bookpub Chapter 110 The Murderer
Chapter 110 The Murderer
Chapter 110 The Murderer
Night fell, and darkness enveloped everything.
Looking up, the ancient trees are towering and their branches and leaves are so dense that you can hardly see a sliver of sky.
The trees and soil remained black.
The darkness and oppression here, along with the eerie atmosphere, are even worse than those in the sect.
A group of six.
After walking for two full hours, we finally crossed a rugged canyon and arrived at this dark and gloomy monster forest.
The surrounding trees were dark and eerie, baring their fangs and claws, like huge and ferocious demons.
The bushes crawled on both sides, and the old vines twisted, like strange monsters lurking in the darkness, coldly watching and waiting for their chance to strike.
In the forest, all was quiet.
As soon as they entered the forest, they were immediately hit by a strong, pungent smell of blood.
The smell of human blood!
After walking a short distance, they saw a mangled corpse hanging from a crooked, twisted black tree ahead.
Beside the corpse hung a bloody skin.
A chilly forest wind swept by, and the drooping skin beside the corpse swayed gently, as if beckoning them.
Under the tree, torn clothes lay scattered on the ground.
A broken money pouch, stained with blood, lay in the bushes nearby.
Inside, there was nothing at all.
"In the Monster Forest, the most terrifying thing might not be the monsters, but the other people—"
On the way here, team leader Yang Min said this.
Sun Dong immediately went over and rummaged through the money bag and the tattered clothes. Finding nothing of value, he looked up at the skin and corpse on it, a greedy glint in his eyes.
Yang Min warned coldly, "If it's not your prey, you'd better not touch it."
Although Sun Dong was tempted, he thought that anyone who dared to kill and skin people here must be a master of the Strength Realm and absolutely ruthless, so he had to give up.
"Let's go, be careful of our surroundings."
Yang Min continued walking forward.
The group had been talking about this the whole way, but now they all looked serious, their nerves were on edge, and they fell silent.
Those who dare to enter this magical beast forest must be disciples at least at the Nourishing Spirit Realm.
Moreover, most of them have teams.
But now, that person has been killed, skinned, and hung there.
In other words, these people could also end up like that person at any time.
"Senior Sister Yang, could that person have been killed by Senior Brother Fang and the others?"
Gao Peng suddenly asked.
As Yang Min walked cautiously ahead, she said, "If they killed them, they wouldn't waste the corpses. There are more than just our two teams hunting here tonight. Some teams have been here for a long time, and some have even come secretly."
Has anyone come over?
Sun Dong asked.
Yang Min said, "Of course there are, and quite a few. However, most of them are disciples with cultivation levels above the Nourishing Spirit Realm."
Upon hearing this, the group became even more nervous.
"Senior Sister Yang, we can't be separated."
Sun Dong quickly replied.
Yang Min said calmly, "Once we reach the hillside ahead, we'll split up. Two people per group, search in different directions. Don't go too far. If you encounter any problems, call out immediately. Otherwise, the search area will be too small, and if everyone gathers together, the monsters won't appear."
Sun Dong asked with a worried expression, "What if we encounter a disciple at the Strength Realm?"
Yang Min said, "If you don't provoke them, they won't bother with you."
"Those who come here to hunt are not only disciples in the Nourishing Spirit Realm and the Strength Realm, but also inner disciples. Everyone adheres to one rule: unless there are special circumstances, those in higher realms will not attack those in lower realms, because there will always be someone in a higher realm than you."
"A disciple at the Strength Realm can kill you with a single palm strike, but an inner disciple can also kill a disciple at the Strength Realm with a single palm strike. If everyone were to kill each other like this, what would be the point of hunting? Nobody would dare to come here anymore."
"This is the Monster Forest. Everyone comes here to hunt monsters and collect their blood for cultivation. There's no need to kill and rob."
"Because nobody who comes here carries much valuables, killing someone isn't worthwhile."
"Furthermore, they wouldn't start killing someone the moment they meet."
"Since you haven't made a move, the other side doesn't know your cultivation level. If you encounter other disciples following you, just shout, and I and the others will come to join you immediately. Seeing that we are a team and the other members are not far away, the other side will usually leave immediately."
