Chapter 2146: Strange Youth

About a hundred meters from the flames, Zhang Xuan stopped, hiding behind the branches and leaves of a large tree. Concealing his aura completely, he quietly looked ahead.

A bonfire blazed in front of a cave entrance in a rock face. A muscular young man sat there, roasting a skinned yellow goat on a spit over the flames. It was roasted to a golden brown, sizzling and dripping oil, and even from a distance, the rich aroma of the meat was enticing, making one's mouth water.

"Roasting meat out here in the middle of the night?" Zhang Xuan's face was filled with doubt, a strange expression appearing on his features.

He had seen yellow goats back in Spirit Mountain and had considered catching one to improve his meals. However, though they weren't particularly strong, they were incredibly fast, especially when climbing mountains; even monkeys might not be able to keep up. With his current strength, catching one wasn't easy. Yet, this muscular young man had managed to catch one and was openly roasting and eating it here, without fear of the peak High-tier God rank Phosphor-Armored Beast... His strength was not to be underestimated!

Feeling curious, he did not approach.

Soon, the yellow goat was fully cooked. The young man tore off a leg and chewed on it heartily, while picking up a gourd from beside his feet and guzzling down liquor with gusto, appearing very unrestrained. After seventeen or eighteen consecutive gulps, the gourd was empty. He reached out and grabbed another one, continuing to drink. In less than fifteen minutes, half the goat was gone, and he had consumed three gourds of liquor.

The young man seemed somewhat drunk, his head bobbing repeatedly as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

"Is he overconfident because of his skill, or just incredibly careless?" Zhang Xuan was somewhat speechless. Having traveled all the way from the Master Teacher Continent, he knew that the nights in mountain forests were extremely dangerous, no matter where one was. Many fierce beasts would emerge at this time. Furthermore, openly roasting meat like this... the aroma was sure to attract an unknown amount of trouble. More importantly, he was drinking alcohol... If he were to encounter a sneak attack, wouldn't it be extremely dangerous?

Doubts in his heart, he still did not approach. He had come here for the Phosphor-Armored Beast. The other party appearing here at this time clearly had the same objective and was very likely a competitor. It would be best if he were drunk, as it would save a lot of trouble.

Loud snores filled the air. After he had eaten and drunk his fill, in less than half an hour, the fellow was sound asleep, seemingly completely unconscious.

"I'll go around him for now!" Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan slid down the tree trunk, intending to quietly pass by. According to the person in charge, the Phosphor-Armored Beast should be in this canyon, and he was sure to encounter it as long as he continued along the path. Since the other party was now asleep, he would pass by first.

He had only walked for a short while, less than thirty meters from the sleeping young man, when suddenly his eyes flickered, his body swayed lightly again, and he instantly vanished, hiding in the canopy of a large tree. After concealing himself, he quickly looked towards the young man's side and immediately saw two cold gleams reflecting the moonlight from a bush not far from him.

His expression turned solemn. His Eye of Insight pulsed. In an instant, he clearly perceived the situation around him. Within the bushes, two cloaked figures had been hiding, unnoticed until now. The cold gleams he had just seen were reflections from the longswords in their hands. As Zhang Xuan wondered when they had hidden there, he saw two cold gleams suddenly pierce the air, stabbing directly at the young man lying on the ground. There was no wind or sound. The sword glints, one from the left and one from the right, arrived in a sudden ambush, without any warning. As if they had practiced countless times, their movements were swift and precise. If the young man were struck, he would surely be killed.

"Oh no..." His expression darkened. Although he didn't want to meddle, the robust man who had been eating meat seemed very unrestrained and generous. If he were to be ambushed and killed right before Zhang Xuan's eyes, it would definitely be a great pity.

"Forget it. Everyone here is after the Phosphor-Armored Beast. Even if he's an enemy, there's no need to stand by and watch him get ambushed and killed..."

These two people had hidden in the bushes without making a sound, and their ambush was so swift, as if they had been tempered countless times. Zhang Xuan immediately labeled them as villains in his mind. Now, to save the man, he no longer concealed himself and cried out loudly, "Watch out!"

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, and a longsword shot straight towards one of the attackers. The longsword contained his full strength, like a meteor, piercing the air with a sharp whistle. Over a distance of about thirty meters, it arrived in an instant, perfectly blocking the attacker's path.

"Who's there, daring to ruin my plans!" The attacker snorted coldly, and with a flick of his longsword, met the incoming weapon. With a crisp clang, the longsword Zhang Xuan had shot out was deflected back. By this time, he had also arrived less than ten meters from the opponent and clearly saw his face.

It was a middle-aged man around forty, whose cultivation had already reached the High-tier God realm. Divine power surged through his body, ready to erupt at any moment. Not rushing forward, Zhang Xuan looked at the drunk robust man to the side. He saw that upon hearing the shout, the man had already woken up. He did not stand up, but instead reached out and grabbed the longsword that the other cloaked figure had ambushed him with, holding it firmly in his palm. No matter how much the attacker struggled, he could not break free.

"What, you want to launch a sneak attack while I'm drunk? Is this all you've got?" With a cold chuckle, the robust man bent his palm sharply.

