!"

Lin Yun seized the chance to retrieve his spear and unleash his martial art. The silver-white spear in his hand seemed to come alive, trailing flashes of cold light. One thrust pierced the snake's neck and pinned it hard against the rock wall.

"First-Grade Martial Art, Roaming Body Steps!"

Seeing the Green Water Snake pinned by the spear, Lin Yiqing immediately used Roaming Body Steps. He forced his body to twist around and plunged the Refined Iron Dagger straight into the snake's seven-inch point. His wrist turned, tearing its belly open.

Then he pushed off the rock wall and leaped backward to put some distance between them. His body stretched taut, and the instant he landed, a series of sharp cracks rang out. He unleashed a Ten Resonances Penetrating Fist. With bursts of air and the force of a thousand jin behind it, the blow landed squarely on the snake's head.

"Bang!"

With a deafening crash, the Green Water Snake's body finally began to stop thrashing.

The poor Green Water Snake had already been badly wounded, and now it had run into the two of them. An Earth Origin Realm demon beast, it had died today at the hands of two Body Tempering Realm cultivators. The workings of fate were truly unpredictable!

"Whew, that was too close. I nearly died here today. Thank you for saving me, Cousin Yiqing!"

Lin Yun's eyes brimmed with the joy of having survived. If Lin Yiqing hadn't come to his aid just now, this would have been where he was buried.

He had never expected that, even badly wounded, the Green Water Snake would still be so fiercely powerful. But what shocked him even more was Lin Yiqing's strength—it was downright terrifying!

His ability to seize the moment, and his mastery and use of martial arts, had been flawless!

"Don't mention it, Cousin Lin Yun!"

Lin Yiqing caught his breath. The fight had been truly perilous. He had expected a tough battle before they came, but never imagined it would be this difficult. An Earth Origin Realm demon beast was not to be underestimated.

After that, the two sat down to recover. Lin Yiqing had just relaxed when his body suddenly stiffened.

His mouth fell open, his eyes gleaming with wild joy as his body trembled with excitement.

At that moment, a searing pain suddenly erupted inside him. Through the agony, Lin Yiqing could feel a strange energy taking shape within his bone marrow!

"Origin Power Seed"