Chapter 82 - 80: Another Pill
Chapter 82: Chapter 80: Another Pill
The route they took was not a straight line, but a curve, making it easier to clear out more Demon Beasts.
Meanwhile, Uncle Qu and three members of the Wang family had gone on far ahead, tasked with clearing a wide area of Demon Beasts.
The team continued to advance.
Every so often, Li Yuan would activate his Fire Escape Skill. A flash of fire would appear beneath his feet, propelling him several yards forward before he resumed a normal walking pace.
’There’s no need to use my full power. As long as my Spiritual Power follows the pathways of the Fire Escape Skill, the progress bar will rise.’
The other members of Team Four slowly began to relax.
Li Yuan was so fast that he single-handedly dealt with almost every Demon Beast they encountered. The others didn’t even have a chance to lift a finger.
By the time the third Demon Beast was taken care of, Han Xiaoyi had his hands clasped behind his back, his steps so light he looked like he was out for a stroll.
"Coming out with Captain Li is way more comfortable than sitting around at the guard post."
Tian Qi let out a laugh.
"If I had known it would be this easy, I wouldn’t have been so nervous."
Song Tiezhu remained silent, his eyes methodically scanning their surroundings.
「In the afternoon, the team took a short rest beside a dry creek bed.」
Li Yuan was crouching by the creek bed checking the Spirit Detecting Disc when he heard footsteps approaching from a side path up ahead.
’More than one person.’
Li Yuan raised his head and saw a group of people emerge from the bushes ahead.
There were six of them, most covered in blood, their clothes torn in several places. The man in front supported a companion with a crippled leg. On the other side, two men carried a simple stretcher, upon which lay a person with a cloth covering their face.
’One of them is dead.’
The group saw Li Yuan and his team, and their leader, a man from the larger expedition, walked over.
He looked to be in his thirties. His left arm was in a cloth sling, the blood on his face had half-dried, and the corner of his mouth was split.
Li Yuan stood up. "What happened to you?"
The man caught his breath and glanced toward the stretcher.
"We ran into a Tier One Top Grade."
Li Yuan’s gaze sharpened.
"What kind?"
"A Great Plate Rock Python." The man winced as he tried to move his slung arm. "That damn beast came out of nowhere. Even with seven of us against it, it was a tough fight. Old Zhao couldn’t get out of the way, and its tail shattered half his ribs. He was already gone by the time we got him out."
He paused, his voice lowering.
Li Yuan didn’t reply, waiting for him to continue.
The man took a few breaths before continuing.
"Also, another team we met said they encountered a Demon Beast that can attack the Divine Soul."
"Attack the Divine Soul?" Han Xiaoyi came closer.
"Right." The man nodded. "We don’t know what kind it is. I heard that one of its cries gave someone a splitting headache, and they still haven’t recovered."
"But it’s probably fine. The guy was only at the Qi Refining Third Level, so the attack probably isn’t that lethal. It’s just hard to guard against."
Li Yuan looked at the injured members of that team, then at the body on the stretcher covered by a cloth.
"What’s your plan?"
"We’re stopping here for now. It’s too dangerous to press on, but we can’t just leave the wounded behind." The man gestured with his chin toward the people behind him.
Li Yuan nodded. Without lingering, he signaled to his men to get back on the road.
After they left the other team, Han Xiaoyi’s pace slowed, his earlier carefree attitude clearly gone.
"Tier One Top Grade..." he muttered.
"Stop worrying about it," Song Tiezhu said, slapping him on the back. "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."
The team continued to push forward.
After another mile or so, the Spirit Detecting Disc detected a condensed fluctuation of Spiritual Qi.
"Twenty zhang ahead. One Middle Grade," Li Yuan said in a low voice.
The six of them spread out.
Behind a low slope ahead, a dark green Stone Armor Turtle was huddled next to a large rock. Its shell was covered with moss, its limbs were thick, and its head was half-retracted, revealing only two turbid yellow eyes.
Stone Armor Turtles were slow, but their shells were tough.
