Chapter 74 - 74 71 The Hunt

74: Chapter 71: The Hunt 74: Chapter 71: The Hunt At this time, Ye Xuan could no longer hear the roar of Xie Cangsheng. He had already traversed several mountain tops, starting his hunt for Demon Beasts. To gather enough trial points to score a hundred, he must kill either two Second Rank late-stage Demon Beasts or ten Second Rank mid-stage Demon Beasts. As for the peak-level Demon Beasts of the Second Rank, that was not something he should even consider. Creatures of that caliber could only be dealt with by Martial Sect Masters, and killing one would be extremely difficult; even a Half-step Martial Sect would not be able to do it. This trial area was located within the inner area of the Panlong Mountain Range, but not in its deepest part. The deepest parts of the Panlong Mountain, according to rumors, were infested with Third Rank Demon Beasts, where not even human Martial Sect Masters dared to intrude carelessly. As for the region where the trial area was situated, it should still be safe. There wouldn’t be many Second Rank Demon Beasts, otherwise, during these fifteen days, many Princely Heirs might end up in the stomachs of beasts. With the Two-headed Demon Tiger paving the way, ordinary Demon Beasts dared not come too close, sparing Ye Xuan much trouble. Trial points could only be earned by killing mid-stage Second Rank Demon Beasts or higher, so low-level Demon Beasts, no matter how many, were of no use. Crack! Suddenly, Ye Xuan leaped from the back of the tiger, cleaving a large tree nearby with his saber. A black-colored Demon Wolf, which was hiding behind the tree, was also split in two, falling into a pool of blood. This Demon Wolf was just an Early Stage Second Rank Demon Beast. Ye Xuan did not even spare it a glance, allowing the Two-headed Demon Tiger to pounce on it and begin feasting on the beast’s corpse. With the death of the Demon Wolf, a pungent smell of blood began to spread. Instantly, in the surrounding dense forest, there was a flurry of movement drawing near. The owners of these disturbances were some Demon Beasts with considerable demonic power, lured by the scent of blood. It was common for Demon Beasts to devour each other, especially the inner cores—consuming Demon Cores was very beneficial for a Demon Beast’s advancement. Sensing the commotion around him, Ye Xuan signaled the Two-headed Demon Tiger with a gesture. Although reluctant, the beast moved aside, while Ye Xuan himself leaped onto a tree, hiding there temporarily to observe. In his line of sight, two Demon Beasts soon appeared: a spotted giant python, as well as a black Demon Ox, both mid-stage Second Rank Demon Beasts. “To get two mid-stage Second Rank Demon Beasts at once isn’t a small catch,” Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up. One mid-stage Second Rank Demon Beast was worth ten points. Killing these two would yield twenty points. As the two Demon Beasts approached, Ye Xuan’s body moved, gliding through the air like a large bird, leaping over twenty meters and fiercely lunging toward the spotted giant python. He flicked his wrist, and the Star-cutting Saber in Ye Xuan’s hand turned into a brilliant blade light, stunningly beautiful. The lightning-like glow converged on the blade’s edge, seemingly merging with the light of the saber. If there were a seasoned saber expert here, they would be extremely surprised because Ye Xuan’s saber stroke was incredibly adept, not resembling the skill of a young saber fighter, but that of a saber skill grandmaster—a level only possible for such a master because Ye Xuan’s saber strike had transcended mere technique. It seemed effortless, yet the power was tremendous. This was the level of a saber skill grandmaster. Pfft! The accurate saber light struck the belly of the giant python, breaking through its defenses and causing blood to gush forth. Sёarᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Roar! Demons Beasts were not like humans; their massive size made them indifferent to localized injuries unless vital areas were hit. Otherwise, the pain only stimulated their ferociousness. After being grievously wounded by Ye Xuan’s saber, the spotted giant python suddenly retaliated by biting at him, exhaling a mouthful of Poison Smoke. Within the Poison Smoke, seemingly with flashes of light, there was a sharp, toxin-covered fang. Ye Xuan effortlessly ignored the fang’s attack, dodging with ease. His hands were quick with the saber, flipping it and slicing again at the original wound of the giant python. Blood sprayed out, its belly cut open. With Ye Xuan’s current strength, a mid-stage Second Rank Demon Beast could not even withstand two moves from him. Its huge body went limp and collapsed powerlessly to the ground, obviously not going to survive. Meanwhile, the black Demon Ox, having seen Ye Xuan dispatch the spotted giant python in just a few strikes, a look of terror emerged in its bell-sized eyes. At once, it turned and bolted in the opposite direction. “Trying to run? Two-heads, chase it down.” Seeing the black Demon Ox attempting to flee, Ye Xuan shouted in the direction where the Two-headed Demon Tiger was hiding. Meanwhile, he used the Wave Treading Step to dash toward the Demon Ox with increased speed. Roar! The Two-headed Demon Tiger burst out of the bushes, its movements exceptionally agile and swift. The Two-headed Demon Tiger was naturally skilled