The morning mist clung to the branches of ancient trees on the outskirts of the Beastfall Mountains like gauze. Sunlight struggled to penetrate, casting fragmented, dappled spots of light on the forest floor. The air was cold and damp, mingling with the scent of humus and a faint, sickly-sweet hint of lurking danger. Silas moved like a shadow without substance, soundless within the deep gloom of the dense woods. His feet seemed fused with the earth, each step precisely avoiding dry twigs and leaves. His Earth Sense spread out around him like countless intangible tendrils, clearly feeding back the subtlest vibrations within a hundred yards—including those of the cautiously advancing party—directly into his mind.
He circulated the Law of Life, not to stimulate vibrant vitality, but to achieve ultimate suppression and convergence. His heartbeat slowed to near stillness, his body temperature dropped to match his surroundings, and every pore closed, not leaking the slightest trace of life force. At this moment, he was more like a moss-covered rock or a dead branch, perfectly concealed within this perilous jungle. His gaze pierced through gaps in the foliage, coldly locked onto the group of trial-takers from Essence Grace City, who wore the Greenwood Family insignia.
The party advanced slowly, clearly divided within. Several youths led by the blonde-haired Lynn displayed obvious impatience and arrogance. Their clothes were fine, their swords more decorative than practical, utterly out of place in the primitive, rugged environment. Somewhat ostracized on the other side was a group centered around the steady-eyed, brown-haired girl Lina. They wore practical leather hunting gear, their eyes alert, their steps steady. Two middle-aged men with noticeably stronger auras guarded the party from the front and rear: the Beast Taming Art practitioners, both at the Second Rank Initial Stage, Retainers Hawk and Wolf. Silas could vaguely sense a sharp aura surrounding Hawk, his eyes gleaming with intensity when they opened and closed, while Wolf's steps were heavy and solid, exuding a wild strength. This was the manifestation of their successful mastery and fusion of different magical beast traits into themselves. The Beast Taming Art, a higher-level and more difficult physical cultivation method compared to the Beast Transformation Art, emphasized the "Taming" aspect, requiring the practitioner's will to dominate, perfectly control, and fuse the beast power within, avoiding bestial backlash to obtain purer, more controlled power, with far subtler external bestial traits.
"How much longer must we trudge through this damned forest? Not a decent beast in sight to sharpen our skills on!" Lynn complained, idly swatting at nearby bushes with his scabbard.
"Young Master, patience. Powerful magical beasts have territories; we must search carefully," Retainer Hawk responded gravely, his eyes scanning the surroundings like a hawk's, missing no movement.
"Hmph. I hope it's something that'll let me stretch my limbs, not just skulking vermin."
Listening from the shadows, Silas's lips curved in a barely perceptible arc. Stretch his limbs? He would find them a suitably "enthusiastic" partner.
With a thought, he commanded the Dire Rat Spirit lurking deep underground. The spirit, formed of spiritual energy and connected to his will, immediately sprang into action about thirty yards off the party's flank. It didn't attack but, following Silas's will, began consistently and lightly gnawing on an exposed root and intermittently shifting small stones, creating a faint, yet attention-grabbing, rustling sound. Simultaneously, the sound moved at a steady pace towards the valley shrouded in strange mist.
"Hmm? Movement on the right!" Retainer Wolf's ears twitched; he was the first to notice, issuing a low warning. He shifted his stance slightly, one hand already resting on the broad-bladed war knife on his back. The air around him seemed to grow heavier.
Lina and her companions also instantly grew alert, their eyes snapping towards the source of the sound. Lina's right hand subconsciously brushed over a pair of short spikes at her waist.
"What is it? A beast?" she asked in a low voice, her gaze sharp.
"The movement is slight, but it's moving... seems to be... luring us?" Wolf, experienced, immediately sensed something unusual.
Lynn, however, grew excited. "Luring us? Ha! Let's check it out!" He immediately led his followers towards the sound.
"Young Master, beware of a trap!" Hawk frowned deeply but had to follow quickly, his duty-bound.
Thus led by the eerie "guide," the party unknowingly deviated from their original path, delving into an area with denser vegetation and thickening mist. Silas followed far behind, ensuring he remained completely within their perceptual blind spot.
The closer they got to the valley, the heavier the humidity in the air, and the clearer became that strange, elegant fragrance that could directly stir the soul.
"Eh? What a scent... what is that?" a young nobleman sniffed deeply, looking intoxicated.