A burst of fire erupted from beneath Li Yuan’s feet. Activating the Fire Escape Skill, he instantly closed to within five zhang of the Stone Armor Turtle’s flank, a Fireball already formed in his palm.
BANG!
The Fireball smashed into the ground next to the Stone Armor Turtle’s head, sending rubble flying.
Li Yuan had missed on purpose.
Startled by the explosion, the Stone Armor Turtle shot its head out and hissed in the direction of the sound.
The instant its head emerged, Li Yuan’s second attack—a fire arrow—had already arrived.
PSSSH.
The line of fire drilled into the gap between the Stone Armor Turtle’s neck and shell, burying itself deep inside.
The Stone Armor Turtle’s entire body went rigid. Its limbs thrashed a few times before its heavy body tipped to one side.
Song Tiezhu rushed forward, his broadsword chopping down on the turtle’s exposed underbelly. He struck twice, and dark blood gushed out.
Han Xiaoyi added two more strikes from the other side. The Stone Armor Turtle convulsed a few times and then went still.
Dismantling the Stone Armor Turtle took a fair bit of time.
The shell was too hard and could only be cracked with a blade infused with Spiritual Power.
Zhao An, having come from the Artifact Refining Hall, was far more meticulous at harvesting materials than the others. He carefully sorted the parts of the Demon Beast.
Li Yuan put the valuable shell and bones into his storage bag.
Zhao An was rummaging through the Stone Armor Turtle’s stomach when he suddenly stopped.
"Captain Li, look at this."
Li Yuan walked over and crouched down.
Zhao An used a thin iron skewer to pry open the Stone Armor Turtle’s stomach. Inside, amidst the semi-digested mud and gravel, was a dark red lump.
Li Yuan reached out, picked out the lump, and placed it on a clean rock nearby.
Half a medicinal pill.
It was almost identical to the one found in the hyena’s stomach near the mine last time. The outer coating of the pill was pitted and corroded by stomach acid, revealing the dark red core within. A very faint medicinal fragrance lingered.
The others gathered around.
Song Tiezhu crouched down to look, his brow furrowed slightly.
"A pill? Why would a Tier One Demon Beast eat a pill?"
Li Yuan didn’t answer. He wrapped the half-pill in a cloth and tucked it into his sleeve.
"We’ll report this when we get back. Don’t mention it to anyone for now."
The men all nodded.
After they finished dismantling the carcass, the team found a sheltered rock face to rest.
Uncle Qu had taken the main force deeper in, and there were no signs of other teams nearby. The sun was already setting in the west; there was little point in pressing on.
The men split up to eat some dry rations and the Demon Beast jerky they had brought, each finding a spot to rest.
Li Yuan found a spot under the rock wall, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill.
Two hours later, Li Yuan slowly ended his cultivation.
Three new minor meridians had been opened. Although each one could only carry a minuscule amount of Spiritual Power, he could feel his overall Spiritual Power circulation become a bit smoother after they were integrated into the main circuit.
Li Yuan opened his eyes, sensing the state of the meridians within his body.
By cultivating the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill to this point, he had already opened most of the main and major branch meridians. The minor meridians opened by the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill were also being connected to the circuit one by one.
What truly remained were the hair-thin terminal micro-meridians. These micro-meridians were spread throughout his entire body and were extremely numerous, but each one was so fine and short that opening them was actually quite simple.
At his current pace, once the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill reached the mastery stage, combined with the foundation already laid by the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill, he estimated he could open all his meridians before reaching Minor Achievement.
After the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill had opened all his meridians, the focus of his subsequent cultivation would shift from opening new pathways to strengthening every existing meridian, allowing his Spiritual Power to flow faster and more stably.
A panel appeared.
[Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill: Proficient (89/400)]
[Fire Escape Skill Permanence Progress: 23/50]
Li Yuan dismissed the panel and leaned back against the rock wall, closing his eyes to rest.
In the distance, the low growl of some unknown beast could be heard occasionally, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of the wind.