The sun reluctantly sank beyond the mountains, and the stars began to emerge one by one. The cloudy sky turned a deep blue, darker than the sea.
The evening breeze brushed Chu Yun's face, shifting from faintly warm to refreshingly cool. The surroundings gradually quieted. Insects began to sing, and the summer forest—with its dense canopy and interweaving light and shadow—was alive with both vitality and deadly danger.
Chu Yun climbed a gentle slope and surveyed the way ahead. Comparing the landscape with his memories of this world, he soon found the right path.
He breathed a sigh of relief. In his previous life, he had proved through experience that this route was fairly safe. He was confident he could reach the Nameless Volcano.
But just then, a flock of birds took wing in the distance, circling overhead and crying shrilly, refusing to settle.
"Someone behind me?" Chu Yun narrowed his eyes. He recognized these birds. They were called Iron-Beak Birds, a gentle Demon Beast commonly found in the forest.
Humans had their rules, and so did the forest.
Iron-Beak Birds weren't foolish enough to choose a place frequented by fierce beasts as their habitat and build their nests there. And at this time of year, their natural enemy—the Sawtooth Forest Python—wouldn't come to prey on them.
Drawing on his experience, Chu Yun quickly concluded that humans had disturbed the forest's quiet. And from the Iron-Beak Birds' violent reaction, there had to be quite a few of them.
"They're fighting!" Chu Yun murmured. The sounds of battle carried on the wind. Once provoked, the Iron-Beak Birds attacked in a flock, their assault imposing and not to be underestimated.
A short while later, the Iron-Beak Birds fled into the night sky. Clearly, they were no match for the newcomers.
The night deepened, but it could not hide Chu Yun's bright black eyes. They gleamed!
Based on what he had just seen, he had roughly determined that there were around ten people. They also had the strength of beginner Beast Tamers; otherwise, they could not have caused such a commotion or driven the Iron-Beak Birds from their nest so easily.
Who were they? What did they want? Why had they appeared behind him? Were they connected to him?
In an instant, countless suspicions and questions flashed through Chu Yun's mind.
The Iron-Beak Birds slowly returned to their nest, and Chu Yun's gaze sharpened again.
The others had left. Where had they gone?
His instincts told him that their target seemed to be him. He suddenly thought of Lady Shu and couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. If she had sent her men to take the opportunity to wipe him out, then even three or four ordinary strongmen would leave him in dire straits, let alone Beast Tamers!
He was only thirteen years old!
He wasn't exactly powerless, but if he had to compare strength with an adult, he would certainly lose.
The cool night breeze swept over him, but it did nothing to dispel the chill that gripped his whole body. His sense of danger surged!
Before considering how to win, consider how to lose. Reborn into this life, Chu Yun had become steady and cautious. A glint flashed in his clear eyes, then vanished.
"I remember there's a Claw Monkey nearby. I think it's a Lesser Demon with twelve years of cultivation." A hint of a smile quietly appeared at the corner of Chu Yun's mouth.
"Damn those Iron-Beak Birds! They may have just given us away!" Blood stained the shopkeeper's clothes, which had once been whole but were now tattered. He limped at the head of the group, cursing as he went.
"What's there to worry about? He's just a kid who still smells of his mother's milk. Maybe he saw all the commotion and is curiously heading over! Hahaha! Then we'll catch him red-handed." The bearded man's loud voice echoed through the forest, stirring up a wave of commotion.
The shopkeeper couldn't help picturing Chu Yun's calm, faintly mocking eyes. He shook his head. He had a feeling that the boy would be hard to deal with. Completing this job would be a great deal of trouble.
"Shut up. You're the one who startled those Iron-Beak Birds just now. There are plenty of wild Demon Beasts in this forest, so we'd better be careful." The triangular-eyed man spoke slowly, his voice cold as he glared at the bearded man with displeasure.
"Hmph!" The bearded man snorted, but finally lowered his voice. He knew that although they were on the outskirts of the forest, plenty of wild Demon Beasts still lived here. Given their strength, they still needed to be careful.
Even so, the bearded man didn't take it seriously. Their target was only a child. If the people above hadn't urgently needed that whole bag of Snow Sand, they wouldn't have needed to send someone of his caliber.
As time passed, the forest fell quiet, and the bright moon rose into the sky. Pale moonlight pierced the gaps between the leaves, forming pillars of light like luminous jade. Rather than limiting their vision, the night made the group's view even clearer.
"Heaven's on our side. The little brat can't get away now!" The bearded man sniffed, baring a hideous grin. Beneath the moonlight, Chu Yun's tracks appeared and disappeared, but remained clearly visible. Against veterans like them, who made their living killing and looting, his tracks revealed everything.
But suddenly!
A black shadow let out a strange cry and sprang down from overhead.
Pfft!
A strongman screamed and fell to the ground. A gaping hole had opened in his left chest, and bright red blood gushed out, quickly soaking the earth beneath him.
His heart had vanished!
His body twitched a few times, then went still. His face froze in an expression of utter horror, his eyes staring wide open in death!
"Chik chik chik chik!"
The ghostly black shadow perched on a branch, letting out a savage, eerie cackle. Just then, the night breeze stirred the branches, and the moonlight shifted, revealing the shadow's true form.