Seeing that everyone was a little nervous, Yang Min had no choice but to patiently explain.
"Senior Sister Yang, what about that corpse we just saw—"
"It could be infighting among those of the same cultivation level, a vendetta, or perhaps it wasn't done by a disciple of our Demon-Slaying Sect. Anyone can come to this Demon Beast Forest; killing and skinning people without keeping the corpses could be a provocation from disciples of other sects. You should know that we're not the only Demon Sect; there are many more small sects that cultivate demonic arts."
They talked in hushed tones all the way and soon arrived at a hillside.
Below the hillside stretched an endless black forest, undulating and extending into the darkness in the distance, with no end in sight.
"Alright, pair up, form your own teams, and split up here."
"Search separately: left, right, and front. I will lead the way with one other person. Neither team should go more than three miles. If we find nothing, I will wait for you ahead. Come and meet up with me immediately, and then we will continue to expand the search area."
Yang Min looked at the group and said.
Shui Miaomiao immediately said, "Senior Sister Yang, I'll team up with you."
Sun Dong also said, "Senior Sister Yang, let's be on the same team."
Gao Peng laughed and said, "Everyone wants to be on the same team as Senior Sister Yang, but that won't do. Let Senior Sister Yang choose someone herself."
Yang Min frowned: "It's only three miles, what danger could there be? If anything happens, we'll be there immediately. Here's the arrangement: I'll go ahead alone, and the five of you will form two teams, with three people in each team."
Shui Miaomiao immediately said, "Then I'll team up with Senior Brother Sun."
Sun Dong's current strength belongs to the late stage of the Nourishing Spirit Realm, which is stronger than the strength of others, so it is naturally safer to follow him.
Gao Peng smiled wryly, "Senior Sister Yang, it's not that I look down on Junior Brother Luo and Junior Sister Ye, it's just that it's their first time, and they've only recently broken through to the Nourishing Spirit Realm. My strength is inferior to Senior Brother Sun and Senior Sister Shui, so it's really—"
Yang Min hesitated for a moment, then said, "Junior Brother Sun, you should go with Junior Brother Luo and Junior Sister Ye. Junior Brother Gao is right, you're stronger and more experienced, so you should take care of the two of them."
Sun Dong was immediately somewhat unwilling.
Yang Min then added meaningfully, "Junior Sister Ye is very wealthy. If you take her along once, you'll get to know each other, and you can go hunting with her next time."
Upon hearing this, Sun Dong immediately understood what she meant.
He turned to look at the petite girl hidden by a black cloak and veil, and smiled: "Well, three people are always safer than two."
Seeing that he agreed, Yang Min said, "Then I'll go to the front by myself, Junior Brother Gao and Junior Sister Shui will go to the left, and Junior Brother Sun and the other two will go to the right."
Just as the others were about to agree, Luo Qingchen suddenly spoke up, "Senior Sister Yang, can I go with you? Or, I can go to the left and go with Senior Sister Shui and the others."
Upon hearing this, Yang Min frowned and looked at him, asking, "Why?"
Luo Qingchen said, "I'm afraid it's not safe for two novices to be together."
Everyone else laughed when they heard that.
Shui Miaomiao chuckled, "I didn't realize Junior Brother Luo was such a coward. Didn't Senior Brother Sun accompany your team?"
Luo Qingchen insisted, "I want to go in front, or to the left."
Yang Min was getting impatient and said, "I'm enough for the front. If you don't want to go to the right, then follow Sister Shui and the others if they want you."
After saying that, she quickly walked away.
Luo Qingchen's gaze fell on Shui Miaomiao and Gao Peng.
Shui Miaomiao immediately smiled charmingly and said, "Of course I'm willing to have one more person, especially Junior Brother Luo."
Gao Peng also smiled and said, "I agree."
Sun Dong snorted coldly from the side and said, "It doesn't matter. Anyway, Junior Brother Luo himself has admitted that he is a novice. It doesn't matter who he follows."
As he spoke, he turned to the petite figure and smiled, "Junior Sister Ye, the two of us are enough, let's go."
Ye Fu didn't speak, and silently walked towards the woods on the right.
Luo Qingchen glanced at her figure, wondering if it was just his imagination, but when he said he wanted to go from the left, she seemed to have glanced at him.
