Chapter 7

"Senior Brother, do you think it makes any sense to hold a competition in a place full of ordinary people this time?" As the sun rose, cultivators began to enter the Red Clay District one after another. Their destination was the various villages in the Red Clay District, and their identity was that of judges for this competition.

"Junior Brother, how many times have I told you not to doubt the orders of our Master and the higher-ups? It won't be good for you in the future. We just need to carry out the orders. By the way, speaking of this, have you seen Senior Uncle? He suddenly had the urge to visit the ordinary people's area, but why hasn't he shown up yet?" The cultivators entering the Red Clay District wore various robes, indicating they came from different sects.

"Sigh, you've known Senior Uncle for a long time. He must have already gone in to watch the ordinary people's battles..." The cultivators from different sects walked in groups of two or three in different directions.

On the other hand, Gu Xuyao fell into the enemy's trap, moving further away from the championship of this competition.

"I thought it was just my imagination, but there really is another person hiding here, hehehe..." Watching Gu Xuyao collapse like the rhinoceros bird, the hunter in front of him was extremely pleased.

Gu Xuyao did not speak, but narrowed his eyes to clearly see the despicable hunter with unusually pale skin.

Poison, something that no living being could resist, was not uncommon in hunting. In fact, the use of poison could be traced back to a long time ago. However, as hunting skills improved, using poison was seen as a sign of incompetence and weakness.

Despite this, many hunters still secretly prepared poisons, either for use or for sale, both of which were good choices.

He knew he had been poisoned with a paralyzing agent. Such poisons were easy to prepare, and a large dose could be fatal. However, the toxins in Gu Xuyao's body this time were not at that level, but he knew he would soon fall into a coma.

"Sorry, you'll have to stay here with my foolish brother. I'll leave the Red Clay District after I get the prize. With this strength, I won't find it hard to enter a cultivation sect. But don't worry, when I become a celestial being, I'll still think of you in my spare time." As he spoke, the man pulled out the dagger stuck in Gu Xuyao's thigh and pressed the sharp blade against Gu Xuyao's throat.

"Last night's rhinoceros bird landed nearby. You, search in different directions, don't let anyone get ahead of us! Hurry!" At the critical moment, a shout interrupted Dillen's actions. He frowned, trying to determine the direction of the voice.

"Hmph..." Clearly, those people were not far from the rhinoceros bird's nest. Dillen's eyes glinted with a fierce light. His obsession with winning had made him want to kill them all. Now, he was like a wild beast returning from a hunt, not allowing any creature to snatch his prey!

However, no matter what Dillen planned to do to them, their appearance was like a lifeline to Gu Xuyao!

In a flash, Gu Xuyao's pupils dilated, and he bit down on the pill he had hidden under his tongue. A warm current flowed through his body, and the paralyzing agent in his body dissipated by more than half!

As soon as his body was freed, Gu Xuyao immediately gripped his axe and swung it at Dillen's head!

Dillen's attention was drawn to the hunter nearby, and he had already considered Gu Xuyao, whom he had pressed against the throat with his dagger, as good as dead.

In that split second of distraction, the saw-toothed hand axe was already in front of him!

"Huh?" Dillen dodged backward, but it was too late. He felt a burning sensation on his face, and the blood that spurted out blurred his vision!

The pill Gu Xuyao had bitten was the Bai Ling Pill, which he had kept under his tongue to counteract poisoning. This pill could temporarily suppress most toxins, but in the ordinary people's area, few could refine such pills, so they were very expensive. Most hunters did not have them, but Gu Xuyao had them all from when Zhang the Blacksmith was young.

"Damn, you..." He narrowly avoided the fatal blow, but Gu Xuyao's axe still cut across Dillen's face.

"Boss! There are signs that someone has been here!" Dillen was not surprised by this scene. The existence of the Bai Ling Pill was not a secret, and he knew its effects would not last long. However, he clearly did not have time to wait for the pill to wear off.

"You listen to me, if you don't die today, when I become a celestial being, I will definitely come back to take your life!" Anger distorted Dillen's face, but it did not cloud his mind. After leaving a threat, he quickly pulled a rope from his waist. The rope, when wrapped around the rhinoceros bird, reduced the bird, which had a wingspan of ten feet, to a pile of meat about half a person's height!

