"Claw Monkey is a Lesser Demon with twelve years of cultivation, while Drunkard Dog has around fourteen years. On top of that, it has a Spirit Beast Master directing it. The outcome of this fight is already decided." Chu Yun watched quietly from the side. Seeing the situation, he reached his conclusion.
Generally speaking, with the wisdom and direction of a Spirit Beast Master, a Demon Beast could overcome a certain gap in cultivation and successfully challenge a wild Demon Beast. Claw Monkey was two years behind Drunkard Dog in cultivation. The result was all too obvious.
Seeing Claw Monkey's situation grow increasingly dire, Chu Yun dared not continue watching from nearby. He quietly withdrew from the battlefield and headed deeper into the forest.
"They have two Spirit Beast Masters and eight burly men. With a lineup this powerful, they could wipe me out with the flick of a finger. I absolutely can't fight them head-on. Looks like the only way is to outsmart them!"
Chu Yun had plenty of combat experience. He was no one to simply roll over and be slaughtered, nor was he the sort to pin his hopes on luck. Though he lacked strength, he could still outsmart them. After thinking it over carefully, Claw Monkey had undoubtedly given him a very practical idea.
"I have Tasteless Powder to mask my scent. And with the memories of my previous life, I know this place like the back of my hand. I can turn their own strength against them and keep wearing them down." Finding a solution lifted his spirits.
In the dark forest, a young man dressed in plain hemp clothes darted nimbly between the trees. His skin was fair, his features refined, and his eyes shimmered like two black gems, catching the moonlight that streamed through the canopy. The faintest hint of a smile played at his lips.
"You want to kill me and take my treasure? You dare come after me? Hmph! I'll make sure none of you leave this forest alive!"
An hour later, the group of burly men encountered a Sawtooth Forest Python with sixteen years of cultivation. The Triangular-Eyed Man sent out his thirteen-year Demon Beast, Green Blade Mantis, and after a hard fight, they finally killed it.
Two and a half hours later, they ran into a swarm of Firefly Spiders and were dragged into a fierce battle. The Triangular-Eyed Man and the Bearded Man joined forces to kill the fifteen-year Spider Queen, but two of their men were left dead.
"This can't go on. My Green Blade Mantis has already used up most of its demon essence. Its strength has dropped badly." The Triangular-Eyed Man's face darkened. The confidence he'd had, certain victory in hand, had long since vanished.
The Bearded Man's eyes blazed with fury as he cursed, "Damn it, is that brat part rabbit or something? I've never seen anyone who can run better than him!"
A thick pall of gloom had settled over the shop assistant's heart. He was a shrewd man and had already sensed a hint of a scheme. He hesitated before saying, "This doesn't look good. The other guy has Tasteless Powder to mask his scent, so he can pass safely through most Demon Beast territories. And I have a feeling he's deliberately luring us along..."
"Bullshit! Who does he think he is? Ruan Er, if you're scared, go on back. I've got no time for cowards. You're telling me a thirteen-year-old brat has you shaking in your boots?" The Bearded Man looked at the shop assistant, Ruan Er, with contempt.
"You..." Ruan Er was furious but didn't dare speak up.
"That's enough, Ruan Er. Stop seeing ghosts everywhere. That little brat just got lucky. You're leading this expedition, so you share the blame. You didn't prepare properly. If we'd had Tasteless Powder, we'd have caught him already."
The Triangular-Eyed Man snorted. He pulled a pill bottle from his robes, took out a round, thumb-sized green pill, and fed it to the Green Blade Mantis perched on his arm.
The Green Blade Mantis was about the size of an infant's head. Its body was dark green, gleaming with a cold sheen. Its two pairs of blade-like forelimbs were a shade lighter than the rest of its body, their razor-sharp edges flashing coldly. It lowered its triangular head, opened its mouthparts, and swallowed the pill in one gulp.
The pill was a Demon Essence Pill. When consumed by a Demon Beast, it replenished its depleted demon essence. Without demon essence, a Demon Beast couldn't use its demonic arts.
A moment later, the Triangular-Eyed Man felt the demon essence within the Green Blade Mantis slowly but steadily recovering. He nodded in satisfaction, though a flash of pain crossed his eyes.
The pill was expensive, even for him. Normally, he let the Green Blade Mantis absorb spiritual energy on its own to replenish its demon essence. But now, there was no time to wait. He had to hurry and pursue Chu Yun.
"Heh, you're willing to spend, I'll give you that." The Bearded Man glanced at the Triangular-Eyed Man, then at his own Drunkard Dog. The latter was covered in wounds, panting with its tongue hanging out. Its blood had dried black, and its fur was matted together. It looked utterly wretched.
The Bearded Man had pills of his own, but he wouldn't use them unless he had no other choice.
"Damn it, if we run into another Demon Beast blocking the way and still don't catch that brat, I really will have to use a pill!"
A ferocious light gleamed in the Bearded Man's eyes. He'd thought catching Chu Yun would be a sure thing, easy as pie. But events had gone far beyond what he'd expected. They still hadn't even seen Chu Yun, yet his own side was already in a sorry state.