in speed and ambush, while the black Demon Ox’s advantage lay in its thick skin and strong flesh. As for speed, it was significantly lacking. Bang, bang, bang! The two Demon Beasts fiercely clashed with each other, turning the surrounding trees into a complete mess, and because the two Demon Beasts were of comparable ranks, the struggle had a taste of being evenly matched. Ye Xuan landed at one side, not rushing to intervene. Although the Two-headed Demon Tiger had followed him and ingested plenty of medicinal herbs and Demon Beast Cores during this period, its combat prowess hadn’t been honed in a long time. The fight against the Demon Ox was also to help it reclaim the wild nature of a Demon Beast and its instinct for battle, otherwise, taming such a creature would be utterly pointless. What gratified Ye Xuan was that the Two-headed Demon Tiger hadn’t been slacking during this time. In the battle with the Demon Ox, it gradually gained a bit of the upper hand. By the end, both Demon Beasts were covered in blood and wounds, a gruesome and shocking sight. Seeing that the fight was almost over, Ye Xuan finally made his move. A sharp stroke of his saber cut precisely through the Demon Ox’s neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and the beast fell to the ground, dead. “Time to collect the Demon Core.” After slaying three Demon Beasts in quick succession, if he didn’t leave soon, there was a risk of attracting a group of beasts. Ye Xuan immediately took out a box, slit open the Demon Ox’s belly, and extracted a black inner core about the size of a chicken egg. Whining noises… Just as Ye Xuan finished extracting the Demon Ox’s core, the Two-headed Demon Tiger lay down beside him like an obedient kitten, eagerly staring at the Demon Core in Ye Xuan’s hand, swallowing its saliva voraciously. “You rascal?” Seeing this scene, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but laugh and cry, but after thinking about it, it made sense; after all, it was the inner core of a Demon Beast of the same rank, it was impossible not to crave it. “Forget it, considering how hard you’ve fought, I’ll give you this core first, but not the next time.” Ye Xuan decided and tossed the Demon Ox’s core to the Two-headed one, who leaped up, swallowed the core in one gulp, and then began to chew vigorously. Ye Xuan felt somewhat helpless. Although a Second Rank mid-stage Demon Beast core was required for the trial, there was still plenty of time; it wouldn’t hurt to give one to it first. Without paying further attention to the Two-headed Demon Tiger that had consumed the core, Ye Xuan went to the body of the huge striped python and extracted its core as well, placing it inside a brocade box. After storing the brocade box inside the Qiankun Ring, Ye Xuan was about to call the Two-headed Demon Tiger to leave when suddenly a rustling noise emanated from the dark environment all around. “What’s that noise?” Ye Xuan frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. Then, amidst his field of vision, beneath the fallen leaves and dead branches, rows of blood-red dots emerged densely, swarming over from all directions like an incoming tide. “Damn it, Bloodthirsty Demon Ants! Stop eating, let’s go!” With a sudden change in color, Ye Xuan urgently shouted at the Two-headed Demon Tiger still gnawing at the Demon Ox’s body. Hearing the words “Bloodthirsty Demon Ant,” the creature’s fur stood on end, and it immediately rushed towards Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan swiftly mounted the tiger’s back and instantly leaped onto a large tree, then jumped directly to another tree to avoid the dark wave of blood-red Demon Ants. However, the spread of the Bloodthirsty Demon Ants was alarmingly fast. They climbed up the tree trunk, threatening to cover the whole tree with their teeming masses, quickly catching up. Bang bang! Ye Xuan swung his Star-cutting Saber, severing the trees behind him in an attempt to block the spread of Demon Ants. But this did nothing to hinder them; the dense red dots kept pressing forward relentlessly as if they were a bloody wave. Roar roar! Facing such an overwhelming number of Demon Ants, the Two-headed Demon Tiger roared repeatedly, a look of unease surfacing in its eyes. Ye Xuan’s expression darkened. Although Bloodthirsty Demon Ants were mere First Stage Demon Beasts, in such large numbers, even the Third Rank overlord of the Panlong Mountain Range would find them troublesome to deal with, to say nothing of themselves. Against such a quantity of Demon Ants, ordinary attacks were very limited in effectiveness. One slice might kill dozens, but facing such a tide, there could be hundreds of thousands, if not millions. How many times would he have to strike? He’d likely be stripped to the bone before he could finish cutting down so many. In the moment of crisis, with one man and one tiger about to be overtaken, a lake suddenly appeared in front of them, bringing a flicker of joy into the desperate Ye Xuan’s eyes. “Two-headed, into the lake!” Ye Xuan hacked away behind him with his saber, creating pits in the ground to slow the advance of the Demon Ants, and with a splash, Ye Xuan and the tiger jumped into the lake, kicking up a massive wave of water. The almost fearless Bloodthirsty Demon Ants, which swarmed like a crimson tide, also abruptly halted at the edge of the lake, recoiling and not daring to advance.