Fierce Battle with Demonic Beasts

The next day.

The outskirts of Qingyang Town were connected to a vast forest. If one were lucky, they could occasionally find a stalk or two of spiritual herbs here, which attracted many residents of Qingyang Town to venture out in search of their own stroke of good fortune.

As for the deeper parts of the forest, there were many more high-grade spiritual herbs, and even the abandoned dwellings of powerful predecessors.

Several lucky individuals had once accidentally stumbled into the abandoned dwellings of these experts after losing their way.

Some obtained profound martial arts, others miraculous medicinal pills; what they all had in common was that they rose against the odds and eventually became powerful figures in their own right.

These legends attracted countless young cultivators, each of them yearning for the day the Goddess of Luck would cast her gaze upon them, a fire in their hearts that even the most ferocious demonic beasts could not extinguish.

"Swish... swish."

In the silent forest, two figures darted through at high speed. Small animals beneath the trees looked up at the sound, only to see leaves fluttering down in their wake.

"Cousin Yiqing, the location of that dwelling is not far ahead."

The two people traveling through the forest were none other than Lin Yiqing and Lin Yun. Both were dressed in tight-fitting combat gear.

Lin Yun held a silver-white long spear, while Lin Yiqing had brought along the Refined Iron Dagger left behind by his parents—his only weapon at the moment.

Hearing this, Lin Yiqing slowed his pace. At the same time, Lin Yun began to sprinkle a fair amount of medicinal powder from his hand.

"Is this powder to repel demonic beasts?" Lin Yiqing asked upon seeing this.

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

"Yes, I made this from the excrement of high-grade demonic beasts I collected. Demonic beasts are very sensitive to their territory; once they smell the scent of a higher-grade beast, they naturally won't approach. This masks our own scent and saves us a lot of trouble."

Lin Yun's expression was natural. Having lost both parents at a young age, he had naturally developed quite a few methods to survive this long.

With that, the two proceeded forward cautiously, one after the other.

About ten minutes later, the dense forest finally came to an end. A valley surrounded by mountains appeared within Lin Yiqing's line of sight.

In the center of the valley, the most eye-catching feature was a lake. It was not large, only about a few dozen feet across. The lakeside was lined with jagged, low-lying shrubs, and many wildflowers bloomed in abundance—a truly beautiful sight.

However, despite such beauty, the valley was deathly silent, as if some terrifying primordial beast lay sleeping within, ready to shake the heavens and earth the moment it awoke.

Activating his Origin Qi Vision, Lin Yiqing couldn't help but freeze. In his field of vision, the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi was clearly gathering behind the valley. Aside from a winding, dark-green trail of Origin Qi representing a Green Water Snake, there was also a significant amount of wood-attribute Origin Qi converging.

It seems this dwelling is not so simple!

Thinking this, Lin Yiqing glanced at Lin Yun from the corner of his eye, only to see that the other man's face held nothing but excitement, with no sign of anything amiss.

It seems he doesn't know the full picture either, Lin Yiqing pondered inwardly.

Lin Yun gestured, and the two figures flashed, appearing eerily in a concealed spot near the back of the valley a moment later.

Using the shrubs as cover, Lin Yiqing looked into the valley. Everything was calm and peaceful; it seemed they had not alerted the Earth Origin Realm demonic beast, the Green Water Snake.

Not far ahead, several massive, dark-green boulders lay scattered amidst overgrown weeds. However, if one looked closely, a cave entrance about a foot wide could be vaguely seen where the grass grew thickest.

"Move!"

Lin Yun finished speaking and crept toward the cave entrance, with Lin Yiqing hurrying to follow. Even with his temperament, he couldn't help but feel a sense of gravity. This was the dwelling suspected to belong to an Earth Origin Realm expert.

The dwelling had been fashioned from a natural cave, narrow at the front and wide at the back, with many marks of sharp weapons visible on the surrounding walls.

Passing through the passage, the space suddenly widened into a natural cavern dozens of feet across. Strange rocks stood tall, vines grew in clusters, and water droplets falling from the ceiling felt bone-chillingly cold against the skin.

"Watch out for that beast. I sensed it the moment I entered last time. It's a good thing I ran fast, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."

Hearing this, Lin Yiqing's expression turned solemn. He gripped his dagger tightly, observing his surroundings with caution, not daring to relax for a single moment.

An Earth Origin Realm demonic beast, even if severely injured, was still a behemoth to two youngsters only in the Body Tempering Realm. A single moment of carelessness would mean death.

"Boom!"

A black shadow suddenly lunged from the dim depths of the cave, accompanied by a wave of foul stench. A snake tail slammed down toward the two, forcing them to retreat instantly.

"Bang!"

