Weng!
A burst of blue light exploded forth from a teleportation Formation hidden deep within a cave in a vast forest.
The runes dimmed, revealing Bai Hu and his 2 companions.
Bai Hu infused his eyes with qi, adjusting them to the darkness of the cave.
The cave was dark and damp, with no noticeable features that stood out to the naked eye. If one looked closely however, they would see countless runes inscribed on the dark cave walls, glowing faintly in the dark.
He looked down and saw that the runes making up the teleportation Formation had dimmed, revealing an intricate circular pattern on the stone ground that fit seamlessly into the natural stone of the cave.
Zhang Yun Guang took out a map from within his sleeve, unfurling the yellowed paper for the trio to see. He pointed at a patch of dense forest on the map, located roughly halfway between the Spirit Sect and the Hei Long Province.
"We are currently here," his fingers traced along the map, "Getting through this forest should take roughly a month, maybe more, before the lands clear up into wide plains"
Cheng Xia stroked his chin, "The plains aren't the issue, however this forest..."
Bai Hu leaned in to take a better look at the map, more specifically at the forest they were located within. Right beside the patch of greenery on the yellowed paper were faded black labels.
"Grand Beast Forest"
Zhang Yun Guang nodded, "This is perhaps the most infamous forest among Foundation level cultivators due to the numerous beasts at the Second Stage"
Bai Hu frowned, recalling the one Foundation Level beast he had previously fought in the Bloody Ascension Trial.
The Triple Eyed Demon wasn't just any Second Staged magical beast, but rather one that was of the King Tiered bloodline. Such a beast was troublesome to deal with due to its many abilities and greater strength, and only because a Grandmaster of the Moonlight Sect was present that they were able to survive.
Now that he was at the Foundation stage however, perhaps he would be able to take a beast at that level himself. Of course, the trial greatly limited the beast's strength, so he couldn't be sure in a real battle outside of the sealed space.
Naturally, he hoped not to run into any beasts of the King Tier.
Cheng Xia gripped the sheath of his sword tighter, "Well lets get moving now. We will need to cover as much distance as possible during the day and rotate to keep watch during the night"
They nodded and stepped towards a distant speck of light across the cave. After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at the cave entrance.
Light poured in and fresh air filled their lungs, a stark contrast to the stuffy cave. Looking up, they could see that the trees were incomparably high, akin to towering pillars. Despite the impressive size, sunlight was still able to easily penetrate the many layers of leaves, giving the forest a warm ethereal glow.
Bai Hu spread out his Divine Sense and was surprised to find that he wasn't able to spread it out very far. It seemed as if the entire forest was suppressing his senses.
Judging by the looks of his companion's faces, they experienced a similar suppression.
Cultivators depend on their senses a lot, especially in unknown places such as this forest, filled with unknown dangers. Without being able to expand their Divine Sense more than a few meters at best, the group would have to remain on high alert as beasts could sneak up on them.
Zhang Yun Guang took out a compass and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was working.
He turned to Bai Hu and Cheng Xia, "Let's get moving, this small area is isolated by Formations so there won't be any magical beasts. Once we leave however, we have to be ready to fight at a minutes notice"
They nodded and began to move northward, following closely behind Zhang Yun Guang. They didn't fly on their magic treasures and instead opted to travel on foot, taking advantage of the large branches overhead and the many covers the forest provided.
A few minutes later, Zhang Yun Guang held up one hand to signal a stop. The trio perched themselves atop a thick tree branch and looked down ahead of them.
A few dozen meters away from them were dozens of pythons that blended almost perfectly into the landscape. Each one was several meters long, with the thickness of their bodies being bigger than a human torso.
He turned towards Bai Hu and Cheng Xia, "My spells cause too much of a commotion"
Taking the hint, Bai Hu took out his Black Sky Gold Spear while Cheng Xia readied his sword.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the duo appeared right above the pythons.
"9 Beasts Spear Art! Dancing Crane!"
"Hundred Sword Slash!"
Bai Hu's spear flashed in his hands and Cheng Xia's sword swung frantically. The serpents were unable to react before their skulls were pierced through or slashed in half.
The pythons went limp without a sound while the two young men gently landed on the ground next to the bleeding corpses.
Zhang Yun Guang descended once they were finished, waving his horsetail whisk to conjure light flames that burned away the blood spilling from the dead snakes. The smell of blood was instantly evaporated, thus preventing other beasts from being attracted by it.
He stowed the corpses away, "These pythons are edible and should last us a while. Wouldn't want to survive off of fasting pills would we?"
Bai Hu's eyes shone at the prospect of real food. It has been a few years since he has eaten anything other than fasting pills, as regular mortal food can cause impurities to build up in his body.
Magical beast meat however contains less of these impurities, and are said to be absolute delicacies. Higher level beast meat is said to aid in cultivation, though its cost would be otherworldly.
Zhong Xian never allowed Bai Hu to consume any manner of magical beast meat, stating its cost was too high for a temporary pleasure.
Now was not the time to enjoy delicacies however, as cultivators naturally require less food compared to mortals and it would be best if they covered more ground before relaxing.
Whoosh!
Once again, the three young men leaped up into the trees and continued on their journey, doing their best to avoid as many magical beasts as possible. On the off chance that they did run into any, Bai Hu and Cheng Xia were quick to get rid of them.
Bai Hu glanced at Cheng Xia once they finished disposing of a small group of late first stage beasts.
He noticed that while they were both swift, Cheng Xia was able to rival his speed despite Bai Hu possessing both lightning and wind, elements known for their speed. Additionally, he was using the footwork of Dancing Crane, making his speed even greater.
If he utilized his Wind Boots, perhaps Bai Hu would be faster, however he could tell that Cheng Xia wasn't going all out either, making his speed even more of a surprise.
Cheng Xia leaped back up into the trees once Zhang Yun Guang finished cleaning things up. Bai Hu's sharp vision didn't miss the way Cheng Xia's foot twisted off the ground before he took off.
'A movement technique'
While the footwork of Dancing Crane provided a decent boost in speed, it was not a standalone technique at the end of the day. A proper movement technique would almost always certainly be better.
He smiled wryly as he joined his companions in the trees. Perhaps it would have been wiser to check out the Technique Pagoda before he left, but alas it was much too late now.
Suddenly, all 3 young men stiffened, their heads snapping towards an oppressive aura that approached rapidly.
Zhang Yun Guang gripped his horsetail whisk, "A Sky Tier Beast at the Second Stage"
Right as he finished, the ground below them exploded, and out jumped a brown wolf well over 3 meters in length. Its claws were long and carried a metallic glint, and thick plates of armor covered parts of its limbs and back.
Clang!
It clashed with Bai Hu and Cheng Xia's weapons, a sharp metallic sound reverberating across the forest.
It fell back, landing gently on the ground below.
"Earth Tunneling Wolves," the scholar said, "There should be a pack of them"
Right as he finished, a dozen more wolves also burst out of the ground like the first. The trio felt their neck hairs bristle once they realized that every single one of these magical beasts were at the Second Stage.
Cheng Xia glanced at Bai Hu, before they both glanced at Zhang Yun Guang. The scholar's sickly face told them all that they needed to know. They shared a look and nodded.
""Run""