What Secret Is Skyhorn Village Hiding?

They knew that trying to outrun this crazed thousand-year soul beast was the worst option, but putting distance between them and escaping the heart of its territory was what mattered most right now!

Bulbasaur was practically sprinting by burning through its stamina, its Vine Whip stretched taut to the limit as it dragged the massive snake corpse along.

High above them, deep within the dark canopy.

Those enormous, cold, ghostly green compound eyes that had just vanished appeared once more, silently locking onto the man and pet fleeing miserably below.

Its figure flickered in and out of view through gaps in the branches and leaves. Its enormous, chilling scythe-like mouthparts rubbed lightly together, producing an almost inaudible click.

After watching Lin Xia and Bulbasaur for a while, it turned its gaze toward the Skyhorn Snake, whose condition was poor and whose life force was rapidly declining. It did not seem eager to strike. Instead, it was like a patient apex predator, assessing its prey's condition and direction of escape.

That cold, deadly pressure seemed to form an invisible web, silently enveloping the two below. It made every hair on the back of Lin Xia's neck stand on end.

Although Lin Xia had sensed something, he did not dare let his guard down in the slightest. The Skyhorn Snake was still pursuing them, and if it entangled them, who knew what kind of accident might happen.

Wasn't his caution the reason he had survived this long?

Lin Xia did not dare spare even a second glance for anything he should not covet!

A chill ran down Lin Xia's spine. It was not sweat, but fear carved into his genes by a higher form of life!

"Faster!"

Lin Xia shouted inwardly, forcefully pouring nearly all the Soul Power in his body into his legs and the Poison Vine Bone Wings maintaining his vigilance.

Bulbasaur likewise felt the immense pressure from that indifferent gaze above. A trace of ruthlessness flashed through its red eyes as its four legs moved even faster. Ignoring the strain, its Vine Whip continued exerting force and dragged the Earth Crystal Snake's corpse forward another great distance.

They were getting farther and farther from the rocky cavern where the battle had erupted. The trees ahead grew relatively sparse, and the terrain became easier to traverse.

The Skyhorn Snake's manic roars and the sound of venom splashing gradually faded with the increasing distance and the trees blocking the way. Yet the enormous, ever-present pressure overhead never dispersed, clinging to them like a parasite on the bone.

"Hang in there! We're almost out!"

Lin Xia panted as he encouraged Bulbasaur—and himself.

He did not dare look up. He could only judge the distance of the creature above through his keen senses.

After summoning the Poison Vine Bone Wings, maintaining high-speed movement, and blocking several attacks, more than half the Soul Power in his body had already been depleted.

If that thing dived down now... the consequences would be unthinkable!

After sprinting wildly for nearly another two minutes, the miasma ahead noticeably thinned. Moonlight pierced through the increasingly sparse canopy, scattering mottled patches of light across the ground.

They were about to rush out of this dense forest!

Lin Xia keenly sensed that the Skyhorn Snake's frantic pursuit behind them seemed to have been entangled by something invisible—and that something was the unnamed soul beast that had been lurking in the canopy all along.

The terrifying roar behind them gradually weakened, turning into intermittent, furious cries of unwillingness.

Lin Xia immediately relaxed inside. Crushing exhaustion struck him at once, but he did not dare stop. He shouted at Bulbasaur, which was equally spent yet still gritting its teeth and dragging the corpse onward.

"Keep going! Bulbasaur, don't let up! Make it to the open ground at the edge of the forest in one push!"

He knew well that the dense forest was still the other party's home ground. The open terrain offered no cover, but it provided better visibility and took them farther from that monster's ambush points.

"Bulba... saur!"

Bulbasaur's response was thick with heavy panting, but it did not stop moving. The glimmer of victory squeezed another trace of strength from its exhausted body.

Then, as the final thorny bramble was forcibly smashed aside, moonlight poured down without obstruction.

They charged out from the edge of the miasma-shrouded back-mountain forest and entered a relatively open area dotted with low shrubs and small earthen mounds!

The refreshing night breeze instantly scattered the foul miasma and heavy stench of blood clinging to them.

"Stop!"

Lin Xia leaned against the trunk of the nearest solitary tree, gasping violently.

As though it had exhausted all its strength, the Poison Vine Bone Wings slowly and wearily folded back into his spine. Only several vines remained, trembling slightly as if by instinctive vigilance, still warily watching the forest entrance in the darkness.

Bulbasaur finally could not hold on any longer. Its four legs gave out, and it collapsed with a thud, gulping down air. Its emerald-green skin was covered in mud and torn leaves, while its red eyes stared tiredly yet vigilantly into the depths of the forest.

The Vine Whip wrapped around the Earth Crystal Snake's corpse still had not loosened, but the enormous snake body finally lay quietly beneath the moonlight.

Lin Xia took several deep breaths of the cool night air, allowing his chaotic heartbeat and hurried breathing to settle somewhat.

He glanced at the heavy Earth Crystal Snake corpse on the ground—this was the only gain from their trip. The price had been steep, but it had been worth it. His gaze then shifted toward the distant forest, whose darkness resembled a monstrous maw waiting to devour someone, leaving lingering fear in his heart.

Finally, he looked toward Skyhorn Village. The scattered lights of the village seemed exceptionally distant in the night.

"Take the loot... we're going back."

Lin Xia's voice was hoarse and tired, yet incomparably resolute.

"Back to the village first. Tonight... safety comes first." His fingers tapped unconsciously against the tree trunk as the relief of surviving the disaster was replaced by heavy concern.

What secret was Skyhorn Village hiding?

Something had already felt wrong during the day, and now this had happened.

If it had been somewhere else, Lin Xia would not have thought much of it, but this was within the Star Luo Empire!

And it was not some soul beast forest. Spirit Hall regularly sent people to clear out most soul beasts.

A hundred-year soul beast was understandable, but the presence of thousand-year soul beasts—or even older ones—was highly abnormal!

Still, Lin Xia was not someone who wanted to stir up trouble. Now that he had noticed something was wrong, he did not want to stay any longer. Once they returned, he would pack up and leave immediately.

After Lin Xia told Bulbasaur what he was thinking, Bulbasaur nodded seriously as well.

"Bulbasaur!"

"We're still somewhat weak right now. When it comes to certain things, safety is what matters most. Let me teach you something: as long as you stay alive, there are endless possibilities. Some things aren't worth taking such enormous risks for!"

"Alright, alright, Bulbasaur. Absorb the toxins inside the Earth Crystal Snake first and see whether they help you. Recover some Soul Power and stamina while you're at it. We'll be leaving soon!"

Upon hearing this, Bulbasaur immediately extended its Vine Whip into the Earth Crystal Snake's body and began absorbing the toxins within it.

After Bulbasaur entered its cultivation state, Lin Xia kept watch over everything around him while also sensing changes within his body. Two unprecedented toxins were slowly being refined by the Life Poison and made his own!

Lin Xia even felt as though he could release those two toxins himself...