Chapter 272 - 265: Golden Giant Wolf, Mysterious Little Girl

Chapter 272: Chapter 265: Golden Giant Wolf, Mysterious Little Girl

Having tracked them this far, Qu Chengyuan and his men were now almost certain that Jiang Zuo’s trio was taking the exact same path as the group they had been following previously.

In other words, by following Jiang Zuo’s trio, they might be able to find that other group.

However, the number of Demon Beasts that Jiang Zuo’s group encountered was far greater than Qu Chengyuan had anticipated.

This was not normal.

The Beast God Tree Forbidden Land must have undergone some immense transformation for things to be like this.

The cause was likely related to the outward spread of the Beast God Tree.

But Qu Chengyuan and his men worried there might be more to it.

And the appearance of the Beast God Tree’s root tendrils, which dragged away the corpses of fourth-rank Demon Beasts, gave them an especially ominous feeling.

"Boss Qu, what if... we retreat for now?" one of them couldn’t help but ask.

He felt that if they kept going, they might just lose their lives here.

"Go if you want to! The Forbidden Land is undergoing a change, yes, but this is also an unprecedented opportunity!"

"This didn’t just start today. Think about it—why haven’t we heard any news?"

"It must be that the ones who discovered this change first kept it quiet, hoping to hoard the opportunity for themselves!"

Qu Chengyuan glared at the man and spoke coldly.

Men die for wealth as birds die for food.

His future on the path of cultivation was at stake, and this might be his last chance.

Qu Chengyuan had waited decades for this moment. He wasn’t about to give up so easily.

And Qu Chengyuan wasn’t wrong; the transformation in the Forbidden Land certainly hadn’t started today.

Yet, despite being just outside, they had heard nothing. Clearly, those who had entered recently were keeping it a secret.

The Beast God Tree Forbidden Land had existed for eons, but a change like the one happening now was completely unheard of.

Throughout all of history, there had arguably never been an opportunity like this.

"Boss Qu is right! We have to seize this kind of opportunity, no matter what!" another man said, his heart pounding with excitement.

The Cultivator who had suggested leaving didn’t bring up the idea of retreating again.

Still, feeling the number of Demon Beasts was becoming excessive, Qu Chengyuan began to worry that Jiang Zuo’s trio would have trouble proceeding much further.

「On the other side.」

Jiang Zuo’s group hadn’t gone far before they ran into another Demon Beast.

This time, however, there was only one.

Great Black and his two companions teamed up and easily killed the fourth-rank Demon Beast.

This time, the moment the fourth-rank Demon Beast died, Jiang Zuo moved with lightning speed, snatching up the corpse and tossing it into his Pet Beast Spirit Garden.

Then, with grim expressions, the three of them watched as tendrils erupted from the ground.

Unable to find the corpse, they retracted back into the earth.

Although the tendrils still hadn’t attacked them, they all sensed something was amiss.

"This Beast God Tree... it seems to really want these Demon Beast corpses, doesn’t it?"

"Senior Sister, was the Beast God Tree like this in the past?"

Xie Xiuyue couldn’t help but ask.

"No. I’ve never heard of the Beast God Tree taking away the corpses of Demon Beasts."

Jie Qiu shook her head.

Jiang Zuo, however, was thinking about it on a deeper level.

He couldn’t help but recall the Mysterious Island that had drawn all the birds to it.

’Could it be that the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land is a similar kind of place?’

Jiang Zuo was intensely curious.

Unfortunately, the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land was far too dangerous for him to venture deeper and find out.

The three continued on.

It wasn’t long before more Demon Beasts appeared up ahead.

And this time, there were five fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

"There are so many! We might not be able to win!"

"Fellow Daoist Gu, do you have a way to deal with this?"

Jie Qiu’s expression changed.

Huahua’s combat strength was too low. And while she and Jiang Zuo were both Three Flowers Realm Cultivators, their cultivation was suppressed. Their combined fighting power was likely equivalent to just a single fourth-rank Demon Beast.

If a real fight broke out, she and Jiang Zuo might be able to manage, but Xie Xiuyue, who was only at the Divine Body Realm, would be in grave danger.

"A way to deal with this? Of course I have one."

Jiang Zuo chuckled after a moment’s thought.

"You lot have been following for so long, it’s time you came out. Or did you really expect us to lead you all the way in?"

Before Jie Qiu could ask what his plan was, Jiang Zuo had already turned and shouted toward the distant spot where Qu Chengyuan’s group was hiding.

’I have other methods, of course, but for now, it’s better to drag these guys out to do the heavy lifting.’

This group had been following them for so long that it didn’t seem like a simple case of robbery and murder. Instead, it was more like they were using them as guides, or waiting for them to find some treasure before making a move.

Since that was the case, Jiang Zuo wasn’t in any rush to deal with them.