"Junior Brother Luo, let's go!"
Shui Miaomiao winked at him, swayed her slender waist and pert buttocks, and walked towards the woods on the left.
Luo Qingchen and Gao Peng followed behind.
The three of them quickly descended the hillside and entered a denser, darker forest.
"You two keep an eye on your left, right, and back."
Shui Miaomiao drew her sword, her expression turning serious. As she walked forward, she kept a close eye on the woods ahead.
Luo Qingchen and Gao Peng stood on either side of each other, carefully observing the movements around them.
Thick, black vines coiled around the large black trees nearby or snaked through the bushes on the ground, looking like ferocious giant pythons.
The three of them dared not speak again, and focused their minds to search around.
We proceeded with extreme caution.
When they had walked about three miles, they found nothing unusual.
We walked a little further ahead.
Shui Miaomiao stopped and turned to the two of them, saying, "Let's go and meet up with Senior Sister Yang. This is still the outer edge of the Monster Forest. We probably have to walk a while further in before we encounter any more monsters."
As the three were about to take a shortcut and pass diagonally through the woods ahead, they suddenly heard a shrill scream coming from the forest several miles behind them!
Judging from the voice, it sounds like Sun Dong!
"It's Senior Brother Sun!"
Shui Miaomiao's expression changed, and she immediately rushed towards the direction where Sun Dong and the other person had just left.
Luo Qingchen and Gao Peng immediately followed behind.
The three had only run a few miles when they heard a whistling sound coming from the nearby woods. Just as they were becoming wary, Yang Min's voice came from there: "I'll go first! You guys come over immediately!"
Shui Miaomiao quickly replied, "Yes, Senior Sister Yang!"
A figure darted through the nearby woods with a "whoosh" and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Gao Peng exclaimed in surprise and envy, "Senior Sister Yang is so fast!"
As Shui Miaomiao ran forward, she said, "That's for sure. Once you reach the Strength Realm, your whole body is enveloped in a strong wind, making you run like the wind and as swift as a swallow. Naturally, you'll be very fast."
The three of them ran all the way and soon spotted Yang Min, who was stopped in the woods ahead.
"Senior Sister Yang, what happened?"
Shui Miaomiao asked as she ran over.
When the three of them arrived at Yang Min's side and followed her gaze forward, their expressions immediately changed.
On a thick, sturdy tree in front of them hung a bloody skin and a mangled corpse, both still dripping blood!
"It's Senior Brother Sun!"
Shui Miaomiao immediately recognized the owner of the corpse.
Gao Peng's face turned pale, and he hurriedly asked, "Senior Sister Yang, who killed him?"
Suddenly, he remembered something, glanced around, but didn't see the petite figure in the cloak and veil. He exclaimed in disbelief, "Is it...is it that Junior Sister Ye?"
Yang Min took out a contract, looked at the name on it, and said, "It's not her. If it were her, the name on this brother's contract would be in red."
The brotherhood pact of the sect is made with special paper. Once you sign your name and press your handprint with your own blood, whoever strikes first, as long as the force exceeds a certain level, even if it is unintentional, will have their name turned blood red.
Then, others who have signed this brotherhood contract can kill each other together and receive generous rewards from the sect.
Even other individuals and teams within the sect, including deacons and elders, regardless of their cultivation level, can hunt down traitors and receive rewards.
However, it is very difficult to remove the red name.
First, it requires the unanimous consent of all peak masters, the ten inner sect elders, and the sect leader's personal signature. Second, one must break through and advance before being besieged and hunted by the crowd. Once advanced, one's identity and cultivation level will change, the previously signed brotherhood contract will be automatically cancelled, and the red name will naturally disappear.
Both of these are difficult.
The first point is self-evident; it's practically impossible unless the individual is an exceptionally talented genius whose cultivation ability would warrant unanimous guarantee from the sect's higher-ups. As for the second point, some have succeeded, but examples are rare. After all, once someone is marked as a "red name" (indicating a traitor's negative reputation), the entire sect will stop at nothing to hunt them down and eliminate them, leaving no time or opportunity for the traitor to break through and advance.
Therefore, people who have signed a brotherhood pact are unlikely to fight each other; at most, they will stand by and watch someone die without offering help.
