Demonic Beast Gathering

After the Circulation Acceleration Affix had been permanently affixed, the fifty-percent increase in circulation speed during cultivation remained permanently active. Like Spirit Qi Filtration, it had become part of his body.

An Equipment Slot had opened up.

Li Yuan did not rush to act. He first sensed the changes within his body.

Spirit qi circulated through his meridians at exactly the same speed as when he had equipped the Vein-Clearing Pill, without the slightest weakening. The pure spirit qi completed a circulation at tremendous speed before flowing into his dantian, the entire process clean and efficient.

Li Yuan withdrew his focus and began considering how to use the newly vacant Equipment Slot.

The most tempting choice for the empty slot was the Spirit Detection Disk.

Its Green Trait, Spirit Sense Expansion, passively detected fluctuations in aura within thirty zhang and could even penetrate a certain degree of concealment.

But that would not do.

The Spirit Detection Disk was a Dharma Artifact issued by the Wang Family, with every Deputy Captain and above receiving one.

It was needed during patrols outside, and He Shou had one as well. Whenever they patrolled, both of them took theirs out to survey their surroundings.

Equipping it would make the item disappear, and that would be difficult to explain later.

The Spirit Detection Disk could only continue to be used by hand.

And now that he patrolled the outskirts every day, his physical exertion was far greater than when he had been in the market district. He could consider equipping the White Jade Rice.

But Qi-Blood Self-Generation was not bad either. Moreover, as his progress in cultivating mundane techniques increased, his stamina had improved greatly.

Even He Shou would call for a rest or two during patrols, but Li Yuan did not need to.

With two techniques equipped at once, Viscera Strengthening and Qi-Blood Self-Generation—one to take a beating, the other to restore him—his safety during patrols on the outskirts would improve considerably.

Li Yuan made his decision and took out the booklet for the Nurturing Origin Technique.

Equip.

The booklet transformed into a faint ray of light and merged into his body. The formulas for the five forms of the Nurturing Origin Technique became clear and lucid in his mind once more, while a gentle warmth welled up throughout his body, spreading from his dantian and slowly flowing along his meridians and muscles.

The effect of Qi-Blood Self-Generation had returned.

[Current Equipment Slots: 2/2]

[Equipped Items: Nurturing Origin Technique, Iron Ox Technique]

[Equipment Affixes: Viscera Strengthening (White), Qi-Blood Self-Generation (White)]

[Permanent Affixes: Clean Physique (Gray), Spirit Qi Filtration (White), Five Grains Nourishing Qi (White), Circulation Acceleration (White)]

A full six Affixes were on him, making Li Yuan feel quite secure.

At dawn, when Li Yuan opened his eyes, the effect of Qi-Blood Self-Generation within him was still operating continuously, leaving more than half his body suffused with warmth.

He glanced at the sun, calculated the time, stretched his limbs, and pushed the door open.

"Today, we're heading southwest. The route is quite a bit farther than yesterday's." He Shou swept his gaze over everyone. "Stay sharp."

The five set off along the dirt road. Unlike the past few days, they headed deep in a southwesterly direction.

The terrain gradually became uneven, and the thickets grew denser and denser. In some places, low trees and brambles were tangled together so tightly that they had to turn sideways to squeeze through. The dirt path beneath their feet gradually vanished as well, turning into wasteland mixed with wild grass and broken stones.

He Shou walked at the front, moving very slowly. Every few steps, he stopped to inspect the traces around him.

Li Yuan followed behind, his fingers resting on the Spirit Detection Disk hidden in his sleeve. Spirit power slowly flowed into it, spreading out his perception.

The auras of the other four beside him were clearly distinguishable. Sporadic weak fluctuations from a few Mortal Beasts came from the surrounding thickets, while farther away, all was quiet.

After walking for about half an hour, the terrain became even more complicated. A shallow dry gully lay across their path, its bottom filled with waist-high weeds and its sides packed with dense shrubs.

He Shou stopped by the gully, crouched down, and examined the mud at the bottom.

"There are claw marks..."

Before He Shou could finish, Li Yuan's Spirit Detection Disk suddenly caught a cluster of spirit qi fluctuations.

Not in the distance, but nearby.

Ahead to the left, deep within the thickets, around fifteen zhang away.

A murky cluster of spirit qi fluctuations was pressed low, nearly flush against the ground, utterly motionless.

Li Yuan slightly raised his right hand and made a gesture toward He Shou—something He Shou had taught him these past few days.

He Shou's expression instantly darkened. His left hand pressed against the hilt of his blade, and his gaze locked onto the depths of the thickets.

The five stopped at the same time.

Chen Qi reacted the fastest. He slightly crouched, his right hand already gripping his Short Saber. Liu Ping and Xu Mao each reached for their Dharma Artifacts as well.

Rather than advancing head-on, the five moved sideways along the edge of the dry gully toward the right, widening the distance between themselves and the thickets.

Li Yuan's perception remained locked onto that cluster of spirit qi fluctuations.

Fifteen zhang, eighteen zhang, twenty zhang—the distance was increasing, yet the fluctuation remained motionless, lying where it was.

Only after the five had shifted more than thirty zhang away did the fluctuation finally move.

Slowly, it retreated in the opposite direction, burrowing deeper into the thickets. Its spirit qi fluctuations grew weaker and weaker until they finally vanished at the edge of his perception.

It had left.

He Shou released the hilt of his blade and let out a breath.

"An ambush." He Shou glanced back at Li Yuan. "That beast was lying in the thickets waiting for us. If your Spirit Detection Disk hadn't found it first, we'd have followed those claw marks and walked right into its mouth."