Mud and stone flew. Lin Yiqing leaped several feet away. Snakes were naturally swift and difficult to parry; the only way was to find an opening and end the fight quickly!

"Careful, this is that Green Water Snake!" Lin Yun shouted urgently.

Lin Yiqing looked closely and saw a massive, dark-green python as thick as a water barrel, raising its head to strike at them.

Its blood-red eyes were filled with violent, bestial nature, but the most striking feature was a massive gash on its belly, from which blood was seeping profusely, even revealing its internal organs.

"Swish!"

The Green Water Snake suddenly lunged at them, its bloody maw wide open, fangs bared in a hideous display.

Lin Yiqing stepped off the rock wall and leaped high, his dagger aimed directly at the snake's head, waiting for an opening to strike.

However, the Green Water Snake whipped its body around, its tail swinging toward him. Lin Yiqing had no choice but to abandon his attack and use the rocks to dodge. Immediately after, Lin Yun's spear thrust out like a dragon, bringing with it a series of cold glints.

Seeing the two attack again, the Green Water Snake turned its head and lunged at Lin Yun, clearly remembering this intruder well.

Lin Yun's spear pierced into the gash on the Green Water Snake's belly, widening the wound by several inches, but this also completely incited the beast's ferocity. As it thrashed, its tail slammed Lin Yun heavily against the rock wall.

"Pfft!"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Lin Yun's aura weakened; it appeared he had been severely injured.

"Roar!"

The Green Water Snake's old wounds were joined by new ones; as it hissed, its entrails even began to spill out. Its ferocity became unstoppable, and it opened its blood-stained maw to lunge at Lin Yun.

Seeing him about to fall into the snake's jaws, at this critical moment, Lin Yiqing leaped from behind and drove his sword into the snake's tail, pinning it down.

"Awoo!"

The Green Water Snake shrieked in pain, turning around to lunge at Lin Yiqing. In his haste, Lin Yiqing jumped high to dodge the snake's head, then threw a punch that struck the snake's body with heavy force.

"First-grade martial art, Through-Back Fist!"

"Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!"

After nine cracks, another low sound resonated from within Lin Yiqing's body. The force traveled from his sinews and bones to his skin, layering and advancing until it finally converged on his fist. His heavy punch sent the Green Water Snake flying toward the other side of the cave.

"Quick, attack its seven-inch mark!"

Seeing the rare opportunity, Lin Yiqing shouted. By restraining the Green Water Snake, he had given Lin Yun a chance to catch his breath.

"First-grade martial art, Roaming Dragon Spear!"

Seizing the chance, Lin Yun picked up the spear and unleashed his martial art. The silver-white spear in his hand seemed to come alive, trailing flashes of cold light as it pierced the snake's neck, pinning it firmly against the rock wall.

"First-grade martial art, Roaming Body Steps!"

Seeing the Green Water Snake pinned by the spear, Lin Yiqing immediately utilized Roaming Body Steps. He twisted his body forcefully, drove his Refined Iron Dagger straight into the snake's seven-inch mark, and flicked his wrist, disemboweling it!

Afterward, he stepped off the rock wall and leaped backward to create distance. His body stretched taut, and the moment he landed, a series of popping sounds erupted. He unleashed a ten-crack Through-Back Fist, accompanied by bursts of air, striking the snake's head with the force of a thousand jun.

"Bang!"

Following a loud crash, the Green Water Snake's body finally ceased its writhing after a few moments.

Pity the Green Water Snake; it was already severely wounded, and now, having encountered these two, the Earth Origin Realm beast had died at the hands of two Body Tempering Realm cultivators. One could only lament the fickleness of fate!

"Whew, that was too close. I almost lost my life here today. Thank you, Cousin Yiqing!"

Lin Yun's eyes were filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. If Lin Yiqing hadn't lent a hand in time, this place would likely have become his burial ground.

He had never expected that the Green Water Snake would remain so overwhelmingly powerful even while severely wounded, but what shocked him even more was Lin Yiqing's strength—it was nothing short of terrifying!

His grasp of the battle's rhythm, as well as his mastery and application of martial arts, were perfect!

"No need for formalities, Cousin Lin Yun!"

Lin Yiqing caught his breath. The situation today had been truly perilous. Although he had guessed before coming that they might face a bitter struggle, he hadn't expected it to be this difficult. An Earth Origin Realm beast was truly not to be underestimated.

After speaking, the two sat down to regulate their breathing. Just as Lin Yiqing relaxed, his body suddenly stiffened.

He opened his mouth wide, his eyes filled with wild joy, and his body began to tremble with excitement.

Within his body, a sudden, intense burning pain emerged. Amidst that burning sensation, Lin Yiqing could feel a strange energy being born within his bone marrow!

"Origin Power Seed"