Jingyun Sect, Library Pavilion.]|I{•------» «------•}I|[
Lin Cheng's departure and return went unnoticed.
With his current strength and methods, he could come and go freely in a sect like Jingyun Sect.
As soon as he returned to the Library Pavilion, he began adjusting his condition.
His battle against the five Foundation Establishment demonic beasts in the Mist Forbidden Land had taken a heavy toll on him.
"For a backwater place like the Southern Region to have a demonic beast at Foundation Establishment Perfection... I nearly got myself killed."
Slowly calming his surging qi and blood, Lin Cheng felt a lingering fear.
Even though he cultivated the Nine Transformations of the True Spirit and was far stronger than others at the same level, he was still somewhat outmatched when facing an opponent at Foundation Establishment Perfection alone.
And that was without considering the other four, whose cultivation was no weaker than his, attacking him together.
Still.
Thanks to the wondrous Eye of Truth-Breaking and the five beasts' poor coordination, he had ultimately come out slightly ahead.
Though he had won, Lin Cheng had still been injured.
"Those five beasts were hurt far worse than I was. They shouldn't have the strength to cause trouble, so my disciples should be able to return safely."
"This world really is too dangerous. I thought that with my strength, even if I couldn't dominate the Southern Region, I could at least protect myself. I never expected to nearly get wrecked."
"No, I have to keep getting stronger."
"First, I'll set myself a small goal: I won't leave until I reach the Golden Core realm!"
Lin Cheng gritted his teeth and secretly made up his mind.
This time, he had truly been frightened.
It was also because he had barely encountered any powerful opponents since arriving in this world, which had caused his confidence to swell a little.
He'd gotten carried away!
This blow had brought Lin Cheng back to his senses.
He was still weak!
He had to keep lying low. As long as he continued signing in, he could improve his strength without bottlenecks.
"Still, I took some losses this time, but the gains weren't small."
Thinking of the large number of high-grade pills he had obtained, Lin Cheng broke into a delighted grin again.
"I'd better get ready. I'm starting alchemy right away!"
He couldn't put it off any longer. He had to improve his strength immediately. His cultivation at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment still wasn't enough!
Just as Lin Cheng began preparing to improve his strength,
deep in the Mist Forest,
"Roar!!"
One agonized growl after another rang out.
A two-headed tiger with wings had lost one of its heads, and one of its wings was broken halfway. The remaining head bore a sword wound so deep it exposed bone.
Its entire body was covered in wounds.
Four other demonic beasts radiating Foundation Establishment auras stood nearby.
A Golden Ape bared its teeth, a gaping hole torn through its chest.
A black wolf's once-glossy fur had turned dull, and its eyes were listless.
The other two powerful Foundation Establishment beasts were a musk deer and a giant mottled python.
All the beasts radiated terrifying auras, but now they were covered in wounds, their eyes full of fear and confusion.
The strongest among them was the Golden Ape.
An invincible being at Foundation Establishment Perfection.
It was only one last step away from ascending to the legendary Golden Core realm.
Then it would awaken that trace of Titan Ancient Ape bloodline and become an incomparably noble being.
But now, the Golden Ape's aura had sunk low.
It felt utterly miserable!
It had begun to doubt its own strength.
Not long ago, they had caught the faint scent of something delicious.
It seemed to be the legendary innate constitution possessed by humans.
The five powerful beasts had gone wild with excitement!
If they could devour that human with the innate constitution, they would gain immeasurable benefits!
Not only would their cultivation soar, they might even awaken the ancient divine beast bloodlines within them.
Demonic beasts capable of reaching Foundation Establishment had long since gained intelligence.
They could naturally sense danger and seek out advantage. They had sensed an opportunity to break through and advance!
At their level, these powerful beasts all carried traces of ancient bloodline power within them. The most direct and effective way to grow stronger was to awaken their bloodlines!
To evolve!
The Spirit-Feeding Ghost Ginseng Lin Cheng had captured was also seeking a chance to evolve.
