Chapter 38

Although Gu Xuyao's current cultivation was not as high as the Black Horned Bug's, the lower abdomen of the Black Horned Bug, which was covered by a hard shell, was its most vulnerable spot. Moreover, the Thunder Roar Five Shouts technique that Gu Xuyao practiced was a desperate offensive method that completely abandoned defense. No matter how strong the Black Horned Bug was, it would be heavily struck by Gu Xuyao's attack and sent flying.

The Black Horned Bug fell heavily, emitting a mournful cry. By then, Gu Xuyao had already taken Zi Bi and left the blade grass patch.

Returning to the small path, Gu Xuyao knew that it wouldn't be long before the Black Horned Bug would come chasing after them.

However, everything would proceed according to the plan.

"Roar!" The Black Horned Bug roared as it rushed out of the blade grass patch, looking around and searching for scents. Soon, it discovered Gu Xuyao's trail, flapped its wings, and flew in the direction of the Black-Eyed Ape's nest where Yi Xia and the others were.

Not long after the Black Horned Bug left, a giant tree, about eight zhang tall, moved slightly. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that a piece of bark at the base of the tree was moving. Further observation revealed that the bark had been cut open with yuan power, and a weak woman walked out from it.

"Gu Gu, you must be safe..." The person was none other than Zi Bi. After muttering a few words, Zi Bi followed the small path, staggering out of the Great Wild Forest.

The Black Horned Bug was not the strongest fierce beast in the Great Wild Forest, but it had managed to survive and reproduce here due to its characteristics. To some extent, it had its beastly traits, so its anger could not be underestimated.

"Roar!" When Gu Xuyao sensed the Black Horned Bug chasing after him, he already knew that Zi Bi must have safely moved out of the Great Wild Forest by then.

"Although letting Zi Bi act alone is also unsafe, it's much safer than facing the frenzied Black Horned Bug with me." Gu Xuyao thought to himself. He knew that his speed was no match for the Black Horned Bug, so continuously using the Wind Riding Jade to dart between tree trunks was an essential evasion tactic.

"Boom!" As he ran, a loud noise came from ahead. Gu Xuyao knew that it was the commotion caused by Yi Xia and the others.

"I wonder what expression Senior Sister Yi Xia will have when I suddenly bring a Black Horned Bug over..." Thinking about how his fellow disciples were also suffering from other attacks, Gu Xuyao suddenly felt a bit guilty.

"If only my cultivation were sufficient, this Black Horned Bug, how hateful..." A look of hatred flashed across his face, and Gu Xuyao quickened his pace.

The high-level technique used by Yi Xia from the Taiheng Sect was incredibly powerful, as evidenced by the sea of fire in front of him.

"Junior Sister Yi Xia! That's enough! Our goal is not to kill!" Gu Cheng, carrying the bloodied Li Shuisheng on his shoulder, looked pale and had a vacant expression, as if life and death no longer mattered to him.

Meanwhile, Junior Sister Yi Xia's black hair was wildly dancing, and a palm-sized bead floated above her head. The bead emitted a strange red light, which, unlike the raging flames, was not grand but rather alluring.

It was not hard to see that the credit for burning the Black-Eyed Ape's nest mostly belonged to the bead.

"Senior Brother Gu Cheng, this cannot be blamed on Junior Sister Yi Xia. You know that the Heavenly Evil Pearl can devour a person's nature, and once used, it is hard to control!" Yang Xi said while shielding himself from the flames. It was clear that Yi Xia had indeed been consumed by the Heavenly Evil Pearl, and even with great effort, she could not prevent the flames from injuring others.

The four of them had already rescued the injured Li Shuisheng, but the pursuing Black-Eyed Apes were too numerous. Yi Xia had no choice but to take out the Heavenly Evil Pearl to defend against the Black-Eyed Apes. However, while the Heavenly Evil Pearl gave her power, it also made her lose control.

The three of them could not abandon Yi Xia and leave on their own. Fortunately, after burning for a while, Yi Xia gradually broke free from the control of the Heavenly Evil Pearl. She slowly landed on the ground, panting heavily, and the originally strange red Heavenly Evil Pearl lost its luster, turning into a palm-sized stone in her hand.

"Sorry, I caused the two senior brothers to worry." Yi Xia's face was pale, clearly indicating that using the Heavenly Evil Pearl and continuously attacking with fire had greatly drained her. "Let's leave this place quickly. By now, Gu Xuyao might have already taken Zi Bi out of the Great Wild Forest." With that, she ignored her internal emptiness and was about to move forward.

However, the three of them stopped in their tracks when they looked ahead. "It seems our plan needs to change again." Yang Xi sighed helplessly.

"Roar!" The roar of the Black Horned Bug came, and the Black-Eyed Apes above their heads had long disappeared due to Yi Xia's fiery attack. However, the roar of the Black Horned Bug in front of them caused the three of them great distress. More troubling was that they clearly saw Gu Xuyao alone, but where was Zi Bi?

No matter what questions they had in their hearts, the most important thing at the moment was to deal with the huge threat of the Black Horned Bug.

