26: The white jade lingzhi mushroom fled in panic!
Night fell, and the martial arts hall sank into silence.
Li Qing lay on the bed, listening to Hou San's steady snoring, as his consciousness slowly sank into his Clone.
Splash!
The river water enveloped the massive turtle body, and the four-meter-long Black Armored Turtle opened its eyes inside the cave.
"Master!"
Ten thoughts arrived almost simultaneously as Catfish Head and the others lined up neatly, awaiting orders.
Li Qing glanced at the evolution value panel.
【evolution value: 487.3/5000】
The feeding effect from his subordinates during the day was good, increasing by over a hundred points in a single day. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could evolve again.
"Well done."
Li Qing transmitted a satisfied thought and then swam out of the cave.
"Xiao Hei, lead the way. Let's go see that patch of glowing water plants you found last night."
"Yes!"
Xiao Hei excitedly swished its tail fin, leading the way.
The grand procession of Vicious Beasts swam along the riverbed, with ten Vicious Beast Guards at Li Qing's side, their Aura impressive.
Passing small fish and shrimp fled in all directions, and even some Second Tier Vicious Beasts avoided them from a distance upon sensing this pressure.
After swimming for about fifteen minutes, Xiao Hei stopped in front of a cliff.
"Master, it's right here!"
Li Qing looked up; the cliff was about thirty meters high, its surface covered in moss and algae.
In the middle of the cliff, there was a natural stone cave, its entrance hidden by hanging water plants.
Through the gaps in the water plants, a soft white light could be seen emanating from inside the cave.
"Catfish Head, One-Horn, you two stand Guard outside. The rest of you, follow me in."
Li Qing swam toward the entrance and used his turtle claws to push aside the hanging water plants.
As soon as he entered, the sight before him shocked him.
It was a small stone cave, with dense white Spiritual Plants growing on the walls.
Each one emitted a faint fluorescence, illuminating the entire cave like a dream.
Deep within the cave, a palm-sized Spiritual Plant was growing quietly on a protruding rock.
That Lingzhi was crystal clear like jade, emitting a light more concentrated than the other Spiritual Plants; just looking at it made one feel invigorated.
A transparent System panel immediately appeared before Li Qing.
【First Tier Spiritual Plant, white jade lingzhi. Contains a small amount of Spiritual Qi. Can be used for Alchemy or consumed directly. Can temper the Physical Body.】
"white jade lingzhi!"
Looking at the information on the System panel, Li Qing was ecstatic.
This was a First Tier Spirit Medicine, worth a fortune!
Even in the Inner City's Hundred Herbs Hall, it would be an expensive Spirit Medicine.
He hurriedly swam toward the white jade lingzhi and carefully dug it up by the roots with his turtle claws.
According to the "Hundred Herbs Compendium" he had read in the Inner City.
The white jade lingzhi before him was not yet mature, and usually, there were guardian Vicious Beasts near Spirit Medicines.
To be safe, only what was in his stomach was truly his!
Li Qing chose to swallow it without hesitation.
The Lingzhi melted in his mouth, turning into a scorching warm current that flowed through his body.
His evolution value instantly surged, jumping from 487.3 straight to 787.3.
【evolution value: 787.3/5000】
He was one step closer to the next evolution!
Looking at it this way, it's actually quite fast.
Li Qing suppressed his excitement and began harvesting the other Spiritual Plants on the cave walls.
These were low-tier Spiritual Plants, each providing between 5 to 10 evolution value points.
Although the value of a single plant wasn't high, the sheer number made up for it.
There were over a hundred tiny Spiritual Plants in the entire cave; after devouring them all, Li Qing's evolution value reached 【942.7/5000】.
He was less than sixty points away from reaching 1,000 evolution value!
"Master is mighty!"
Xiao Hei transmitted its thoughts excitedly; being able to find so many treasures for its master made it feel deeply honored.
Its status in its master's heart would surely increase.
"Well done. I'll give you all an extra meal when we get back."
Li Qing was in high spirits and was about to leave when he suddenly felt a powerful presence rapidly approaching.
"Not good! A powerful enemy!"
Li Qing's expression changed, and he immediately swam out of the cave.
In the river water, a massive black shadow, ten meters long, was swimming toward them.
Its Aura was so strong that it far surpassed any Vicious Beast present.
【Four-Clawed Black Python! (Third Tier Middle Stage Fierce Beast)】
【Extremely fast, bloodthirsty and cruel, powerful strength, robust ability.】
A Third Tier Fierce Beast!
And it wasn't just an ordinary Early Stage Third Tier; it was a Middle Stage Third Tier existence!
"Retreat!"
Li Qing ordered a retreat without hesitation.
The ten Vicious Beasts immediately scattered and swam away, but the black shadow was too fast, catching up in the blink of an eye.
Aided by the faint light, Li Qing finally saw the true face of the newcomer.
It was a giant python, pitch-black all over, its head as thick as a bucket, with a pair of crimson vertical pupils flashing with bloodthirsty light.
It actually had four sharp claws on its body!
Each one gleamed with a metallic cold light.
Four-Clawed Black Python!
Has this snake turned into a python?
A Middle Stage Third Tier Fierce Beast.
In this Jiangling Great River, it was an overlord-level Vicious Beast.
"Damn it, how did I run into a monster like this!"
Li Qing cursed inwardly, but his movements were not slow as he immediately activated 【Mystic Water Manipulation】.
The surrounding river water instantly formed a massive whirlpool, blocking the Four-Clawed Black Python's advance.
The python merely flicked its tail contemptuously, and the whirlpool was easily broken.
The gap was too large!
"Master, go quickly! We'll hold it back!"
Catfish Head and One-Horn rushed forward without hesitation, and the other lackeys also joined the attack.
This was the terror of Li Qing's Domination talent.
Wholehearted loyalty!
But in the face of absolute strength, numerical advantage was meaningless.
The Four-Clawed Black Python opened its blood-red maw, and a terrifying suction force emanated from it.
One-Horn bore the brunt of it and was sucked directly into the python's mouth.
Crack!
The sound of bones shattering echoed, and One-Horn was killed instantly.
"One-Horn!"
Li Qing felt a surge of hatred; one of his generals was gone so quickly.
"Scatter and run!"
Amidst his anger, he issued the order to flee.
The remaining Vicious Beasts immediately scattered and fled, leaving the Four-Clawed Black Python momentarily unsure of which one to pursue.
Li Qing took the opportunity to activate 【Mystic Water Manipulation】, creating a patch of chaotic currents behind him, and then swam away as fast as he could.
Roars echoed from behind; he didn't know how many more of his lackeys had met a cruel end.
Li Qing gnashed his teeth, but for now, survival was the priority.
If his lackeys were gone, he could recruit more, but if he was gone, everything would truly be lost!
He swam frantically the whole way, only daring to stop and catch his breath when he could no longer feel that terrifying presence.
After a long while, upon returning to the cave, only seven of his ten fierce generals remained.
One-Horn, Jian Ya, and Li Zhua would never return.
"Damned beast!"
Li Qing was fuming with rage, his previous smugness largely extinguished.
Although Third Tier Fierce Beasts were rare in this Great River.
But they weren't non-existent. He had still been too careless.
Still have to play it safe!