Chapter 7

The next afternoon, Yichen and Tian Tao met up with the slowly approaching Yi family convoy.

"Mr. Tian, Mr. Lin, I am truly grateful to you both. You saved all of us and the goods. I will definitely report this to the village chief when we return," Huoning said with a face full of gratitude.

Everyone knew that the Black Eagles had suffered a heavy blow and would not recover in the short term, so the Black Eagles' bandit group's operation had already been thwarted. Thus, the three of them continued on their way to the Hundred Li Forest.

They had been searching for herbs in the forest for three days.

The Bitter Grass was relatively easy to find, and they collected over a dozen plants on the second day, along with some Nightmare Grass and Rootless Grass.

They also encountered a few low-level magic beasts, such as a first-level Demon Rat and a second-level Wind Demon Wolf, all of which were easily killed by the three of them. The magic cores all went to Yichen.

Now they were heading deeper into the forest, believing that the Sand棠 Fruit would definitely appear.

Yichen had been preoccupied for the past three days. He had killed someone, and he had even gouged out the person's eyes, looking very experienced.

Thinking about it later, he was still frightened. Fortunately, Tian Tao and Lin Lei were there to console him. If someone wants to kill you and you don't want to be killed, you can't run forever. The only way is to kill the other person.

However, killing requires skill. The weak are often the ones who get killed. Only by being stronger than the other person can you protect your own life.

Of course, if you are strong enough, so strong that no one can match you, then no one will dare to kill you.

Yichen also thought about what Hei Wu had said. That 'Mr. Chen' and the Liu An father and son were treacherous and cunning, using others to do their dirty work while keeping themselves out of it. They were even worse than the Black Eagles.

Suddenly, Yichen didn't think Hei Wu was so bad. At least he had told the truth, or perhaps he should even be thanked. But he had left two scars on Yichen, which seemed a bit unfair.

However, whoever it was, if they posed a threat to the Yi family, they were his enemy.

He must practice his skills to protect his family. Only by becoming stronger can he ensure that his family does not suffer harm.

Liu Dong, Liu An, the Black Eagles, and that unseen Mr. Chen, I, Yichen, will one day seek revenge on all of you.

Although my strength is not enough now, I will do everything in my power and use every opportunity to make my enemies suffer...

"Yichen, be careful," Lin Lei suddenly called out, "A third-level magic beast is appearing. Be cautious!"

As he spoke, with a gust of wind, a magic beast with two pairs of wings and a snake-like body flew toward the three of them.

"Four-Winged Demon Snake," Tian Tao, who already had his long sword in hand, met the magic beast with a move called 'Long Rainbow Pierces the Sun.'

Gathering his battle qi on the sword, he transformed it into a series of sword qi, thrusting upward.

The Four-Winged Demon Snake flapped its wings, changing direction in mid-air and gliding past.

The sword tip struck the front wing, meeting the scales, causing Tian Tao's arm to tingle. Sparks flew, but it didn't injure the beast.

Lin Lei took the opportunity to slash with his blade. The Four-Winged Demon Snake couldn't avoid it and was hit on the neck.

Lin Lei's cultivation had reached the fourth rank of Battle Supervisor, and this slash was very powerful. It broke through the scales and entered about an inch, blood flowing from the wound.

The Four-Winged Demon Snake, struck, descended to the ground.

Yichen leaped up, riding on the Four-Winged Demon Snake's back, and with his dagger, he inserted it into the neck wound and cut outward.

The Four-Winged Demon Snake, in pain, flapped its wings to try to knock Yichen off.

But Yichen, enduring the pain, continued to stab and cut. Finally, the Four-Winged Demon Snake stopped moving, and Tian Tao helped Yichen extract the magic core.

When Yichen practiced at night, he felt the qi surge into his dantian. The elemental qi in the wild was much more concentrated than in a room. He knew that the two elders were nearby protecting him, so he just needed to focus on his practice.

After two hours, Yichen stopped practicing. He had broken through again, now at the ninth rank of Battle Master.

For two years, he had dropped from the ninth rank to the fifth rank and then returned to the ninth rank.

In terms of rank, these two years were a waste, but in terms of actual cultivation, he was at least two levels higher than before.

Especially the enhancement of his willpower, mental strength, and perception, it was as if a super-strong soul was guiding his will, allowing him to sense weak auras within a 300-meter range.

Yichen knew that these improvements were not related to the 'Great Five Elements Technique.' Could it be that the soul of the Golden Armor's owner had grown stronger?

The three of them continued to explore deeper into the forest. Suddenly, Yichen's eyes lit up. Less than a hundred meters ahead, there was a tree as thick as a thigh, no more than three meters tall.

The branches were adorned with small yellow flowers, and through the leaves, he could see several fist-sized red fruits.

Sand棠 Fruit!

"Brother Tian, look over there, the Sand棠 Fruit," Yichen was very excited. He had found it, finally found it.

"Brother, let me see. Is it the tree with yellow flowers? Where is the Sand棠 Fruit? Red... inside the leaves... fist-sized... I see it, I really see it!" Tian Tao was so excited that he spoke incoherently.

"Brother Tian, you have great luck. You will soon advance, and I will have a General-level friend... Let's go pick the fruit quickly," Lin Lei finally remembered what to do.

The three of them quickly approached the Sand棠 Tree, only about forty meters away.

Yichen suddenly sensed danger ahead and immediately pulled Tian Tao and Lin Lei back.

