Chapter 427: Returning Peak

"Boom!"

Just as a loud sound rang out, under the reflection of the stream's dim light, a massive black shadow three meters long and as thick as a person's waist crashed to the ground.

On the giant python's body, there were multiple severe wounds with flesh torn and blood splattered, but the most terrifying part was on its head; Wu Shidao's iron ruler had actually been driven in almost to the hilt, slanted right through the python's ruptured eyeball.

At the same time the giant python fell, Wu Shidao's face turned pale and he collapsed to the ground; when he had plunged the iron ruler deep into the python's eye socket, he had been wounded in the back by one of the python's sharp claws.

At this moment, the clothes on his back were tattered and his flesh was mangled; the deepest claw mark was on his shoulder blade, where the skin and flesh were peeled back and the white bone was faintly visible.

Wu Shidao was covered in cold sweat, hissing in pain as he drew in cold air.

Not far away, Fan Hongjiao also looked listless, her legs weak; she had also expended a great deal during the fierce battle just now. Fan Hongjiao exhaled a breath of turbid air and had just wanted to go over to check on Wu Shidao's injuries, but after taking only two steps, her vision suddenly went black, her body trembled, her footing faltered, and she nearly collapsed, but fortunately, a figure flashed over at this moment and caught her.

Fan Hongjiao steadied herself and turned her head to look, discovering that it was Duan Rong standing beside her, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Lu Geng and Wang Yue had already rushed over there and were helping Wu Shidao treat his wounds.

Just at this moment, in the waist-high grass not far away, there was a sudden, violent shaking; judging by the way the grass blades were being flattened in large swathes, it was clearly some large thing about to charge out.

Everyone by the stream had an ugly look on their face.

At this time, Wu Shidao and Fan Hongjiao were both exhausted; it could be said that the two Qi Cyclone Realm experts had temporarily lost their combat effectiveness, leaving only the two Qi Refining Realm Martial Artists, Lu Geng and Wang Yue, and Duan Rong, the rookie who had just come for the trial. If they were to encounter another fierce beast now, it would truly be a matter of life and death.

Yet this time, Duan Rong did not retreat; instead, he drew his Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade and blocked in front of Fan Hongjiao.

Fan Hongjiao looked at Duan Rong's back, her eyes slightly dazed; although it was only his back, she could still feel Duan Rong's current tension and fear, as he was, after all, in the Dark Forest for the first time and had only recently advanced to the Qi Refining Realm. Moreover, the commotion in the grass was so great that it was clearly another big creature about to bolt out.

Almost the instant Duan Rong drew his blade and blocked in front of Fan Hongjiao, the thing in the grass bolted out.

When Fan Hongjiao saw the huge black shadow, her heart eased, and she placed a hand on Duan Rong's shoulder, saying, "Don't be nervous! This is a Belly-Mouth Elk. This thing is fine!"

Duan Rong's heart also eased at this moment; he saw that the thing was as large as an elk, but its entire body was covered in bloody marks, and its back had been slashed with a very deep wound, with blood gushing out incessantly. Although the thing had bolted out of the grass, its legs were already trembling and its breathing was labored; it was clearly unable to run anymore.

At this moment, a long spear suddenly shot out from the depths of the pitch-black grass; the spear's shadow flashed, and the spearhead pierced the head of the Belly-Mouth Elk, pinning it to the ground at the edge of the grass.

Duan Rong's eyes shifted; he saw that the fallen Belly-Mouth Elk had a large mouth on its belly, and at this moment, that large mouth was open, with blood gushing out of it incessantly.

Amidst the rustling grass, five or six figures flashed out.

As soon as these figures flashed out, they immediately discovered Duan Rong and the others.

The eyes of those people instantly became tense and vigilant, especially when they saw the giant python lying among the group; the terrifying giant python was covered in wounds, and an iron ruler was still stuck in one of its eye sockets.

"It's a Two-Footed Mad Python?!"

Those people looked at Fan Hongjiao and the others with terrified eyes, and one of them even recognized that Fan Hongjiao and the others were Inner Sect Disciples from Yunfu Peak.

That person immediately cupped his hands in a salute and said, "We did not know the masters were here; we stumbled in by accident and meant no offense. We will leave at once!"

After saying this, the person immediately turned and gave a look to the few people behind him; they picked up the corpse of the Belly-Mouth Elk and flashed into the grass, their figures disappearing very quickly.

Seeing those few people head off into the distance, Fan Hongjiao turned her head to look at Lu Geng beside Wu Shidao and asked, "Those fellows aren't registered with the Inner History Department, are they? They look unfamiliar to me."

Lu Geng said, "No! They must be from other peaks; the area near this stream is already a convergence point, and disciples coming down from other peaks often wander over here."

Hearing this, Fan Hongjiao nodded; the stone gate they had entered through, the drop point where they fell into the Dark Forest through the underground crevice, was the drop point on Yunfu Peak.

It was not only for their use as Inner Sect Disciples; any Inner Sect Disciple registered under the Inner History Department could also fall in from that drop point.

Those from other peaks naturally came down from other drop points.

