Roar—
Deep within the Monster Beast Mountain Range, a Lion-Tiger Beast let out a miserable, agonized howl, its eyes filled with unwillingness before collapsing with a thud.
Its massive body was riddled with bloody holes, remnants of ice spike energy still lingering within them. Blood gushed out only to be frozen immediately by the frigid power.
The surroundings were a mess—countless trees, stones, and terrain had been destroyed by overwhelming force. The craters in the ground attested to the brutality of the battle.
Hun Yu stood over the dying beast with no hint of sympathy on his face—his expression calm, emotionless.
Since the day the Chaotic Green Lotus mutated and everything settled, Hun Yu hadn’t lingered. But he didn’t leave the Monster Beast Mountain Range either. Instead, he delved deeper into the place he once dared not approach and had already been training here for over ten days.
In this time, he had slain dozens of low-rank demonic beasts and nearly a handful of 5th-stage Spirit Lord Realm beasts.
Initially, unfamiliar with his sudden surge in power, he struggled to properly control his battle techniques and coordination, suffering quite a few setbacks.
Fortunately, although he had been unable to cultivate these past years, he had never slacked off. He diligently practiced basic palm techniques, sword forms, and combat skills. As a result, he quickly adapted.
After defeating the Lion-Tiger Beast, Hun Yu wanted to store its corpse, but his storage ring was already full.
Due to the sect issuing too few spiritual stones and lacking resources, he’d always been poor. Yet he still tried his best to prepare gifts for Mu Qingwan. This led to years of destitution, and even the storage ring he used was the lowest-grade kind—with barely any space to hold much of anything.
In the past, he thought having one was already enough since he didn’t own anything valuable. But now, he had collected every beast he killed—and it was becoming a problem.
The corpses of demonic beasts were treasures. He wasn’t rich enough to ignore their value. Even a Spirit Pill Realm beast could sell for 3,000 spiritual stones. Enjoying the story? Read on at NovelPing.
And this was a 5th-stage Spirit Lord Realm Lion-Tiger Beast—not only was it extremely valuable, but it was also rare. Every part of its body—from fur to blood, even bones—could be used as medicinal ingredients. Not to mention its beast core.
“Looks like I’ll need to make a trip to the city. I’ll need a bigger storage ring, a decent weapon, and some supplies. Eating roast meat every day isn’t sustainable.”
With no other choice, Hun Yu removed the corpses of the low-level beasts and tossed them out, digging out the Lion-Tiger Beast’s core and storing its body in the ring.
Once finished, he immediately departed, flying off in the direction opposite of Heavenly Profound Sect. Right now, he had no desire for any connection to that sect.
Not long after he left, a pair of eyes peeked from behind a towering tree, silently watching his departing figure for a long while before vanishing in a flash.
Hun Yu raced through the forest. Along the way, several demonic beasts emerged, growling in warning. A few even attacked. But Hun Yu, eager to move on, simply evaded their attacks and sped toward the outer region.
Suddenly, he sensed a familiar presence approaching rapidly from behind. His brows furrowed slightly.
Feeling the aura grow closer, Hun Yu immediately sped up. Spotting a towering tree ahead, he leapt onto its branches, quickly concealed himself among the thick foliage, and suppressed his presence.
Sure enough, about half a minute later, a woman in yellow robes arrived at the spot, scanning the area with a puzzled expression.
One of them, a young man in the lead, asked, “What’s wrong, Bai Lu? Why the sudden change in direction? Weren’t you going to visit your former sect? Why the detour?”
Bai Lu shook her head, pausing before saying, “I thought I sensed my Junior Brother’s aura… so I came to check. But it probably wasn’t him.”
The young man asked, “Your Junior Brother? The one whose cultivation was crippled, always tagging along behind you and your Junior Sisters like a toad lusting after a swan? That useless one?”
Bai Lu nodded. “Yes, I vaguely felt his presence just now, but it must’ve been a mistake. Back when I left, his cultivation and meridians had already been destroyed—there’s no way he could’ve cultivated again. But the person I sensed just now was moving faster than even I could catch. His aura was at least in the late stage of the Spirit Heaven Realm. My poor Junior Brother… he could never reach that level in this lifetime.”
The young man scoffed, “With his cultivation and meridians ruined, he’s basically a cripple. How could he possibly recover? Especially in the desolate northwest, where there are no Venerable Realm experts to reconnect his meridians, no miraculous elixirs to rebuild his foundation—there’s no way he could’ve climbed to such a realm. You definitely sensed wrong.”
Bai Lu smiled and said, “Maybe I’m overthinking it. Still… back then, my Junior Brother’s talent was monstrous—far beyond mine. What a shame. If it weren’t for Qingwan and the others recklessly causing trouble, he might’ve achieved even greater heights than that man just now. He wouldn’t have ended up being labeled trash.”
The young man said, “There’s no such thing as ‘if.’ Trash is trash. What’s there to pity? There’s never a shortage of so-called geniuses. Only those who grow strong deserve the title.”
Bai Lu fell silent, then said thoughtfully, “Actually… he was a good person. Before he was crippled, he always looked after us Senior and Junior Sisters. Whenever there was a benefit, he thought of us first. No matter what happened, he was the first to stand before us—to protect us, even me, his Senior Sister. Back then, we relied on him a lot. Even if he wasn’t strong, whenever he stood in front of me, that thin frame gave off a strange sense of safety.”
“But… times changed. After his incident, it was like we all became different people. We feared he’d become a burden. Even I started avoiding him. Later, I left for training and never returned. Sometimes I wonder… was I too selfish and heartless?”
The young man said, “Everyone has their own fate—fortune and misery are destined. His story might be tragic, but that doesn’t mean you should blame yourself. He just had bad luck. No point dwelling on a cripple and wasting your thoughts and time on someone like that.”