"Keep chasing! When we catch that brat, I'll chop off his fingers, cut off his—, and hack off his two dog legs!" The more the Bearded Man thought about it, the angrier he became. He was a mighty Spirit Beast Master, with the lives of at least a hundred men on his hands, yet a snot-nosed brat had reduced him to this tonight. How could he live with the humiliation?
In truth, it wasn't just him. The Triangular-Eyed Man and the others had also been bottling up their anger. Under normal circumstances, any one of them could have tormented Chu Yun half to death. Yet in this forest, they'd suffered setback after setback, and three of their companions had lost their lives to wild Demon Beasts. The frustration was almost unbearable!
Driven by their rage, the eight burly men, fierce as wolves and tigers, quickened their pace and closed in on Chu Yun.
"This is it—the Phantom Scorpion Bat's territory!" Following the memories of his previous life, Chu Yun had reached this place. He immediately slowed down, held his breath, and tensed, his expression grave.
Demon Beasts, whether solitary or in groups, all had a sense of territory. The stronger the Demon Beast, the larger its territory. And according to Chu Yun's memories, the Phantom Scorpion Bat was the strongest Demon Beast in this stretch of forest, with nineteen years of cultivation!
Towering trees swayed their ghostly branches in the night. The wind threading through them carried a chill unlike anywhere else, making Chu Yun shiver. To be safe, he stopped and took out his second packet of Tasteless Powder, spreading it all over himself.
As its name suggested, Tasteless Powder masked one's scent. Without a Demon Beast nearby that could conceal its presence, it was an essential item for traveling and exploring secluded places.
"I've already used up two packets of Tasteless Powder this quickly. I hope the Phantom Scorpion Bat doesn't let me down." Chu Yun's heart felt heavy. He had no idea how much the pursuers' strength had been diminished, but he was certain they had restorative pills.
The Phantom Scorpion Bat was the most powerful Demon Beast in this area. If even it couldn't stop them, Chu Yun would be out of options, with disaster all but certain.
He used up all the Tasteless Powder in his hand, crumpled the wrapper, and left it somewhere conspicuous. Then, using the wrapper as a clue, he carefully tampered with the area nearby, erasing and covering his real tracks while leaving obvious false ones that led deeper into the Phantom Scorpion Bat's territory.
He proceeded with the utmost care, his nerves stretched almost to breaking point! He did everything he could to keep quiet, and the whole process took half an hour. At last, exhausted to the point of collapse, he curled up inside a hollow, dead tree trunk. Just as he let out a long breath, relieved that everything was done, he nearly passed out on the spot.
It wasn't only his body that was tired; his mind was more exhausted still. The Phantom Scorpion Bat might discover him at any moment. If it chose him as tonight's prey, Chu Yun was dead.
He could even imagine the scene: if the Phantom Scorpion Bat killed him, the people behind him would find his corpse and laugh themselves mad with glee. He would have dug his own grave!
Fortunately, he had inherited the luck of his previous life, and he'd been careful. The Phantom Scorpion Bat hadn't discovered him.
The inside of the dead tree was damp, stuffy, cramped, and airless. Exhaustion soon made Chu Yun feel feverish, sweat pouring down his back. Fortunately, the Tasteless Powder kept absorbing the smell of his sweat.
No one wanted to curl up into a ball, trapped in a cramped space like a cage. Chu Yun felt utterly miserable. Worse still, waves of drowsiness surged over him like a tide.
His face slick with sweat, his eyelids felt as heavy as if two weights hung from them. They opened and closed, and his vision gradually blurred.
Hold on! Stay awake! Don't fall asleep!
If he fell asleep, he would lose the initiative and be at their mercy.
The words echoed again and again in Chu Yun's mind. Relying on sheer willpower, he fought the Sandman. But he was too tired. His body hadn't even finished growing, and he'd already spent all his strength outwitting and fighting his powerful enemies. The Sandman's power surged, and his drowsiness struck like a tsunami, swallowing his consciousness in an instant.
Don't sleep. Hold on. Hold on...
Using the last remnants of his awareness, Chu Yun closed his left hand around the Mountain Chopping Blade. The sudden pain jolted him awake!
The pain came through clearly. When he drew back his left hand, there was a wound in his palm. It wasn't deep, but blood streamed from it.
Chu Yun sucked in a quiet breath through clenched teeth, pulled a packet of medicine from his robes, tore it open, and sprinkled the powder over the wound. A sharp, prickling sting spread through him, and the bleeding stopped at once.
His drowsiness receded like the tide. Darkness filled the dead tree, but two sharp glints shone in it. No matter how deep the darkness, it couldn't conceal Chu Yun's bright, black eyes!
He listened intently, head tilted. Before long, he heard the heavy footsteps of a group approaching.
His heart jolted. He knew the pursuers had come. As the footsteps drew nearer, mingling with the Bearded Man's stream of curses, his heart began to pound faster, and his breathing grew heavier.