The Corpse Fiend was the same type of Mystic Spirit that had chased Old Bird earlier before being ambushed and killed by Rouge.
That one, however, had been a Mutated Corpse Fiend—and not an ordinary mutation either.
Normal Mutated Corpse Fiends were Rare-grade and usually Level 6. The one Old Bird had encountered was Exceptional-grade and should have been around Level 7.
Without a Mystic Treasure weapon, ordinary weapons had great difficulty inflicting serious damage on such a creature.
Old Bird had simply been unlucky enough to encounter one, which was why he had been chased into such a miserable state.
Ordinary Corpse Fiends were only around Level 4 or Level 5.
Rouge had absolutely no difficulty killing them.
Despite being only Level 2 when they first arrived, she could already kill Level 4 or Level 5 Corpse Fiends with a single slash.
But ordinary Corpse Fiends weren't Ethan and Old Bird's real targets.
They were searching for the Rare-grade Mutated Corpse Fiends.
Their blood contained much richer Origin Energy, allowing Rouge to increase her level significantly faster while requiring less time to digest what she absorbed.
The blood of a high-quality Mystic Spirit was like an extremely concentrated nutritional supplement—rich, pure, and easy to absorb.
It was vastly superior to the blood of ordinary Mystic Spirits.
In other regions, cultivators often had to compete fiercely for the chance to hunt Rare Mystic Spirits.
But there were so many Rare Mystic Spirits on this island that it was practically impossible to kill them all.
Otherwise, Ethan and Old Bird would never have had the opportunity to casually hunt Mutated Corpse Fiends here.
Rouge's terrifying combat strength continued to shock and delight Old Bird.
As her level increased, the difference became even more obvious.
By the time Rouge reached Level 4, she could already slaughter Mutated Corpse Fiends almost one-sidedly.
Old Bird didn't even need to help.
"What's Rouge's Growth Rate?" Old Bird finally couldn't resist asking. "How can she be this strong?"
"Scarlett's group has Unique-grade pets too, but I don't remember any of them being as ridiculous as Rouge."
"1.89," Ethan replied.
He deliberately lowered the number by 0.02.
Rouge's actual Growth Rate was 1.91.
That tiny difference of 0.02 might not seem significant, but in reality, it mattered greatly.
Only Unique-grade Spirit Pets had a chance of possessing Growth Rates above 1.8, and even among them, not all could reach that threshold.
A Spirit Pet capable of reaching a 1.9 Growth Rate had essentially crossed the threshold into the realm of Peerless pets.
The very best Peerless Spirit Pets could supposedly achieve a Growth Rate of 2.0.
Ethan had only heard about such creatures.
He had never personally seen one.
Rouge's 1.91 Growth Rate already placed her on the level of an entry-level Peerless Spirit Pet.
If other people learned the truth, they would inevitably view her differently.
And if someone with less honorable intentions discovered it, greed could easily follow.
By reporting her Growth Rate as 1.89, Ethan kept Rouge within the believable limits of a powerful Unique-grade Spirit Pet.
She would still appear exceptional, but not so extraordinary that she attracted unnecessary trouble.
Ethan hadn't deliberately reported an absurdly low number either.
That would have sounded fake and might have invited even more suspicion.
"1.89..."
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Old Bird sighed in admiration.
"No wonder she's so powerful."
"Your luck is ridiculous, Ethan. You entered a hidden realm for the first time and immediately obtained a top-tier pet like this."
"You could probably keep using her for the rest of your life without ever needing to replace her."
While they were talking, Rouge finished draining the vital blood from another Mutated Corpse Fiend.
Her level rose again.
Level 5.
Unfortunately, the Mutated Corpse Fiend left nothing behind.
That was perfectly normal.
Drop rates were extremely low.
Even for Rare Mystic Spirits, a drop rate of one in ten was already considered quite good.
Over the past several days, Ethan and Old Bird had killed at least a hundred ordinary Corpse Fiends and six Mutated Corpse Fiends.
Yet all they had obtained was a single Common-grade Corpse Fiend Spirit Pet and one Common-grade Secret Art Core.
They didn't dare venture too deeply into Corpse Fiend Forest.
Neither of them wanted to encounter the Level 10 Corpse Fiend Forest Lord.
As a result, they had limited themselves to searching around the forest's outer regions, where Mutated Corpse Fiends were relatively difficult to find.
Fortunately, after killing so many creatures, Old Bird's Assassination Art had absorbed a considerable amount of Origin Energy.
He had successfully advanced to Level 8.
Level 10 was no longer far away.
And Old Bird's confidence had risen alongside his level.
At this point, he believed that if he worked together with Rouge, the two of them might already possess enough strength to kill the Corpse Fiend Forest Lord.
He wanted to venture deeper into the forest and search for more Mutated Corpse Fiends.
If they happened to encounter the Forest Lord along the way, they could simply kill it too.
