141: Chapter 141 Birds of Prey

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Herb-Seeking Mouse stopped in front of a small earthen slope.

It squatted at the foot of the slope, sniffing vigorously at the slope's surface, its tail standing straight up, the tip trembling slightly.

Lin Xuan walked over and crouched down to take a look.

Growing on the slope were a few clumps of dwarf shrubs with deep purple leaves, and hanging from the branches were several small, thumb-sized fruits that were greenish in color and not yet ripe.

He recognized this plant: it was a Purple-Leaf Shrub, a Medium Grade Tier 1 spiritual plant. Once its fruit ripened, it could be used to refine peiyuan pills. Its value was not particularly high, but it was not commonly seen in the outside world either.

Since the fruits were not yet ripe, he carefully transplanted them into his Beast Taming Space.

He patted the Herb-Seeking Mouse on the head, signaling it to continue forward.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse sniffed again, then darted off in a due north direction.

They walked for about half an hour.

The scenery of the grassland began to change.

The grass was no longer purely emerald green but was interspersed with large patches of purple—not the light purple found on the tips of grass blades, but deep purple across the entire blade, as if it had been dyed with pigment.

There was a faint, sweet fragrance in the air.

Lin Xuan became alert.

He stopped in his tracks and swept his Divine Sense forward.

He found no traces of any Yao Beast within a radius of a hundred zhang, but the sweet fragrance was growing stronger, and it made him feel a bit dizzy after smelling it for a while.

He took out a detox pill, held it under his tongue, and continued walking forward.

After walking another hundred zhang or so, the Herb-Seeking Mouse suddenly stopped.

It squatted behind a rock, pricking up its ears, motionless.

Lin Xuan also stopped.

He held his breath and pushed his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit; his entire body became like a stone, without a single trace of aura leaking out.

Then, he heard a sound.

"Hum—"

It was very low.

It was very deep.

It sounded like countless bees flapping their wings in the distance.

Lin Xuan slowly poked his head out and looked in the direction the sound was coming from.

Ahead was a low-lying area, the terrain half a zhang lower than the surroundings, filled with purple flowers and grass.

Among the flowers and grass, a dozen or so fist-sized things were flying about.

They were not bees.

They were a type of insect he had never seen before.

Their bodies were purple-gold, with fine patterns on their carapaces and wings as thin as cicada wings, emitting a buzzing sound as they vibrated.

Their mouthparts were very long, like thin needles, and they were feeding on nectar from the purple flowers.

Lin Xuan observed for a while.

These insects showed no signs of active aggression and did not react to him hiding behind the rock.

He did not want to invite unnecessary trouble, so he slowly retreated.

He skirted around the low-lying area and continued walking north.

The sun moved overhead.

Judging by its position, it was likely between the Si hour and the Wu hour—if this Secret Realm also had a day-night cycle.

Lin Xuan found a small, sheltered earthen slope and sat down to rest and recover his Spiritual Qi.

The Secret Realm was vast.

From the time he woke up until now, he had walked for nearly two hours, but apart from the swarm of insects in the low-lying area, he had not encountered any Yao Beasts, nor had he met any other Cultivators.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi was extremely high, with a large proportion of Thunder Spiritual Energy, making it suitable for a Thunder Cultivator to Cultivate.

Purple-Leaf Shrubs, purple flowers—most of the spiritual plants here were purple, which might be related to the owner of the Secret Realm being a Thunder Cultivator.

Just as he was thinking about this, a dull thud suddenly came from the distance.

"Boom—"

It sounded like something had exploded.

Lin Xuan stood up abruptly and looked in the direction of the sound.

To the north.

About a dozen li away.

Dust and smoke were rising, mixed with purple light.

Someone was fighting.

Or a Yao Beast was going berserk.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to go take a look.

It wasn't to gawk at the excitement, but to gather intelligence—besides high Spiritual Qi and many spiritual plants, what other dangers were there in the Secret Realm?

He packed away his dry rations and water flask, pushed his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit, and crept toward the north.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the dust and smoke dissipated.

The purple light also vanished.

By the time he arrived at the scene, the battle had already ended.

On the ground was a large crater about a zhang in circumference, with the grass around the edge charred and emitting wisps of smoke.