Especially now, with the Forbidden Land in a state of flux, it was best to press them into service.

"That guy... he spotted us?"

"Boss Qu, what do we do?"

As the voice carried over from the distance, the men around Qu Chengyuan were stunned.

"Let’s go! We’ll go and meet him!"

"If we just keep watching, they probably won’t be able to get any deeper anyway."

Qu Chengyuan said after a moment’s thought.

Those three alone could never defeat five fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

If Jiang Zuo’s trio retreated, it would be difficult for his group to press on alone.

That being the case, it was better to reveal themselves and cooperate to move forward together.

As for everything else, they could decide later based on how the situation developed.

Jie Qiu and Xie Xiuyue’s faces paled as they watched five Cultivators emerge from behind them in the distance as if from thin air.

Neither of them had noticed they were being followed—and for the entire day, no less.

"I am Qu Chengyuan. A pleasure to meet you, Master Gu."

"Master Gu, you truly live up to your reputation, discovering us from such a distance."

"You may not believe this, Master Gu, but we truly just happened to be taking the same route. We only wanted to save a bit of energy and meant you no harm."

Qu Chengyuan said with an apologetic air.

Jie Qiu, and especially Xie Xiuyue, looked indignant.

’This guy... talking about stalking them so casually. Who knows what his real intentions are.’

But before she could say anything, Jiang Zuo waved his hand, signaling her to keep quiet.

"I’ve heard of your reputation as well, Fellow Daoist Qu."

"I don’t care about your motives. Right now, if we don’t cooperate, none of us are going any further."

"Since you’ve come out, I assume you’re prepared to cooperate?"

Jiang Zuo said, getting straight to the point.

"But of course. Previously, we were just hoping to witness your skills for ourselves, Master Gu."

Qu Chengyuan said with a laugh.

He didn’t waste any more words and had his men summon their Spirit Beasts.

Among their group of five, they had two fourth-rank Spirit Beasts and three third-rank ones.

Added to the combat strength of Jiang Zuo’s trio, this was more than enough to take on five fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

The two teams joined forces and, with some effort, finally managed to slay all five fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

The Beast God Tree’s tendrils once again emerged from the ground, but Jiang Zuo had already collected the Demon Beast corpses.

"Master Gu, what use do you have for these Demon Beast corpses?"

"Unlike the Demon Beasts of the outside world, those from the Beast God Tree Forbidden Land have very little value. These fourth-rank Demon Beasts, and even fifth-rank ones, don’t possess Inner Cores."

"Their body parts are also infused with a strange power. If you try to use them to forge equipment, there’s an extremely high chance the process will fail."

Qu Chengyuan asked, his eyes glinting.

The Beast God Tree Forbidden Land was teeming with Demon Beasts, but most Cultivators who came here had no interest in their corpses.

Even if one went through the trouble of hauling them out, few would be willing to buy them.

Even a complete fourth-rank Demon Beast pelt wouldn’t fetch a high price.

At most, they served as practice materials for some Cultivators.

Qu Chengyuan had never seen anyone as enthusiastic about Demon Beast corpses as Jiang Zuo.

"I’m a Beast Tamer and a Spirit Beast Doctor. These corpses are naturally of use to me."

"As for what that use is, I’m afraid I can’t say."

Jiang Zuo smiled, unconcerned about what Qu Chengyuan might be thinking.

Qu Chengyuan said no more. He and his men watched with grave expressions as the root-like tendrils of the Beast God Tree emerged from the ground.

Witnessing this scene with their own eyes still left them profoundly shaken.

The group of eight continued deeper into the Forbidden Land.

Fourth-rank Demon Beasts constantly blocked their path.

But there were never more than five or six at a time, and with the eight of them cooperating, they faced no real danger.

Although much of their time was spent in battle.

By the time half a day had passed, the group had still managed to cover a considerable distance.

They encountered another pack of fourth-rank Demon Beasts.

The eight of them engaged the beasts in combat.

"What is that?"

one of Qu Chengyuan’s men suddenly shouted, staring off to the side.

Jiang Zuo and the others looked over at the sound of his voice, and their faces all changed drastically.

Off to their side, over a hundred meters away in a patch of blackened, dead marshland...

...a giant golden wolf had appeared at some unknown point in time.

What was even more startling was that next to the giant golden wolf stood a little girl in a black dress, looking to be about seven or eight years old.

The little girl’s dress was tattered, making her look like a pitiful little beggar from the streets.

Yet she stood beside the golden wolf as if the great beast were her subordinate.

A chill ran through Jiang Zuo.

His Divine Sense was powerful, yet he had been completely unable to perceive when the golden wolf and the little girl had appeared.

Not only that, but even as he stared right at them, his Divine Sense still couldn’t detect their presence.