Upon hearing Yang Min's words, Shui Miaomiao and Gao Peng immediately took out their brotherhood contracts and looked at the name of Junior Sister Ye on them.
Sure enough, the color of the name did not change at all.
"Who killed Senior Brother Sun? And what about Junior Sister Ye?"
Shui Miaomiao's face was full of surprise and uncertainty.
At this moment, Luo Qingchen walked to the bushes not far away and picked up a tattered black cloak from them.
It was stained with blood.
"It seems Junior Sister Ye is also injured, and is being chased!"
The three hurried over and, upon seeing the petite black cloak, their expressions became extremely solemn.
"Senior Sister Yang, could the murderer be the same one who killed that disciple when we first entered the Monster Forest? It seems like they used the same methods."
Gao Peng guessed.
Yang Min looked up, glanced again at the corpse and skin hanging from the tree, and made a decisive decision: "Let's go! Go find Junior Sister Ye!"
Having said that, he immediately continued running forward.
Gao Peng and Shui Miaomiao exchanged a glance and quickly followed behind.
At this moment, Luo Qingchen walked to another bush nearby and picked up Sun Dong's shoes from there.
One of the shoes was covered in blood, and there were several nails stuck in the sole.
The sharp part of the nail was green, clearly indicating that it was coated with a potent poison.
"Junior Brother Luo! Let's go!"
Shui Miaomiao ran a distance, and when she saw that he hadn't followed, she quickly turned back and called out.
Luo Qingchen put down her shoes, glanced at the corpse on the tree again, and then quickly chased after it.
After running for a while, he took out the brotherhood contract.
The two characters "夜芙" above are indeed unchanged.
"unless----"
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Unless, when the other party pressed the bloody fingerprint, they did not use their own blood!
But at the time, it seems she did bite her fingertip before pressing the fingerprint.
Senior Sister Yang was keeping a close eye on her; there was no way she would let herself get away with it.
As he ran alongside the two people in front of him, he pondered to himself.
Sun Dong's death was clearly related to that mysterious, ruthless junior sister.
Sun Dong's money bag was gone, his storage bag was gone, and even his knife was gone.
Sun Dong had previously extorted one hundred taels of silver from the other party and was even planning to continue deceiving them. Given the other party's ruthless nature—having previously killed and skinned people at Black Phoenix Peak and being vengeful—they certainly wouldn't let it go so easily.
If Sun Dong was indeed killed by the other party, then —
He looked at Senior Sister Shui and Senior Brother Gao running ahead, as well as the figure at the very front.
Senior Sister Yang is at the Qi Refining Realm, so she'll definitely be fine for now.
But the other two—
He felt a deep sense of fear.
Sun Dongke is at the late stage of the Spirit Nourishing Realm, while that junior sister has only just broken through to the Spirit Nourishing Realm.
And how exactly did the other party circumvent the brotherhood contract?
"Or perhaps I'm wrong?"
At this moment, Yang Min, who was running in the lead, suddenly slowed down and then turned right, running towards a ravine on the right.
"Senior Sister Yang, what did you find?"
Seeing that Yang Min had slowed down, Shui Miaomiao and the other person quickly asked.
Yang Min moved with lightning speed, quickly stopping above the ravine, and said, "There's a smell of blood!"
The three men quickly came up behind her.
"Let's go down and take a look."
Holding a sword, Yang Min walked carefully ahead as they descended the ravine.
The three followed closely behind.
"Behind that rock—"
Luo Qingchen's gaze fell upon a huge rock not far ahead.
The strong smell of blood was coming from there.
Others might not be able to pinpoint the location, but no amount of bloody smell in the air could escape his nose.
As the four approached the massive rock, Yang Min's gaze fell behind it, and the sword in her hand gleamed with a chilling light.
She made a gesture, slowed her pace, and signaled to everyone to be careful.
As the four of them cautiously approached the rock from the side, they discovered a petite, dark figure hiding there, holding a dagger in her hand.
"Junior Sister Ye!"
Yang Min called out, but did not let her guard down.
Behind the rocks.
The petite figure lingered there for a while before slowly rising from the darkness and emerging from behind the rock.
