Chapter 40

Chu He was even more worried, as it was already close to dusk, and in this wild place, the chances of encountering a demonic beast were much higher.

With one last glance, he roughly determined the direction and hurriedly followed.

Having toiled all day, if he were to stop now, he would truly be unwilling. He was willing to take some risks that he could bear to catch the culprit.

The bottom of the valley was permeated with a faint stench, and overgrown vegetation was everywhere, with no proper path. Chu He had to expend some spirit essence to use the Lesser Metal Technique, forming fine sword beams to clear the way.

The spirit essence of Chu He, who was at the Eighth Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm, produced metal sword beams that were much sharper than ordinary swords and knives. Branches and leaves flew everywhere, and nothing could stand in their way.

This valley was definitely not a good place. Not far inside, one could already see the traces of venomous creatures.

The sun had not yet set, but the bottom of the valley was already dark. Apart from the high mountains on both sides, the valley being in a low-lying area was also a reason. No wonder there were so many venomous creatures that preferred the cold and dark.

Chu He fully extended his spiritual sense, and any venomous creatures that approached were killed by the Lesser Metal sword beams. After reaching the Sixth Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm, his spiritual sense had greatly improved, and he could clearly perceive any movements within three zhang.

After entering dozens of zhang, the view suddenly opened up.

A clear, crystal-clear stream wound its way ahead, with large patches of white sand on both sides of the river.

What should have been a refreshing and pleasant scene was marred by the scattered remains along the riverbank, which made one's hair stand on end.

Chu He was not a dull person. Based on various clues, he deduced that apart from the venomous snakes and insects, no other creatures had been seen along the way. The most likely cause of this situation was that a dominant creature was residing here.

As for where this creature was, Chu He was not foolish enough to go looking for it.

However, he had to check these remains to see if there were any unexpected gains.

He hoped that among them were fallen high-ranking cultivators, from whom he could make a fortune.

Unfortunately, the few people who had died only had some broken medicinal hoes and baskets, indicating that they were ordinary people gathering herbs. They did not even have a single low-grade storage bag, let alone any other good things. Chu He could only continue forward with a reluctant heart.

After crossing the stream, the terrain gradually opened up, and towering trees began to appear, with various eye-catching flowers and plants everywhere.

However, apart from the birds flying above, no ground-dwelling beasts had been seen.

The more this was the case, the more cold sweat dripped from Chu He's forehead: this beast had a good appetite, capable of hunting all the surrounding beasts to extinction. It must be a massive creature. He wondered what level of fierce beast or demonic beast it was!

How could this little creature's lair be here? It was a herbivorous spirit beast, and it could not have caused this. How could it coexist peacefully with a carnivorous fierce beast?

At this moment, Chu He could not care less. The thought of retreating had already taken hold in his mind: knowing that there was great danger ahead, only a fool would forge ahead. Avoiding danger and seeking safety was the foundation of survival. If he could not do this, he would not be able to survive in this world of the strong preying on the weak.

"Boom!" A ball of fire suddenly exploded in the bushes dozens of zhang away, instantly breaking several tree trunks as thick as water buckets. The scattered flames easily ignited the vegetation, and a fierce fire raged.

What pure fire essence! Even if Chu He were to use all his spirit essence, he could not produce such a powerful fire essence.

"Immortals fight, mortals stay out." Although he was very curious about what was happening ahead, the fireball that had risen to the size of a millstone was clearly not something to be provoked.

Not daring to get too close, Chu He used the Flying Cloud Leap to fly higher and observe the situation.

Some spiders and small insects were perched on nearby trees. Chu He's Lesser Metal sword beams were effective, knocking them all down. The benefits of his advanced spiritual sense were evident, as every sword beam hit its target with precise force, without any waste.

Standing on a branch over ten zhang high, Chu He had a clear view of the situation within a hundred zhang.

The place where the fierce battle was taking place was a clearing about ten zhang wide, with a massive tree as thick as two people standing together towering in the center, its branches shading the clearing.

In the clearing, a large red snake was chasing a small white beast, which was the one he had been chasing for a long time.

The red snake could spew fireballs or red magical light, turning everything in its path into charcoal and igniting fierce flames. The small beast, on the other hand, could emit a bone-chilling white light, causing frost to form wherever it went, and even thin ice to form.

"Powerful! It seems that without a mid-grade magical weapon, one cannot contend with it," Chu He thought to himself.

These two creatures, capable of spewing magical light, should be at least third-level. Either one would be too much for Chu He to handle.

At this moment, the gusts of wind caused by the cold and hot essences made him uncomfortable, but fortunately, he was far enough away. If he were any closer, he would not be so calm.

Thinking of this, Chu He was even more hesitant to act rashly. Then he felt a bit smug: "Hehe, watching the tigers fight from the mountain, I'll wait for them to kill each other and then pick up the spoils."

After watching for a while, Chu He noticed that the small beast was clearly at a disadvantage, being chased and attacked. It had to rely on its speed to barely avoid being caught. If this continued, it would eventually be killed by the fire snake.

"Why is this little guy so stupid? If you can't win, just run away. That stupid snake can't catch you." Wait, a new discovery made Chu He's spirit rise: "Ah, the reason is there!"

At the base of the massive tree, there were many protruding roots, and in a slightly sunken area, there was a large block of thick ice.

Inside the thick ice, a human figure was faintly visible. The small beast was circling around this block of ice, refusing to leave the battle. The fire snake occasionally took the opportunity to spew magical light, melting the ice.

Seeing this, Chu He deduced the current situation: the fire snake's goal was the sealed cultivator. The cultivator's body contained a lot of essence, and if the demonic beast devoured it immediately, it would greatly benefit its strength. This was similar to how a cultivator could benefit from the inner core and body of a demonic beast.

The small beast was likely the spirit beast of the cultivator. Seeing its master in danger, it fought despite knowing it could not win, determined to prevent the fire snake from achieving its goal, showing great loyalty.

Perhaps moved by a sense of righteousness, he instantly aligned himself with the white small beast, feeling a shared enmity.

Given the small beast's dire situation, he, as a new ally, naturally had to lend a hand to turn the tide.

He was unsure if a mid-grade magical talisman could injure the beast, but hitting it from a hundred zhang away was almost impossible.

A third-level demonic beast, with a body as tough as copper and iron, would likely not be significantly harmed by ordinary low-grade magical weapons.

He did not need to charge in head-on. From a distance, he could try to attack secretly. If it did not work, he would run away immediately. After all, he had no relation to this small creature and did not need to take too great a risk.

With this in mind, he slowly approached using the Flying Cloud Leap.

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