The cold wind howled, stirring up a flurry of snowflakes.
Although it was the time of spring when flowers bloom, the deepest part of the outer region of the Heavenly Shadow Mountain Range remained as cold as winter. Many towering peaks were covered in snow year-round, reaching high into the clouds, with swirling mists around their midsections, resembling a colossal deity that had stood for countless centuries.
Ye Tian raised his hand to shield himself from the violent snow and leaped several times, finally appearing at the summit of a mountain peak.
Looking out, the clouds rolled and floated ethereally, while on the horizon, a red sun rose, casting a glow that made the vast clouds appear like a flowing silk ribbon.
“Ah!!!”
In this environment where he could see all the mountains around him, Ye Tian's heart surged with pride. He let out a long howl toward the sky, his passionate voice piercing through the heavens and echoing far and wide.
The echo was stirring and lingered for a long time. Ye Tian spread his arms wide, feeling the cleansing force of the fierce wind at this mountain's highest point.
This was already the deepest part of the outer region of the Heavenly Shadow Mountain Range; with Ye Tian's strength, he could only reach this place at most.
Looking back toward the distance, he could vaguely see a vast Great River cutting across the landscape. The waves churned violently, and Turbulent Waves crashed with a thunderous roar.
Such sounds could be clearly heard by Ye Tian even from dozens of miles away.
This impressive sight was indeed the main channel of the Spirit Martial River.
"This is truly the Spirit Martial River!"
Ye Tian sighed inwardly. Spirit Martial Town was named after the Spirit Martial River, but compared to this Great River, the tributary in town that was merely a Hundred Zhang wide was hardly worth mentioning.
"If I have the chance, I must go see what lies on the other side of the river..."
In this environment, Ye Tian suddenly felt a desire to soar high. Reflecting on his life over the past year, he realized he had always been in a small town like Spirit Martial Town, and it would not be an exaggeration to say he had never seen the world.
"Is the Spirit Sect across the river...?"
Ye Tian thought to himself. It is said that the name Spirit Martial River comes from its separation of Spirit and Martial Duality. This immense danger cannot be crossed without extraordinary abilities.
Thinking of the Spirit Sect, Ye Tian slowly began to recite the Spirit Bag Incantation. As he finished the incantation, the tiny light point in his Dantian gradually brightened...
"Earth-Level Monster Inner Pill..."
Ye Tian slowly uttered these words. Finding a monster was simple, but locating one that he could kill and that contained an Earth-level inner pill was not an easy task.
Due to time constraints, Ye Tian narrowed down his hunt for monsters to those between Yellow Rank Eight and Earth Level One.
This choice was not without reason; monsters below Yellow Rank Eight could not possibly condense an Earth-level inner pill, while those above Earth Level One possessed strength comparable to Martial Mastery experts. Therefore, with Ye Tian's current abilities, it would be difficult for him to contend with them.
Narrowing the scope made things much easier.
Along the way, Ye Tian encountered many monsters but only managed to kill a few Yellow-Grade Nine-Tier Monsters. Unfortunately, they did not have inner pills in their Dantian.
His pupils slightly constricted as Ye Tian's gaze quickly locked onto a shadow darting through the dense forest.
"Black Blood Demon Wolf?"
He let out a soft exclamation. After hesitating for a moment, he moved swiftly, channeling his energy through Yuqi Tayan Jue. With a leap, he followed like a phantom.
The Black Blood Demon Wolf is an Earth-Level One Beast. This type of monster is bloodthirsty and ferocious. Although its strength is significantly lower than other monsters of the same level, its pack behavior makes it a formidable presence.
Silently following behind, Ye Tian confirmed that there was only one Black Blood Demon Wolf before blue electric sparks flickered in his palm.
"Awoo!"
The Black Blood Demon Wolf howled continuously at the sky, unsure if it was calling for its companions or something else.
Seeing this, Ye Tian's palm slowly dimmed with light. If this beast really summoned a pack of its kind, charging in recklessly would not be a wise choice.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
Sure enough, after the lone Black Blood Demon Wolf howled for a while, several similar howls echoed from deep within the forest, likely its companions responding and signaling their location.
Ye Tian frowned, feeling somewhat disappointed as he said, "There probably isn't much chance left..."
Thinking this, Ye Tian turned to leave. However, just as he moved, a crisp sound suddenly rang out beneath his feet.
Crack...
The clear sound reverberated through the Forest. At this moment, the Black Blood Demon Wolf had stopped howling, and the forest was silent, making the sharp noise seem particularly jarring.
"Roar..."
The Black Blood Demon Wolf suddenly turned its head, growling lowly, its blood-red eyes resembling two dim lanterns.
"Not good!" Ye Tian exclaimed inwardly. The sound from accidentally stepping on a broken branch had likely startled the beast.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a chilling breeze blew from behind his neck, carrying a bloody scent that stimulated his nerves and caused Ye Tian to break out in a cold sweat.
