74: Chapter 74 Seeking a Breakthrough Opportunity

Upon entering the outer regions of the Black Cloud Mountains, Ye Tian did not linger for long.

He traversed the dense forest rapidly, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

Relying on his far superior perception, he easily discovered several low-grade Spiritual Plants growing in rocky crevices or at the roots of ancient trees, such as 'Blood Coagulation Grass' and 'Azure Spirit Flower'.

These Spiritual Plants were somewhat useful for Martial Artists in the early to mid-stages of the Qi Gathering Realm, but for the current Half-step Condensation Realm Ye Tian, the Spiritual Qi contained within them was almost negligible.

Nonetheless, Ye Tian carefully harvested them and stored them in his Spatial Ring.

“Mother isn't a Martial Artist. These low-grade Spiritual Plants have mild medicinal properties, making them perfect for brewing medicinal soups to strengthen her body and prolong her life.”

Thinking of his mother's increasing white hair, a trace of warmth flashed in Ye Tian's eyes.

Isn't the point of increasing one's strength to better protect one's loved ones?

Along the way, he also encountered several blind low-grade Vicious Beasts.

A snarling Iron-back Boar covered in sharp quills charged out from the bushes, heading straight for him.

There was also a Green-scaled Python hidden under the fallen leaves that suddenly launched an attack.

However, these Vicious Beasts, which posed a significant threat to ordinary fifth or sixth-layer Qi Gathering Realm Martial Artists, were simply vulnerable before the current Ye Tian.

He didn't even bother to use True Qi, relying solely on the physical strength provided by the fourth layer of the Dragon Elephant Art to casually throw punches and kicks.

Bang! With a single punch, the Iron-back Boar's hard back armor, which could withstand blades, instantly caved in. Its massive body was sent flying, snapping a small tree, and it went silent after a couple of twitches.

Swish! A whip-like kick swept across, snapping the Green-scaled Python's tough body and twisting its head into a bizarre angle.

Ye Tian's breathing didn't even falter after dealing with these Vicious Beasts.

He skillfully removed the boar's tusks and the python's venom glands and gallbladders—valuable parts that served as good Materials for Artifact Refining or Alchemy and could be exchanged for resources.

The entire process was clean and efficient.

Soon, Ye Tian arrived at the border between the outer region and the depths of the mountain range.

The light grew dim here, and Ye Tian immediately slowed his pace.

He not only restrained his aura but also controlled his breathing to an extremely low frequency.

“The depths are different from the outskirts. Seventh and eighth-rank Vicious Beasts are everywhere, and there might even be ninth-rank or even stronger existences.”

Ye Tian's gaze was solemn as he vigilantly observed the surroundings, catching every unusual sound.

More importantly, he needed to watch out for the people from the Black Cloud Stronghold!

“The Black Cloud Stronghold's nest is deep within this mountain range.

Although their primary activity area might be further in, there's no guarantee that patrol squads or hunting parties won't appear in this area,” Ye Tian calculated in his mind.

Once he encountered people from the Black Cloud Stronghold, he had to kill them instantly with lightning-fast methods; he couldn't let anyone escape to report back.

Otherwise, if he drew Yan She out, he would lose a layer of skin even if he didn't die.

Although he had stepped into the Half-step Condensation Realm, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could fight a Ningyuan Realm expert yet.

Especially since the opponent was a powerhouse at the Peak of the first-layer Ningyuan Realm.

Stepping into the depths of the Black Cloud Mountains, the environment became treacherous.

Ye Tian pushed his perception to the limit, staying alert for attacks that could come from any direction.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for trouble to follow.

A seventh-rank Iron-armored Crocodile lurking in the swamp mud suddenly lunged, snapping at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian shifted his body slightly, and his Overlapping Wave Fist struck first. A punch landed on its flank, and the erupting hidden force instantly shattered its internal organs.

Then, a pack of sixth-rank Bloodthirsty Demon Wolves targeted him as prey, surrounding and attacking him in a group.

Ye Tian's figure was like the wind as he wove through the pack. Every punch accurately struck a wolf's head or spine. In just a short while, over a dozen fierce demon wolves lay dead, their blood staining the ground red.

These seventh and eighth-rank Vicious Beasts no longer posed much of a threat to the current Ye Tian.

He was mostly honing his combat techniques, familiarizing himself with the use of Half-step Condensation Realm power, and sensing that mysterious Martial Dao Will, attempting to integrate it into his daily combat instincts.

Although these Vicious Beasts were somewhat lacking as opponents, Ye Tian's harvest was quite bountiful.

