I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon? - Chapter 84: A Thousand-Year-Old Tree Demon? That’s It?
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: A Thousand-Year-Old Tree Demon? That’s It?
Fire-attribute Star Beasts were frenzied and savage, mostly dwelling deep within the mountain ranges.
Before leaving, Qin Yang had naturally done his homework and drafted several plans for entering the mountains.
“Now, it’s time to hunt.”
Qin Yang, holding Xiaobai, dropped to the ground from a giant pine tree. He began walking deeper into the Da Li Mountain Range, calm and composed.
His immense Spiritual Power spread out around him like an expanding spiderweb.
A map of the nearby terrain formed in his mind.
The mountain forest grew dark as night fell. Starlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patterns on the ground.
Faintly, the rustling of insects and snakes slithering could be heard from the jungle.
It was as if countless pairs of eyes had opened at once, all locking onto Qin Yang’s position.
“Well now, aren’t they aggressive?”
Following the threads of his Spiritual Power, Qin Yang suddenly sensed several waves of malice approaching.
They were closing in on him fast.
RUSTLE RUSTLE!
The leaves in the forest trembled.
Immediately after, a dozen or so apes scrambled up the branches, appearing on the limbs of the giant pine. Their faces were a ferocious mix of red and white, their cheeks puffed as they let out strange, muttered curses.
They perched on the branches, looking down at Qin Yang as if to confirm something…
“Hm? Mountain Demons?”
Qin Yang was taken aback by the sight.
He hadn’t expected to run into such strange creatures the moment he landed.
’And for some reason… there’s a bizarre hatred coming from them?’
’What’s going on?’
“Master, these smelly monkeys seem to really hate you…”
Xiaobai leaped from Qin Yang’s arms, transforming into a little girl with beast ears. She landed on the ground with her small, bare feet. “Want me to help you?”
As she spoke, she looked up at the troop of Mountain Demons and bared her teeth in a challenge.
“I hate these smelly monkeys the most! All they know is how to use their numbers to bully a fox!”
“No need.”
Qin Yang shook his head. Gazing up at the Mountain Demons in the canopy, he sent out a probe with his Spiritual Power and instantly determined the Realm of every single one.
Most were in the Mid to Late Stages of the Postnatal Realm. It seemed their whole nest had turned out.
Perched high in the trees, they were like a parade of a hundred ghosts, letting out sharp, baboon-like shrieks that were utterly terrifying.
An ordinary Star Martial Artist would have likely been scared to death by such a sight.
’I’ll just kill them all instantly. I’m in a hurry.’
At that thought, Qin Yang raised his finger, drew forth a wisp of Sword Intent, and sent it flying above the nearby branches.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
A sharp whistling sound tore through the air.
The Sword Intent agitated the air, instantly forming incredibly sharp Wind Blades that flew toward the Mountain Demons in the trees!
SQUELCH!
With the first sound of tearing flesh, a Mountain Demon’s head was split open. It crashed to the ground, sending dust flying.
It was followed by a second, a third, a fourth…
The Sword Qi was invisible, and death moved like a shadow, mercilessly hunting the Mountain Demons among the branches.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Body after body tumbled from the branches. Blood rained down, and the dense forest filled with the heavy thud of corpses hitting the ground, accompanied by terrified shrieks.
They were filled with terror and regret. They looked down at Qin Yang as if to say…
’This isn’t a person!’
’This is King Yama calling the roll!’
「A moment later.」
All the Mountain Demons had been slain.
The forest finally fell silent…
“Much better.”
Qin Yang listened to the sounds around him and glanced at the ground littered with Mountain Demons, quite satisfied.
With his hands behind his back, he stepped through the pools of blood and released his Spiritual Power to inspect the corpses.
He sensed the location of their essence. With a raise of his hand, a sparkling, translucent crystal flew into his palm.
These Beast Cores contained their entire life’s Cultivation.
They would be very useful in the future, whether for Array Formation or Alchemy.
“Not bad, not bad.”
“Getting loot drops is so satisfying.”
Satisfied, Qin Yang collected the Beast Cores from the Mountain Demons and continued on his way.
Xiaobai followed behind Qin Yang.
