The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts
The next day, under the gaze of his younger brother Luo Fu, Luo Feng picked up the sturdy leather pack he carried on his back and set out for the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.
Luo Fu had originally intended to go with him, but Luo Feng had refused. In the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, Luo Feng could barely take care of himself, so how could he possibly have the energy to look after Luo Fu? Although Luo Fu had reached the late stage of a level-three warrior in five years, that strength was still far from enough.
Luo Feng wore a coarse flaxen shirt and hemp trousers. His pack contained only two changes of clothes, a few days' worth of dry rations, and an assortment of jars and bottles of seasonings. Even that little was enough to stuff it full.
"A spatial ring really is a luxury I can only dream of," Luo Feng said, looking helplessly at the leather pack on his shoulder. That was how it was for people at the bottom like them. Later on, in the Higher Planes, spatial rings were as common as cabbages; if one were dropped on the ground, probably no one would bother picking it up. But in the material plane, forget it. There was no point thinking about one.
The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts stretched endlessly.
Once inside, he found ancient trees everywhere, their canopies blotting out the sky. There was no telling whether they had grown for hundreds or thousands of years. Weeds covered the ground, and thorns grew in tangled masses. Withered leaves blanketed the earth, rustling underfoot, while old vines and weeds grew thick all around.
"In a primeval forest like this, who knows how many years it's been here? The weeds and vines are so thick that even if a magical beast were hiding ten meters away, I probably wouldn't be able to see it," Luo Feng said helplessly. He had super-grade affinity with the wind element, but he had never cultivated magic. Otherwise, he could have used
the wind spell Wind of Perception!
It could have served as a radar. With no other choice, Luo Feng slowed down, drew the mercenary greatsword from his back, and kept swinging it to clear a path. Fortunately, he encountered no magical beasts hiding in the weeds. Otherwise, one careless moment could have left him vulnerable to a successful sneak attack.
Looking at the quiet Magical Beast Forest, Luo Feng felt his slightly restless mood settle. He composed himself and slowly made his way deeper into the forest. There were only a handful of creatures on the outskirts now. Aside from a few level-one and level-two magical beasts, Luo Feng hadn't seen any high-level ones.
Of course, Luo Feng didn't believe that some Level Nine Magical Beast would suddenly get bored and wander out to the periphery, or that he'd be unlucky enough to run into a massive pack of over ten thousand magical beast wolves.
What nonsense!
The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts is so vast. Could I really be that unlucky?
The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts was over ten thousand li long and generally around seven or eight hundred li wide. Within the outermost hundred li, low-level magical beasts were most common. More than a hundred li in, level-five and level-six magical beasts predominated. Deeper still, there were many level-seven, level-eight, and level-nine magical beasts, and even Saint-level magical beasts might appear.
As Luo Feng walked, he made his plans. This time, he would slowly venture deeper into the Magical Beast Forest, but go no farther than three hundred li. Beyond that, encountering level-eight or level-nine magical beasts would be perfectly normal. Luo Feng wasn't foolish enough to challenge them with the strength of a peak level-six warrior. Only an idiot with nothing better to do would provoke those creatures.
Deep in the ancient forests of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, the dense foliage of the old trees blocked almost all the rain, with only the occasional drop making it through. After walking through the mountains for some time, Luo Feng knew that the outer region wasn't particularly dangerous.
Luo Feng pushed off lightly with both feet and leaped gracefully onto a branch seven or eight meters above the ground. He lodged his greatsword at an angle in another branch and prepared to rest in the tree. He had traveled a long way and had needed to use battle qi to clear his path, so he planned to rest and recover some of it.
After a long while, Luo Feng slowly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard a cry.
About a hundred meters away, a Unicorn Fire Wolf was cautiously surveying its surroundings. If Luo Feng hadn't been resting on such a high branch, he probably wouldn't have been able to see it at all.
"Unicorn Fire Wolf, a level-four magical beast. Attribute: fire. It can use low-level fire spells such as Fireball, Explosive Flame Bullet, and Rain of Fire," Luo Feng murmured. The moment he saw the wolf, information about it had surfaced in his mind.
For five years, Luo Feng had spent his free time in the library whenever he wasn't cultivating. He was especially interested in accounts of the Yulan Continent, unofficial histories of powerful figures, and illustrated guides to magical beasts. So the moment he saw the Unicorn Fire Wolf, information about it flashed through his mind. It seemed reading more books really was useful.
"It's only a level-four Unicorn Fire Wolf, but those fire spells are a bit troublesome. Forget it. It'll do its thing, and I'll do mine. As long as it doesn't provoke me, I'll let it off," Luo Feng decided after weighing his options.
Who would have thought that just as Luo Feng decided not to attack the Unicorn Fire Wolf, the beast would strike first? It sent a Fireball hurtling straight at him. Luo Feng dodged to the side, jumped onto another branch, and pulled out his mercenary greatsword with a backhand motion. Then he spun and drifted down from the tree.
Luo Feng immediately sprang from the weeds beneath the tree like a flood dragon bursting from its lair. When the Unicorn Fire Wolf turned toward him in alarm, Luo Feng descended as if from the sky, reaching it with a rush of wind. The wolf let out a furious roar and thrust the thick, long horn on its head straight at him.
A vicious glint flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. He tossed his mercenary greatsword aside, lodging it at an angle in the weeds. "Hah!" He seized the horn with his right hand and heaved upward.
The Unicorn Fire Wolf, which weighed several hundred jin, was hurled seven or eight meters into the air. Luo Feng pushed off and leaped after it, whipping his right leg out like a great cleaver. It crashed into the wolf's head with the force of thunder.
"Bam!" Amid the teeth-grating crunch of breaking bones, the Unicorn Fire Wolf slammed heavily into a large tree, then fell to the ground with enough force to make it shake. Its skull had shattered, and brain matter seeped through the cracks. Blood continued to ooze from its mouth. Its limbs twitched and struggled two or three times before going still.
The whole sequence flowed smoothly, without the slightest awkwardness. For Luo Feng, whose attack techniques were fully practiced, killing a level-four magical beast using only the physical strength of a warrior was no difficult feat. If he had mastered the level of wielding heavy things as though they were light, it would have been even easier. A single kick would probably have pulverized all the Unicorn Fire Wolf's internal organs.
Luo Feng had originally thought it too much trouble to attack the Unicorn Fire Wolf, but the creature hadn't known what was good for it and had struck first. Luo Feng was no saint. Anyone who dared attack him would receive an absolutely devastating blow.
He deftly sliced through the skin of the Unicorn Fire Wolf's thighs and cut off its four large legs. Planning to camp there, Luo Feng opened his leather pack and took out the jars and bottles inside. He gathered some wood nearby and built a large rack, then began preparing his dinner.