It was just that those registered Inner Sect Disciples usually had average strength, and even if they traveled in groups, they wouldn't dare to come and lie in wait by the stream like them. That group of people just now had clearly chased that Belly-Mouth Elk to this spot.

After that group retreated, Fan Hongjiao sat cross-legged and began to circulate her Qi to regulate her breathing, while Duan Rong stood guard beside her, holding his blade.

After Duan Rong advanced to the Qi Refining Realm, he had become very sensitive to the Heaven and Earth Qi; after Fan Hongjiao began to regulate her breathing and circulate her Qi, Duan Rong clearly perceived that the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi was all frantically pouring into Fan Hongjiao's body, and Fan Hongjiao was absorbing all of that Heaven and Earth Qi as if she were a whale swallowing water.

Duan Rong's eyes were filled with astonishment; he really wanted to use his Divine Sense to penetrate Fan Hongjiao's dantian to see what kind of situation was occurring inside it now.

The absorption of Heaven and Earth Qi by a Qi Cyclone Realm expert was actually this terrifying, which truly made Duan Rong feel both shocked and curious.

However, he obviously could not do such a thing; Fan Hongjiao's Womb Treasury Sutra had also reached the fifth level, and if he made any move, Fan Hongjiao would immediately be able to sense it.

Wu Shidao's body was wrapped in bandages, and fresh blood was still seeping out from the bandages on his back, but the Golden Sore Medicine clearly had a very good pain-relieving effect, and Wu Shidao's complexion already looked much better. He bandaged his wounds and also sat cross-legged to begin regulating his breathing, while Lu Geng and Wang Yue stood guard at his side.

A few breaths later, the vortex of Qi currents of Heaven and Earth Qi that had been frantically pouring into Fan Hongjiao's body finally stopped and dissipated like clouds. Fan Hongjiao's expression was calm, her internal cultivation technique slowly circulating, and after about half an incense stick's time, she suddenly opened her eyes.

At this moment, Fan Hongjiao's eyes were sharp and bright, sweeping away her previous listless state.

The moment she stood up, Lu Geng and Wang Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief; just now, both Qi Cyclone Realm experts, Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao, were sitting cross-legged and regulating their breathing, and in this Dark Forest, there were dangers everywhere; without a Qi Cyclone Realm expert standing by their side, the two of them really felt uneasy.

Seeing that Fan Hongjiao had finished regulating her breathing, the two of them felt slightly more at ease.

Wu Shidao's injuries were far more severe than Fan Hongjiao's, and it had taken him quite a bit of time to bandage his wounds; it would probably take quite a while longer for him to fully regulate his breathing.

Since Fan Hongjiao had finished regulating her breathing, their safety was no longer a problem; after all, fierce creatures like the Two-Footed Mad Python actually rarely appeared on the outer edges of this Dark Forest, and the fact that they had encountered one could only be attributed to their bad luck just now.

They took advantage of the time Wu Shidao was regulating his breathing to process the corpses of the two Origin Beasts they had hunted.

Although this Two-Footed Mad Python was not yet a High-Tier Beast and could not refine Bone Marrow Gray Matter, its snake gall was also a very good item, and it was by no means comparable to those Low-Tier Beasts on the outer edges.

Among the group, the one most skilled at processing Origin Beast corpses was actually Wang Yue.

Wang Yue held his Butterfly Twin Blades, his eyes calm and focused; he suddenly seemed like a different person.

He stood in front of the giant python, pondered for a moment, and then moved; he plunged a blade into a certain spot below the python's neck, then twisted his blade to widen the wound, and the gushing blood immediately poured out, while Lu Geng had long since held open a blood bag, waiting there. The blood from that spot gradually thinned until it no longer poured out continuously but intermittently, at which point Wang Yue pulled out his blade and patted the wound.

Lu Geng tied the mouth of the blood bag in his hand tightly and placed it by his feet.

That blood bag was made from the bladder of a certain animal and could be reused; every time Lu Geng and the others came down, they would carry a few on them for emergencies.

Next, Wang Yue used his blade to pierce the second wound on the python's body, and Lu Geng still followed behind him, holding the blood bag step by step.

Thus, after three blood bags, the python's blood had been drained almost entirely.

Wang Yue suddenly used his blade technique with sharp precision, slicing open a spot on the python's belly to extract the python's snake gall.

That snake gall was actually as large as a fist, and inside it, a dim light flickered on and off.

Wang Yue and Lu Geng both felt their eyes heat up; just by looking at its quality, they knew that the quality of this snake gall was already very high.

Wang Yue turned his head and looked at Fan Hongjiao with an inquiring gaze.

Fan Hongjiao turned her head to look at Wu Shidao, who was still sitting cross-legged over there regulating his breathing; she saw that his face was pale, and his brow was furrowed into a "chuan" character.

Fan Hongjiao said, "Leave this snake gall for Disciple Wu. He was severely injured while hunting this Two-Footed Mad Python, and he paid a high price."

Hearing this, the eyes of Wang Yue and Lu Geng dimmed slightly. The two of them had originally hoped to be able to split the snake gall bile. In fact, Senior Sister Fan had always taken care of them, and in the Dark Forest, they would basically always have a share of whatever they obtained.

