Chapter 8: The Calamity of Unforeseen Misfortune
"Senior Brother Xu, you have arrived," the chubby Qian Hao exclaimed as he ran over to Xu Yun, pointing at the rising clouds of dust in the distance.
With a roar, the star tiger beast let out a mournful cry as a massive wound was cut into its large body by a sword. Through the wound, the shattered internal organs could be faintly seen. After struggling a few times, it ceased to move.
Aow aow ... ...
In the distance, ahead of the wolf pack, three young individuals were frantically running. In front of them was a figure dressed in white, none other than Li Ruo, who had appeared in the square during the day. At this moment, there was no trace of her previous elegance and composure; her body was covered in numerous wounds, appearing quite disheveled. Following closely behind her were two others, who were in an even more tragic state. One was a young man with blood-red hair, his abdomen riddled with several obvious holes, blood continuously flowing from them. The other was the robust young man who had spoken during the day; at this moment, his entire left arm had completely vanished.
The reason for coming here is that since entering the vast mountain range, all the beast soldiers encountered have been swiftly killed by Xu Yun with a single sword strike. Therefore, Qin Hu proposed that they come to this place, where he would lure the star beasts for Xu Yun to slay. The beast soldiers in this vicinity are terrifying beings with strength exceeding ten thousand pounds, which the few of them would not dare to provoke lightly in the past. However, witnessing Xu Yun's formidable power has led to this idea.
Xu Yun sighed softly, acknowledging that the power of the enhancement system was indeed formidable. Otherwise, with Qin Hu's ability to open 110 acupoints, it would have been impossible for him to outrun these few Star Tiger Beasts.
Indeed, Senior Brother Xu Yun, it seems that the sound is approaching from that direction. We are unlikely to be able to hide here.
It is hard to say. Xu Yun smiled indifferently, then looked up at the somewhat dim sky. After pondering for a moment, he spoke again: "The day is already late; we should rest here in the stone forest for the night to recover from our physical and mental exhaustion. We can continue tomorrow."
The few who were awakened all sensed the impending crisis, clearly having discerned the approach of the Star-Moon Wolf Pack from the sound. However, in that moment, they found it difficult to make a decision; recklessly running through the vast mountains in the dark was little different from committing suicide.
Upon witnessing this, Qin Hu's brow emitted a dark shadow that merged into his body. His muscles tensed up, and the veins on his exposed arms became distinctly visible. With a powerful push of his feet, the ground sank, creating a pit half a meter deep. In the next moment, his figure had already plunged into the thick fog, followed closely by five giant tigers that roared fiercely as they entered.
Throughout the journey, Xu Yun has already learned the names of several individuals. The chubby boy is named Qian Hao, the son of a wealthy family. The girl in black, Qin Yao, is the biological sister of Qin Hu. As for the disheartened young man, he is named Nangong Qi; he was once a scholar, but after his family was exterminated, he resolutely embarked on the path of star cultivation.
Senior Brother Xu Yun, you can even defeat the Starry Tiger Beast in an instant? What exactly is your strength?
At this moment, the thick fog had been completely retracted by Qin Yao. Xu Yun stepped forward, shattered the skulls of five Star Tiger Beasts, and retrieved five star cores the size of chicken eggs. Before the others could react, he threw one core to each of them.
In a stone forest seventy miles away from the junction square, Xu Yun leaned against a massive boulder, with the bodies of no fewer than fifty various beast soldiers laid out beneath his feet. They resembled ordinary wild animals, but were significantly larger than typical beasts.
Having dealt with a star tiger beast, Xu Yun did not linger. In a series of swift movements, he struck down with his sword, until all five star tiger beasts were eliminated in a single blow. With a flash of his figure, he exited the dense fog area
Nangong, please help quickly; do not always let Senior Brother Xu Yun take action by himself
Xu Yun looked up at the smoke and dust that was increasingly approaching the library, and a bitter smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth. Qin Hu has indeed become bolder; judging by the density of the smoke, it is likely that at least five beast soldiers have been attracted this time.
"Senior Brother Xu Yun, what are you thinking about?" Qin Yao, who was originally in meditation, seemed to sense something and opened her eyes just in time to see Xu Yun holding a cloth bag in his hand, a hint of joy unconsciously appearing on her face
With the sound of Qin Hu, a large amount of mist unexpectedly floated near the Stone Forest. This mist was exceptionally dense, yet it could not obstruct the vision of Xu Yun and the others. Within it, a woman's voice could be faintly heard.
Suddenly, a multitude of wolf howls echoed from a distance, accompanied by a tremendous roar. It was evident that a fierce battle was underway, and the sounds were growing closer, moving towards the direction of the Stone Forest
It seems that there are people over at Senior Brother Li Ruo's side. The young man who had called out during the day noticed several sudden bursts of energy rising from the stone forest in the distance and quickly shouted out.
"Comparing people can be deadly." The chubby boy Qian Hao's face twitched slightly, and then a fist-sized mini black bear flew out from his forehead, shimmering for a moment before shattering into tiny fragments and merging back into his body. Instantly, the chubby boy's height increased significantly, reaching an astonishing two and a half meters. Even his already plump body expanded further, resembling a small mountain.
This large python would surely have been considered a rare breed in a past life. Xu Yun smacked his lips, gazing at the snake carcass beside him, which was as thick as a water bucket and nearly one hundred meters long, and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration; this star beast truly possesses extraordinary talent
The stone forest, illuminated by the stars, appeared exceptionally silent. A cool evening breeze swept through under the starlight, revealing several figures seated in the concealed areas of the stone forest. These figures were enveloped in varying intensities of starlight, diligently working to recover from the exhaustion of the day's activities.
