A Millennium Spirit Beast Is Also Running for Its Life

Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

Yan Tuo did not hold back at all when he said he was going to turn up the difficulty of Lu Yuan's special training.

On the first day, the load doubled, and on the second day, he was required to execute Piercing Edge three times in succession, with no more than ten breaths between each attempt. By the third day, Wei Cheng no longer stood inside the circle waiting for him to figure out a solution, but instead actively pursued and beat him with a wooden stick.

After a few days, there was hardly a spot on Lu Yuan's shoulders and back that did not hurt.

The effects were equally obvious.

When he had just obtained his first spirit ring, it was a struggle for him even to stop after executing Piercing Edge. Now, at least he could force a turn at the height of his charging momentum, so he did not have to rely on crashing into trees or bracing the end of his spear against the ground to stop every time.

The spear rope retrieved from the armory had also been put through its paces by him, and he had figured out several ways to use it.

The simplest was buckling it to the tail of the spear so it could be pulled right back after being thrown. When encountering tree trunks or stone pillars, he could also use a fixed point to change his charging direction.

The item was unremarkable.

Once deep in the woods, however, it might just prove useful.

On the seventh day, before dawn, Lu Yuan had already arrived at the north gate of Spirit City.

Qian Renxue had arrived even earlier than him.

She had changed into a set of white-gold combat attire today that was convenient for movement, her golden hair tied up high, and an extra short sword hung at her waist.

Han Yue and Bai Li stood to one side.

There were also two other youths.

One was around ten years old, a Cyan Feather Hawk Martial Soul, rank eighteen.

The other was slightly older, a rank nineteen tool-spirit master whose Martial Soul was a short spear.

Both had entered the youth special training earlier than Lu Yuan.

Once everyone had arrived, Han Yue spread out a map.

"The original arrangement has changed."

Lu Yuan asked, "Mission canceled?"

"No."

Han Yue pointed to the old hunter camp on the map.

"The patrol team already retreated here yesterday. We aren't going deep into Qingshi Valley today; we'll rendezvous with them first and then check the situation along the perimeter."

He raised his eyes and swept them over the three youths.

"If you find anything beyond the original report, return immediately."

"Also, today is not an assessment."

"There are no rankings, and there are no rewards."

"Whoever dares to leave the team without authorization, I will tie them back myself."

The short-spear youth nodded.

The Cyan Feather Hawk Soul Master also put away the eager look he had originally worn.

Lu Yuan cast a glance at Han Yue.

The Eye of Destiny did not appear.

Yet today was Han Yue's original node of death.

"Let's move."

The north gate opened.

The six of them soon left Spirit City.

The initial stretch of the road had no anomalies at all.

After crossing the stone bridge, the official road gradually grew narrower, and the trees on both sides became denser and denser.

The perimeter of Qingshi Valley was naturally an area where low-tier spirit beasts were active. Normally, even if they didn't run into spirit beasts, they should have seen feces, claw marks, or fresh footprints.

Yet after walking for more than half an hour, the group hadn't even seen a single living creature.

Han Yue stopped first.

He squatted down beside a patch of damp mud and brushed away the fallen leaves on top.

"There are footprints."

Bai Li walked over and glanced at it.

"Wind Horn Deer?"

"Mm."

Han Yue reached out and touched the mud.

"Left behind not long ago."

Lu Yuan stood nearby, following that string of footprints with his gaze.

The direction, however, was not toward Qingshi Valley.

It was toward the south.

"It went in the direction of Spirit City?"

Han Yue stood up.

"It might also just be changing activity areas."

"Continue."

The team moved forward once more.

They hadn't walked far when the bushes on the left suddenly shook violently.

Bai Li raised her hand and gripped her long bow.

Three spirit rings—two yellow and one purple—rose from beneath her feet.

A layer of cyan feather patterns also quickly emerged on the shoulders and back of the Cyan Feather Hawk Soul Master.

The next moment, a grayish-brown spirit beast burst through the bushes and charged out.

Its build was like a wild boar magnified several times over, with two tusks curving outward, and a few freshly scabbed wounds still lingering on its back.

"A century-old Tusked Boar."

Han Yue did not make a move.

This level of age posed no threat to them whatsoever.

Yet that tusked boar likewise showed no intention of attacking.

It didn't even look in their direction.

After bursting out of the forest, it snapped several dwarf shrubs along the way, ran madly straight toward the south, and quickly vanished into the depths of the woods.

Everyone watched the direction it had left.

The short-spear youth frowned.

"Is something chasing it from behind?"

Bai Li did not immediately lower her bow.

"Wait."

A dozen breaths passed.

There was no other movement in the forest.

The relaxed look on Han Yue's face diminished a bit.

"All of you, get closer."

They walked a bit further.

The second spirit beast appeared.

A decades-old Long-Eared Fox.

Likewise heading south all the way.

Further ahead was a two-hundred-plus-year-old Red-Backed Wolf with an injury on its left hind leg; it took a tumble when it rushed out of the forest, and after scrambling up, it didn't even stop for an instant.

Then the fourth.

The fifth.

More and more.

Decades-old, two-hundred-year-old, and even several kinds of spirit beasts that normally could never peacefully coexist were running in the same direction, separated from front to back by no more than a dozen zhang.

There was no fighting.

Neither was there predation.

They acted as if they simply couldn't spare the attention to care what else was around them.

Han Yue raised a hand.

"Stop."

The six people remained in place.

Bai Li looked toward the animal track ahead.

"This isn't a normal migration."

"I know."

Qingshi Valley was already not far away.

Behind the morning mist, the outlines of the mountain walls on both sides faintly appeared.