Only then did the group realize that it really was Junior Sister Ye.
Her black cloak was gone, leaving only a black fitted outfit.
At the same time, his shoulder was covered in blood, with a deep claw mark that revealed the bone.
"Is it a monster?"
Upon seeing the horrific wound, Gao Peng exclaimed in shock.
Yang Min looked suspicious.
Because she couldn't detect a trace of demonic energy from the wound.
"Junior Sister Ye, what exactly happened? Who killed Junior Brother Sun? Who's chasing you?"
She asked immediately.
Ye Fu silently took out gauze and bandaged the wound while saying in an icy voice, "Power Realm, weapon is bone claw, eagle embroidered on chest."
Yang Min's expression changed, and she said, "People from the Blood Eagle Sect!"
Shui Miaomiao quickly asked, "Senior Sister Yang, does the Blood Eagle Sect have a grudge against our Demon-Suppressing Sect?"
Yang Min snorted coldly and said, "It's not just a grudge, it's an irreconcilable feud! In the southern border of the Feather Kingdom, besides our Demon Extermination Sect, their Blood Eagle Sect is the most powerful. They have always wanted to replace us as the number one demon sect in the world! The disciples of the two sects have been killing each other for hundreds of years, and have long since formed a deep-seated hatred."
Gao Peng gripped the knife tightly and said, "No wonder, killing someone, skinning them, and hanging them there—this is clearly a deliberate provocation!"
Yang Min looked at the petite, silent figure in front of her and asked, "How did you two meet? Was there only one person there? Was he chasing you the whole time?"
Ye Fu finished bandaging her wounds, took out a new black cloak from her storage bag, put it on, and put on the hood.
Then he said, "No one chased me."
Yang Min frowned, noticing that she seemed reluctant to talk, and then asked, "He injured you, and you just ran away?"
Ye Fu nodded.
Now everyone understands.
The Blood Eagle Sect disciple injured the Night Junior Sister in front of him and killed Sun Dong. Instead of pursuing the Night Junior Sister, he skinned Sun Dong alive and hung his skin and body on the big tree.
Since their opponent was a master of the Strength Realm, the two of them naturally had no power to fight back.
It's already incredibly lucky that one of them managed to escape.
"Junior Sister Ye, it seems your movement technique is quite good."
Yang Min glanced at her again.
Normally, if a disciple in the Strength Realm attacks a disciple in the Spirit Nourishing Realm, the disciple in the Spirit Nourishing Realm has no chance of escaping.
Clearly, that Blood Eagle Sect disciple thought that killing one person was enough, and that skinning was the most important thing.
"Let's go, let's search for monsters together, we can't be separated this time."
"I reckon that bastard came to the Demon Beast Forest this time just to slaughter our Demon-Slaying Sect disciples. That kind of scum only dares to attack disciples with low cultivation levels! If I run into him, I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive!"
Yang Min gritted her teeth and cursed a few times before leading the group up the ravine.
Luo Qingchen glanced back.
The junior sister Ye, wearing a new cloak, hat, and veil, followed behind quietly, a small figure.
.——
We went up the mountain pass.
They continued onward, heading deeper into the Monster Forest.
They searched for traces of the monsters along the way.
Just before dawn, the five of them finally heard a noise coming from the mountain stream ahead.
It sounded like a monster's low growl!
Yang Min immediately signaled the group to tread lightly, spread out in a fan shape, and quietly approach.
As they approached, they could see clearly that there was a black figure, resembling a water buffalo, drinking water from the stream.
The figure was taller and stronger than a water buffalo, with bulging muscles, stiff hair, two enormous, scimitar-like demonic horns on its head, two sharp fangs at the corners of its mouth, scarlet eyes, a long, whip-like tail, and a thin layer of black demonic energy surrounding its entire body.
The group was overjoyed.
Yang Min observed the terrain and immediately signaled two people to approach from the stream on the left, while the other two approached from the woods on the right.
She, on the other hand, directly moved forward to attract the other person's attention.
The five immediately split up, weapons in hand, and stealthily approached the demon bull.
Just then, the demonic bull seemed to sense something, raised its head, looked in Yang Min's direction, and revealed a bloodthirsty and violent look in its scarlet eyes.
