Chapter 153 | Diverging Paths

Chapter 153: 153 | Diverging Paths

Lin Tian walked through the twisted stone forest. The ground was covered in dead leaves and spiritual debris. He stopped in front of a large, dark rock. Two stalks of Blood-Thread Grass grew in a deep crack.

He knelt down and took out his extraction dagger. He channeled a thin, steady thread of Qi into the blade. He carefully cut the hard soil around the thin roots. If he broke the roots, the spiritual essence inside the herb would leak out and be useless.

He placed the two stalks securely inside his spatial ring. Mid-grade herbs were not very valuable, but they were useful for making basic healing pills.

Suddenly, a bad smell hit his nose. It smelled like rotten meat and sulfur.

Three large wolves jumped down from the rocks above. They landed in a tight circle around him.

These were Mutated Spirit-Eating Wolves. They were twice as big as normal wolves. Their skin was hard and covered in thick, stone-like bone plates. Thick, green spit dropped from their long teeth. The spit hit the ground and made a burning sound. The three wolves lowered their bodies and looked at him with hungry, yellow eyes.

Lin Tian stood still. He looked at them and analyzed their bodies.

[Ding!]

[Target: Mutated Spirit-Eating Wolf]

[Threat Level: Low]

[Structural Weakness: Neck bone is exposed.]

[Secondary Weakness: Back knee joint is weak from mutation.]

Lin Tian did not want to waste time, but leaving them alive would be careless.

The first wolf jumped at his throat. Its mouth opened wide, showing sharp teeth.

Lin Tian did not retreat. He shifted his body just a fraction of an inch, calculating the exact trajectory of the beast’s jaws. The wolf’s sharp teeth missed his ear by a mere inch, the hot stench of its breath washing over his skin.

As the wolf’s heavy momentum carried it past him, Lin Tian channeled a dense thread of Qi into his right hand. He struck the exposed bone on the wolf’s neck with two stiff fingers, delivering a focused shockwave of spiritual energy.

Crack!

The hard neck bone broke instantly. The wolf fell to the ground and died without making a sound.

The other two wolves attacked at the same time from different sides.

Lin Tian bent his knees. He used a simple movement technique to shift his weight. He kicked the first wolf directly in its weak back knee. The knee joint bent backward with a loud crunch. The wolf fell down in pain.

Lin Tian turned around quickly and hit the second wolf in the jaw with his elbow. The wolf’s head snapped back. It hit the ground hard and did not move.

In less than one minute, all three wolves were dead or disabled.

Lin Tian took out his dagger. He cut open the chests of the dead wolves. He took out their beast cores. The cores were small and glowed with a faint, dirty light. He cleaned the blood off the cores and put them in his spatial ring. Beast cores could be used to make low-grade pills or to fuel simple formations.

He stood up and kept walking deeper into the forest.

***

High up in a large black tree, Lady Yun was hiding. She watched Lin Tian fight the wolves.

She saw him kill the three beasts so easily. He did not waste any Qi. His moves were perfect and very fast. Her eyes showed a deep respect for his strength.

Suddenly, she saw a Shadow-Stalker Panther moving quietly on the tree trunk behind Lin Tian. The panther was ready to jump down and bite his neck. Its skin matched the dark bark of the tree.

Lady Yun did not make a single sound. She dropped from the high branch, her descent completely silent. Mid-air, she channeled a concentrated core of dark Yin Qi into her right palm. She struck the back of the panther’s neck with a fast, devastatingly heavy blow.

The dark energy shattered the beast’s cervical vertebrae instantly. The panther died before its heavy body even hit the ground, its nervous system completely severed by her precise strike. Lady Yun caught the heavy body and put it down softly on the moss so it would not make a noise.

Down below, Lin Tian stopped walking. He felt a very cold Yin energy in the air. He looked up at the dark tree for one second. He knew it was Lady Yun. He felt safe knowing she was watching his back. He nodded slightly and kept walking.

Lady Yun went back up into the tree and continued to follow him silently.

