Chapter 12

Layer upon layer of crimson light swirled around Xiao Hai, and the Dragon Spirit Pearl inside his body was rapidly undergoing changes.

Xiao Sen watched in terror, completely unaware of what terrifying thing was happening. His animal instincts made him sense something, and he also tried to approach the crimson light like Xiao Qi, but as soon as he got closer, he was immediately repelled by a powerful force.

This kind of light was not something any animal could approach; only those like Xiao Qi, who had a connection with the Dragon Spirit Pearl from the beginning, could do so.

When the last bit of essence from the black bear flowed into Xiao Hai's body, the Dragon Spirit Pearl finally stopped its terrifying absorption.

The black bear collapsed on the ground, unable to get up for at least several minutes. At this moment, the essence of the black bear absorbed by the Dragon Spirit Pearl quickly circulated through Xiao Hai's entire body, eventually converging at the Ren Meridian, beginning a new round of impact.

Xiao Qi tightly clung to Xiao Hai, motionless, fully enjoying the benefits brought by the crimson light.

Even more wondrous was that the jade scorpion hanging on Xiao Hai's chest seemed to be subtly absorbing something. The originally dull surface began to emit some light.

When the power of the black bear's essence was completely absorbed, Xiao Hai opened his eyes, checked his body, and found that the Ren Meridian was almost about to be unblocked. If another large animal's essence could be absorbed, the Dragon Spirit Pearl would completely break through the first level.

Moreover, the wounds left from the struggle with the black bear had been completely healed, leaving no scars.

Xiao Hai felt a surge of strength throughout his body. He clenched his fist and struck a nearby tree with all his might. With a "boom," the ancient tree swayed. If he were to fight the black bear again at this moment, it would not be so difficult.

Xiao Qi shook his body and stood up. His consciousness quickly transmitted, indicating that this little thing was gradually approaching the strength of a leopard.

Xiao Hai felt a mix of amusement and frustration. He had gone through great efforts to break through the first level of the Dragon Spirit Pearl, but Xiao Qi had already begun to advance to the second level.

However, there were some things he did not know. Due to the interconnected nature of animals, Xiao Qi could more easily digest the power brought by the essence, thus developing very rapidly in the early stages.

For humans, breaking through the first level of the Dragon Spirit Pearl was the most difficult, but once this level was broken, the future cultivation speed and the power it brought would far surpass what Xiao Qi could achieve.

Human intelligence was something animals could not match.

Xiao Sen was completely stunned. He felt the powerful energy emanating from Xiao Hai, lay down on the ground, and made "ah-woh, ah-woh" sounds, as if expressing his absolute loyalty and fear of rebellion to Xiao Hai.

The black bear finally staggered to its feet. Depleted of its essence, it could now be easily defeated by Xiao Qi. It looked at Xiao Hai in panic, fearing that this terrifying human would attack it again.

Xiao Hai only wanted to absorb its essence, not to harm its life. He waved his hand, "Go."

The black bear seemed to understand Xiao Hai's words, swaying its massive body, and stumbled away from there. It was truly unfortunate; it had only come to find a mate, but ended up having all its essence drained, and it would take years to recover.

Looking at Xiao Sen still lying on the ground, Xiao Hai had a thought. He looked up and saw a sparrow perched on a tree branch, sending a thread of consciousness: "Sparrow, sparrow, listen to my command! Come to me!"

The sparrow seemed to be struggling with something, but within a minute, it gave up its resistance and obediently flew to Xiao Hai.

Xiao Hai was overjoyed. The power of the Dragon Spirit Pearl was indeed incredible; he had already gained the ability to control low-level creatures.

Sparrows were at the lower end of the food chain. Although the Dragon Spirit Pearl inside Xiao Hai had not yet broken through the first level, the control it exerted was already beyond what a sparrow could resist.

"Sparrow, how long have you been in this forest?" Xiao Hai began to try to communicate with the sparrow using his consciousness.

Without the sparrow's intelligence being fully developed, Xiao Hai did not have high hopes, but to his surprise, the sparrow actually communicated with him after a few seconds: "Three years."

Damn, he could actually converse with a sparrow! It seemed that what his parents told him was true; he had already gained the ability to communicate with low-level creatures.

Xiao Hai suppressed his inner joy: "You've been in the forest for three years. Have you seen any strange monsters?"

"Many. I've seen a three-legged wolf, a one-eared rabbit, and a giant python."

Damn, what kind of monsters are these? Xiao Hai was both amused and frustrated, but for a low-level creature like a sparrow, this was already a good response.

Xiao Hai hoped to get some information about forest monsters from the sparrow. As a flying creature, it had been to many places and seen many things. Even if there were real forest monsters, the sparrow could escape by flying. Would the forest monsters fly too?

Xiao Hai thought for a moment and asked carefully: "What I mean is, have you seen any monsters that you've never seen in the past three years? For example, something particularly large or particularly fierce?"

"Ah, now that you mention it, there is one."

The sparrow's response instantly invigorated Xiao Hai. He listened as the sparrow continued: "A few days ago, when I went to look for food, I saw a terrifying creature. Its body wasn't very large, but its claws could retract."

Retractable claws? Hmm, that was quite unique, but it didn't seem too terrifying. However, the sparrow's next words made Xiao Hai draw a sharp breath:

"When I saw this monster, it was eating a leopard!"

"What?" Xiao Hai's eyes widened: "Eating a leopard?"

The sparrow's response was very definite: "At the time, the leopard was still alive, but it had no ability to resist in front of the monster. The monster first bit the leopard to death, then tore off a large piece of flesh with its sharp teeth and swallowed it. After eating its fill, it tore off another large piece of the leopard's flesh and quickly climbed up a tree..."

Xiao Hai was completely stunned. What kind of creature was this?

A leopard, with extremely strong combat ability, had no ability to resist in front of this monster? And from the sparrow's description, this monster could easily tear the leopard's flesh, indicating that its teeth, jaw muscles, and bite force were incredibly strong.

Even more outrageous was that this monster could climb trees. Fortunately, it couldn't fly, or it would be invincible.

Xiao Hai couldn't help but look up, wondering if a monster might suddenly leap down from the trees above!