It let out a thunderous growl.
"superior!"
Yang Min acted decisively, immediately grabbing her sword and charging forward with lightning speed.
The four people on the left and right sides also rushed out immediately.
Seeing this, the demonic bull did not flee for its life. Instead, it roared and charged directly at Yang Min, who was standing right in front of it!
Although Yang Min possessed the cultivation level of the Strength Realm, he dared not confront the opponent head-on. With a whistling wind beneath his feet, he lightly leaped over the head of the demonic bull.
In the instant the two passed each other, her sword pierced the back of the demon bull with a "whoosh".
The demon bull had thick hide and tough flesh, and its spine was as hard as iron. After the sword pierced its hide and flesh, it was blocked by the bones, making a soft "clang" sound.
The demonic bull felt the pain, but became even more frenzied. It suddenly stopped and turned to charge at Yang Min again.
At this moment, the four men on the left and right sides rushed forward, thrusting their weapons out.
In an instant, swords flashed and shadows danced, and a murderous aura filled the air.
"Moo—"
The demon bull was extremely strong and fast, but it couldn't withstand such a siege. Its skin was immediately torn open, and red and green blood flowed out.
If it were any other wild animal, it would have already been terrified and fled at this point.
However, the magical beasts were not ordinary wild animals. When they saw blood or felt pain, their demonic nature was immediately aroused, and they became even more frenzied and violent.
Ignoring the attacks from others, it roared and charged toward Yang Min.
Yang Min moved nimbly, her feet barely touching the ground. She avoided direct confrontation, constantly dodging and then seizing opportunities to attack, while simultaneously creating opportunities for others to strike.
Soon, the demon bull's entire body was covered in wounds.
The ground was covered in red and green blood.
Luo Qingchen's blood-sucking ability was already itching to be activated, but at this moment, she could only endure it.
Seeing the blood all over the ground, he felt very distressed, but there was nothing he could do.
The demon bull charged several more times, but gradually its strength gave out, its movements slowed down, and its limbs began to weaken.
"Whoosh!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yang Min immediately darted forward and stabbed the opponent in the heart with her sword.
The sword tip carried immense force, and with a burst of power, it instantly shattered the opponent's heart.
The demon bull let out its final roar.
Its massive body crashed to the ground, its limbs twitched a few times, then the demonic energy dissipated, and it died completely.
The group was panting heavily, but dared not rush forward.
After waiting a while longer and seeing that the other party had completely stopped moving, they breathed a sigh of relief, took out their respective leather bags, and went forward to distribute the blood.
"Each person will receive a portion of the blood first. I will take the remaining blood and the corpse back to sell, and then split it equally with Junior Sister Shui and Junior Brother Gao."
""
"As for Junior Brother Luo and Junior Sister Ye, we've already agreed and signed a contract. Apart from a share of blood, you won't get anything else."
After Yang Min finished speaking, she went over to collect the monster's blood.
No one had any objections.
The five portions of blood were quickly distributed.
Yang Min then took out another leather bag and began to fill it with the remaining blood.
Then, the blood-drained monster corpse was put into a storage bag.
"Alright, the first monster has been assigned. It's not easy to come out like this, and we've lost another teammate, so I've decided to continue searching for more monsters. What do you guys think?"
Yang Min packed her things and looked at the group.
"Of course, if you don't want to, you can return the way you came."
Her gaze fell on Luo Qingchen and Ye Fu.
Returning at this point would be tantamount to courting death.
Without her protection as a disciple at the Strength Realm, if they were to encounter that Blood Eagle Sect disciple or other hunters on the road, with their mere Spirit Nourishing Realm cultivation, they would likely find it difficult to escape.
However, according to the contract, Luo Qingchen and Ye Fu can only obtain one portion of blood from this hunt.
They have now received a share of blood.
Therefore, even if they hunted monsters again, the two of them would not be able to obtain anything.
Gao Peng and Shui Miaomiao naturally agreed immediately.
Luo Qingchen spoke up, "Senior Sister Yang, if we hunt down another magical beast, we've already contributed. Could we possibly receive another share of its blood?"