Chen Qi straightened and glanced toward the thickets, muttering, "Pretty smart, aren't you?"

"Quite a few Demonic Beasts aren't stupid." He Shou patted the hilt of his blade. "We don't know its grade, but don't force a fight."

The five continued southwest, though their speed clearly slowed and the gaps between them widened somewhat.

After walking for roughly another quarter-hour, Li Yuan's Spirit Detection Disk caught spirit qi fluctuations again.

Ahead and slightly to the right, over twenty zhang away—two clusters.

One large and one small. The larger one was dense with spirit qi, while the smaller was weaker.

"Two up ahead, one large and one small," Li Yuan said quietly.

He Shou paused and turned his head to survey the terrain.

Ahead was a relatively open patch of wild grassland. The grass was not particularly tall, and visibility was far better than within the thickets. The two clusters of spirit qi fluctuations were moving slowly through the center of the grassland, heading east.

"I can see them." He Shou narrowed his eyes.

In the middle of the wild grassland, two grayish-brown figures flickered in and out of sight among the grass.

The two Demonic Beasts had not noticed the people here. They were heading east across the grassland at an unhurried pace.

He Shou did not order pursuit. Instead, he led the group in an arc, passing along the southern side of the grassland while keeping sufficient distance from the two Iron-Spine Hyenas.

After bypassing the grassland, the five continued deeper southwest.

The terrain changed again, with low hills and gullies appearing in alternation. The thickets were even denser than before.

Li Yuan's Spirit Detection Disk scarcely stopped.

Within the range of his perception, two more clusters of spirit qi fluctuations appeared.

"There seem to be more and more Demonic Beasts," Li Yuan said, then stopped moving.

He Shou had noticed it too, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Li Yuan poured spirit power into the Spirit Detection Disk—behind a low hill, a dozen or so zhang away, two clusters of spirit qi fluctuations stood not far apart. One was more condensed than the other.

Just then, a deep hiss came from behind a low hill ahead.

"Two. Mid-grade and low-grade."

As soon as he finished speaking, rustling came from the thickets on the left side of the hill. Then a dark gray, flattened figure crawled out from beneath the bushes. It was a Horned Lizard.

"Another one." Chen Qi tightened his grip on his Short Saber and leaned slightly forward.

The hissing behind the hill grew louder, accompanied by heavy footsteps. A huge figure poked its head over the top of the slope.

Gray-black fur, broad shoulders and back, and two rows of uneven fangs protruding from a wide, flat mouth.

"A Swamp Toad Beast." He Shou lowered his voice. "First-Order Mid-Grade. Thick hide and tough flesh. It won't be easy to fight."

A First-Order Mid-Grade Swamp Toad Beast was on the low hill, while a Low-grade First-Order Horned Lizard stood at the edge of the thickets to the left.

The two Demonic Beasts were not the same species, yet they had appeared here at the same time, blocking the five's path forward.

"Retreat." He Shou gave the order without hesitation.

The five slowly backed away, placing their feet down as lightly as possible.

The Horned Lizard watched them for a while without giving chase, then turned and crawled back into the thickets. The Swamp Toad Beast on the hill roared twice but did not come down the slope either, lying atop it as it watched the five depart.

Only after retreating over a hundred zhang did He Shou stop.

"Something's wrong." He Shou glanced back at the way they had come, his brows knotted into a tight ball.

"From the moment we set out until now, the traces of Demonic Beasts have become denser and denser. The farther southwest we go, the more there are. In that area just now, at least seven or eight Demonic Beasts were active within a few hundred zhang."

Li Yuan nodded. The Spirit Detection Disk's range was limited, but the spirit qi fluctuations he had detected alone were already remarkably dense.

"We can't go any deeper in this direction." He Shou made his judgment. "We'll go back and report this. Let the Guard Squad send a stronger team to investigate."

Chen Qi sheathed his Short Saber and said, "Captain He, that Horned Lizard ran away just now, and the Swamp Toad Beast didn't pursue us either. That means these Demonic Beasts aren't here for us."

Chen Qi paused. "The five of us can handle Low-grade First-Order Demonic Beasts with room to spare, and we can beat First-Order Mid-Grade ones too. The ones we've encountered along the way have all been alone or in groups of two or three. While we're here, we can figure out how many Demonic Beasts are in this area and hunt a few along the way. The materials would be worth quite a bit too."

Liu Ping nodded as well. "Chen Qi has a point. These Demonic Beasts are scattered everywhere, not traveling in packs. If we pick off the lone ones, the risk won't be great."

He Shou looked at the two of them but did not answer immediately.

Xu Mao leaned against a low tree. Hearing this, he shrugged and did not state a position.

Li Yuan spoke. "Such a high density of Demonic Beasts means there is something in this area attracting them to gather, or something is driving them here. Either way, continuing deeper isn't something a team with our composition should be doing."

Chen Qi opened his mouth, still wanting to say something.

He Shou waved a hand, his tone neither harsh nor hesitant.

"Deputy Captain Li is right. An abnormal density of Demonic Beasts is no good thing. If we run into an Upper First-Order one, the five of us might not even be able to escape."

He Shou tightened his long blade at his waist.

"Materials can be hunted anytime. If you lose your life, you can't earn Spirit Stones. Come on, back to the station."

Chen Qi closed his mouth. There was some unwillingness on his face, but he did not argue further. Liu Ping looked at Chen Qi, then at He Shou, and obediently followed the group.

The five retraced their route, moving much faster than they had on the way in.

Li Yuan kept his Spirit Detection Disk active the entire way. The spirit qi fluctuations within his perception gradually dwindled as they put more distance between themselves and the area. Only after they left that Demonic Beast-dense region did the surroundings become quiet once more.