Without thinking, Ye Tian crouched down to evade while his palm flipped out, and he struck upward with the Bagua Thunder Palm without hesitation.
A shadow darted like lightning, sweeping over Ye Tian's head and landing on the hard ground ahead with a thud.
"This Black Blood Demon Wolf is incredibly fast!" Ye Tian thought, his expression becoming serious.
That last strike was cunning and swift; under similar circumstances, even a warrior of Eight-Dan might not escape unscathed. He hadn't expected the Black Blood Demon Wolf to dodge it effortlessly and remain unharmed.
"Roar..."
A glint of bloodthirsty ferocity flashed in the Black Blood Demon Wolf's crimson eyes as it let out a low growl, its front claws leaving deep scratches on the ground.
"I must deal with it quickly; otherwise, if the wolf pack arrives, it will be dangerous!" Ye Tian calculated in his mind.
Looking at the speed of the Black Blood Demon Wolf, it was nearly on par with Yuqi Tayan Jue. There was little chance of escaping from it. He could only strive to kill it as quickly as possible before the wolf pack arrived to escape this perilous situation.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of muffled sounds echoed as golden light surged around Ye Tian, several beams of golden light from Gossip suddenly appearing to protect vital areas of his body.
"Vortex Profound Skill!"
With a loud shout, a massive vortex of elemental energy appeared in his palm, a fierce suction force emanating from it, pulling everything within several feet towards him.
Over the past few months, Ye Tian had mastered the Vortex Profound Skill to perfection.
As soon as he struck, he could unleash its maximum power instantly, and retracting it could also be done in an instant. This level of control made it one of Ye Tian's major killing moves when combined with Bagua Thunder Palm.
The Black Blood Demon Wolf's sharp claws dug fiercely into the ground, its black fur being lifted by the immense suction. Despite its desperate resistance, its body was still being slowly drawn towards Ye Tian by the Vortex Profound Skill.
"Roar!"
Seeing that resistance was futile, the Black Blood Demon Wolf ceased to struggle, letting out a cry as it bared its fangs and lunged at Ye Tian's throat.
With his left hand employing the Vortex Profound Skill and his right hand crackling with electricity, Ye Tian watched the rapidly approaching figure with a glint of cold light in his eyes.
Just as it pounced, the Black Blood Demon Wolf seemed to regret its decision, twisting its body in mid-air as if trying to escape the immense pull.
On the ground, it could barely control its body with the grip of its claws, but once airborne, the Black Blood Demon Wolf was left completely at the mercy of the force.
The fierce suction instantly drew the Black Blood Demon Wolf closer, and without hesitation, Ye Tian struck down with his Thunder Palm onto the wolf's head.
Crack!
A muffled sound accompanied by the sound of shattering bones echoed as the Black Blood Demon Wolf's body flew backward like a broken rag doll.
"Aw... Aw..."
The Black Blood Demon Wolf struggled weakly, letting out low whines, clearly not long for this world.
Footsteps slowly approached. After confirming that the beast had lost its ability to retaliate, Ye Tian swiftly ended its life with a decisive strike.
He turned to glance deeper into the Forest for a moment. Ye Tian's pupils constricted slightly. There, faint rustling sounds could be heard, and several pairs of beastly eyes glimmered like blood-red lanterns.
"That was quick!" he thought to himself with a sigh. Taking a deep breath, Ye Tian hoisted the corpse of the Black Blood Demon Wolf over his shoulder and vanished into the dense woods.
...
A figure darted through the forest like a nimble monkey, carrying on its shoulder the lifeless body of the Black Blood Demon Wolf with a shattered skull.
It goes without saying that this person was Ye Tian.
He took the body of the Black Blood Demon Wolf because the wolf pack was approaching, and he no longer had time to check whether the Black Blood Demon Wolf he had killed contained a spirit core.
Footsteps lightly landed, and Ye Tian's figure finally came to rest on a branch of a tree thick enough for several people to embrace.
At the same time, a sharp dagger appeared in his hand. Ye Tian furrowed his brow as the dagger slowly glided over the soft fur on the chest of the Black Blood Demon Wolf, releasing a faint smell of blood into the air.
Ye Tian awkwardly turned his head away; even for him, such disembowelment was quite repulsive.
He reached into the body of the Black Blood Demon Wolf and searched around for a moment before reluctantly pulling his hand back.
"Sigh, still nothing..."
He let out a gentle sigh. This was already the eighth beast he had encountered today, but not to mention a Spirit Beast Inner Pill of Earth rank, even a low-level Yellow Rank one had not appeared.
Looking up at the sky, he noticed that the sunlight was dimming and had unknowingly slipped behind the western mountains.
A delicate and lovely girl’s figure appeared in his mind, her face showing signs of anxiety and worry.
"It's getting late; Xiaoshuang must be worried!"
Ye Tian muttered to himself, then floated down from the tree. He cupped some snow in his hands to wipe off the beast blood from his face before heading back home.
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