Near Corpse Domain, Region Number 23
At this time, the sound of slashing and roaring echoed.
Li Yuxong was using his Sword Slash and Sword Step to fight. Even his Spiritual Imprint, Poplar Resilience, had been activated.
Jin Lei and Cao Wei were supporting from a distance, while Ren Ying dictated the weaknesses.
This was a Bloodmoon Spider, a grade 4 mid-stage Beast!
"Attack at its jaw. That's where its Beastly Core is. The beast will surely try to defend, and that will give Li Yuxong enough time to strike at its other weakness—its eyes!"
Ren Ying shouted.
Jin Lei and Cao Wei immediately shot fire arrows, aiming at its jaw. As expected, the Bloodmoon Spider defended the attack, lowering its guard against Li Yuxong.
Taking the opportunity, Li Yuxong pierced both of its eyes, completely blinding it. But this was when it became even more dangerous.
Blinded, the Bloodmoon Spider went berserk, unable to see. It grew agitated and started rampaging wildly.
Ren Ying immediately shouted, "Retreat now!"
Li Yuxong was shocked by the sudden order, but he trusted Ren Ying and retreated with the others.
After gaining enough distance, Li Yuxong asked, "We could have finished it off. Why retreat?"
Jin Lei interjected, "Here in these forest areas, the Bloodmoon Spider isn't the only threat. We attacked it to protect ourselves, not because of some life-and-death feud."
Li Yuxong immediately realized.
'They're right. Even if victory was guaranteed, we would have taken a huge risk and been left exhausted. In that case, other beasts lurking nearby could become threats we wouldn't be able to handle.'
Ren Ying explained, "The Bloodmoon Spider's senses are weak—it survives only with its two eyes, which is why they're its greatest weakness. Destroying them forces it into a rage state. After that state ends, it will weaken for a period of time. We can sneak in then, finish it off, and preserve our strength."
"Not only that, it will remain in a weakened state for at least six hours, and its rage only lasts an hour. We can recuperate in the meantime."
Li Yuxong was surprised. "You thought all that when you told Jin Lei and Cao Wei to attack its jaw?"
Ren Ying nodded. "I saw you struggling to maintain your Spiritual Imprint. I thought it would be dangerous if another beast was alerted by this fight."
Li Yuxong's expression grew heavy. 'Indeed, I gave my all thinking we could handle a rank 4 beast. Just because we defeated the Blood-eyed Leopard, I became too proud. If not for his strategy, it would've been dangerous. I didn't even save stamina for that move—essential if we need to run.'
Six hours later
The Bloodmoon Spider's corpse lay on the ground. This time, the Beastly Core was given to Jin Lei and Cao Wei, while the other precious materials were split between Ren Ying and Li Yuxong.
Ren Ying said, "Just give me its head. You can take the rest."
Li Yuxong agreed without objection.
After dividing everything, they began discussing their journey ahead.
Ren Ying said, "According to the info, we are near the Corpse Domain. Since the information is vague, we must rely on our own methods to find it. But we are close, that's for sure. Let's split up and search. If anyone encounters danger, use an attack in the air as a signal. The same goes if someone finds the Corpse Domain."
He paused, pointed in a few directions, and continued, "Li Yuxong, you go that way, I'll take this path. Jin Lei and Cao Wei will search the other side."
Everyone nodded.
They all understood this fundamental concept. In unity, there is safety; in separation, there is discovery. If they want rewards, risks are necessary!
Thus, Li Yuxong split from them and began searching his assigned direction. He remembered Ren Ying's words describing the Corpse Blossom.
'Corpse Blossom is a pale, sickly plant. Its petals resemble decaying fish, its stems twist like contorted limbs, and it emits a foul odor. Its leaves are marked with dark veins. The Corpse Domain itself can be identified by the stench of rotting beast corpses.'
As he searched, Li Yuxong stumbled upon a cave from which a bloody stench emanated.
'Is this the Corpse Domain?'
Before he could investigate further, a bright light flashed in the sky. He immediately ran toward the source.
Soon, he arrived to find scattered bones everywhere and a foul stench thick in the air. Ren Ying, Jin Lei, and Cao Wei were already there.