That would make leveling even faster.
Ethan didn't agree.
He preferred a more conservative approach.
His own level was still far too low.
If they ventured too deep and became surrounded by a large number of Corpse Fiends, Rouge might survive without difficulty, but Ethan himself could easily be placed in mortal danger.
The two were just about to discuss whether they should continue deeper when a chaotic series of hoofbeats suddenly came from the direction they had originally entered.
The sound rapidly drew closer.
Before long, three cultivators appeared.
Each was riding a different Spirit Pet.
Ethan narrowed his eyes and carefully examined them.
The person leading the group was a woman.
She rode an enormous Ghost-Faced Black Bull whose body was as dark as black iron and nearly as massive as an elephant.
The woman herself wore a complete suit of fiery red armor.
Her skin was fair, her gaze firm and unwavering, while a faint pink hue colored her cheeks, giving her a striking appearance reminiscent of peach blossoms in full bloom.
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
There was no doubt about it.
The armor she wore was a Mystic Treasure.
More importantly, it appeared to be an entire matching set.
Being able to assemble a complete set of Mystic Treasure armor in a place like this was no small achievement.
This woman was clearly operating on an entirely different level from someone like Old Bird.
"That's Scarlett Hayes."
Old Bird practically ground his teeth as he spoke.
Ethan had already guessed as much.
Two cultivators rode behind Scarlett, one on either side.
Both were also equipped with Mystic Treasures.
One rode a Ghost-Faced Goat, while the other rode a Ghost-Faced Horse.
Their mounts were clearly inferior to Scarlett's massive black bull.
Old Bird had previously told Ethan that, aside from Evil Bunnies, the most numerous and commonly encountered Mystic Spirits on the island were collectively known as the Five Ghost-Faced Beasts.
The five species were:
Ghost-Faced Goat.
Ghost-Faced Horse.
Ghost-Faced Bull.
Ghost-Faced Wolf.
Ghost-Faced Vulture.
All five were stronger than ordinary Evil Bunnies and generally possessed considerably higher levels.
They were also much better suited for use as mounts.
Unfortunately, their higher levels made them more difficult to hunt.
Worse still, they usually traveled in groups.
For a lone cultivator, killing one and successfully obtaining it as a Spirit Pet mount was far from easy.
Their bodies weren't dramatically different from ordinary goats, horses, cattle, wolves, or vultures aside from their larger size.
Their most distinctive feature was their faces.
Every Ghost-Faced Beast possessed a black mask resembling the skull of a malevolent demon.
The sight made them look like skeletal ghosts wearing the bodies of animals.
"Old Bird? What are you doing here?"
The three newcomers seemed surprised to find Old Bird and Ethan in this part of the forest.
The cultivator riding the Ghost-Faced Goat looked directly at Old Bird as he asked the question.
That single sentence immediately caused Ethan to notice something strange.
According to Old Bird, more than a hundred people had been transported to this island on the same day one year ago.
Afterward, no one else had ever appeared.
Yet Ethan was obviously an unfamiliar face.
And still—
Scarlett's group wasn't paying any special attention to him.
They hadn't even asked who he was.
That alone told Ethan quite a lot.
I definitely wasn't the only person transported to this island recently.
There must have been quite a few newcomers.
Scarlett and the others have probably already encountered some of them. That's why seeing an unfamiliar face doesn't surprise them anymore.
Ethan's thoughts raced.
No newcomers had appeared for an entire year.
Why had people suddenly started being transported here again?
And judging from their reactions...
Why were there apparently so many?
"What, does this place belong to your family, Lucas?" Old Bird shot back. "If you're allowed to come here, why can't I?"
Old Bird's newfound confidence was practically overflowing.
Even the way he spoke had become noticeably more forceful.
Ethan frowned slightly and glanced at him.
What is this guy trying to do?
The two of them were badly outnumbered.
They didn't yet possess the strength to openly oppose an organized group like Scarlett's elite team.
There was absolutely no benefit in provoking them unnecessarily.
More importantly, Lucas hadn't even said anything particularly offensive.
Yet Old Bird had immediately snapped at him.
Something wasn't right.
Ethan quietly examined Lucas more carefully.
Then he noticed the bow strapped across the man's back.
A quiver hung at his waist.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
So that was it.
"Old Bird."
Lucas's expression darkened.
"Looks like you've grown some guts."
"You actually dare talk to me like that now?"
Old Bird snorted.
"Lucas, I'm not a member of your elite team anymore."
"You don't command me."
"So stop putting on airs in front of me."
"I don't give a damn."
Lucas's gaze immediately turned cold.
"Old Bird, are you fucking tired of living?"
Without another word, Lucas reached behind himself and pulled the bow from his back.
He drew an arrow.
Nocked it.
Pulled the bowstring taut—
And fired directly at Old Bird.
Whoosh!