At the bottom of the crater were a few pools of black liquid, emitting a pungent, fishy odor.

Lin Xuan squatted by the edge of the crater and examined it carefully.

The black liquid was the blood of a Yao Beast.

The blood was still warm, carrying a fishy stench mixed with a burnt smell.

Judging by the amount of blood and the extent of the surrounding destruction, this Yao Beast was not small in size, at least High Grade Tier 1.

But the person who killed it had already left.

There were no traces left at the edge of the crater—no footprints, fragments of Magical Artifacts, or torn clothing; there was nothing.

The other party was very cautious.

Or rather, very professional.

Lin Xuan stood up and scanned his surroundings.

He found no other abnormalities.

He turned around to head back.

After walking only a few steps, the Herb-Seeking Mouse suddenly began to squeak.

It jumped off Lin Xuan's shoulder, ran behind a clump of weeds at the edge of the crater, and began digging in the dirt with its claws.

Lin Xuan followed it.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse dug a few times and scraped something the size of a fingernail out of the soil.

It was dark purple, translucent, looking like a piece of broken jade with fine patterns on the surface.

Lin Xuan picked it up and placed it in his palm to examine it carefully.

It was not jade.

It was a fragment of a scale from some kind of Yao Beast.

The edges of the fragment had charred marks; it must have been shattered after being struck by a lightning spell.

He put the fragment into his Storage Pouch.

It might be useful later.

He continued walking north.

The sun moved a bit further; it was probably around the Wei hour.

Lin Xuan found a place with an open view, preparing to rest for the night before continuing on his journey.

He chose a large tree with a thick trunk and a dense canopy, which could shelter him from the wind and rain.

He first released the Pangolin and let it burrow underground to scout around, confirming there were no lurking Yao Beasts.

Then he released the Herb-Seeking Mouse to circle around within a hundred zhang, confirming there was no danger.

Then he found a sturdy branch in the canopy, laid out a moisture-proof mat, and sat down cross-legged.

He took a few pieces of lightning-struck stone from his Storage Pouch, held them in his hands, and began to Cultivate.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here was too high.

It would be a waste not to seize the opportunity to Cultivate.

He circulated the "Zixiao Divine Thunder Technique," and Thunder Spiritual Energy surged through his Meridians, making the thunder seed in his Dantian shine brighter and brighter.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

His Spiritual Qi had improved by a fraction.

Although he was still far from a Breakthrough, the feeling of making progress every day was reassuring.

The sky grew dark.

This Secret Realm also had a day-night cycle.

After the sun set, the sky turned deep purple, and stars began to light up one by one.

The starlight was also light purple.

Lin Xuan leaned against the tree trunk, gazing at this strange sky.

Three years.

He had to stay here for three years.

Find the Nine-Story Stone Tower, pass the trials, and obtain the Legacy.

Then find the way back.

He closed his eyes.

In his ears was the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the occasional chirping of insects from afar.

It was very similar to the nights at Emerald Bamboo Peak.

But it was completely different.

Late at night.

Lin Xuan suddenly opened his eyes.

His Earth Listening Technique caught some movement—something was approaching.

It was moving very fast.

It was coming from the north.

He rolled over and sat up, pushed his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit, and curled up deep within the canopy, motionless.

A dozen breaths later.

A black shadow flew in from the north.

It was moving extremely fast, almost flashing by in an instant.

But Lin Xuan still saw it clearly.

It was a huge bird of prey.

Its wingspan exceeded three zhang, its body was pitch black, and the edges of its feathers shimmered with purple light.

Its talons clutched a fairly large Yao Beast, which was still struggling and letting out shrill screeches.

The bird of prey swept over the canopy, kicking up a gust of fierce wind.

The leaves rustled loudly.

Lin Xuan gripped the tree trunk tightly, steadying himself.

Only after the bird of prey had flown far away did he loosen his grip.

His palms were covered in sweat.

The aura of that bird of prey was at least High Grade Tier 1 Peak, perhaps even Tier 2.

If he had been discovered, even though he had means of self-preservation, he would not have been able to avoid a fierce battle.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath and sat back down properly.

This Secret Realm was more dangerous than he had imagined.

He closed his eyes and continued to Cultivate.

But his Earth Listening Technique remained active, monitoring the surroundings for any movement at all times.