32. Stalked
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Back at Xu Haoyuan's camp, Luoyin slipped away without a sound.
The disciples sat around a crackling fire, their muted chatter and laughter rising with the scent of roasting meat- some from dried provisions, and some freshly hunted.
A few others had fallen into a light dose, including Xu Min, so Luoyin moved swiftly and quietly, his figure vanishing into the night like a passing breeze.
The voices faded behind him, and with a light push off the ground, he soared into the trees, the air bending beneath his steps.
He grinned as the wind rushed through his hair, his *qinggong carrying him effortlessly from branch to branch, in swift but silent steps.
(*Qinggong- Lightness skill, for agility. This is often exaggerated to endow users with superhuman leaps, temporary flight, walking in the air, on water, standing on vertical surfaces, et cetera. The more powerful the skill, the more spectacularly it can be used).
He hadn't been able to practice qinggong since he cured this body's poison, and he was almost dizzy from the rush!
After a few moments of sheer delight, he finally landed in a small secluded spot, a few miles east. Then he glanced around, his senses sweeping for any unnatural presence. Satisfied that he was alone, he shut his eyes and held his hands into a series of well-practised seals.
'Yuan Jing!' He thought, and it was as if everything around him slowed down...
(*Far-Seeing Technique)
Soon, he could see the subtlest sights and hear the tiniest sounds for miles around, and could even watch the disciples at the camp fire.
"Heh! My Far-reach technique is back!" He exclaimed in glee and opened his eyes. Around him, a few plants were glowing softly in the dark, some brighter than others.
Yuan Jing was based on a fairly basic immortal technique, called 'Divine Eye' which allowed one to view their surroundings and detect incoming enemies. The technique could reach for miles and miles, depending on the user's own strength, and some mortals could even use variants of it.
But Bailong had 'tweaked' the original technique to suit his inner plant nerd, merging it with an appraisal skill!
The addition made any worthwhile herbs in his technique range to glow and catch his attention, and at present, he appeared here and there, seizing up as many glowing herbs as he could, his excited laughter filling the silent night air.
"Heh! Such treasures in their own backyard..." He sniffed a branch of bell-like blue flowers. "A fortune can be made here!"
For the past two days, he had seen so many prime herbs in the forest... Herbs the disciples passed by without a single glance.
And given the ages and sheer numbers of these plants, it was clear they were considered worthless here.
He couldn't blame them... Even in Sky Realm, no one could match his ability to draw worth out of seemingly worthless herbs, and he happily sniffed a violet velvety plant he had just plucked from the roots of a large redwood tree.
He couldn't sell them, but he could use them to refine and sell the most powerful pills!
"Ehehehe!" He grinned and rubbed his hands together, imagining the chestfuls of gold and spirit stones these would bring him!
Then he placed the plant in an enchanted pouch which would keep them fresh, and sent the pouch into his spatial ring.
He was just about to cancel the Yuan Jing technique, when something caught his attention, a few miles from the camp.
'Not good!'
Over time, he had learned to use the 'appraisal' technique on not just plants, but beasts and humans as well, and now he could see another wave of beasts stealthily approaching the camp...
But these were very very different!
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Xu Central Residence, Yue City...
Xu Fengyan slammed a hand to his reading table, making the lamps in the study flicker.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" He demanded.
Liu Yao bowed. "Both the Zhang sons went on the hunt mission! Their names somehow appeared on the Mission board!"
"Why would anyone send Xiao Yin out on a mission! This is clearly the Eldest's power... They're trying to place Luoyin at Zhang Cheng's mercy!"
"Th- there's more!" Liu Yao bowed again. "Word just came in. The County Head who requested the mission has been destroyed with everyone in that settlement! They say level Eight Beasts ran rampage there, and that's around where the two disciple groups have gone!"
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At Xu Haoyuan's camp, most of the disciples had drifted off to sleep, though a few remained awake, mostly meditating lightly, or staring up at the night sky.
A mile away, the two disciples on watch duty had scouted the area, and they now chatted atop the thick branch of an aged oak...
"Heh! Let me tell you, by the time I absorb the beast cores from today, I might be able to reach profound tier five, rank three!" The first disciple boasted.
"Tsk! Lucky you..." The second disciple was sullen. "I'm not far from there, but I've hit a bottleneck, and most of those beast cores don't match my innate core."
The first disciple's features showed genuine concern. "Aiya, you're purely water based, right...?"
All Mortals had an innate strain which tied to the four basic elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, and though the four element had mixed and evolved in many ways, there were still those with the basic four.
The second disciple nodded, an annoyed look on his face. "And it's fresh water, not even sea water! If I trap a thirsty enemy in a water ball, they might drink the entire thing!"
His companion laughed heartily at the absurd thought.
Below them, on the ground, they were unaware of a fast creature approaching, slithering through the grass. It reached the tree and begins to weave around it.
"...I blame my father for marrying from Qingcheng Sect, and I inherited my mother's pure-water core!" The Second disciple was saying. "Qing Mountain is surrounded by large lakes and rivers so they can hunt water beasts whenever they want!
"The water beasts around Yueyan are low-level, or extremely hidden!"
"But don't you love your mother?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then you can't complain!"
"Hmph! It's still their faul-... Watch out!" A large snake had suddenly appeared, its wide mouth heading right for his companion.
His sword appeared in his hand, and he swiftly shot a well-aimed wave of water at the snake's head.
It backed off long enough for its narrowly escaped 'meal' to jump into action as well, and both disciples faced the angry serpent, which was wider than a human, and longer than several combined.
"Th- This is a Level Six serpent!!" The first disciple stammered.
"Didn't the mission say only level three beasts were in the area?!" The second disciple gasped. In the distance, they could see large beasts approaching.
"We have to warn the others!" He said, hastily fishing out a smoke signal, which he fired into the air.
It exploded, sending blue particles far and wide, but this antagonized the irate serpent, whose eyes gleamed crimson as it reared back and lunged, its black scales glistening like metal.
The first disciple reacted instantly, and his own sword appeared in his hand, glowing with his red aura.
"Blazing Fang!" He yelled, and the sword flared with fire as he slashed forward, sending a burning arc straight at the beast's head. The flames roared, illuminating the serpent's open jaws and revealing rows of long needle-sharp fangs.
The attack hit, but the snake swallowed the fire whole, reared back, and then growled, sending a bigger jet of flame shooting at them.
"Impossible!" They both chorused and leapt off to a lower branch.
With blinding speed, the beast dove after them, and the first disciple raised his blazing sword...
But he was too slow, and fangs sank into his shoulder, piercing flesh and bone.
"Aagh!" A burning pain swiftly flooded his body as venom surged through his veins, and he limply fell off the branch.
The second disciple's heart pounded, but he didn't hesitate to send another wave of water toward the serpent, and it recoiled, allowing him time to leap and catch his friend.
But it was too late... His friend's body stiffened in his arms, and he turned cold.
There was barely any time to grieve as the snake shot after him with a vengeance, and he jumped to his feet.
"Flowing Tide!" His sword shimmered as a wave of water surged forth, striking the serpent's side. The snake hissed and recoiled, its body sluggish for the first time.
Seizing the moment, the second disciple threw down a talisman, which promptly exploded, covering them all in smoke.
By the time the smoke cleared, both disciples were gone, and the serpent hissed in anger...
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