*Crack!* The longsword in the cloaked figure's hand was snapped in two.

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched. The sword in the attacker's hand was a Mid-tier Divine Artifact. Even if Zhang Xuan used all his strength, it would be difficult to damage it. The fact that the man caught it with his bare hand was already astonishing, but to actually snap it in two... His strength was truly terrifying.

"Run!" With the longsword snapped and their target awake, the two cloaked figures knew their ambush had become a joke. With a low cry, they turned and fled. They had ambushed without hesitation, and they fled without lingering. The cloaked figure whose sword was broken immediately let go, no longer caring about his longsword, and also turned and ran wildly in the direction Zhang Xuan had come from.

"Since you've come, leave something behind!" With a cold chuckle, the young man abruptly stood up and let out a powerful roar: "Roar!" The sound, like a tiger's roar, suddenly exploded in the valley. Reverberating off the canyon walls, it resembled a sudden clap of thunder.

*Pfft! Pfft!* The backs of the two cloaked figures immediately seemed to be struck by something, and they coughed up mouthfuls of blood, instantly suffering severe injuries.

"A Lion's Roar type martial art?" Zhang Xuan was startled. Lion's Roar type martial arts used sound waves to attack the soul, sharing a similar principle with his Eight Trigrammed Celestial Dragon music. He hadn't seen anyone use them much before. He hadn't expected this young man to not only know how to use it, but also wield such power.

"Quick, let's go!" Severely injured, the two cloaked figures flicked their wrists, and a jade token appeared out of thin air. With a *pop*, it suddenly exploded, sending dust and smoke everywhere. By the time the dust and smoke dissipated, the two figures had vanished.

Ambush, retreat... Their movements were fluid and seamless, clearly indicating they had experienced this countless times.

After the two left, the muscular young man did not pursue them. Instead, he sat by the bonfire, looked at Zhang Xuan with a strange expression, and asked, "Why did you save me?"

"Save... you exaggerate," Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Judging by your strength, even without my warning, those two certainly couldn't have harmed you. It seems I was just being a busybody..." He had originally thought the young man was drunk and would surely be successfully ambushed, which was why he couldn't help but intervene to save him. He never dreamed that the other party was not only powerful, but very likely pretended to be asleep to lure them in. As for saving him... it truly couldn't be called that!

"If I say you saved me, then you saved me. What's with all the unnecessary talk?" The young man frowned, picked up a gourd from beside his feet, and tossed it over. "Can you drink?"

"Thank you!" Seeing his generosity, Zhang Xuan no longer refused. He uncorked the gourd and drank immediately. After just one sip, his eyes lit up involuntarily. "Good wine!" Although he rarely drank alcohol, he could still distinguish good wine from bad. The wine in the gourd was delicate and refreshing, with a strong kick, completely different from what was sold outside.

Seeing that Zhang Xuan wasn't being reserved and drank directly, the young man's eyes showed satisfaction. In such a place, where people met by chance, many would be wary of poison in the wine or similar tricks and make excuses to decline. But this fellow in front of him said nothing and just drank directly. He didn't take credit, wasn't boastful, and was very much to his liking.

"Mutton!" He tore off a foreleg of the yellow goat and tossed it over. Zhang Xuan was already a bit hungry, and at this moment, he didn't stand on ceremony, immediately biting into it. It must be said, the taste of a divine beast was indeed good. The mutton, which he had expected to be tough to chew, melted in his mouth, like streams of warm current flowing through his body.

After a few more sips of wine and finishing the leg of mutton, Zhang Xuan felt much more comfortable, and the fatigue from his journey was completely gone. He smiled faintly, "Your mutton leg and wine can be considered repayment for saving your life earlier... I still have matters to attend to, so I won't stay. Farewell!"

With that, he raised his foot and walked into the valley. Saving the man was merely a casual act, unimportant to him. His top priority was to find the Phosphor-Armored Beast as soon as possible and then focus on improving his strength.

The young man glanced at the direction he was heading and raised an eyebrow. "In the middle of the night, heading deeper into the valley, what are you up to?" The valley was fraught with danger. Not coming during the day, but traveling at night... What was he planning?

"My cultivation has reached a bottleneck, and I'm looking for a way to break through..." Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and said no more.

"Seeking a breakthrough?" The young man nodded. The other party's strength was at the peak of Low-tier God, ready to break through at any time. So, his explanation was plausible.

"I've been to this valley many times, and I'm quite familiar with its interior. What exactly are you looking for to break through? If I can help, I'd be happy to accompany you!" the young man continued.

"Well, it's like this..." Seeing the other party's enthusiasm, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment and no longer concealed the truth. He smiled faintly, "My cultivation art is unique; to progress, my physical body and soul must first break through... For the soul, I've already found a method, but for the physical body, it's not so easy. I heard that there's a Phosphor-Armored Beast in this valley, and its blood is extremely beneficial for body tempering. That's why I ventured here, to see if I can find such an opportunity!"

"A Phosphor-Armored Beast? You're looking for its blood?" The young man was stunned for a moment, then a strange smile appeared on his face. "Do you think someone of your strength can defeat a peak High-tier God rank divine beast?"