Lynn smelled it too. Just a whiff refreshed his spirit, dissipating the slight fatigue from days of travel. His eyes instantly blazed with greed. "This scent... extraordinary! There must be a treasure! Quick, it's right ahead!"
The two retainers and Lina also sensed the divine unusualness of the fragrance, their expressions growing solemn yet expectant.
The Dire Rat Spirit, having led the party near the valley entrance, followed Silas's command and silently burrowed deep underground, completely vanishing without a trace.
The Greenwood Family trial party, utterly captivated by the alluring fragrance from deep within the valley, stepped into the heart of the death zone—the lair of the Second Rank Mid-Stage Puffadder Viper.
Silas climbed a thick, leafy ancient tree near the valley mouth, finding a concealed crook where he could partially observe the gorge. He suppressed his aura to the extreme, calmly preparing to watch the drama of death he had orchestrated.
When the party pushed aside the last curtain of dense hanging vines, the scene within the gorge opened up before them—the shady cliff face covered in slippery moss, and at its base, the strange plant with its dark purple stem, silver-veined leaves, and the lychee-sized, semi-transparent silvery-white fruit at its apex!
"That's... the Silverthread Soulfruit?!" Retainer Hawk, knowledgeable, recognized the rare spirit plant instantly, his voice trembling with excitement. "A miraculous fruit that can nourish and strengthen the soul's origin! Incredibly effective for breaking through realm barriers!"
Lynn's eyes turned red instantly! Nourishing the soul's origin! This was an immeasurable boon for his future Noble Bestowal ritual, where he would need to absorb and transform soul power! "Mine! It's mine!" Ecstasy overwhelmed him; he charged forward almost recklessly.
"Young Master, careful!!" Retainer Wolf's roar was like thunder. He yanked Lynn back violently, his face drastically changing as he pointed towards the shadows at the base of the cliff. "Look there!"
All eyes focused instantly, a chill shooting up their spines!
There, beside the Silverthread Soulfruit, the Puffadder Viper, as thick as a barrel, with scales dark as iron and a grotesque, pulsating lump on its head, slowly raised its triangular skull! Its cold, vertical pupils held no emotion, fixed dead on the intruders in its domain. Its crimson tongue flickered rapidly, emitting a horrifying hiss. The powerful, icy, lethally toxic pressure of a Second Rank Mid-Stage magical beast surged through the gorge like a tide, making it hard for the weaker youths to breathe!
"Sec... Second Rank Mid-Stage!" Hawk gasped, cold sweat beading on his temple.
"It's a Puffadder Viper! Its venom can corrode spiritual energy! Retreat, fast!" Wolf bellowed, stepping forward fiercely to shield Lynn completely, his spiritual energy surging.
But they were too late!
The invasion of its territory and the coveting of its treasure had thoroughly enraged the overlord of the gorge! The viper's massive body displayed terrifying speed belying its size, shooting forward like a brown lightning bolt skimming the ground. It launched itself into the air, its gaping maw, reeking of poisonous mist, heading straight for the greatest threat—Retainer Wolf! Its speed left afterimages!
A life-and-death battle erupted instantly!
Wolf roared, the sound like a howling wolf. The power of the magical beast fused within him erupted completely. The muscles on his arms bulged, the nails on his ten fingers instantly elongating, turning pitch-black with a metallic sheen, resembling wolf claws—a manifestation of him materializing the fused beast power locally! Not daring to meet the viper's lunge head-on, he rolled violently to the side while simultaneously drawing his war knife. The blade gleamed with a dull gray light, whistling as it tore through the air, aiming a fierce slash at the viper's neck. Practitioners of the Beast Taming Art and Beast Transformation Art, through continuous physical strengthening and deep mastery of their fused power, can cultivate a unique "fierce force" within their bodies. This force is fierce and tyrannical, imbued with bestial characteristics, far surpassing ordinary physical strength, and is fundamental to close-quarters combat.
Clang! The war knife collided with the tough scales, producing a sharp metallic clang and a shower of sparks. The viper's charge was blocked, but the tremendous impact still sent Wolf's qi and blood churning, forcing him back several steps.
Almost simultaneously, Hawk moved. His figure drifted elusive as a striking hawk, instantly leaping to the viper's flank above. His pupils contracted, becoming sharp, locking onto the pulsating lump on the viper's head—the venom gland and a potential weakness! Two slender water-parting spikes appeared in his hands, their tips concentrating a point of cold light, stabbing rapidly at the lump like a snake striking. Unlike Wolf's fierce "fierce force," Hawk's attack appeared more piercing, concentrating the "fierce force" to a point, pursuing ultimate penetration.
