Yun Heng was pleasantly surprised. She had not known which way to go, but now there was no need to agonize over directions.
After memorizing the route on the map, Yun Heng stowed the System panel and set off in the direction indicated by the Event Card.
At first, although the surrounding trees were tall, the grass on the ground was not overly dense, making traversal relatively easy.
However, as she ventured deeper, the vegetation grew increasingly lush and tangled.
The wild grass rose from waist-height to above her shoulders, its leaves and stems intertwining tightly. Some vines even stretched horizontally across her path, leaving almost no room to step.
With every step forward, Yun Heng had to push aside the leaves and vines blocking her way.
Let alone executing the Void-Stepping Movement Technique, even walking normally was difficult now.
And...
Wasn't it a bit too quiet here?
Aside from the faint rustling of wind passing through the leaves, there was virtually no sound around her.
Just as the thought crossed Yun Heng's mind, a sudden rustle came from the bushes to her rear left.
Almost the instant the noise sounded, Yun Heng drew her longsword and held it across her front in a defensive posture.
“Clang!”
Sharp claws collided with the blade, producing an ear-splitting screech.
Forced back by her sword momentum, the attacker landed in the thicket several yards away. Yun Heng also took a step back, swiftly steadying her stance.
Only then did she clearly catch sight of the grey shadow—it was a massive spirit wolf.
Standing over a tall man's height, greyish-black fur covered its body, its sharp fangs exposed, and a pair of eerie green eyes stared unblinkingly at Yun Heng.
Judging from the aura radiating from it, its cultivation level was at peak Golden Core.
Yun Heng recalled some common knowledge about spirit beasts that Yan Yi had mentioned to her via the Transmission Jade Slip.
Spirit beasts possessed a certain degree of intelligence and generally would not attack cultivators without cause, unless a cultivator actively threatened their lives or trespassed into their territory.
It seemed she belonged to the latter case.
Yan Yi had also told her that a cultivator could establish a contract with a spirit beast, though success depended on mutual willingness and affinity.
Contracts were mainly divided into equal contracts and master-servant contracts.
An equal contract imposed no forced restrictions on either party, granting both equal status.
A master-servant contract placed the cultivator as the master and the spirit beast as the servant, allowing the cultivator to bind the beast and prevent betrayal.
If a contract could not be formed, a cultivator could choose to kill the beast.
Upon death, a spirit beast would leave behind a beast core, while its fur, bones, and flesh served as resources that could be sold or used in refining equipment and pills.
Thinking of this, Yun Heng did not immediately strike. She did not yet have a contracted spirit beast of her own. If she could contract this spirit wolf, it would provide additional assistance in future battles.
However, the spirit wolf clearly had no intention of peaceful coexistence.
Being repelled by her sword momentum earlier seemed to have infuriated it completely.
Lowering its body, the spirit wolf released a fierce low growl from its throat before lunging at Yun Heng once more.
This time, its speed was even faster.
Peak Golden Core spiritual energy surged into its claws as eerie green light sliced through the surrounding leaves, driving straight toward Yun Heng's shoulder.
Yun Heng sidestepped to dodge, slashing her longsword at the wolf at the same time. The spirit wolf twisted its body in midair, claws clashing with the blade edge once again before using the momentum to drop to the side.
Generally, spirit beasts could only speak human tongue and fully comprehend a cultivator's meaning once they reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
The spirit wolf before her was merely at peak Golden Core, unable to communicate normally with her. Judging by its current demeanor, it showed not the slightest hint of submission or willingness to form a contract.
It seems a contract won't be possible, Yun Heng thought to herself as she parried another strike from the wolf.
Her eyes narrowed. In that case, killing it is the only option.
She had just attained initial mastery of the third form of the Tianheng Sword Art and had yet to test it in actual combat; she might as well use this wolf to test its power.
Yun Heng circulated her spiritual energy, instantly gathering frost sword intent onto her blade.
The surrounding temperature plummeted, a layer of white frost rapidly coating the leaves as even the air seemed to freeze in place.
Tianheng Sword Art, Third Form—
Frost Sky Annihilation!
As the sword radiance descended, all sound in the surroundings vanished simultaneously.
Sensing the danger, the spirit wolf turned to dodge, but affected by the frost sword intent, its speed was more than halved.
In the next instant, the sword radiance slashed across its body.
The spirit wolf let out a tragic roar, its massive body falling heavily to the ground.
Yun Heng slowly sheathed her longsword and put the spirit wolf's carcass into her storage bag, feeling a bit regretful.
Still, it did not matter.
This dense forest was vast, and there were bound to be higher-level spirit beasts within it. She could simply find a way to contract one then.
Yun Heng cleaned off the bloodstains on her clothes and continued forward along the path provided by the Event Card.
After walking for an unknown duration, a fierce commotion of fighting suddenly rang out from her front right.
The sounds of cracking trees echoed repeatedly, interspersed with two distinctly different roars of spirit beasts.
Yun Heng halted. After a moment's thought, she headed toward the origin of the noise.
Concealing her aura, she crouched behind a dense thicket of grass and peered cautiously ahead.
In front of her was a clearing forcibly flattened by battle.
In the center of the clearing, a spirit snake was locked in a life-and-death struggle with a spirit tiger.
The spirit snake was dozens of feet long, its body covered in dark teal scales whose edges glimmered with a cold light. Exceptionally swift, its long body slithered windingly across the ground, narrowly evading the spirit tiger's sharp claws every time they descended.
The spirit tiger, meanwhile, was even more massive.
Reddish-yellow fur covered its entire body, and the black markings on its forehead resembled a blazing flame. Every swipe of its sharp claws generated powerful surges of spiritual energy.
Both spirit beasts possessed cultivation levels at mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm.
By now, numerous wounds had marred their bodies.
The scales on the spirit snake's side had been torn open, blood pouring continuously from the wound. Yet it did not retreat; instead, as the spirit tiger pounced once more, its body rapidly coiled around the tiger's hind leg.
With a furious roar, the spirit tiger spun violently, slamming its sharp claw toward the spirit snake's head.
The spirit snake released its hold immediately, dodging backward.
Yet it was a step too slow after all.
The tiger's claw scraped across its neck, tearing away several scales directly.
In agony, the spirit snake opened its mouth and spat a cloud of dark teal toxic mist.
Unable to dodge completely, half of the spirit tiger's body was engulfed by the toxic mist. Its movements stiffened visibly for a moment, and the spirit snake instantly seized the opportunity, whipping its tail like a lash onto the tiger.
“Bang!”
The spirit tiger's massive body crashed through an ancient tree. The severed trunk fell with a deafening crash, shaking the ground slightly.
The spirit tiger quickly scrambled back onto its feet, emitting an ear-splitting roar before lunging at the spirit snake once more.
Hiding behind the grass, Yun Heng watched in quiet marvel.
A spirit beast's physical body was inherently far stronger than that of a cultivator at the same realm, and their combat style was vastly more direct and ferocious.
Although the two spirit beasts before her were merely at mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm, the commotion caused by their fight was even greater than that of ordinary peak Nascent Soul cultivators.
Yun Heng quickly came to a decision.
Once a victor emerged between them, whichever side won, she could take advantage of its weakened state.
Ahem, no.
She meant, "sincerely invite" the victor to establish a contract with her.
Yun Heng waited patiently behind the grass.
Rate on N.U.