Yang Min shook her head, looking at him calmly, and said, "Since a contract has been signed, it must be followed. Junior Brother Luo, you and Junior Sister Ye will continue to hunt with us. It's not a complete waste. At least you can gain some experience, so you won't be as lost next time."
Gao Peng immediately laughed and said, "Junior Brother Luo, Senior Sister Yang is right. Experience is very important when hunting. Now that you have experience, the next time you go hunting, it will definitely be much easier."
Luo Qingchen glanced at the silent, petite figure beside her, nodded, and said, "I agree to continue the hunt."
Yang Min's gaze fell on that petite figure.
Ye Fu nodded as well.
"In that case, let's move on."
Yang Min immediately walked ahead.
By this time, it was already daylight.
But being in this monster forest, with black branches and leaves blocking out the sky overhead, the light was still incredibly dim.
However, the visibility has improved somewhat.
The five men continued their search until evening, but still found nothing.
"Alright, we should head back now."
"There will be opportunities on the way back. But going further ahead is very dangerous. Only inner disciples dare to venture into the depths, where there are high-level magical beasts and even some powerful magical creatures."
Yang Min announced that she was embarking on her journey back.
On the return trip, instead of following the original route, they took a mile's distance and passed through the woods on the right.
Soon, it got dark.
The group did not dare to linger in such a place and continued on their way.
It took about two more hours to walk.
Yang Min, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and raised her hand, signaling everyone to stop immediately.
Suddenly, two roars came from ahead.
Then, the trees shook, demonic energy surged, and roars echoed continuously.
"There are monsters fighting!"
Yang Min's eyes lit up immediately, and she waved to everyone to slow down and continue forward.
After walking about a mile, two enormous creatures suddenly appeared in the woods ahead, locked in a fierce battle.
Upon closer inspection, they were two one-horned demon bears!
Both demonic bears stood upright, each with a single horn on its head and fangs in its mouth; their upper bodies were covered in thick fur and their bodies were robust, but their lower bodies were like those of humans, with thin and long legs and extremely sharp claws!
His entire body was filled with raging demonic energy, and his roar was like thunder.
The two sides fought fiercely, biting and snarling at each other, until one side was defeated and fled.
The other one, also covered in wounds, sat down in front of a large tree, panting heavily and licking its wounds.
Yang Min was overjoyed and, without giving it a chance to rest, immediately called to the four people behind her, and together they rushed forward.
The wounded demonic bear was both shocked and furious. It suddenly jumped up from the ground, seemingly trying to escape.
Yang Min moved with incredible speed, plunging her sword into its back.
The demonic bear, its ferocious nature aroused, roared and turned to pounce on her with its gaping maw.
Yang Min continued to use her agile movements to dodge and wear down her opponent, giving others opportunities to attack.
The demonic bear had already been fighting for a long time and was exhausted. It had also lost too much blood and its whole body was weak. Now, being surrounded and attacked by several people, it was quickly defeated. Its body was immediately riddled with bloody holes from being stabbed and cut all over.
Taking advantage of the moment when it frantically lunged at Yang Min, Shui Miaomiao pierced its heart with a sword.
The demonic bear let out a fierce roar and finally collapsed to the ground.
He convulsed a few more times before finally dying.
"Senior Sister Yang! We're so lucky! When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!"
Shui Miaomiao was overjoyed.
The three immediately began distributing the blood, and then collected the body.
As for Luo Qingchen and Ye Fu, they got nothing.
"Alright, this hunt has been quite fruitful; it's time to head back."
Yang Min's mood improved, and a smile appeared on her face. She led the group back the way they came and headed out of the Monster Forest.
"Senior Sister Yang, let's team up again next time."
Shui Miaomiao said with a fawning expression.
Gao Peng also laughed and said, "This is our first time working together, and we've got pretty good teamwork. If we team up again next time, we'll probably get even more out of it."
Yang Min smiled but did not immediately agree.
She has the cultivation level of the Strength Realm and is experienced in hunting. She can team up with anyone, but the distribution of benefits will be different.
The reason she approached these people this time was because they asked for a smaller share, allowing her to take the lion's share, which is why she agreed.
As for the next time, the allocation situation will naturally need to be discussed again before a decision can be made.
By this time, no one remembered the tragic death of Sun Dong anymore.
