Chapter 2022: Meeting

A small valley, surrounded on three sides by mountains, was filled with a vast expanse of purple spiritual flowers. A pale purple miasma hung perpetually above the valley, refusing to dissipate.

Inside the valley, a blue light flashed, and a beastman with a fish head and human body materialized out of thin air. The beastman was enveloped in a layer of blue light. The moment he appeared, the purple sea of flowers violently churned and surged, accompanied by a series of strange hissing sounds. Hundreds of purple lightning bolts shot out from the flower sea, striking towards the beastman. With a deafening roar, the blue light completely fended off the purple lightning, sending electric arcs scattering.

The beastman frowned and expanded his divine sense. A strong gust of wind blew past, and a colossal, purple scorpion suddenly appeared above the beastman's head. Its stinger was glossy black, and its back bore a grotesque human face with purple eyes. This was a high-grade fifth-tier Human-Faced Scorpion.

The beastman was horrified and quickly conjured a light blue mace, swinging it at the Human-Faced Scorpion. The blue mace struck the Human-Faced Scorpion's body with a dull clang, as if hitting a solid wall of bronze and iron, sending sparks flying. The Human-Faced Scorpion let out a shrill, piercing hiss, causing the beastman's features to contort. Seizing this opportunity, the Human-Faced Scorpion sharply flicked its stinger. With a loud whoosh, a volley of purple lines shot out, striking the beastman's eyes.

The beastman let out an agonizing scream. His eyes had been blinded, and he clutched them with his hands, black blood oozing out. The Human-Faced Scorpion opened its mouth and spat out a thick purple lightning bolt, which struck the beastman. The beastman's body went numb, followed by unbearable pain, causing him to shriek. It then spewed out a pungent purple miasma, engulfing the beastman's body.

The beastman transformed into a streak of light and soared away. However, before he could travel a hundred miles, he plummeted from the sky, his body struggling violently. Numerous wounds covered him, and the blood flowing from them was black. Several thick purple lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking the beastman repeatedly. After a tremendous roar, a large crater appeared on the ground, emitting black smoke. The beastman lay charred inside the massive pit. The high-grade fifth-tier Human-Faced Scorpion's venom was extremely potent, and its supernatural abilities should not be underestimated.

***

A majestic mountain peak, towering into the clouds, revealed faint, tiny cracks shimmering in the void upon closer inspection. A flash of golden light, and a golden-robed old man with a pigeon-like face and a high nose suddenly appeared above the peak. He had a pair of golden feathered wings, about ten feet wide, gently flapping on his back. The moment the golden-robed old man appeared, he immediately let out an agonizing scream. His body disintegrated at a visible rate, turning into a deluge of blood that splattered across the mountain peak. This individual had terrible luck; upon entering the Profound Wind Grotto-Heaven, he triggered a powerful restriction and was instantly killed. Luck is also a part of one's strength, and clearly, this person's luck was lacking.

***

In a lush, green dense forest, Wang Ruyan looked flustered, clutching her Red Dust Flute. Behind her, two entirely red vultures pursued relentlessly. These vultures had long, slender necks with some red scales, long tail feathers, and claws as sharp as blades. The two red vultures had wingspans over ten feet wide. With a gentle flap of their wings, several enormous crimson fireballs flew out, carrying rolling heat waves, and hurtled towards Wang Ruyan. Wang Ruyan's escape light flared, allowing her to evade the crimson fireballs. With a thunderous roar, the crimson fireballs struck the towering ancient trees, instantly igniting raging fires that rapidly spread.

A blast of hot wind swept past, and a red vulture suddenly appeared above Wang Ruyan's head, its blade-sharp talons aiming directly for her crown. The talons of a fifth-tier demon bird were comparable to low-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures; crushing Wang Ruyan's head would be no problem. The Red Dust Flute in Wang Ruyan's hand suddenly glowed brightly. Accompanied by a cheerful flute melody, an invisible sound wave surged out, striking the red vulture. The red vulture's talons hit the invisible sound wave, sending it flying backward and shedding many feathers.

An astonishing heat wave assaulted her from behind. A thick crimson flame, like a long crimson river, surged directly towards Wang Ruyan. The void vibrated and distorted as mysterious musical notes materialized out of thin air. After swirling, they transformed into a thick blue light barrier, enveloping Wang Ruyan's entire body. Following a loud crash, roaring flames engulfed the blue light barrier.

High above, a sky-shattering peal of thunder suddenly erupted. A golden thundercloud, several miles in diameter, abruptly appeared in the sky, flashing with lightning and teeming with electrical serpents. After the golden thundercloud violently churned, thick golden lightning bolts descended, striking the two red vultures. Before the two red vultures could evade, a clear and resonant shout rang out, causing their bodies to tremble slightly. They became listless, like eggplants withered by frost. Dense golden lightning bolts struck them, eliciting screams. Large numbers of their feathers were charred, and they were engulfed by golden thunderfire.

A piercing whoosh echoed as dense axe blades descended from the sky, striking their bodies. The wings of the two red vultures snapped, and a large number of feathers fell off, sending them plummeting from high altitude. They were covered in blood, with multiple scorched marks on their bodies. The moment they landed, the void rippled, and two massive, misty hands materialized out of thin air, smashing down upon them. With a thunderous roar, their bodies were deeply embedded in the earth, leaving two large craters. The two red vultures were not dead yet, but they were severely wounded, with most of their bones shattered. Dozens of golden lightning bolts tore through the sky, striking them and eliciting agonizing screams. Countless green thorns emerged from the ground, burrowing into their bodies through their wounds. Their bodies rapidly shriveled into desiccated corpses before their very eyes.

Two miniature vultures flew out from the corpses. The moment they emerged, the Myriad Soul Pagoda descended from the sky, spewing a shimmering misty green radiance that enveloped the miniature vultures and drew them inside.

A green orb flew to Wang Ruyan's front. The Golden Eagle Puppet Beast descended from the sky, with Wang Changsheng standing on its back.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Wang Changsheng jumped down from the Golden Eagle Puppet Beast's back, his face filled with concern.

"I'm fine. It's a good thing you arrived, husband, otherwise I would have had a hard time fighting them alone." Wang Ruyan's face showed lingering fear. She had encountered the two fifth-tier demon birds shortly after entering the Profound Wind Grotto-Heaven and had been relentlessly pursued.

Wang Changsheng nodded. With a hand seal, the thundercloud high in the sky instantly dispersed. The Golden Eagle Puppet Beast transformed into a golden streak and vanished into his storage ring. He walked over to the red vultures' corpses and shook his head. Their bodies were severely damaged; even their demon cores were shattered, and their flesh and blood had been absorbed by the Wood Spirit.

Wang Changsheng gently flicked his wrist, and a yellow light shot out—it was the Dual-Pupil Rat. "It's your turn to work now. If you find high-grade spiritual medicines or rare treasures, you'll be well rewarded," Wang Changsheng instructed.

The Dual-Pupil Rat sniffed the air a few times, its eyes glowing with a dazzling yellow light, before it suddenly burrowed into the ground. Wang Changsheng put away the Wood Spirit, then followed Wang Ruyan, disappearing into the dense forest.