Noticing a cylindrical-shaped Spiritual Object in Jin Lei's hand, Li Yuxong guessed he was the one who had sent the signal.
Ren Ying laughed loudly. "Yes, we found the 1000 Spirit Stones!"
Jin Lei looked at him and said sarcastically, "We still haven't found the Corpse Blossom!"
Ren Ying rebutted, "So what? We're in the Corpse Domain. As long as we're inside, we'll definitely find it."
Without hesitation, Ren Ying stepped forward.
Jin Lei muttered in annoyance, "Not again… at least think of the danger."
Li Yuxong smiled. "He's always so cheerful—unless it's about survival in the forest."
Jin Lei nodded, and they all entered together.
Before long, they discovered the Corpse Blossom. Ren Ying immediately ran toward it with a laugh.
But Jin Lei's expression changed. "Stop!"
Ren Ying paused and turned back. Li Yuxong and Cao Wei looked puzzled.
When treasure lies openly on the path, you must ask yourself who placed it there. In a world of cultivation, schemes and traps are everywhere! You must be cautious at every turns.
Jin Lei said, "Don't you think it's strange?"
Li Yuxong frowned. "What's the problem?"
Jin Lei said solemnly, "If the Corpse Blossom was this easy to obtain, why didn't the Thunderous Peak Sect disciples who reported it take it themselves?"
Li Yuxong's heart skipped. The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
Jin Lei added, "When I took this task, I was warned it was very dangerous. Some Warriors had already died. I thought it was because of beasts along the way, but now… it might be a scheme of the Thunderous Peak Sect!"
Li Yuxong also felt he was right.
Just then, a bright purple light flashed, surrounding them completely.
Cao Wei was the first to react. "Get out of here!"
But it was too late. Jin Lei and Li Yuxong's faces turned grim.
At that moment, many Thunderous Peak Sect disciples appeared.
"Caught another group. Four fishes this time—enough to ripen the Corpse Blossom fruit."
"Senior Brother Yang Cheng's plan was brilliant. In a month, we've provided enough nutrients to the plant. Now we'll reap the rewards."
"With this Corpse Blossom fruit, we'll teach those Snakes and Chickens a proper lesson!"
Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted. "Who are you calling Snakes and Chickens?"
Yang Cheng appeared, scolding them. "There's a reason they've dominated us for so long. Never underestimate those two factions. Even with Corpse Poison, it's not certain we can turn the tables."
Yang Cheng, a rank 4 late-stage Warrior, was the one handling the Corpse Blossom. Several rank 3 Warriors served under him to guard the area. A month ago, he had discovered the Corpse Blossom, and to his surprise, it bore fruit—though not yet mature.
To artificially ripen the fruit, the plant had to be fed with many corpses. After hunting a few beasts, Yang Cheng posted a task to bait wandering Warriors. Then he set up a hidden formation around the region, so he could reap the rewards without risk.
Li Yuxong shivered at the cruelty. Anger burned within him, but he looked at Jin Lei and asked, "What should we do?"
At the same time, he thought, 'I don't want to expose my dual Spiritual Imprint… but if I want to survive, I may have no other choice.'
Jin Lei's face darkened, but before he could respond, Ren Ying interjected. "Who are you calling fishes? I dare you—open this formation and I'll show you who's the prey!"
Jin Lei stared at Ren Ying blankly, then commanded Cao Wei, "Try to break the formation secretly."
Li Yuxong looked at Cao Wei in surprise. "You're a formation master?"
Jin Lei nodded. "He's a rank 3 formation master. This looks like a grade 3 formation for trapping people."
Cao Wei, silent until now, transmitted his voice: "I've already broken the formation, but didn't reveal it. Just tell me when, and I'll collapse it immediately."
In this world, once cultivators reached a certain realm, they communicated through Spiritual Essence. Speed of Sound is limited, but the Speed of Spiritual Essence has no limits. Even at rank 1, Warriors were taught to transmit sound into others' minds, though only rare geniuses mastered it before reaching rank 4. There are two ways to utilize Spiritual Sound. First, mix it with the sound energy within your vocal cords and communicate as you do it usually, Second, encode the sound into different energy forms and transmit it directly to the recipient.
Ren Ying suddenly had an idea and transmitted his plan to each of them.