The instant that sea of flowers went completely berserk, ignoring its own injuries while letting the corpse-eating bugs gnaw into it just to keep chasing, the last shred of hope in Xie Zhaolin's heart died out.
This thing's obsession and madness were way beyond imagination. It was completely unreasonable! If she kept tangling with it and got caught by that terrifying pink pollen cloud again, or worse, entangled by its roots, the consequences would be unthinkable!
Her finger twitched, and the escape talisman she'd prepared long ago instantly appeared in her hand.
Buzz!
The talisman flared, and a ripple of spatial energy burst outward with her at the center.
Just as those violent roots were about to brush against her robes—
Swish!
She vanished without a trace. Her aura was gone, not even the faintest trace left behind.
The raging pink pollen cloud swept past, corroding the marsh below with sizzling sounds, but its target was nowhere to be found. The sea of flowers suddenly froze. Every thrashing root and swaying blossom turned stiff in that instant, even its shrill screech cut off mid-note. It couldn't comprehend it. That thing it had locked onto, the one it was willing to throw away everything to chase, had suddenly… vanished completely.
A breath later—
"Raaaghhh!"
A sharper, more violent roar of rage and frustration erupted from its center, shaking heaven and earth. It had lost its prey. All the madness and fury that had built up with nowhere to vent turned instantly toward the corpse-eating bugs still tearing into it.
Boom boom boom!
Its massive body thrashed violently, slamming down in a frenzy. Thicker clouds of pink pollen sprayed out like it cost nothing, swallowing huge swathes of swamp. It vented all its wrath on the bugs that dared to bite into it.
Far away, a thousand li off.
In a quiet mountain valley, space rippled softly.
The moment Xie Zhaolin appeared, she swept her divine sense wide, scanning everything. Only after confirming there was no danger did she slump against an ancient tree, gasping for air. She'd finally shaken that monster… for now.
Even from this distance, she swore she could still faintly hear that unwilling, furious roar echoing from the Corpse Eroding Marsh. She quickly pulled out a few spirit-replenishing pills, swallowed them down, and sat cross-legged, adjusting her breathing while keeping alert.
Using that precious Hundred Li Escape Talisman had been her last resort, but getting away from that bizarre flower sea's pursuit was already a blessing.
"What the hell is that thing?" she muttered, brows furrowed. "Why's it so obsessed with me? What do I have that attracts it?"
It wasn't just hatred from being attacked. Its behavior had looked more like some instinctive, greedy hunger. But there was no point overthinking it. She'd never make sense of it. So long as it couldn't find her, she sure as hell wasn't stepping foot into that swamp again anytime soon.
She glanced around. This valley was unfamiliar, but it looked relatively safe.
Judging from her position, she'd been sent about thirteen hundred li southwest of her intended route, off-course but thankfully not into a deadlier zone.
She marked her coordinates on her map. Since she'd landed here, she might as well start exploring from this point. The distribution of beasts seemed well-suited for her level. Most were second-rank, barely worth her time. A single exchange was all it took to put them down, their beast cores and materials neatly pocketed.
Occasionally, a third-rank beast crossed her path, and she welcomed them as perfect whetstones. Armed with her past life's knowledge of countless beasts and her refined battle instincts, she faced each fight with calm precision. As she hunted more, resources piled up, her combat rhythm grew smoother, and her power sharpened.
The whirlpool of spirit power in her dantian spun faster and faster. At its core, a pressure built, ready to burst.
"The Golden Core bottleneck… it's close." A spark of anticipation flickered in her eyes.
She kept up this cycle of hunting and tempering for more than a week.
That day, she spotted a rare Three-Leaf Star Pattern Grass, a valuable auxiliary herb for refining various third-rank pills. She crept closer, careful to harvest it, when suddenly a violent aura exploded behind her!
From the shadows of the dense forest, a huge beast lunged out. Its fur burned like living fire, its presence like a furnace. A Crimsonflame Savage Bear!
It had been lurking for who knew how long, treating her as prey. With one explosive leap, its blazing aura crashed toward her, claws outstretched to tear her apart. But just as that massive paw was about to smash into her back, her figure shimmered like a ghost and blurred away. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared three zhang away, the Star Pattern Grass already tucked into her pouch.
The bear's claw crashed into the earth instead, blasting a deep crater, dirt and debris flying. It let out a thunderous roar, eyes burning as it locked onto her. Clearly, it hadn't expected such a "fragile" human to dodge so fast.
She turned slowly, her face calm, eyes sharp. Not a shred of fear. Instead, a faint spark of battle intent lit up.
"Perfect. You'll do nicely to test my limits."
Her lips curved in a small smile, the Flowing Cloud Ribbon sliding silently into her grasp as spirit power surged through her veins.
The bear was enraged. That tiny human dared look at it like that!
"Roarrr!"
It bellowed, its claws wrapped in crimson beastfire as it tore through the air, aiming to crush her.
She stepped lightly, body floating back just far enough to avoid the deadly strike.
Boom!
The paw slammed into the ground, shaking the earth, leaving a charred pit and turning grass and wood to ash. Missing again only drove it madder. It swung its massive forelimbs in a wide sweep, unleashing a fiery wave to engulf her whole.
She didn't retreat. She advanced!
The moment the firestorm closed in, the Liuyun Ribbon flared.
"Barrier!"
The ribbon stretched and spun, forming a radiant shield of light before her.
Hissss!
The crimson fire slammed against it, sizzling violently, but the barrier held firm.
Her wrist trembled from the force, but now she understood more clearly how strong this beast was. Her mind shifted. In the instant the barrier absorbed the flames, she darted low, sliding beneath, closing in on the bear's exposed abdomen.
"Pierce!"
The ribbon twisted, spiraling with condensed spirit power as it shot forward.
Puff!
It pierced the bear's thick hide, leaving a bloody gash.
"Graaah!"
The beast howled in pain and fury, slamming a massive paw down to squash her.
But she didn't linger. The instant her strike landed, she pulled back. Her breath came quick. That one move looked simple, but it had demanded perfect timing, flawless footwork, and explosive precision.
The Crimsonflame Savage Bear's blood poured from its wound, only riling it further. Its eyes went blood-red, the beastfire burning hotter, something sinister beginning to swirl within the flames.
"It's about to unleash its innate beast art…" Her gaze hardened.