"The strength of this Black Horned Bug is not strong. Senior Brother Gu Cheng, Senior Brother Yang Xi, you take Gu Xuyao and go. You must find out what happened to Zi Bi. I will deal with this Black Horned Bug!" Despite her weakness, this sixth-grade precious Black Horned Bug was equivalent to a cultivator at the first layer of root growth. Although Yi Xia was weak, she was not afraid of it.

However, Gu Cheng frowned when he heard this. He had been playing a supporting role in the battle, and even now that Yi Xia had consumed a lot of yuan power, she still wanted to face the Black Horned Bug alone, which made him, the eldest among the five, somewhat displeased.

But Gu Cheng's words were interrupted by Yang Xi, who shook his head at him and pulled him forward, catching Gu Xuyao.

"Gu Xuyao, why did you come back here alone? Where is Zi Bi!" At the same time, Yi Xia also used the Wind Riding Jade to leap high and struck the Black Horned Bug's head with a heavy blow. After a dull sound, even though its shell was hard, the dizziness made its movements slow down.

"Senior Brother Gu Cheng, don't worry, this is what happened..." Gu Xuyao briefly explained the situation to Gu Cheng and Yang Xi, but the two of them did not show any joy after hearing his words. Instead, they exchanged worried glances.

"You actually entered the blade grass patch without listening to us, and more importantly, you brought Zi Bi with you!" Gu Cheng was angry, and with no chance to show his abilities, he could not help but scold loudly. "Do you know that there is a fierce beast in the blade grass patch called the Flash Sable? They are usually only a foot long, like a leaf, but their appetite is enormous, and they can easily swallow ten adults!"

This was something Gu Xuyao had not considered. Although he was a hunter and familiar with the forest, he knew very little about the ecosystem of the Great Wild Forest.

"The Flash Sable usually hides in the grass, and once prey passes by, it will quietly follow. Unlike the Black Horned Bug, which is rash, the Flash Sable is a stealthy ambusher. Although its strength is at the sixth-grade precious level, it specifically targets weak prey!" Gu Cheng became angrier as he spoke, grabbing Gu Xuyao by the neck and speeding up his flight.

Gu Xuyao was very clear about the danger of such predators, especially in Zi Bi's current weak state!

"Senior Brother Gu Cheng, what about Zi Bi..." At this moment, Gu Xuyao had too many emotions, too many to express.

Gu Cheng remained silent, and Yang Xi beside him also had a worried look. It was clear that Zi Bi was in great danger!

Just as the three of them were talking and rushing forward, a scream suddenly came from the blade grass patch. A thin, leaf-like brown paper suddenly flew out, but it quickly grew to the size of two people, about ten feet long!

Gu Cheng and Yang Xi reacted quickly, stepping back to avoid the ambush. The fierce beast, seeing its ambush fail, let out another angry cry.

This sudden ambusher was the Flash Sable. It had a few white fur rings on its face, and the rest of its body was covered in thick brown fur. Its long fangs, protruding from its mouth, were as tall as a person, and even its sharp claws on its feet were as long as an arm.

"This should be... a male sable..." Gu Cheng carefully examined the white fur pattern on the Flash Sable's face, deep in thought.

Suddenly, Gu Cheng shouted, "Yang Xi, take Gu Xuyao and go. I will keep it busy. Perhaps there is still hope for Zi Bi!"

Yang Xi, though not friendly in appearance, did not hesitate at all. He immediately grabbed Gu Xuyao and used the Wind Riding Jade to leap over the Flash Sable's head!

"Ultimate Yuan Slash!" At the same time, to prevent the Flash Sable from attacking Yang Xi in the air, Gu Cheng also launched an attack!

Yang Xi successfully avoided the Flash Sable and continued to move forward.

However, his expression was not good. As expected, before they had gone far, another Flash Sable appeared, screaming and blocking their path.

"Indeed, that was a male sable. It seems there is still hope for Zi Bi." Yang Xi sighed and put Gu Xuyao down. "The Flash Sable is very peculiar. When they pair up, it is all about fate, or what we call 'eye affinity.' If there is eye affinity, they will immediately form a pair, and they only mate once in their lifetime, and it will definitely result in offspring. Male sables generally do not attack people before mating."

Hearing this, Gu Xuyao immediately understood Yang Xi's meaning. "Senior Brother Yang, if that's the case, there should be another Flash Sable ahead. Since they act as a family unit, they will likely let the young sable deal with the weakest prey, Zi Bi, which also helps the young sable practice hunting. Am I right?"

Yang Xi smiled and nodded, patting Gu Xuyao on the back. "Exactly, just as you said. No wonder you were a hunter. Go ahead, the young sable's cultivation is not as high as these two adults. I think you can handle it. The hero-saving-the-beauty deed is yours. Gu Cheng and I will help you deal with these nuisances."

After saying this, Yang Xi did not wait for Gu Xuyao to react and immediately launched an attack, engaging the female sable.

Seeing this, Gu Xuyao could not help but smile. His initial impression of Yang Xi was not good, but now it seemed that Yang Xi was actually a decent person.