Luo Qingchen followed behind, listening to the three chatting and laughing happily, while he silently memorized the road and the surrounding environment.
When he turned around to look at the very back, the petite figure, even more silent than him, seemed to be observing his surroundings as well.
The other person seemed to sense his gaze and looked up at him.
At this moment, Luo Qingchen quickly withdrew her gaze and looked ahead.
"There are people ahead!"
At this moment, Yang Min, who was talking to Shui Miaomiao, suddenly stopped and looked ahead warily.
It was already late at night.
The group immediately stopped in their tracks.
Just then, a familiar figure emerged from the woods ahead. Upon seeing them, the figure exclaimed excitedly, "Senior Sister Yang, Junior Brother Gao! We've finally found you!"
Upon closer inspection, the group realized that it was Sun Dong, who should have been skinned and hung on a tree!
"Senior Brother Sun?"
Shui Miaomiao's eyes widened immediately.
Gao Peng also had an expression of disbelief on his face.
Sun Dong, clutching a bloody wound on his shoulder, staggered toward the group, his face contorted with grief, and said, "I was attacked by Junior Sister Ye earlier. I don't know if it was a demon or something, but it was incredibly fast. I was injured and ran away, but Junior Sister Ye had her head ripped off by that dark figure's claw. She died a horrible death—"
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and hurriedly turned to look at the petite figure behind them.
Just then, Yang Min suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"
She grabbed Shui Miaomiao beside her and instantly darted to the right.
As Sun Dong was talking and staggering over, he suddenly turned into a blur and appeared where the two had just been standing.
Immediately, his right hand transformed into sharp claws.
Before Gao Peng could react, the sharp claw had already pierced his heart with a "thud" and emerged from his back!
"ah----"
Gao Peng then turned around and looked at Sun Dong in front of him, his body trembling and his eyes widening.
Sun Dong's face was contorted, his mouth was split open, his pupils had turned blood red, and his whole body was making crackling sounds! His body was growing rapidly, with sharp horns growing on his head, fangs showing at the corners of his mouth, and his clothes breaking through his chest, revealing thick black fur.
At the same time, black mist billowed all over his body!
"It's a monster!"
Yang Min shouted and drew his sword with a clang.
At that moment, Gao Peng, whose heart had been pierced, was about to let out a scream of terror and despair when the monster in front of him suddenly grinned. Its mouth instantly transformed into a gaping maw full of two rows of sharp fangs, and with a "roar," it bit off Gao Peng's head!
Then, he swallowed it in one gulp.
Gao Peng's headless corpse stood still, spurting blood, yet remained upright.
The monster chuckled, its blood-red eyes fixed on the others.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! Attack together! This monster is incredibly fast; anyone who tries to run away will surely die!"
Yang Min immediately brandished her sword and charged forward.
Shui Miaomiao hesitated for a moment, then immediately drew her sword and followed closely behind!
Luo Qingchen gripped the horizontal sword in her hand, turned her head and suddenly discovered that the silent, petite figure behind her had somehow escaped.
He hesitated for a moment, but then an uncontrollable surge of bloodlust and rage welled up inside him.
He looked at the demon in front of him, his blood surging, and his power involuntarily began to flow into the horizontal sword in his hand, as if urging him to go up and kill the demon.
This sudden, inexplicable impulse sent a chill down his spine.
But at this moment, he had no time to think any further.
If we don't kill this monster, he'll be the one to die.
Senior Sister Yang is right. The opponent is very fast. If we don't kill it immediately, no one can escape!
So he grabbed his knife and charged forward.
Looking at the monster's ferocious and terrifying appearance, deep in his pupils, scenes suddenly surfaced of the past in Clearwater Town, where flames soared into the sky, the monster slaughtered the town's residents, and finally, killed his sister.
A ferocious look suddenly appeared on his face!
His dark pupils seemed to reveal the same bloodlust and rage as a demon!
"Give me back my sister!"
He roared inwardly and charged forward without regard for anything else.
Meanwhile, Yang Min and Shui Miaomiao were also desperately hacking and slashing, their faces filled with hatred and anger, as if they had both lost their minds.
The savage grins of monsters and the murderous intent of humans clashed violently in this dark forest.
At this moment, it was a fight to the death between the two sides!