Chapter 170: Flaming Wild Boar
Feeling the crumbling earth beneath him, Adrian was filled with alarm. He hadn’t expected the Ember Earth bear to use its special skill. He was unable to react for a few seconds, so by the time the crumbling earth reached him, it was already too late.
BOOM!
The wave of earth and magma struck the spot he was standing on, turning it into a maelstrom of shattered trees and destroyed earth. However, notably, Adrian’s figure was no longer there.
The one who was in real trouble was the remaining disciple from the Cloudcrest sect. While powerful, he was nowhere near strong enough to shrug off such an attack.
In a flash, he was engulfed in a wave of earth and magma, blasting him into oblivion. If a human were nearby, they would have heard his screams filled with pain. However, this screaming only lasted for a few moments.
Everything quickly reverted to silence, leaving only the heavy thudding of the Ember Earth bear passing through the forest. Its figure sauntered to the disciple’s mangled body. Staring at the body that was half crushed under the earth, and half roasted by the magma, it let out a small huff of satisfaction.
It then turned around and began searching for Adrian’s figure. However, strangely enough, it couldn’t find it. It stomped around for a moment before ultimately giving up. It could only conclude that its attack was too powerful, leaving not even a remnant of the weak human.
Coming to that conclusion, its face had a barely imperceptible smile on it. With satisfaction, it sauntered off into the forest, leaving a wave of carnage behind. Perhaps because of all the crimson in the environment, even with its Rank 4 senses, it failed to notice the star-shaped pendant that was half-submerged in magma.
Meanwhile, inside the Bloodstar, Adrian had collapsed onto the ground. Hos breathing was ragged, and sweat had drenched his robes. He had come very close to death just now. If it wasn’t for his instinctive use of the Bloodstar, he would have ended up no better than the disciple from the Cloudcrest sect.
After a few minutes of catching his breath, he finally calmed down. He took a look around the environment in the Bloodstar. The Rainbow Rose was still there, as beautiful as ever. Its influence could already be seen in the environment.
Several small shrubs could be seen sprouting around it. Adrian merely shook his head, kicking the matter to the back of his mind. He didn’t have the resources to make it grow and make more colors sprout on it. Its tips are still spotted with only a faint red hue.
Glancing at another corner of the Bloodstar realm, his gaze landed on the Fire Vein Ore. The blazing heat emanating from it was as scorching as ever; however, because they were now in the Bloodstar, it wasn’t threatening to him.
This was something he had learnt previously after obtaining the treasure. He was considered the master of the realm, so anything within it couldn’t hurt him. Not without his permission at least.
However, it was currently not useful for him. Even though it could not hurt him, he didn’t know how to use it right now. The most he could do with it was cultivate near it, because of its abundant fire Qi.
After getting his thoughts in order, he turned to a small black box that was tossed nearby. This was the box that contained the Vermillion Spirit Grass. Without him knowing, he had accumulated some valuable treasures. His treasures were worth more than what even some Soul Formation realm experts had.
Perhaps even some rogue Transcendent realm cultivators weren’t as rich as he was. As he realized this, he let out a small chuckle. When his family was destroyed, he had worried he would not be able to get enough resources for himself and his sibling, but look at him now, swimming in riches.
After reveling in his wealth, he finally decided to be more serious about his situation. He couldn’t go out right now for fear of the Ember Earth bear. He decided to while away time.
Of course, his idea of whiling away time consisted of cultivating near the Rainbow Rose. He spent the rest of the day cultivating inside the Bloodstar, not paying attention to anything else.
The next day, when Adrian woke up, he finally gained enough confidence to leave the Bloodstar. The Ember Earth bear couldn’t have waited all night for him, could it? In fact, the bear had actually left a long time ago, but he didn’t know that.
Stepping out of the Bloodstar, all his senses were immediately on alert. Luckily, there was no need for him to be so cautious. Perhaps because of the lingering aura of the Ember Earth bear, but no beast dared to linger in this area.
After finding out he was safe, he let out a sigh of relief. He decided to quickly leave the area due to a lingering fear that the bear would come back. Normally, there would be the issue of his getting lost. Due to the chase, he had run helter-skelter, so he had lost any semblance of direction he had before.
However, all he had to do was raise his head. The massive mountain in the distance was all the direction he would ever need. In fact, thanks to the chase, he actually seemed to be closer to it than before.
All in all, the whole fiasco seemed to have ended well for him. He had obtained a Rank 4 herb, gotten closer to the final destination, and had even dealt with some annoying pests. Well, not all of them.
His mind drifted back to the last disciple of the Cloudcrest sect. Just before the Ember Earth bear started the chase, he had seized the Vermilion Spirit Grass from him. The man was lucky that Adrian had drawn the attention of the Ember Earth bear; otherwise, he would have also ended up as a stain on the forest floor.
However, his situation was still dire. Whether he would survive in this forest was still a coin toss.
Meanwhile, the man he was thinking about was actually not in a dire situation. After he had escaped from the Ember Earth bear, he thought he was home free. However, only a few hours later, he found himself in a dire situation.
He had left the Ember Earth bear, only to encounter a herd of flaming wild boars. With manes a burnt orange color that looked dirty, and tusks that grew from beneath their snouts.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been an issue. They were usually animals that were taken as prey. However, for the solo disciple, the prey had become the predators. The herd had three Rank 3 boars, making it a deadly threat to him.
He had initially encountered a Rank 2 boar, thinking it was alone. After running for hours, he wanted to have a nice meal, and the boar in front of him seemed to be the perfect prey.
However, who would have thought that just as he struck it, it would let out a loud squeal before it died. That squeal alerted the rest of the members of the herd, who immediately rushed to the scene.
The disciple, who had just killed a Rank 2 flaming wild boar, would have never imagined he would be besieged by a herd led by three Rank 3 boars. After spotting them from a distance, cold sweat broke out on his back, soaking his robes thoroughly.
He immediately began a mad dash, desperate to escape from them. However, he was too late. The three boars had already spotted the corpse of their herd member and had seen him fleeing the crime scene. With furious squeals and grunts, they chased after him, determined to get justice for their herd member.
The disciple could only curse his bad luck. He had just escaped from a fearsome Rank 4 bear, only to end up chased by three Rank 3 boars. If he wasn’t unlucky, then who was?
Just as the flaming wild boars were closing in on him, his luck seemed to turn. In the distance, he spotted a large group of cultivators. A precursory glance caught at least ten individuals. That wasn’t all.
The collective aura exuded by the group was very fearsome. There was definitely a peak Golden Core realm cultivator there, and more than one at that.
Realizing this, a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes. He immediately zeroed in on the group, leading the three flaming wild boars towards them.
Of course, his advance had long been noticed by the members of the group. They glanced at the rapidly advancing disciple with vigilance, with a few of them even retrieving their weapons.
They were about to attack when they heard the panicked voice of the disciples.
"Fellow cultivators! I am a disciple of the Cloudcrest sect. Please help me! My sect would surely reward you greatly."