The viper reacted swiftly, jerking its head to meet Hawk's twin spikes with its hard skull. Ding! Ding! The spikes were deflected. At the same time, its thick, whip-like tail swept around with a howling wind, aiming directly at the group of panicked young disciples! A direct hit would cut them in half!
"Form up! Thorny Ironwall Formation!" Lina, calm in the crisis, issued a clear command. She and her three companions instantly stood back-to-back, their spiritual energy synchronizing, auras connecting.
Silas, watching from the tree, was intrigued. He had never seen this method of linking multiple people's spiritual energy.
This simple battle formation wasn't merely an overlay of energy but a temporary unification of the participants' power through a special spiritual energy resonance technique, creating a coordinated spiritual energy barrier. The principle involved finding the harmonic frequency of the participants' spiritual energy, constructing a temporary energy circulation network—like joining scattered planks into a larger shield—often used by small teams to withstand powerful attacks they couldn't face alone. A faint cyan light instantly shimmered into existence around the four, vaguely forming a protective glow with a spiky, counter-impact imagery.
Thump!
The viper's massive tail slammed into the light shield!The cyan shield fluctuated violently, flickering unsteadily. Lina and the other three paled simultaneously, but the shield held, successfully blocking the fatal blow. However, at the moment of the shield's greatest fluctuation, the light and shadows beside Lina twisted, and a Windshadow Wolf Spirit, vividly composed of cyan spiritual energy, roared forth from her, its claws slashing at the viper's tail! This wasn't a real magical beast, but a beast spirit condensed by Lina after completely refining and mastering the "Windshadow Wolf" power source fused within her! It could attack outside the body, connected to its master's mind and spirit, a symbol of her talent and strength.
The viper, stung by pain, had several scales on its tail torn by the claw energy, but its immense power allowed it to shake its tail violently, causing the wolf spirit to dim and fly back into Lina's body. Lina grunted, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth; clearly, the spirit's injury affected her true self.
Lynn and his followers were already pale with fear, retreating in disarray. One of them, panicking, tried to gather spiritual energy for some technique, light gathering at his fingertips, but it seemed somewhat chaotic. The advantage of the Noble Cultivation Art lay in its fine control over spiritual energy, far surpassing physical cultivators of the same rank, often achieving over 120% control efficiency. This allowed them to absorb and refine spiritual energy faster, leading to quicker advancement through minor stages. However, correspondingly, their physical strength and close-combat ability were often weaknesses.
In the center of the gorge, the fierce battle between the two retainers and the Puffadder Viper reached a fever pitch. Hawk moved with agile grace, his spikes falling like rain; Wolf stood firm like a rock, his war knife raging fiercely. The viper hissed constantly, venom spraying, corroding the ground. Wolf's shoulder had been grazed by venom, the flesh rotting instantly. Though he dealt with it immediately, his combat power was affected. Hawk's clothes were also corroded, looking quite disheveled.
Silas, hidden in the tree, coldly observed the brutal fight. His plan was progressing as expected.
His mind raced, analyzing the situation:
· Puffadder Viper: Absolute strength advantage, venom a major threat, but attack patterns relatively singular.
· Two Retainers: Rich combat experience, the "fierce force" of the Beast Taming Art was powerful, but one minor stage lower in cultivation, restrained by the venom, defeat was a matter of time.
· Lina's Group: Ingenious defensive formation, impressive use of the beast spirit, but lacked a decisive knockout blow.
· Lynn's Group: Not worth worrying about.
"Fight on. The more brutal, the richer my harvest." Silas's heart was ice-cold. Regardless of who won ultimately, the outcome would be mutual devastation. Then, it would be time for him, the "fisherman" hidden in the shadows, to reap the rewards—the precious Silverthread Soulfruit, the complete corpse of the Second Rank Mid-Stage Puffadder Viper (a top-tier fusion material far surpassing the Stone-Claw Mongrel!), and the possessions and potential intelligence on these family disciples... everything would belong to him.
When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits. He only needed to wait, to wait for the most opportune moment to strike and decide the outcome in one move. The roars, clashes, and screams echoing in the gorge sounded to his ears like a stirring symphony heralding power and wealth.