But just as it was about to succeed, Lin Cheng had ruined everything.
To obstruct another's path of cultivation was an irreconcilable blood feud in the cultivation world!
That was why the demonic child had sworn to kill Lin Cheng.
It hadn't expected its true form to be discovered by him first.
Its plans had failed before they even began.
When the five powerful Foundation Establishment beasts sensed the opportunity to break through, they had immediately set out without a word.
But before they could leave the depths of the forbidden land,
a human expert shrouded in mysterious gray mist came looking for them!
Though they couldn't make out the other's aura,
somehow, they couldn't sense any threat from the person before them.
The human could tread on air, so he was likely a Foundation Establishment expert.
But they weren't afraid in the least.
They were powerful Foundation Establishment beasts too!
And as demonic beasts, their physical bodies were far stronger than those of humans. In a fight between opponents of the same level, they usually had the advantage.
However, the five powerful beasts had never been united.
Besides, the Golden Ape was far stronger than the other four.
The latter could only stand against it by joining forces.
In this situation, with an outside enemy suddenly arriving, every beast had its reservations, afraid another might profit from the fight.
So even the Golden Ape hesitated for a long moment.
Under normal circumstances, if a human expert dared to come straight to the depths of the Mist Forbidden Land and provoke them, they would beat him senseless and throw him out, even if they couldn't kill him.
But a huge opportunity was waiting for them now.
An innate constitution was a rare chance, not something one could simply happen upon.
It would be a terrible waste to get injured at a time like this.
What the powerful beasts hadn't expected was that before they could make a move, the seemingly weak human attacked first!
And the moment he struck, he swept all five beasts into the range of his attack.
Provocation!
This was an outright provocation!
The five beasts flew into a rage. They decided to set aside their grudges for the moment and deal with this madman who had a death wish first!
To dare provoke five opponents of the same level at once,
including a being at Foundation Establishment Perfection like the Golden Ape, was like an old man eating arsenic.
He was asking to die!
The human waved his hand, and a golden giant palm that blotted out the sky descended from above, bearing down on them.
The instant he attacked, all five beasts shuddered, their fur standing on end.
The threat of death!
The five beasts threw caution to the wind and attacked together.
Even so, caught off guard, all of them were wounded by that single strike from the human.
The first exchange ended.
The human had fought five opponents at once without falling behind.
Now, not only were the other four powerful beasts astonished, but even the Golden Ape was shaken to the core. They no longer dared hold anything back and attacked with all their might!
It felt that if they kept scheming to harm one another, they would all die!
The other four powerful beasts felt the same. Terrifying Foundation Establishment auras erupted from them one after another.
At once, thunder boomed and fierce winds howled deep within the Mist Forbidden Land.
Wave after wave of powerful energy exploded. Pillars of spiritual light shot into the sky, so dazzling they made one's scalp prickle, and scattered the endless clouds above!
Terrifying aftershocks became rings of shock waves, carrying the aura of destruction as they surged madly in every direction.
The battle shook heaven and earth.
Deep in the Mist Forest, swathes of forest collapsed, mountain ranges shattered, and rivers were cut off.
The land was ravaged, as though it had endured a volcanic eruption followed by a cataclysmic meteor strike, leaving it pocked and cratered.
The battle lasted half an hour.
The five powerful beasts were gravely wounded. The human's aura had merely weakened from the tremendous expenditure of energy.
In the end, the five powerful beasts burned their life essence and unleashed a heaven-shaking attack. Only then did they drive the human away.
The battle was over. A full third of the vast Mist Forbidden Land had been destroyed.
After the human left, the five wounded beasts remained behind, cowering in the depths of the Mist Forbidden Land, too frightened to take a single step outside.
They didn't even dare separate.
They feared the human might return and pick them off one by one.
As for the innate constitution, who could spare a thought for it now? Was anything more important than their own lives?
And so, a few days later, Meng Tangtang and the others made it through the Mist Forest without incident and successfully returned to Jingyun Sect.
The trip to Beast Taming Mountain had come to a perfect end.
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