***

Two kilometers away, Gu Yan was fighting for his life.

He was in a small open area. Six Iron-Hide Boars were running around him. These beasts had skin as hard as iron and small, angry red eyes.

Gu Yan held his premium spirit sword. His face was red with anger.

"Die, you stupid beasts!" he shouted loudly.

He swung his sword hard. He used a high-level sword technique. Big waves of red sword Qi flew out of the blade. He hit the rocks and the trees. He used way too much spiritual energy for every single swing.

The boars were only low-level beasts, but their iron skin was very thick. His sword Qi only made small cuts on their skin. It did not kill them. It only made them very angry. The heavy boars ran around him, crashing into the trees and kicking up dirt.

"Senior Brother, be careful!" his junior, Hong, shouted. Hong was holding a basic spirit sword, but his hands were shaking.

Gu Yan swung his sword again. He hit one boar far away. But he was breathing very hard. His chest was moving up and down fast. He had wasted too much Qi on his big sword moves. His Dantian was starting to feel empty.

Suddenly, a massive, scarred boar broke through a gap in the trees. It lowered its head and charged straight at Hong with terrifying speed.

"Ah!" Hong screamed in panic.

He tried to raise his sword to block, but his exhausted arms were too slow. The boar’s long, razor-sharp tusk slammed into Hong’s thigh. The brutal impact tore through his flesh and scraped violently against the bone.

Hong collapsed to the dirt, crying out in agony. Hot, thick blood poured from the deep wound, instantly soaking his white robes.

"Useless trash!" Gu Yan yelled.

He ran forward. He put all his remaining Qi into his spirit sword. The blade glowed bright red. He cut the big boar into three pieces. The other boars saw their leader die and ran away into the dark forest.

Gu Yan stood there, breathing heavily. His sword arm was shaking.

"Senior Brother... my leg hurts so much," Hong cried. His face was completely white. The beast poison in his leg was burning his blood and making his meridians ache.

"Shut up and stop crying," Gu Yan said coldly. "We need to find the Tier-4 Pure-Yang Lotus for Master. Tie your leg with a cloth and walk. We do not have time to rest."

***

Thirty minutes later, Lin Tian walked into the same open area.

He saw the broken trees. He saw the dead boar. He saw the dark blood on the ground.

He looked at the bloody footprints leading into the forest. "Gu Yan," he said quietly.

He looked at the deep, scorched cuts on the surrounding trees. "He used a high-tier fire-attribute sword art," Lin Tian analyzed coldly. "He wasted at least eighty percent of his spiritual energy just to kill low-level boars. His control is terrible, and he is very stupid."

Lin Tian did not follow them. Pursuing a reckless disciple would only lead to unnecessary complications. Gu Yan was arrogant and did not know how to manage his spiritual energy. Following him would be a waste of time. There were much better herbs in other parts of the forest.

Lin Tian turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

***

One hour later, Gu Yan stopped walking. He closed his eyes and sat on a rock.

He sent his Divine Sense out into the forest. He wanted to find the Pure-Yang Lotus to save his face in front of Elder Liu.

Suddenly, he felt something. Far away to the West, there was a very pure Yang energy. It was weak, but it felt very clean and strong. It was different from the messy spiritual energy of the forest.

"Yang energy..." Gu Yan opened his eyes. He was very excited. "Did you feel that? It is pure Yang energy. It must be the Pure-Yang Lotus!"

Hong was sitting on the ground. His leg was wrapped in a bloody cloth. He looked very tired and in pain. "Senior Brother, that direction is very dark. The spiritual energy there is messy and dangerous. And my leg is still bleeding..."

"Coward!" Gu Yan shouted. "Master needs the Lotus. If we get it, we can go home and get reward points. Get up and follow me right now!"

Gu Yan stood up and walked to the West. Hong and the other junior had to stand up. They supported each other and followed him. They were very tired, in pain, and scared.

Lin Tian was walking in a quiet valley. The spiritual energy here was very thick and clean. He could feel many good herbs hidden in the grass.

He kept walking, looking for the best resources.