602: Lu Xueqi (79)

Su Han and Lu Xueqi immediately became alert and interrupted their Cultivation.

Su Han spread his Divine Sense and indeed felt dozens of auras of varying strengths rapidly approaching from the dense forest in all directions.

These auras were filled with wildness and a thirst for blood.

"Prepare to meet the enemy!" Su Han said in a deep voice, forcibly drawing upon the Spiritual Qi he had barely recovered, and gripping the long sword in his hand tightly.

Lu Xueqi also managed to hold the tianya divine sword, its blade emitting a faint glow.

Beside Bi Yao, several Gu insects flapped their wings and flew up, emitting a buzzing sound.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Black shadows darted out from the bushes and treetops, surrounding the three of them in the center.

They were a type of Yao Beast resembling a leopard, but larger in size, with dark purple fur, scarlet eyes, and drooling saliva from their mouths.

They bared their fangs, emitting low roars, their gazes greedily fixed on the three "intruders."

"It's the Purple Lightning Leopard! A second-tier Yao Beast, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage, extremely fast, and their claws and teeth carry paralyzing poison!" Bi Yao quickly recognized the Yao Beast, her expression grave.

Dozens of second-tier Yao Beasts—under normal circumstances, the three of them would not fear them.

But now, all three were severely injured and had not yet recovered, their strength reduced to less than one-tenth, making the situation instantly perilous.

"Roar!"

A particularly robust Purple Lightning Leopard, seemingly the leader, let out a fierce roar.

Instantly, the surrounding leopard pack, as if receiving an order, transformed into streaks of purple lightning and pounced from different directions!

"Be careful!"

Su Han swung his sword to block; the sword light collided with the leopard's claw, producing the sound of clashing metal.

His arm shook, Qi and blood surged, and he was secretly alarmed by the immense strength of these beasts!

Lu Xueqi's swordsmanship was exquisite; the tianya divine sword drew an arc of light, forcing back two Purple Lightning Leopards, but her face turned even paler.

Bi Yao commanded her Gu insects to meet the enemy, spreading a poisonous mist that temporarily blocked one area, but the Gu insects' attacks seemed discounted against these thick-skinned Yao Beasts.

What was worse was that these Purple Lightning Leopards were extremely cunning, using their speed and numerical advantage to constantly circle and attack, draining their already meager stamina and Spiritual Qi.

Su Han's shoulder was grazed by the sharp claws of a Purple Lightning Leopard that sneaked an attack from the side. His clothes tore, leaving several bloody gashes, and a paralyzing sensation immediately spread.

He hurriedly circulated his Spiritual Qi to force out the poison.

"This can't go on! We won't last much longer!" Bi Yao said anxiously; two of her Gu insects had already been slapped to death.

Su Han's eyes sharpened as he looked at the Leopard King that had been directing from the periphery.

To capture the bandits, first capture the king!

He took a deep breath, disregarding the stinging pain in his Meridians, and frantically poured the barely recovered Spiritual Qi into the long sword in his hand.

The sword hummed, emitting a Chaos-colored light.

"Reincarnation Sword Intent, Slash!"

A condensed beam of Sword Qi, containing a faint trace of Reincarnation true meaning, locked onto the Leopard King and cleaved through the air!

This strike drained Su Han of the strength he had painstakingly accumulated.

A flicker of terror flashed in the Leopard King's scarlet eyes; it sensed the threat of this sword. It roared, and purple lightning enveloped its body as it leaped violently to dodge.

Hiss!

The Sword Qi grazed its hind leg, tearing away a large patch of flesh and leaving a bloody mess.

The Leopard King cried out in pain and anger, but its offensive momentarily faltered.

When the other Purple Lightning Leopards saw their leader injured, their attack also experienced a momentary lapse in coordination.

"Go!"

Su Han let out a low shout, pulling Lu Xueqi with one hand and Bi Yao with the other, seizing the opportunity to charge toward the weak point where the leopard pack had appeared.

He had to gamble—bet that these Yao Beasts' territorial instincts would prevent them from pursuing too far.

The three stumbled and fled through the dense forest.

Behind them, the injured Leopard King let out a resentful roar, leading the pack in relentless pursuit.

Su Han felt his lungs burning as if on fire, his legs heavy as lead, and the numbness was still spreading.

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao were not faring much better.

If this continued, they would be caught sooner or later.

Just as Su Han was about to fall into despair, the scene ahead suddenly opened up.

They burst out of the dense forest, and before them lay a wide valley.

In the center of the valley, a clear stream meandered through.

And on the opposite bank, near the mountain wall, there seemed to be a dark cave entrance.

What moved Su Han even more was that the reincarnation mirror on his chest actually pulsed faintly when approaching that cave entrance!

Although the pulse was so weak it was almost imperceptible, this was its first active reaction since it had gone silent!

"Go to that mountain cave!" Su Han said without hesitation.

Perhaps there was something there capable of resonating with the reincarnation mirror?

The three waded across the icy stream and rushed toward the cave on the opposite bank.

The leopard pack chasing behind them stopped abruptly at the stream's edge, emitting uneasy low growls toward the cave entrance, pacing back and forth, seemingly quite fearful of that cave.

Su Han looked back and saw this scene, becoming even more certain that the cave was unusual.

But at this moment, they had no way back.

The cave entrance was not large, only wide enough for two or three people to walk abreast. It was pitch black inside, bottomless, and exuded a cool, damp aura.

Su Han stood at the entrance, took a deep breath, and cautiously extended his Divine Sense inward.

His Divine Sense stretched dozens of feet in, and he did not detect any obvious dangerous aura; instead, he felt that the Spiritual Qi inside the cave seemed even denser and purer.

"It's safe inside for now; let's go in and take shelter first," Su Han said.

The three helped each other and stepped into the dark mountain cave.

The moment they stepped into the cave, Su Han failed to notice that the crack on the surface of the reincarnation mirror resting against his chest flashed with an extremely subtle, dim stream of light.

It was as if something had been quietly triggered by their arrival.

The interior of the cave was much wider than the entrance, winding downward to an unknown destination.

Some moss that emitted a faint fluorescence adhered to the rock walls, providing a little illumination.

The deeper they went, the richer the Spiritual Qi became, even forming a faint spiritual mist.

"What a place! Healing here will surely double the results with half the effort!" Bi Yao exclaimed happily.

Su Han, however, dared not relax his vigilance, keeping his Divine Sense alert.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the passage began to flatten, and a huge underground cavern appeared ahead.

In the center of the cavern, there was actually a small pool of water.

The pool water was crystal clear, emitting astonishing Spiritual Qi and vigorous vitality!

And in the center of the pool, a strange plant was growing.

It was only about a foot tall, entirely like jade, possessing nine leaves, each leaf shaped differently—some like swords, some like fans, and some like hearts.

Mysterious patterns were naturally formed on the leaves, subtly conforming to the trajectory of the Great Dao.

And at the top of the plant grew a fruit the size of a longan, crystal clear. Inside the fruit, it seemed as if swirling mist was circulating, emitting an alluring fragrance.

"Is this... Nine-Aperture Spirit Ginseng? No, the shape is wrong... These patterns... Could it be the legendary 'nine-leaf spirit nourishing herb'?" Bi Yao, with her vast knowledge, identified the plant, her voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"nine-leaf spirit nourishing herb? What is that?" Su Han asked. He could feel that this plant was extraordinary, containing pure and immense energy. (End of Chapter)