Chapter 131: Chapter 130: Battle of the Two Beasts
Wen Qingye smiled faintly and said nothing.
Lil Ya said, "I know you, kid. You’re definitely going to North Mountain, so I’m giving you a heads-up. The Demon Beasts on North Mountain are quite strong. You’d better be careful."
With that, Lil Ya stood up and left.
Wen Qingye watched Lil Ya leave, then looked at the cloth bag in his hand. ’Guu Lei and his two companions had similar bags,’ he thought. ’It seems this matter isn’t so simple.’
For the next few days, Wen Qingye stayed in his loft, cultivating. He rarely went out, and his cultivation increased steadily.
「Three days later.」
Wen Qingye appeared at the foot of North Mountain.
A thousand peaks and ten thousand ridges pierced the clouds and sky. Standing atop them, it seemed one could reach out and pluck the sun, moon, and stars.
North Mountain’s dark-green ridges resembled the spine of a colossal beast, lurking in the transparent blue of the morning dawn. It soared into the clouds, piercing the heavens, and through the haze, layers of mist drifted ethereally.
Wen Qingye glanced at North Mountain before him and started walking toward the mountain.
The lush forest was filled with a damp air. Aside from a few flying insects, there were no Demon Beasts around.
The wind rustled the fallen leaves, and dry twigs snapped softly. Wen Qingye’s pace was unhurried, but his eyes and Heart Spirit were on high alert, watching his surroundings.
Wen Qingye furrowed his brow and sniffed the air. ’There’s a strange scent floating in the air. It seems this smell is indeed fatally attractive to Demon Beasts.’
CHH!
Suddenly, a sound came from up ahead. Wen Qingye quickly looked in its direction.
A pair of eerie green lights appeared. Not far away was a giant, two-zhang-long wolf, its body covered in purple fur. Its ghostly green eyes were locked onto Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye immediately stopped and thought, ’This is a Wind Wolf at the Sixth Level of Refining Essence, but it seems different somehow.’
The Wind Wolf looked extremely hungry. Saliva slowly dripped from its maw as it walked toward Wen Qingye. In no time, the wolf and the man were incredibly close.
A savage glint flashed in the Wind Wolf’s eyes. It leaped forward, lunging like a gale of wind, its bloody maw wide open as it pounced on Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye shifted his footing and dodged to the side. With a sharp reverse grip on his sword, he flipped the blade, which glinted with a cold light as he slashed toward the wolf’s head.
The Wind Wolf’s reaction was also extremely fast. It ducked its head, and Wen Qingye’s sword barely grazed the edge of its fur.
The man and the wolf swapped positions.
Purple fur from the Wind Wolf drifted through the air and slowly settled on the ground.
"Spiritual Snake Frenzy Dance!"
Wen Qingye stepped forward, his sword spinning rapidly in his hand like a Spiritual Snake. A sharp aura emanated continuously from the sword body.
Seeing Wen Qingye take the offensive, a fierce light flashed in the Wind Wolf’s eyes. It bent its four legs slightly and then shot toward Wen Qingye like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Wen Qingye’s Swordsmanship was extremely refined, and his wrist moved in a constant blur. The Wind Wolf, however, was fighting with reckless abandon, relying solely on its speed to win. Wen Qingye remained completely focused on its movements. He suddenly stomped forward and slashed down mercilessly with his sword.
THUD!
Wen Qingye’s sword sliced clean through the Wind Wolf’s front leg. The beast collapsed to the ground, howling in agony, but the vicious glint in its eyes only intensified.
Wen Qingye walked forward and swung his sword fiercely at the downed Wind Wolf. The wolf suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a blade-like blast of Primordial Qi.
Wen Qingye’s Cyan Mist Sword slashed forward unstoppably, directly dissipating the blade-like Primordial Qi spat by the wolf. He then continued the motion, bringing the sword down on the Wind Wolf’s head.
Wen Qingye’s sword struck hard, piercing through the Wind Wolf’s skull and leaving a deep gash in the ground beneath. Though its head was destroyed, the wolf’s body still twitched a few times.
Wen Qingye retracted his sword and continued onward.
Along the way, many other Demon Beasts appeared. They all shared a common trait: they had lost most of their reason, and only their ferocity remained.
Wen Qingye even saw two Demon Beasts of the same species fighting to the death. The path was lined with dense jungle, and skeletons were scattered everywhere, adding to the thick, gloomy atmosphere.
If the Hundred Break Mountains were dark and filled with a fear of the unknown, then North Mountain was a palpable, naked danger. The whistling wind, the bloodstains on the path—everything screamed of peril.
Wen Qingye was extremely cautious, holding his sword at the ready before his chest.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from the distance.
Wen Qingye’s brow twitched, and he cautiously moved toward the source of the sound.
As Wen Qingye drew closer, the sounds became more urgent and piercing.
Peering through the shadowy thicket, Wen Qingye could slowly make out the situation ahead in the dim light.
A giant python, as thick as two water buckets, was coiled up. Its body was covered in small, numerous wounds from which blood dripped continuously. In front of the python was a peculiar Demon Beast.
The Demon Beast had ox horns, eyes the size of bronze bells, and extremely sharp teeth that shone with a snowy white light in the sun, enough to make one’s Heart Spirit tremble at the sight. Its body resembled a horse, and it was about three zhang long in total.
’This Demon Beast is a Purple Luo Beast,’ Wen Qingye thought, surprised.
The Purple Luo Beast was a relatively rare type of Demon Beast, and its strength was never low. Most were at the Peak of Refining Essence, and some could even reach the Refining Spirit Stage. Once a Purple Luo Beast was discovered, it would be hunted down and mercilessly killed. This was because a special item called a Purple Luo Pearl was produced within its abdomen.
Consuming a Purple Luo Pearl was greatly beneficial to a Martial Artist. It could enhance their strength without destabilizing their foundation. Therefore, whenever a Purple Luo Beast appeared, it was certain to be hunted on a massive scale.
Watching the two battling Demon Beasts, a thought crossed Wen Qingye’s mind: ’When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits.’
At this moment, the Purple Luo Beast and the giant python were in a stalemate. The python was clearly very powerful as well, its forked tongue flickering in and out, revealing and concealing two venomous fangs.
The Purple Luo Beast lunged at the giant python. The python’s body slithered quickly, and it hastily dodged the attack.
PFFT!
After dodging, the giant python opened its maw wide and spewed a green mist, which gushed out like a spring. The green mist continuously spread through the air.
The surrounding trees, wildflowers, and weeds were sprayed by the poisonous mist and immediately began to wither in a way that was visible to the naked eye.
The Purple Luo Beast failed to dodge in time and was enveloped by the green, poisonous mist.
The Purple Luo Beast galloped wildly on its four hooves, hastily trying to escape the python’s range. As soon as it broke free from the green mist, its body began to tremble uncontrollably. It lowered its head and started to let out strange cries.
At that exact moment, the giant python’s body moved like a gust of wind, closing the distance to the Purple Luo Beast in an instant. The python lunged forward, then began to tightly constrict the Purple Luo Beast’s body with its own.