"Claw Monkey!" someone cried out in utter terror.
The bloodthirsty Claw Monkey's round eyes glinted red. It was only as big as an adult's head, with glossy black fur, a tail held high, long limbs, and razor-sharp claws. In its right paw, it clutched a human heart the size of a fist.
Thump, thump. The heart was still beating in its claws.
Gulp.
Under the terrified gazes of the group, the Claw Monkey opened its mouth and swallowed the heart whole. This Demon Beast fed on hearts.
"Chik chik chik chik!"
After swallowing the heart, the blood-red light in the Claw Monkey's eyes flared. It danced wildly on the branch, letting out a terrifying cackle. Soon, the red glow spread from its eyes and coursed through its entire body.
At once, the Claw Monkey gave off a deeply unnerving aura of danger.
"Damn it, that monkey's actually comprehended the Bloodlust Dao Technique!" The bearded man cursed viciously, slapped the black pouch at his waist, and roared, "Come out, Drunkard Dog!"
A streak of black light shot out from the pouch and landed on the ground, revealing a black dog with a bare tail. Its nose was unusually large and red, with a few black hairs growing crookedly from it. The moment it saw the Claw Monkey, it immediately lowered its body, bared its teeth, and gave a threatening growl.
Wild Demon Beasts lacked much intelligence without a Beast Tamer to direct them. Following the principle of eliminating the greatest threat first, the bloodthirsty Claw Monkey immediately fixed its scarlet gaze on the most dangerous opponent, the Drunkard Dog. It had no notion of targeting a weaker enemy.
"Chii—!"
The Claw Monkey kicked off the branch and shot toward the Drunkard Dog on the ground like a black-red cannonball. The dog refused to back down. It barked, kicked off the ground, and leapt at the monkey.
Bang!
The two collided violently in midair, evenly matched, and landed with a muffled thud. They immediately became locked in a bloody, brutal struggle.
Seeing that the situation had finally stabilized, the others breathed a deep sigh of relief. Trembling, the shopkeeper ducked his head and ran behind the bearded man.
Every bit of this fell into Chu Yun's eyes as he hid in the grass some distance away.
The group had walked right into his trap and been attacked by the Claw Monkey. Yet the joy that had just risen in Chu Yun's heart was immediately replaced by dread and a chill of fear.
"Two Beast Tamers! And the rest are all bloodthirsty strongmen. Who are they?"
He held his breath and calmly studied them. After letting his gaze pass over the bearded man and the triangular-eyed man, he shifted it to the others. Then his eyes stopped when he spotted the shopkeeper from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion that day.
"It's him?" He was briefly surprised, then recalled what had happened that day, and understanding dawned. "So they saw the money and got greedy. That bag of Snow Sand really is worth a fortune on the market—at least eight hundred Earth-Fiend Stone Coins. Hmph, sending two Beast Tamers after me. They really think highly of me."
His heart turned cold. His opponents were ruthless, bringing overwhelming force to crush even a rabbit. They clearly didn't intend to give him any chance to fight back. He was alone, the Heavenly Fox Egg had yet to hatch, and the only thing he could rely on was the Mountain Chopping Blade in his hand.
At the thought, his heart began to race and his throat went dry. His opponents were so powerful that he had no chance of winning! According to his memories, he had never expected this battle. He couldn't help regretting it: Why hadn't he followed the path laid out in his previous life, step by step? Why had he suddenly felt like visiting the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, setting off this chain of events and pushing himself into a desperate, near-death predicament?
Calm down, calm down!
Chu Yun quickly steadied himself. In his previous life, he had often explored hidden places and uncovered secrets, only to find himself surrounded by deadly enemies. His rich life experience had taught him that panic would only send him plunging into the abyss of no return even faster.
The fight between the Claw Monkey and the Drunkard Dog had reached its peak. They traded blows, kicking up clouds of dust. In the gloomy forest, the cold gleam of their claws looked all the more dazzling. Blood flew, and both were covered in wounds, large and small.
"Drunkard Dog, Wild Mountain Claw!" The bearded man suddenly roared, catching the right moment.
The Drunkard Dog's ears perked up as it received the command, and its momentum surged. Black demonic energy churned across its body, concentrating on its right front paw almost instantly. An aura heavy as a mountain and wild as the wilderness swept in every direction.
"Woof!" The Drunkard Dog barked and struck with its right paw. The blow seemed slow, yet landed in a flash, hitting the Claw Monkey.
Terror showed in the Claw Monkey's eyes, but it had already spent its strength and had yet to muster more. With a thud, the Wild Mountain Claw struck it. The monkey let out a shrill scream as it flew backward like a cannonball and slammed into a tree.
Another muffled thud.
The tree shook, its branches and leaves rustling. A dent appeared in the thick trunk, so massive that five people together could barely encircle it. The Claw Monkey was embedded in the wood and did not fall to the ground until several seconds later. Its body trembled, blood streamed from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and its once-red eyes looked even more savage.
"Damn, a monkey empowered by the Bloodlust Dao Technique really is hard to deal with." The bearded man cursed under his breath, then ordered the Drunkard Dog, "Charge in and keep fighting!"
"Woof!" At the command, the Drunkard Dog sprang into action and leapt at the Claw Monkey, now even more frenzied.