"Damn it, what's a Demonic Scale Python doing this far into the mountains?"
With no time to mourn the Soul-Eating Mercenary Group, Zhou Wen cursed, grabbed Chen Cang, and fled through the air.
Even among Fifth-Tier Magical Beasts, the Demonic Scale Python ranked above average.
Over the past half month, their party had ventured steadily deeper, but they had always searched around the territories of high-order magical beasts. By all rights, no Fifth-Tier Magical Beast should have appeared here.
"Commander Zhou, that Demonic Scale Python has its eyes on us. It's faster than we are. At this rate, we'll both die. Let's split up. At least one of us might survive."
Held in Zhou Wen's grip, Chen Cang found a moment to glance back and met the Demonic Scale Python's sweeping gaze.
As though it had spotted prey that took its fancy, the Demonic Scale Python shuddered, bringing the cave crashing down completely, then chased straight after them.
Its enormous body covered dozens of meters with every movement. At full speed, it was considerably faster than Zhou Wen's all-out glide, and the distance between them kept shrinking.
Worse still, Zhou Wen could only fly for brief stretches. Before long, he would slow down. Being overtaken was only a matter of time.
Left with no other choice, Chen Cang could only offer that suggestion.
"That's our only option. Whether we live or die is up to heaven!"
Zhou Wen was no indecisive man. He knew this was their only way out.
He immediately hurled Chen Cang away with all his strength, giving him one last helping hand before they parted.
With the danger so pressing, Chen Cang could no longer afford to hide anything. Once he landed safely, he unleashed Ashen Extinction Flash to its utmost, streaking into the distance with a crimson trail of fire. His speed left even Zhou Wen stunned for a moment.
Watching its two prey head in opposite directions, the Demonic Scale Python looked down from above, an almost human expression appearing in its enormous eyes, as though it were pondering its options.
It soon made its decision and pursued Zhou Wen without hesitation.
Feeling the foul wind drawing steadily closer behind him, Zhou Wen gave a helpless, bitter smile.
Sure enough, this enormous snake was no fool.
On the surface, splitting up seemed to give one of them a good chance of escaping alive. In reality, with Chen Cang's strength, fleeing alone this deep in the Black Eagle Mountains meant nine chances of death and one of survival.
At least, that was what Zhou Wen believed.
The Demonic Scale Python probably thought the same. It did not intend to let either of them escape!
With no time to worry about Zhou Wen's situation, Chen Cang rapidly sifted through the information in his mind.
An ordinary nine-star Dou Shi would have faced virtually certain death in these circumstances, but Chen Cang, who had uncovered the entire map of this area, was not without hope.
He knew there were several fourth-order magical beasts to both the east and west. Breaking out through either side was essentially out of the question.
His options were to turn south, retracing their original route toward Tianying City.
Or he could turn north and venture even deeper into the Black Eagle Mountains.
I absolutely can't handle a fourth-order magical beast right now, much less several. As for Tianying City, Zhou Wen fled in that direction. Even if I circle back, I'll have to face a fourth-order magical beast, and there's a very good chance I'll run into the Demonic Scale Python on its way back from the chase...
North is my only option. The most dangerous place is also the safest!
The decision seemed a little mad, but Chen Cang had not made it in a moment of hotheadedness. He had thought it through carefully.
The Demonic Scale Python must have come from the depths to the north. Something that enormous would inevitably have caused a tremendous disturbance along its route.
Thus, at least for the moment, heading deeper to the north was actually less dangerous. Most of the third- and fourth-order magical beasts along the way would have been frightened off.
The more he considered it, the more feasible it seemed. Chen Cang made his decision on the spot, changed direction, and headed deeper into the mountains.
Just as he had expected, over the course of the entire night, Chen Cang traveled an unknown number of miles deeper, yet encountered only one fourth-order magical beast.
He did not pit his wits or strength against it. After discovering it through the memories of low-order magical beasts along the way, he slunk around it by a detour.
Morning came.