She said nothing, only lifting her eyes to glance at him silently. ’What a monster,’ she thought.
’The Master’s strength is getting more ridiculous by the day.’
’If this keeps up…’
“How am I ever going to run away!”
At this thought, Xiaobai’s beast ears drooped, and she became dejected.
The little fox’s spirits completely deflated…
……
「A short while later.」
In the dim mountain forest, the duo of Qin Yang and Xiaobai, one large and one small, continued their journey deeper.
Any Star Beast that tried to attack would first be detected by his Spiritual Power, and a moment later, a wisp of Sword Qi would deal with it.
Leaving only corpses in their wake.
“Master! Can I have this Beast Core…?”
Next to the corpse of a Mountain Tiger, Xiaobai extended a claw, pierced its chest, and skillfully extracted a green Beast Core. She then looked at Qin Yang with pleading eyes.
“This one’s just from an Early Stage of Postnatal… You can’t use it, Master. I want it…”
“Take it.”
Qin Yang waved his hand magnanimously, indicating he didn’t mind.
By now, the pile of Beast Cores in his Star Ring was already quite large. He didn’t lack for such small fry.
“Thank you, Master!”
Xiaobai gave a sweet smile, then popped the Beast Core into her mouth. She held it for a moment before crunching down, finally swallowing it with a GULP and a look of pure bliss.
Along the way, Qin Yang also found many natural treasures.
Wild Lingzhi, Cordyceps, fallen Antlers, ginseng…
Thanks to the Profound Celestial Pill Scripture, Qin Yang knew everything about these medicinal herbs—their harvesting methods, their growth properties—making him an expert forager. He harvested the mountain’s bounty as he went, collecting Beast Cores from Star Beasts, and his journey proved to be quite fruitful.
“Now this is a true gift from nature!”
Qin Yang was in a pleasant mood, strolling leisurely through the forest with Xiaobai.
The only regrettable thing so far was that he still hadn’t encountered a suitable Fire-attribute Star Beast.
The ones he’d found were too low-level for his consideration.
And he hadn’t met any that were high-level enough.
’For this trip into the mountains…’
’I have to at least get my hands on an Innate Realm Beast Fire before I go back, right?’
With this in mind, Qin Yang and Xiaobai continued deeper. After about half an hour, they came upon an incredibly thick, ancient tree.
Withered vines hung from it like hair, its roots tangled and gnarled. Its thick branches soared high, and surprisingly, no other trees grew within a ten-meter radius of it.
“Something’s strange.”
Qin Yang frowned, sniffing the air.
Faintly, the stench of blood and rot hung in the air.
“Master…”
At his side, Xiaobai tugged on the corner of Qin Yang’s sleeve and whispered, “There’s something wrong with this tree.”
The words had barely left her mouth when the system’s voice suddenly sounded in Qin Yang’s ear—
“Ding! Aura of a thousand-year-old tree detected. Host is advised to flee this area immediately!”
“Hm?”
Qin Yang followed the system’s prompt with his gaze.
The next moment.
A screen of light materialized before his eyes.
Thousand-Year-Old Vine Tree
Cultivation: Emperor Level!
Abilities: High-Speed Regeneration, Vine Propagation
“A Thousand-Year-Old Tree Demon?”
Qin Yang raised an eyebrow.
The Da Li Mountain Range had existed for over ten thousand years; it wasn’t uncommon for plants to gain sentience.
Suddenly!
A strange RUSTLING sound echoed as the ground began to tremble violently. Dozens of vines burst from the soil, coiling and twisting.
They instantly shot toward them, attempting to ensnare them!
“This is bad! Master, run!”
Xiaobai shouted anxiously. “It thinks we’re nutrients!”
Her urgent voice was mixed with the sound of vines bursting from the earth.
The overwhelming mass of vines swirled toward them, forming an inescapable cage.
However.
Qin Yang’s expression remained calm. He simply produced a wisp of Sword Qi at his fingertip and swept it casually around him.
BOOM!
The Sword Qi surged violently, instantly shredding the tangled vines as if they were paper.
“A Thousand-Year-Old Tree Demon…”
“Is that all you’ve got?!!”
