Spirit-Transforming Grass, Two First-Order Mid-Grade Demon Beasts

The two of them walked forward for another half a li.

Suddenly, heavy snorting breaths came from ahead, accompanied by the crack of trees breaking.

"A pig demon?"

Lin Ruoxue focused her gaze and saw a giant wild boar covered in black bristles rolling about in the mud.

A row of hard spines over two inches long stood erect along its back, like a line of inverted sharp blades.

Chunks of flesh—whether human or beast, it was impossible to tell—still hung from its tusks.

"Thornback Boar!"

"This demon beast has tremendous charging power. Its hide is rough and its flesh thick; ordinary weapons can hardly hurt it."

"We need to be careful."

Lu Yuan spoke.

"I'll draw its attention."

"You attack its eyes."

Lin Ruoxue charged out again.

Leaving Lu Yuan utterly speechless.

Wasn't this a little too reckless?!

With that, her figure flashed, and she circled to the boar's left. Her soft sword flickered as she stabbed toward it.

"Snort, snort!"

The Thornback Boar roared in fury. Its massive body spun sharply, its spine bristling with thorns as it slammed viciously toward Lin Ruoxue.

Its charge carried immense force. Weeds and shrubs along the way were crushed to pieces, while the fierce wind scraped painfully across the face.

Lin Ruoxue's steps were light.

She evaded the charge.

But her soft sword only sliced through a layer of oily skin when it struck the boar's flank, unable to inflict any fatal wound at all.

However, Lin Ruoxue's attack also allowed Lu Yuan to spot an opening.

He rapidly closed in with Carefree Steps, but to his surprise, the Thornback Boar could still turn its head.

Its tusks stabbed at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan shifted his footing, borrowing the force of Wild Bull Force.

His rusty blade curved like a hook.

It plunged into the Thornback Boar's eye.

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced half a foot into the eyeball, then twisted.

A garbled howl sounded.

Red-and-white fluid gushed from the hollow of its eye.

The Thornback Boar let out a shrill, miserable scream. Its massive body staggered a few steps before crashing to the ground, its limbs twitching several times before falling still.

[ Ding! You have slain a First-Order Low-Grade Thornback Boar and gained 50 experience points. ]

With practiced movements, he dug out the Demon Core.

"Senior Brother Lu, it's getting dark. We should go meet up with the main group!"

The sky gradually darkened.

Lin Ruoxue spoke.

The closer it came to nightfall,

the more the mountains inspired an unsettling sense of dread.

"Junior Sister Lin, how about you fire a signal flare and wait here for Master and the others?"

"I'll go farther ahead and look for more demon beast tracks."

How much experience had he gained so far?

It was nowhere near enough for Lu Yuan.

"Senior Brother Lu, what do you mean by that?"

"Master told the two of us to travel together and join hands to slay demons."

"I simply cannot let you venture deeper alone."

The moment Lu Yuan said that,

a trace of panic flashed through Lin Ruoxue's cold eyes.

Naturally, she was too embarrassed to say that she feared being left here alone—that Lu Yuan might abandon her.

Lu Yuan truly wanted to tell her that she needn't think that way.

Still, if he left her here alone and something happened, wouldn't the blame fall on him?

That would bring another mountain of trouble.

Beauty brings disaster. Trouble—what a hassle!

Lu Yuan grumbled inwardly.

"There seems to be a ravine ahead. I'll go take a look."

Lu Yuan wanted to scout a little farther ahead.

Lin Ruoxue gritted her silver teeth and followed.

It seemed that being beside Lu Yuan gave her a greater sense of security.

They had not gone far.

When the air grew damp.

Mixed within it was a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Hmm?"

Lu Yuan stopped.

He pulled Lin Ruoxue behind an ancient tree.

Ahead lay a ravine.

A mountain spring surged from a crack between the rocks, gathering into a clear pool.

By the pool.

Two demon creatures were confronting each other.

On the left was a large centipede over a foot long.

Its carapace shone dark violet, and its densely packed long legs wriggled rapidly.

Ink-black venom dripped from its opening and closing jaws.

It was a Hair-Foot Centipede.

Only this one was several meters long.

Its aura was even more savage.

It was unmistakably a First-Order Mid-Grade venomous insect.