They stopped, carefully observing the area within a hundred meters ahead.

Tian Tao also felt a faint aura nearby, carrying a sense of pressure.

Upon closer inspection, they found a monster about two meters tall in the forest fifty meters ahead.

It had an owl's body with a human face, but the face was smaller and more pointed, with a hooked nose. Its wings were covered in fiery red feathers, and it stood on one foot, staring at Yichen and the others.

Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon

This was an ancient fierce beast that Yichen had read about in a book.

The most amazing thing about the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon was its fiery red feathers, which could avoid lightning strikes. If a person carried one of these feathers, they would not be struck by lightning.

It usually hibernated during spring and summer, becoming active from late autumn to winter. It mostly ate fruit and rarely attacked humans, but it had a bad temper.

The Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon in front of them was a fourth-level magic beast, equivalent to a second to fourth rank Battle General.

Among the three, Tian Tao had the highest cultivation, but he was only at the ninth rank of Battle Supervisor.

Generally, a first-rank Battle General could easily defeat a ninth-rank Battle Supervisor, with a significant gap between them. It took five to ten years for a cultivator to break through from the ninth rank of Battle Supervisor to the first rank of Battle General, and those who could do it in ten years or less were considered to have high talent and good potential. Most people, over 90%, could never break through in their lifetime.

Tian Tao barely qualified as the first type, but he still needed the help of elixirs.

Even if Yichen and the others attacked together, they would pose no threat to the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon.

They couldn't go around it either; it was less than ten meters from the Sand棠 Fruit. With its temper, it wouldn't let anyone get so close. Waiting wasn't an option either; if it ate the Sand棠 Fruit, all their efforts would be in vain.

Yichen thought of a plan, and after discussing it with the others, they decided it was feasible.

So, Yichen stayed in place, while Tian Tao and Lin Lei quickly moved to the right, maintaining a distance of no less than fifty meters from the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon, and circled around to its back through the forest.

Then they slowly approached from behind. When they were about twenty meters away, the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon suddenly turned, flapped its wings, and glanced at Tian Tao and Lin Lei, but took no further action, perhaps just warning them to stay away.

The two of them clearly felt a strong gust of wind, with great force, making their faces feel hot and their bodies sway.

Tian Tao was startled. Fortunately, this creature didn't take them seriously and was relatively polite, otherwise, they would have been in trouble.

But politeness wouldn't help. They needed to ask it to leave. He didn't want to provoke it, but they had to pick the Sand棠 Fruit, so they had to offend it.

Tian Tao and Lin Lei steadied themselves and continued to approach, fifteen meters, twelve meters... The Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon, seeing that the warning was ineffective, became angry.

It let out a loud "Wah" and flapped its wings, but found that the trees were only about two meters apart, not enough for it to spread its wings and fly.

Seeing the two men approaching, it became even angrier, hopping forward on its one leg, looking quite comical, losing its previous gentlemanly demeanor, and charging at the two men.

Seeing the fierce attack, the two men turned and ran, choosing areas with dense trees.

Yichen didn't stay idle. Taking advantage of the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon's distraction, he darted to the Sand棠 Tree, reaching the trunk in a blink and plucking the Sand棠 Fruit.

There were many fruits, with over a dozen ripe ones, which he quickly collected.

Meanwhile, Tian Tao and Lin Lei were in a dangerous situation. They had successfully lured the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon over a hundred meters away but found themselves unable to escape.

Don't underestimate its one leg; it was very fast, easily agile despite its large body, and caught up to the two men in a few breaths.

The two men quickly separated, Tian Tao to the left, Lin Lei to the right.

The Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon hesitated for a moment and then hopped to the left. Lin Lei's pressure was immediately reduced, and he looked back to see Tian Tao in a dangerous situation.

In front of Tian Tao was an open area, perfect for the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon to use its abilities.

Tian Tao and Lin Lei hadn't been injured yet, mainly due to the terrain. The trees were close together, preventing the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon from flying, making its wings a burden; with only one leg, it was also inconvenient. Even with great abilities, it had no place to use them.

This was the main reliance of their plan. Without it, they had no chance of resistance, and Tian Tao didn't know Yichen's situation.

So, Tian Tao turned and faced the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon, and Lin Lei came from the other side, forming a two-on-one situation.

The two men took out their weapons and continued to engage the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon.

However, the beast didn't want to continue the fight. It had lost patience and spread its wings.

"Rustle"

Several trees as thick as bowls fell, leaving Tian Tao with no barrier. Lin Lei saw his opportunity and swung his blade, striking the beast's right wing.

"Crack" There was a sound of something breaking. The wing was broken? Lin Lei was delighted, but upon closer inspection, he was disappointed. It was just a few feathers that had fallen.

Before he could lament, he heard a "Slap," and Lin Lei was hit by the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon, flying sideways and crashing into a tree ten meters away.

"Crack" This time, something really broke. The tree broke, and Lin Lei's bones broke too.

"Clang" The blade flew out, landing at the feet of Yichen, who had come to support them.

Yichen helped the unconscious Lin Lei, took a pill from the Sun and Moon Flask, and forced it into his mouth.

At this moment, Tian Tao exchanged another blow with the Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon. Tian Tao stabbed the beast's chest, though not deeply, it still bled profusely. At the same time, Tian Tao was hit in the chest, injuring his internal organs, and fell unconscious.

The Lightning-Avoiding One-Legged Falcon was thoroughly enraged. It knew where Yichen was and wouldn't let him go.