However, Wu Shidao was so severely injured from killing this two-footed mad python this time that this snake gall is something he deserves.

The carcass was only bled; it was not skinned or dismembered here.

After finishing with the giant python, Wang Yue and Lu Geng also processed the carcass of the green-eyed giant lizard; bleeding the green-eyed giant lizard took a full four blood bags.

Once the two Origin Beast carcasses were processed, Wu Shidao finally finished regulating his breathing; he struggled to stand up, and the pulling of the wound on his back made him wince in pain.

Fan Hongjiao glanced at him and said, "I have a type of pain-relieving ointment; I will give it to you when we return to the peak."

Upon hearing this, Wu Shidao's expression froze slightly. For these past years, he and Fan Hongjiao had always been at odds; she hadn't given him a pleasant look in years, let alone shown him concern.

Wu Shidao moved his lips and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

Fan Hongjiao gave a light hum and said, "Let's go! We are heading back! Although we encountered some dangers on this trip, the harvest can be considered quite bountiful."

As Fan Hongjiao spoke, her gaze swept over the carcasses of the two-footed mad python and the green-eyed giant lizard, and the others also had joyful expressions.

Then, the group tidied up a bit and returned along the same path.

Along the way, Fan Hongjiao remained in the lead, and Wu Shidao brought up the rear.

Lu Geng, Wang Yue, and Duan Rong walked in the middle.

Lu Geng and Wang Yue each dragged a massive carcass, tied tightly with an Iron Chain and fastened to their waists.

Although the two Origin Beast carcasses were large, Lu Geng was a Martial Artist of the Origin Qi Realm Fourth Layer, and Wang Yue was a Martial Artist of the Origin Qi Realm Second Layer; this bit of weight was nothing to them.

As for the seven blood bags, Duan Rong was the one pulling them; Duan Rong had also used a thin chain to tie the seven blood bags together, dragging them directly along the ground.

The blood bags were made from the bladders of some animal; having been used for many years, they had long since lost their pungent odor, but this material was exceptionally tough, and ordinary dead branches or gravel could not possibly scratch it.

The group returned along the original path, walking through the Dark Forest, and could see they had already covered nearly half the distance. The Dark Forest was safer the closer one got to the outer edge, and more dangerous the deeper one went into the hinterlands.

At this point, they had already reached this area and were basically out of danger; at most, there were only some small Origin Beasts, which were little more than mosquito bites.

But just then, a scream came from the dense forest not far to their side.

Then, a figure was seen darting out from the dense forest. The person's face was twisted, clearly in extreme terror, and as soon as he saw Duan Rong and his group, he immediately sprinted toward them.

The others all frowned; they didn't know what this jinx had brought upon them, but at this moment they heard Fan Hongjiao's voice saying, "It's fine, the thing chasing him is only a hound-wolf."

Fan Hongjiao's Divine Sense Envelopment range was, after all, the widest among them, and her Divine Sense had already probed over and seen the scene deep in the dense forest.

Wang Yue frowned and said, "A hound-wolf?"

Wang Yue's doubt was not without reason, because hound-wolves usually travel in packs, and it was rare for one to be alone.

Fan Hongjiao naturally heard the doubt in Wang Yue's tone. And the horrific scene deep in the dense forest also shocked her.

More than ten adult hound-wolves lay dead deep in the dense forest, and mixed among the carcasses of those adult hound-wolves were the corpses of four or five Inner Sect Disciples.

Fan Hongjiao said, "The rest of the hound-wolves are dead deep in the dense forest."

Hearing this, the others all felt a chill in their hearts.

Hound-wolves were pack-dwelling Origin Beasts; Inner Sect Disciples who entered the Dark Forest rarely provoked them because it was very troublesome. A pack of hound-wolves had astonishing lethality, and they usually fought to the death.

The scene deep in the dense forest was so tragic, as if that pack of hound-wolves had been in a fierce battle with those few Inner Sect Disciples. Fan Hongjiao's eyes flashed, and she vaguely guessed the reason. These Inner Sect Disciples had likely taken the hound-wolf pack's cubs—they probably killed them—and were caught red-handed by the returning hound-wolf pack.

Not long after that person ran out of the dense forest, a large, blood-soaked hound-wolf rushed out behind him; the hound-wolf panted heavily and viciously lunged at the person again.

That person was already exhausted but still desperately ran toward Duan Rong's side.

Seeing that he was less than half a zhang away and about to reach Duan Rong and the others, the hound-wolf behind him leaped up, and with a *Crack! *, bit off his arm.

The man fell in pain, and the hound-wolf lunged at him again, this time biting toward his throat.

Just as the man was about to die, a whip shadow suddenly flashed by, and the hound-wolf was whipped into two halves by the force of the strike.

Fan Hongjiao merely glared at the armless man and said coldly, "Let's go!"

The others immediately walked forward, and not long after, they left the area.

The only reason Fan Hongjiao had intervened was that she recognized the armless man as an Inner Sect Disciple registered under the Inner History Department of Yunfu Peak. But it was truly too stupid for them to go and provoke hound-wolves.

(End of this chapter)