After doing this, Dillen ignored Gu Xuyao, put the meat pile with feather patterns on his back, and quickly ran out of the forest.

"Shrinking Tendon, this person must have spent a lot of money..." The Shrinking Tendon was a rope made from a gel-like creature from the lower reaches of the Red Clay River. It could shrink the bodies of large beasts, making it easier for hunters to carry them.

"There seems to be blood here, everyone, come over, the rhinoceros bird's nest might be here..." Another group's voices were heard again. From the sound, this person seemed to be the leader of the group.

Gu Xuyao knew he could not stay here any longer. He glanced in the direction Dillen had left and decided to head back the way he came.

"Boss! This is really the rhinoceros bird's nest! There are signs of a fight, and these feathers, it looks like the rhinoceros bird has already been killed, we're too late..."

The voices of the group behind him became increasingly faint to Gu Xuyao's ears.

"The effect of the Bai Ling Pill is fading, I need to find a safe place, otherwise..."

Gradually, not only did the sounds become faint, but Gu Xuyao's vision also began to blur. He knew this was a sign that the paralyzing agent was spreading throughout his body. Soon, he would fall into a coma, and if a hunter were to fall unconscious in a forest like a battlefield, he would never open his eyes again.

While the effect of the Bai Ling Pill had not completely worn off, Gu Xuyao quickly recalled the terrain nearby in his mind and tried to control his body to walk towards the place he remembered.

"The hunter who killed the rhinoceros bird must not have gone far. This championship is ours, and we won't let anyone else take it! Find that person for me!" Gu Xuyao vaguely heard the voices from a distance, but whether it was the effect of the paralyzing agent or that he had already moved far away, the voices were very faint.

Then, there was a loud movement, the sound of blades cutting through grass, and then Gu Xuyao's vision went black, and he knew nothing.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Xuyao gradually regained consciousness. As his body functions slowly recovered, the first thing he felt was a pungent, foul smell.

"Looks like I didn't die..." This was Gu Xuyao's first thought. He struggled to get up, and the wound on his thigh, which had not been treated for a long time, began to fester due to the remaining components of the paralyzing agent. Every slight movement caused excruciating pain.

Looking at the dark, black rock walls around him, Gu Xuyao left the cave without expression. This was a cave bear's den. These creatures had a strong territorial sense and would immediately mark their territory with urine when they settled in a new place. The smell of their urine was so strong that other wild animals would avoid hunting in the area. Unfortunately, this cave bear had not marked the right place.

When Gu Xuyao found the cave, the cave bear was already gone. It was easy to guess that it had probably been turned into the rhinoceros bird's droppings.

Breathing in the fresh air again, Gu Xuyao felt a sense of rebirth, but soon, a rustling sound broke his reverie.

"Brother, today is the last day of the competition. We only caught a water boar, how can we win?"

This voice sounded familiar.

"Rubbish, do you want to hunt a Three-Eyed Water Dragonfly? Can we even catch it? This competition is just for fun. On the way here, you've seen many hunters killing each other. We're not a target because we only caught a water boar. In this world, self-preservation is the most important."

"Hehe, brother is right. Maybe when we go back, all the strong hunters will be dead, and our water boar might be the champion."

Hearing this, Gu Xuyao knew who was coming. He felt like he had just escaped from the tiger's mouth and fallen into the wolf's den.

"I can't let them find me, or else..."

"Hey, do you smell that? Is that the smell of a cave bear's urine?" The three people stopped in front of the cave where Gu Xuyao had just hidden.

"It seems so, but why didn't the cave bear attack us when we entered its territory?"

"Hmph, it must be afraid of us three Li brothers. Under our brother's leadership, we have already made this forest tremble with fear!"

"Nonsense!" Li Bo slapped his younger brother's head. "In my opinion, the cave bear must be sleeping. You know, cave bears are very particular about their dens. They usually spend their time tidying up the nearby grass and trees, making sure there is not a single blade of grass or tree around. Look at these tall grasses; the cave bear must not have come out for a long time."

Li Jiu's eyes lit up. "If that's the case, brother, if we go in, can we catch a cave bear? That would be more impressive than a water boar, and our chances of winning the championship would be much higher!"

"What are you waiting for? Brother, I'll go in first!" Saying this, Li Tang took the lead and walked towards the cave bear's den.