On the muddy path leading into the valley, footprints large and small were squeezed together in a mess.

Some had already dried through.

Some still carried wet mud.

The direction, however, was completely uniform.

Lu Yuan squatted down to inspect for a moment.

"It started at least since last night."

Qian Renxue stood beside him.

"How many spirit beasts?"

"Hard to judge."

Lu Yuan raised his head and gazed toward the valley entrance.

"But these footprints could definitely not be left by just one or two groups."

Han Yue also squatted down and looked for a while.

This time, he did not move forward again.

"It's normal for one or two beasts to leave their territory."

"For the spirit beasts of the entire perimeter to run outward together, that is not normal."

He stood up.

"Go to the old hunter camp."

"Pick up the patrol team and return immediately."

No one mentioned any field combat outside anymore.

The team picked up their pace.

Yet before they had gone a hundred zhang, Bai Li suddenly raised her hand.

"Stop!"

Her long bow drew back instantly.

Han Yue also released his Martial Soul at that exact moment, a short axe falling into his palm.

"There's blood ahead."

In the woodland on the right, a large swath of bushes lay knocked over on the ground.

The leaves and tree trunks were both stained with blood that had already darkened.

The amount was massive.

Han Yue walked at the very front, holding his short axe.

"You guys stay here."

He and Bai Li entered the forest one after the other.

Not long after, Han Yue's voice came from inside.

"Come over."

His voice was noticeably heavier than before.

Qian Renxue went in first.

Lu Yuan followed behind her.

Passing through the fallen bushes, a small clearing appeared before everyone's eyes.

In the center lay the colossal corpse of a spirit beast.

Close to four meters long.

Its entire body was covered in dark red scales, and two curved long horns sprouted from the sides of its head.

The short-spear youth's footsteps paused.

"Red-Armored Rhinoceros?"

Bai Li had already squatted down beside the corpse.

She inspected the scales and then glanced at the long horns.

"At least thirteen hundred years."

Thirteen hundred years.

In the patrol report, the maximum for the perimeter of Qingshi Valley was only four-hundred-year spirit beasts.

Right now, that number no longer held any meaning.

Yet even more unsettling than the age was the wound on the Red-Armored Rhinoceros's body.

There was only a single piercing wound through its entire chest cavity.

It went straight through from the left side to the other.

There was no large-scale tearing near the wound, nor were the scales violently ripped apart by brute force.

It was as if something had moved so fast that the Red-Armored Rhinoceros had no time to defend itself, piercing straight through its body.

Han Yue squatted down to touch the congealed blood.

"Dead for less than half a day."

The Short-Spear Youth instinctively looked around.

"What kind of thing could kill a thousand-year Red-Armored Rhinoceros in one hit?"

No one answered.

Lu Yuan's attention, however, landed on the surroundings of the corpse.

The mud near all four legs was trampled into a complete mess.

Several hoofprints were sunk extremely deep.

Judging from the direction, the Red-Armored Rhinoceros had also been running south before it died.

Just like those Spirit Beasts encountered along the way.

Only it hadn't escaped.

Lu Yuan looked along the rear of the corpse.

A few zhang away, three holes remained on a thick tree.

Side by side.

Narrow and deep.

"Uncle Han."

Han Yue turned his head.

Lu Yuan pointed the tip of his spear toward that tree.

"Over there."

Han Yue walked over and took a look.

Bai Li also followed to the side.

"Claw marks?"

"Doesn't look like it."

"Knocked out from an impact?"

Han Yue reached out to touch the edge of the holes and shook his head.

"Doesn't look like that either."

He didn't study it any further.

"Fall back."

The Short-Spear Youth was slightly stunned.

"Not going to the camp?"

"Not going anymore."

Han Yue turned around to look at the children.

"Thousand-year Spirit Beasts have already appeared on the outer perimeter, and they're being hunted by something."

"All previous intelligence is void."

"Now, we return to Spirit City."

No one raised any objections.

Qian Renxue also turned around directly.

Just as everyone prepared to leave, the familiar gray suddenly rippled at the edge of Lu Yuan's vision.

[Han Yue]
[Today, Qingshi Valley]
[Destiny Node: Death]

Lu Yuan's hand gripping the spear slowly tightened.

It was still there.

Han Yue had already chosen to retreat.

They hadn't even truly entered Qingshi Valley.

Yet that death node hadn't changed by a single word.

This meant the danger was not further inside.

At least, not only there.

"Uncle Han."

Han Yue looked back.

Lu Yuan didn't continue speaking.

He suddenly sensed that the surrounding quiet was wrong.

Starting from when they approached Qingshi Valley, they had been running into Spirit Beasts fleeing outward all the way.

Yet ever since they found the Red-Armored Rhinoceros corpse, there wasn't a single one left.

The bird calls were gone.

Insect chirps couldn't be heard either.

The entire forest was so quiet that only the rustling sound of wind blowing through leaves remained.

As if everything in this area that could run--

had long since finished running away.

Crack.

A soft sound of a tree branch snapping suddenly came from behind.

Han Yue's expression changed abruptly.

"Protect them!"

Bai Li turned around and drew her bow.

Three soul rings lit up simultaneously.

Han Yue stepped forward to block the very front, soul power surging on his short axe.

Lu Yuan gripped the Dark Iron Spear tightly.

Qian Renxue had already stood by his side, her hand also resting on the short sword at her waist.

Among the dense tree shadows, nothing could be seen clearly.

A moment later.

A pair of scarlet vertical pupils opened in the shadows.

Han Yue's short axe slowly raised.

Almost at the same time.

Within the tree canopy on the other side--

A second pair of scarlet vertical pupils also lit up.