Having consumed a great deal of Dou Qi, Chen Cang hid in a tangled thicket to recover his strength. The spot was not particularly well concealed, but the traces of the Demonic Scale Python's passage were unmistakable. Its lingering aura was enough to make third- and fourth-order magical beasts shrink back in fear.
I can't go any deeper. In the magical beasts' memories I read last night, two Fifth-Tier Magical Beasts had appeared here before. That means I'm already very close to the innermost region. Once my Dou Qi recovers, I'll find somewhere well hidden to hole up and try to break through to Da Dou Shi as soon as possible!
Strength was the foundation on which survival rested.
Chen Cang had already prepared himself mentally to spend a long time here.
A Dou Shi was too weak, and a Da Dou Shi was barely adequate. If he could lie low until he reached Dou Ling, then, combined with his advantage of reading memories, he would have a chance of breaking out of this predicament.
The recovery speed of a Black Tier cultivation method was merely average. Nearly two hours passed before Chen Cang returned to peak condition.
Carefully parting the bushes, Chen Cang observed his surroundings for a while. Only after confirming that no magical beasts were nearby did he leap out and swiftly dart toward cover.
For the entire day, Chen Cang circled within a radius of two and a half kilometers, reading as many low-order magical beasts' memories as possible.
These low-order magical beasts were of limited value, but they could still provide him with plenty of useful information.
After a day of sifting through his options, Chen Cang finally found a place suitable for hunkering down and surviving over the long term.
It was a cliff that jutted out dramatically, like a gigantic spearhead thrust across the mountains. Its tip was incredibly sharp and narrow, with insufficient room even for a person to stand, let alone a massive magical beast.
Below the cliff, a Tier 2 Magical Beast, a Dove Hawk, had once built its nest, pecking out a ledge less than two meters across.
Unfortunately, during one of its hunts, the Dove Hawk had instead become its intended prey's meal. A Fire Fox had witnessed the whole thing.
Chen Cang had read that Fire Fox's memories and learned all of this.
Having found his ideal spot, Chen Cang could finally relax his taut nerves. On his way to the cliff, he swiftly and cleanly killed two low-order magical beasts and took them along as food for the next few days.
He also gathered plenty of sturdy vines. He would need them both to reach the ledge below the cliff and to climb back up for food and water later.
After all, he could not fly.
Toward evening, Chen Cang arrived at his destination, clad in green camouflage and carrying his supplies.
"An open view and a hidden location. Not bad at all. Getting up and down is just a little inconvenient."
After a brief inspection, Chen Cang nodded in satisfaction.
At this point, why would he care about such a minor inconvenience?
Wrapping a vine around his spear, he made a tentative probe. Once he confirmed that no other magical beast had "usurped the magpie's nest," Chen Cang knotted the vines, looping one end around the cliff's pointed tip and tying the other around himself.
That way, once he was down, he could use his spear to remove the vines completely, leaving no trace.
With everything ready, Chen Cang immediately set to work.
He was only a little short of reaching the ledge when something unexpected happened.
Thump!
Chen Cang felt as though a calf had rammed him in the kidney. The pain made him bare his teeth, and his whole body swayed in midair.
Shhk!
He drove his spear hard into the cliff to steady himself, then looked around, but saw nothing.
"What the hell!"
Chen Cang was quite certain there were no ghosts in this world. Something had definitely ambushed him just now.
But his attacker appeared and vanished like a phantom. By the time he turned his head, it had already disappeared from view.
Chen Cang's heart rose into his throat. Unfortunately, hanging in midair, unable to go up or down, there was little he could do.
With no other choice, Chen Cang could only follow this road into the darkness and hasten his descent onto the ledge.
At last, he had solid ground beneath his feet, though the small ledge forced him to crouch.
Before Chen Cang could examine the Dove Hawk's old nest, a savage charge greeted him.
Thump!
The vines snapped, and Chen Cang was knocked clean off the ledge, his stomach churning like an overturned sea.
Fortunately, this time he caught sight of the culprit.
It was a Silver Pegasus. Its small stature did nothing to diminish its majestic bearing, and its sleek, powerful body gleamed in the sunset, as though it were a divine beast descended from heaven!
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