Cao Zhe and Yan Yu went there to divert the attention of the Star-Moon Wolf Pack. A hint of malice appeared on Li Ruo's face as he suddenly turned his body and headed towards the direction of Xu Yun and the others
The fierce battle has begun in the thick fog, as five star tigers, their vision obstructed, are entangled by numerous vines, unable to help but roar in anger, while Qin Hu's furious fists continue to strike violently at one of the star tigers
"No more hesitation; staying here is just waiting for death." Qin Hu clenched his fists tightly, bloodshot eyes appearing, and stomped his foot fiercely before charging out of the stone forest.
Indeed, Senior Brother Xu Yun, it seems I have never seen you use any star techniques before
Indeed, I understand. Xu Yun chuckled, truly not expecting that the star beasts could be hunted in this manner
"Go!" Xu Yun called out softly, his body following closely behind as he dashed out of the stone forest. The remaining few also hurriedly ran, not pausing for a moment.
Wolf pack? Xu Yun's expression turned solemn as he gazed in the direction of the wolf's howl, a sudden sense of foreboding arising in his heart. Logically speaking, with his strength, it should be impossible to encounter any danger within a seventy-mile radius. However, at this moment, his heart was tightly clenched.
Awoo
Awoo
Senior Xu Yun, this... a few people took the star cores, unsure of what to say. The powerful individuals they had encountered before were all eager to take away all the star cores, yet Xu Yun chose to share his rightful share with everyone. After all, just moments ago, they had no way to deal with these star tigers. If it weren't for Xu Yun's intervention, they would likely have been injured while trying to escape once the star tigers broke free.
Xu Yunqing let out a breath, slowly opened her eyes. The exhaustion of the day was not too much; she had recovered in just half the night. She glanced at the book and weighed the cloth bag at her waist, a satisfied expression appearing on her face. After a busy day, she had harvested more than sixty star cores, which was indeed worthwhile. Speaking of which, this cloth bag was a gift from Qin Yao; otherwise, it would have been quite awkward, as she had never hunted star beasts before and had not even thought about what to bring to collect the star cores. Having harvested more than sixty star cores was indeed worthwhile. Speaking of which, this cloth bag was a gift from Qin Yao; otherwise, it would have been quite awkward, as she had never hunted star beasts before and had not even thought about what to bring to collect the star cores.
Encounter ... ...
Senior Brother Xu Yun, this Star-Moon Wolf only operates outside a radius of one hundred li, how could it appear here? What should we do now
... ...
Senior Brother Xu Yun, it's better if you take action; I am truly afraid of pain
This stone forest is a special place discovered by several individuals. There are not many star beasts in the vicinity, so there is no need to worry about causing too much noise during battles, which could attract other star beasts and bring unnecessary trouble
Let us act together; these star tigers possess a strength of approximately 17,000 pounds. Do not give them a chance to react
The two individuals behind him followed Li Ruo's figure like madmen. The youth with blood-red hair emitted a chilling voice, saying: "In our adventure to obtain that item, seven people have already died because of it, and now we cannot allow others to have it easy either"
... ...
Just now, everyone helped, so I can't take it all for myself. Xu Yun smiled nonchalantly and, under the gaze of several people, stepped into the stone forest one step at a time
This series of attacks left several people dumbfounded, especially Qin Hu, who glanced at his own fist, then at Xu Yun's somewhat slender body, his facial muscles twitching incessantly
Oh, Senior Brother..." Qin Yao was about to say something more, but suddenly Xu Yun stood up, his eyes fixed on a certain direction, and upon seeing this situation, she could no longer continue speaking.
At this moment, Xu Yun grasped the giant sword beside him, snapped his fingers, and the black book floating nearby opened with a "pop." Lightning instantly enveloped his entire body, making him appear as if he had donned a feathered garment of lightning, showcasing an ethereal grace that transcended the mundane.
This is how it should be. A day's battle has left several individuals exceptionally fatigued, and moreover, the vast mountains at night are truly unsuitable for combat
"Senior Brother Xu Yun, this time we have attracted five of them." Qin Hu's loud voice echoed from a distance, and one could faintly see five enormous tigers, as large as small mountains, closely pursuing him.
Although Xu Yun had watched it many times, he still couldn't help but chuckle softly. The little chubby boy at this moment looked like a late-stage obesity patient. However, his natural black bear star essence was truly ferocious, or rather, remarkably resilient. It was estimated that without at least two strikes, he wouldn't be able to deal with him, of course, this was under the condition of not using "Falling Star".
"It's nothing." Xu Yun replied lightly, and fell silent.
The chubby Qian Hao looked at the giant tiger, which seemed to have suffered no harm at all amidst the thick fog. He then glanced at the vines that had been snapped by the giant tiger's sharp claws. His body, resembling that of a black bear, involuntarily trembled slightly, and his eyes looked pitifully towards Xu Yun
"This is the pack of the Star-Moon Wolf. Even the weakest among them is comparable to a star cultivator who has opened a hundred acupoints. If there is a wolf king, it would be equivalent to a powerful being who has opened three hundred acupoints, or even stronger." Qin Hu's voice came, filled with suspicion and an inexplicable fear, as he looked towards Xu Yun with bloodshot eyes
Understood. Nangong Qi leaped down from a large boulder, and suddenly, numerous vines, as thick as arms, surged up from the ground, directly rushing into the thick fog
Xu Yun had just taken a step when he suddenly stumbled, casting a somewhat speechless glance at the chubby Qian Hao. With a slight shift of his foot, a crackling sound erupted, and in the next moment, his figure appeared above a Star Tiger Beast that was about to break free. With a light shout, he swung the gigantic sword in his hand, which was swirling with electric light, and struck down.