Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

A dark crevice in the rocks exuded a strong, earthy smell. Faintly, a "chirping" sound could be heard, as if snails were crawling across the rocks.

After a moment of silence, Liu Yizhu said in a deep voice, "That caravan was attacked by evil spirits."

"Demons and heretics? Any clues?"

"The news was blocked, and I had to keep asking around for a long time before I found out. There was human blood at the accident site, not from the caravan, and the other party was also a practitioner of the Blood Path."

Liu Xingmo felt troubled.

For those cultivating the Blood Path, the most important thing is to encounter Blood Path Beasts. Other Blood Path cultivators are the best choice.

The predecessor of Black Dragon Stronghold, Blood Shadow Sect, was extremely proficient in this art.

Ignoring the cause and effect, Liu Xingmo said, "Although there are many organizations that cultivate the Blood Path, if we limit ourselves to the Central Plains, apart from the Li Kingdom in the south, none can compare to our Black Dragon Stronghold. A fifth-tier Blood Path Grandmaster wouldn't be a lone cultivator, and it's difficult for a fourth-tier expert to eliminate that team without leaving any survivors. So..."

"That's what my master warned me too."

"Don't overthink it. The Four Sages of Li Kingdom are renowned far and wide. Our Black Dragon Stronghold also has its own rules. There must have been some twists and turns in what happened back then."

Liu Xingmo slowly revealed his analysis:

"This year, another caravan was murdered—the Bone Sturgeon Caravan. I obtained their trade route, and the location of the murder was in the Yunmeng Great Swamp. That place is teeming with all sorts of monsters and demons; it was most likely a group of demons and monsters who ganged up on the caravan."

"Yunmeng Great Swamp? I understand."

……

I can't fall asleep tonight.

Liu Xingmo simply began his cultivation.

By circulating Qi through the meridians and regulating blood Qi and wood Qi, these two energies merge with the divine power of life, reducing their mutual conflict.

The energy level has now reached the second tier, and combined with the body strengthened by the spiritual medicine, it is enough to wrestle with fifteen people.

Through meditation, one cultivates their spiritual awareness. With the high concentration and operation of mental energy, the soul becomes more solidified, and a soul imprint is born.

Now that he has accumulated two soul imprints, and counting the nine he has used, his soul strength has reached the second tier.

Only one final hurdle remains to overcome before a breakthrough is achieved.

Other cultivators don't face this problem. Only the "Dragon Transformation Technique" has this strict requirement. It is both a shackle and a powerful force granted by a forbidden secret technique.

By continuously devouring Blood Path Beasts, humans can break through the limitations of size and unleash combat power comparable to giant beasts.

……

On the other side, Liu Yizhu, who was keeping watch, observed his companion's cultivation progress and was surprised for a while, but did not ask any further questions.

The next day, the two set off again.

Once the distance is far enough, Baohei will initiate the divination.

I found a carp in the morning and a purple fungus in the afternoon. Both are outstanding among ordinary creatures and have some value.

They spent another night in the wild.

On the third day, they ran to a very far place, completely escaping the territory of Black Dragon Village.

Among the rampaging beasts, a small wild boar is spotted.

It was born precocious and, with guidance from its elders, has transformed into a wondrous beast, a true genius among the wild boars.

Unfortunately, according to the alliance, we cannot take action against it.

There is one last chance for divination.

Liu Xingmo muttered to Bao Hei, "Raptors! Raptors! Raptors! Quickly find some powerful raptors and make me look good!"

Sunlight filters through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the dense forest floor.

The old turtle stood in the pillar of light amidst floating dust, its head held high, exhaling two puffs of white breath from its nostrils.

It breathed deeply, as if responding to the mountains beneath its feet.

It has exhausted its luck and is peering into the unseen realm of destiny.

Images flashed before Liu Xingmo's eyes.

A dark, dense forest, insects, countless insects, an overwhelming swarm of insects...

What happened?

"Liu Xingmo, what did you find?"

"We found some tracks, but not the raptor you're looking for."

"Since we're already here, let's go take a look."

The two hurried toward the direction of the divination, running for a long time until they reached a valley.

There are steep cliffs on both sides, with pine and cypress trees rooted in the crevices of the rocks and vines climbing on them.

The deep valley floor was filled with a layer of miasma, and the dark green weeds covered everything, from which came the chirping of insects.

This divination was very general, only showing this location.

Liu Yizhu sensed that something was amiss and called for the wild geese to investigate.

A large bird with gray feathers flew into the valley, and soon flew out again, followed by a group of pursuers.

"Buzz buzz buzz!" The dense flapping of wings made my eardrums itch.

Liu Xingmo saw several large insects chasing after the wild geese.

With a slender body and two transparent, membranous wings on each side, the wings are extremely wide, with a wingspan of nearly 10 meters. This is a dragonfly, the Meganeura dragonfly, the largest insect in the world.

Liu Yizhu smiled, a smirk playing on his lips: "Not bad, it flies very fast, that's the one!"

Liu Xingmo quickly warned, "Something's wrong! The climate of the Xing'an Mountains would freeze all large insects to death; these dragonflies are from elsewhere!"

Just then, the dark green grass began to sway, and the thin mist in the valley seemed to be blown away by a strong wind.

"Boom boom boom..." The dense buzzing sound was so loud it gave people a headache. A dark shadow that blotted out the sky swept towards the two people at the entrance of the valley like a whirlwind.

Those were insects, countless insects, a dense swarm of insects.

"Forget about the dragonflies, run!" Liu Xingmo quickly took out the blood droplet from his storage bag and twirled it in his hand like a fan.

Liu Yizhu gazed deeply into the valley before turning back on his yellow-throated marten.

Baohei ran with all his might, crashing through weeds and crushing rotten wood.

Liu Xingmo looked back and felt a chill run down his spine.

A moth the size of a head, its proboscis stretched out, as if trying to poke a person.

We've been caught!

The flying guillotine spun like a meat grinder, tearing apart the swarming insects. Soon, even more large moths followed.

Liu Xingmo's arms moved like the wind, his hook claws flashing wildly as he continuously smashed flying insects, protecting Bao Hei as it advanced.

On the other side, Liu Yizhu slowed down to help defend against the swarm of insects.

Just then, "Boom!" Earth and rocks crashed to the ground, and the hard granite cracked open.

Someone is throwing stones from above the valley!

Fortunately, the crow and the goose had detected the situation in advance and warned their owner.

Liu Xingmo and Liu Yizhu were one step ahead of the falling rocks and escaped the canyon.

No.

At the mouth of the canyon, a ferocious crab with jagged joints stands guard. It's enormous; its shell alone is seven or eight meters long, and with its long claws, it completely blocks the canyon.

King crab!

Crabs from the sea wouldn't travel thousands of miles to land to plot or scheme. Those are the same Blood Path cultivators! Third-tier experts!

Liu Yizhu roared, "You demonic scoundrel, prepare to die!"

He shot out, charging straight at the king crab. His fleshy fist collided violently with the crab's claws, sending the crab staggering back three steps, while the tiny human was sent flying.

After landing, he rolled to his feet, crushed the grass roots with one foot, and shot out again to fight the king crab.

At the same time, the yellow-throated marten and the wild goose approached Liu Xingmo to cover his retreat.