Mystic Devouring Beast Territory
Cangxuan Town, the Lost Land.
Cao Fengqi emerged from the cave.
"Still raining?"
Cao Fengqi frowned slightly as he watched the raindrops falling steadily from the sky.
"The rain might interfere with the senses of evil spirits and evil beasts. With my Evil Concealment Armor upgraded to level 4, I should be quite safe."
Looking on the bright side, he walked straight ahead and offered another prayer. "I hope that Wraith Remains is gone."
He had traveled this road many times already, and he had collected all the valuable resources nearby.
Before long, he reached the Hero's Tavern again.
Gazing into the unknown depths of the deserted town, shrouded in rain and darkness, he continued onward.
"That Wraith Remains is gone."
When Cao Fengqi reached the spot where he had stopped last time, he received a piece of good news.
[Scan of a one-kilometer radius complete. Newly detected: three level 1 resources, one level 2 resource, and one level 4 resource.]
At the same time, he received exactly the same information as last time.
Cao Fengqi's eyes flickered as he looked toward the location of the level 4 resource.
It was exactly one kilometer ahead.
"Judging by the scale on the map, Yueke Brothel and Minggu Restaurant should be a kilometer ahead. Once I get there, my cheat's search should be able to reach [Klein the Apothecary's Shop]."
That was Cao Fengqi's guess. Of course, whether it was correct depended on how accurate the map was.
The sound of falling rain perfectly masked his footsteps.
But with each step Cao Fengqi took, his frown deepened.
By the time he had advanced five hundred meters without trouble, he was watching his surroundings with extreme caution, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
"Something's wrong. Very wrong."
Cao Fengqi murmured to himself.
He had already gone five hundred meters. On previous occasions, his cheat's scan would have detected new resources long ago.
But now, strangely, there was no response at all.
When things were out of the ordinary, something was bound to be amiss.
"Within a kilometer ahead, there's only that one level 4 resource. This is too strange."
Cao Fengqi frowned deeply. Could something have absorbed all the valuable resources?
He sifted through the information in his mind, and the name of an evil beast slowly surfaced.
"A Mystic Devouring Beast?"
Mystic Devouring Beasts had doglike bodies but no eyes, and enormous mouths full of sharp teeth. Their bodies were slick and gleamed black.
Their noses had an innate sense for treasures, and their ears possessed terrifying hearing.
They had a terrifying ability: they could devour all kinds of resources to strengthen themselves.
And they were evil beasts that lived in groups.
Compared with Calamity Rats, Mystic Devouring Beasts were unquestionably stronger. Even a Calamity Rat leader was no match for the most ordinary Mystic Devouring Beast.
The formidable ones even possessed supernatural powers.
"Could it really be Mystic Devouring Beasts?"
Cao Fengqi's expression shifted repeatedly. If this was Mystic Devouring Beast territory, why had that Wraith Remains appeared in this area yesterday?
Mystic Devouring Beasts did not care whether something was a Wraith Remains. As long as it possessed treasure, they would attack and devour it.
Could it have been a Mystic Devouring Beast carrying metal home to eat, rather than a Wraith Remains?
If there were Mystic Devouring Beasts in this area, would there still be any pills inside [Klein the Apothecary's Shop]?
Wouldn't those Mystic Devouring Beasts have swallowed them long ago?
Then what about [Mystic Smith's Forge], not far from [Klein the Apothecary's Shop]?
If there were many Mystic Devouring Beasts in the deserted town, and they were extremely terrifying, could they have devoured all the treasures inside the town too?
The more Cao Fengqi thought about it, the heavier his heart grew.
"Should I go to the Demon Hunters' Home on the west side?"
He considered it. Going west would mean a detour of at least ten kilometers, and he felt there might be more treasures ahead than at the Demon Hunters' Home.
Cao Fengqi was reluctant to give up. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to confirm whether this really was Mystic Devouring Beast territory.
"I'll circle around from the west. If the Mystic Devouring Beasts really have taken over, I'll have no choice but to try my luck at the Demon Hunters' Home on the west side."
Using the scant information his cheat provided about the resources, he began following the edge of this treasureless territory.
[Scan of a one-kilometer radius complete. Newly detected: five level 1 resources, two level 2 resources, and one level 3 resource.]
As he advanced, an update on the resources came through. They were all located somewhat behind him.
Every little bit counts.
He did not focus solely on investigating the Mystic Devouring Beasts, but headed toward the level 2 and level 3 resources.
His Evil Concealment Armor had now been upgraded, and the aftereffects had faded, so he had plenty of time.
Perhaps because he was close to the special territory, he encountered no danger.
"Huh? Two Moon Spirit Stones and a piece of Moon Spirit Marrow. None of them are metal materials."
"But that's not a good thing. One possibility is that this is too close to the Mystic Devouring Beasts' territory, and they occasionally come out looking for food. That would leave only the Moon Spirit Stones and Moon Spirit Marrow that evil beasts dislike."
Cao Fengqi looked at the resources in his hand, speculating to himself.
Moon Spirit Stones and Moon Spirit Marrow were valuable, so he put them in his backpack and continued onward.
[Healing Potion: Level 3 quality] [Effect: A level 3 potion made by an apothecary. It can heal nonfatal injuries.]
After walking another thousand meters, Cao Fengqi found a useful item.
"Good stuff."
He smiled faintly and put it away.
"Splash!"
"Pat, pat, pat!"
The sound of rain striking the small puddles around him continued without end.
But suddenly, a different, unusual sound came from ahead. Cao Fengqi's gaze sharpened, and he stared ahead and to the left.
Soon, a terrifying evil beast at least two meters long and one and a half meters tall appeared in his sight.
Half its head was occupied by a huge mouth full of ghastly white fangs.
Above its mouth was a strange and terrifying nose that glowed blood-red, with enormous ears on either side.
Its nose was slightly raised, as if it were sniffing for treasure.
"Splash, splash!"
Its sturdy black hooves stepped into a pool of water. It suddenly stopped, its blood-red nostrils pointing toward Cao Fengqi.
"Mystic Devouring Beast!!"
"It really is that kind of evil beast!! Fuck!"
Looking at the evil beast, which seemed to radiate a sinister aura and made his blood run cold, Cao Fengqi's expression changed completely.
"It seems to have noticed me!!"
Without any hesitation, he pulled out the Arcane Musket and aimed it straight at the beast.
The Evil Concealment Armor allowed him to emit the aura of an evil spirit, greatly reducing the chance that evil spirits would sense him.
But he also had several level 4 quality items on him, including the Arcane Musket and the Evil-Breaking Bow.
At close range, the Evil Concealment Armor might not work against an evil beast of this caliber.
"Roar!"
The Mystic Devouring Beast's ears suddenly twitched, as if it had heard Cao Fengqi's every movement.
It let out a low growl and charged straight at him.
"Courting death!"
Cao Fengqi's gaze hardened. Without the slightest hesitation, he aimed at the Mystic Devouring Beast's head and pulled the trigger.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Three bullets fired in quick succession struck the Mystic Devouring Beast's head with pinpoint accuracy.
But the next second, his pupils contracted.
The three bullets penetrated only halfway into its head before its terrifying flesh stopped them.
"Roar, roar!"
Trickles of blood flowed from the wounds, and the Mystic Devouring Beast let out an angry roar.
It abruptly burst into terrifying speed and charged at Cao Fengqi!