Besides the valuable Materials from the beasts, he also luckily found several high-grade Spiritual Plants, such as 'Dragon Blood Lingzhi' and 'Purple Monkey Flower'. Though they might not help much in breaking through his Bottleneck, they were still rare resources.

However, as the Vicious Beasts he encountered grew stronger, Ye Tian began to feel a hint of pressure.

An eighth-rank Peak 'Rage Bear' with fur like steel needles possessed incredible strength; a single paw strike was enough to shatter stone tablets.

Ye Tian clashed head-on with it for several punches, and was actually shaken until his blood surged. Finally, relying on his agile movement and the penetration of the Overlapping Wave Fist, he found an opportunity to shatter its heart with one punch.

The most thrilling encounter was when he simultaneously faced two ninth-rank Vicious Beasts.

One was an 'Shadow Leopard' with extreme speed and sharp claws; the other was a 'Ground Dragon Lizard' with incredible defense and a talent for earth-element Spells.

These two beasts, one attacking and one defending, coordinated perfectly, causing Ye Tian no small amount of trouble.

The Shadow Leopard constantly launched ambushes from the shadows, its sharp claws nearly slashing Ye Tian's throat several times.

Meanwhile, the Ground Dragon Lizard was thick-skinned and could manipulate soil to form barriers or ground spikes, restricting Ye Tian's movement.

In that battle, Ye Tian used almost all of his strength.

He pushed the Overlapping Wave Fist to its limit, the hidden force penetrating layer by layer as he specifically targeted the Ground Dragon Lizard's joints and the Shadow Leopard's abdomen and other weak spots.

The battle lasted for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, leaving the forest floor in shambles. Ultimately, relying on his superior combat awareness, Ye Tian seized an opportunity and first shattered the Ground Dragon Lizard's head with a heavy punch.

He then spun around and kicked the pouncing Shadow Leopard away, followed by closing in and completely killing it with a series of punches.

Although he successfully slew these two ninth-rank Vicious Beasts, Ye Tian had also consumed a lot of True Qi and gained a few shallow wounds on his body.

He sat on a giant rock to adjust his breathing, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Ninth-rank Vicious Beasts... their strength is indeed impressive, equivalent to a human at the tenth-layer of Qi Gathering.

But fighting them, while it can hone my skills, still doesn't let me feel that extreme life-and-death pressure.”

Ye Tian looked inward at his Dantian; that barrier leading to the Ningyuan Realm remained motionless, without the slightest sign of loosening.

What he needed wasn't an evenly matched battle, but a life-and-death trial that could squeeze out all his potential and push him to the brink!

“It seems I must find a tenth-rank Vicious Beast!”

A flash of desire crossed Ye Tian's eyes.

A tenth-rank Vicious Beast was equivalent to a Half-step Condensation Realm human Martial Artist. Moreover, Vicious Beasts were naturally physically powerful with vigorous blood vitality; at the same rank, they were often harder to deal with than human Martial Artists.

This was exactly the opponent he dreamed of!

However, tenth-rank Vicious Beasts were overlord-level existences in the depths of the Black Cloud Mountains, and their numbers were extremely scarce.

They usually occupied territories with the densest Spiritual Qi, and their tracks were extremely difficult to find.

For the next four or five days, Ye Tian searched carefully in the deep mountains and old forests.

He climbed dangerous Peaks, dived into secluded valleys, and judged potential territories of powerful Vicious Beasts based on faint scents in the air, massive footprints on the ground, or signs of violently destroyed trees.

He encountered more eighth and ninth-rank Vicious Beasts and discovered many rare spiritual Materials, but as for the tracks of a tenth-rank Vicious Beast, he remained empty-handed.

“Are tenth-rank Vicious Beasts truly this rare?

Or perhaps they sensed something and are intentionally avoiding me?”

Standing on a high cliff, Ye Tian couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

Time waited for no one.

The Black Cloud Stronghold's Chief, Tu Qianshan, could come out of seclusion at any time, and the Family crisis was imminent.

He had to Breakthrough as soon as possible! “I can't keep searching blindly like this.”

Ye Tian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Perhaps... I can change my approach.

Tenth-rank Vicious Beasts require massive amounts of energy to survive; they must be entrenched in the core areas where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is most concentrated.”

His gaze turned toward the deepest part of the mountain range, an area shrouded in even thicker mist.

That was a region even he had never visited!

“It seems if I want to find the opportunity for a Breakthrough, I can only go there to try my luck.”

A look of determination flashed in Ye Tian's eyes.