"Strike!" Li Xiaoya barked coldly. With a flick of his hand, a yellow talisman flew out. In midair, it transformed into a fireball and shot toward an enormous wild boar charging at him.
With a bang, the fireball struck the boar and exploded. The boar let out an agonized squeal, then collapsed to the ground and lay motionless.
Li Xiaoya had been feeling his way forward, but for some reason, he had not seen a single demon beast along the way, nor had he encountered another cultivator. He had, however, run into plenty of these ordinary wild beasts. The most frightening encounter had been with a giant tiger the size of a water buffalo, but even that had died to a single fireball talisman. This had greatly bolstered his confidence as he continued picking his way onward. After all, tigers were almost the strongest wild beasts in the Mortal World. Anyone who could kill one there would be hailed as a tiger-slaying hero, yet before an Immortal Cultivator, a tiny fireball was enough to kill it. He was beginning to understand why Immortal Cultivators looked down on mortals.
After walking for who knew how much longer, Li Xiaoya noticed that the sky was growing darker and darker. It seemed night was approaching, yet he still had not seen a single demon beast or cultivator. Unease began to creep over him. He glanced around and muttered to himself, "Strange. Didn't they say Demon Beast Valley was full of demon beasts? Did I take the wrong path? Why haven't I seen a single-"
Rustle! Before Li Xiaoya could finish, a sound suddenly came from behind him, like wind sweeping through the woods.
"Who's there?!" Li Xiaoya nervously turned to look, but there was nothing there. Only a small clump of bushes nearby