On the right was a strange crow, black from head to toe.

Its feathers were like iron, while gray-black decay qi seeped from its claws.

Its beady eyes stared fixedly at its opponent, and every so often it let out a low caw.

It was a First-Order Mid-Grade Rotbone Crow.

"Those two demon beasts seem to be fighting over something?"

Lin Ruoxue lowered her voice.

As she watched the two confronting demon beasts.

Lu Yuan's gaze followed theirs as well.

Within the rock crevice where the spring emerged.

There grew a small plant about three inches tall.

Its leaves were translucent, smooth and lustrous as congealed fat.

A faint silver glow flowed through its veins.

At the tip of its blade.

A silver droplet the size of a grain of rice had formed.

It exuded a cool, elusive fragrance.

"It's Spirit-Transforming Grass!"

Lu Yuan recognized the herb.

The appendix of the Beast Compendium he had bought at Sandalwood Palace included things such as companion herbs.

This Spirit-Transforming Grass was no heavenly treasure.

It was useless to martial artists.

But to demon beasts.

It had a slight effect of opening their spiritual awareness and granting them intelligence.

Yet the odds of that were outrageously low.

One in ten thousand.

Even so.

It was enough to drive these muddle-headed demon beasts mad.

"There are corpses on the ground too."

Lin Ruoxue's voice tightened.

Beside the pool.

Several martial artists' corpses lay strewn haphazardly across the ground.

Their clothes were torn and their flesh had turned black.

It was unknown whether these two demon creatures had killed them.

"Don't make a sound."

Lu Yuan said softly.

"Let them fight first. When the snipe and clam fight, we'll reap the fisherman's profit."

Lin Ruoxue nodded.

Holding her breath.

The two hid behind the tree and waited quietly.

Within the ravine.

The Hair-Foot Centipede and Rotbone Crow faced off for a while.

But that Spirit-Transforming Grass.

Held too great an allure for them.

Like starving people catching sight of braised pork sizzling with oil.

At last, the Rotbone Crow could no longer restrain itself.

"Caw!!"

With a piercing cry.

It beat its wings and dove, its iron claws grabbing straight for the centipede's carapace.

The Hair-Foot Centipede was no weakling either.

Its body sprang forward, dozens of long legs paddling at once.

It was as swift as a dark-violet bolt of lightning.

Its jaws struck straight for the Rotbone Crow's belly.

The two demon beasts instantly became entangled in battle.

Venom and black feathers flew together.

The Rotbone Crow's shrieks rang out one after another.

Its cries were like needles and awls.

They stabbed until one's head swelled with pain.

Lin Ruoxue unconsciously frowned.

The soft sword in her hand trembled slightly.

"Careful!"

Lu Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly warned her.

But it was already too late.

Her mind had been disturbed by that mental force, and she failed to control the strength in her hand.

The hilt of her soft sword struck the tree trunk beside her.

A soft thud rang out.

In the silent ravine.

It was especially piercing.

The two demon beasts locked in battle both froze.

Four savage eyes turned toward the ancient tree in unison.

"We've been discovered."

Lu Yuan cursed inwardly.

This woman really did attract disaster!

"Caw!!"

The Rotbone Crow gave an enraged cry.

It actually abandoned the Hair-Foot Centipede.

With a beat of its wings, it swooped straight at Lin Ruoxue on a reeking gale.

The Hair-Foot Centipede,

too, sprang from the ground.

Its dark purplish body shot forth like an arrow loosed from the bow.

Opening its mandible claws, it bit toward Lu Yuan.

"One each."

Lu Yuan barked low.

His Carefree Steps shifted beneath his feet.

His body drifted away like a fallen leaf.

At the same time, the rusty blade in his hand left its sheath.

He slashed at the Hair-Foot Centipede head-on.

Lin Ruoxue gritted her silver teeth as well.

Her flexible sword flicked out a blossoming sword-flower.

It met the Rotbone Crow.

The four figures

instantly split into two battles.

Clang!

The rusty blade struck the centipede's carapace.

It actually rang with the clash of metal against iron.

Leaving behind only a white mark.

This First-Order Mid-Grade venomous insect's

shell was even harder than Lu Yuan had expected.