Roar!
A two-meter-tall ape, with a green face, fangs, and translucent silver-white fur, let out a violent roar from its throat.
It wielded a rotten wooden stake, as thick as a human thigh, and swung it down at the much shorter human opposite it.
“Come on!”
Xia Tian’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
He didn’t dodge, but instead swung both hands, his two fists like heavy iron hammers, smashing against the descending wooden stake.
Crack!
The thigh-thick rotten wooden stake instantly shattered.
Amidst the flying wood chips and dust, Xia Tian’s fist heavily struck the chest of the green-faced, fanged, white-furred ape.
Thump, thump, thump… Blood gushed from the white-furred ape’s nose, and its massive body couldn’t stop retreating several steps, trampling a pile of century-old ginseng and millennium-old ganoderma!
【Water Ape, an eighth-tier mortal creature, possesses the bloodline of the ‘Azure Water Heart Ape’ demon beast.】
Waking up this morning, Xia Tian was pleasantly surprised to find that he had successfully reached the “ninth tier.”
He didn’t waste any time.
After assigning tasks like “logging, quarrying, and making cloth” to his villagers, he summoned Wu Song and Hua Rong, and the three of them entered the “Hua Tuo Secret Realm” together.
Due to the increase in numbers and overall level, the last time he entered, only a few of the monsters he encountered were seventh or eighth tier.
This time, however, almost all the monsters encountered, except for a few species with larger populations, were at the eighth or ninth tier, and they even possessed demon beast bloodline characteristics!
For example, the transparent white-furred ape in front of him was extremely tough-skinned.
When Xia Tian, in order to maximize his challenge score, didn’t use a golden weapon, it managed to break a common quality plain saber with its bare hands.
However, facing the powerful fist force Xia Tian had mastered after studying Zhou Tong’s “Iron Arm Golden Saber Art” striking techniques, it began to struggle, spitting blood from its mouth and nose, and repeatedly retreating!
Roar!
Just as Xia Tian was about to press his advantage, another eighth-tier black demon blood tiger leaped out from his rear-left, pouncing towards him!
Whoosh!
However, an arrow with a white tail feather instantly flew in, striking one of the black tiger’s eyes, causing it to cry out in pain and immediately halt its charge.
Meanwhile, Xia Tian had already stepped forward, his feet kicking out in a rapid, thunderous barrage.
Using his expert-level “Jade Ring Step, Mandarin Duck Legs,” he kicked the “Water Ape” in the chest, shattering its bones and sending it tumbling into a pile of precious herbs, where it lay motionless!
While Xia Tian was battling the eighth-tier Water Ape and Black Tiger, Wu Song was single-handedly taking on a male and female pair of ninth-tier giant bears, whose plump bodies were covered in fur that seemed to ripple like flames.
He swung his fists, smashing them back step by step.
Even fighting two against one, he still held the upper hand.
The two melee fighters were responsible for blocking, and one ranged fighter was responsible for support.
At the center of their formation was the “Hua Tuo Projection,” who had already reached the final critical stage of alchemy!
Caw!
Above the valley, four eagle-like creatures, completely pure white without a single speck of Variegated feather, circled continuously!
Snow Eagle, a fourth-tier creature, with a Transcendent Demon Beast bloodline!
Although only fourth-tier, as flying creatures, these snow eagles, relying on their agile flight and relatively small size, continuously tried to approach the alchemical furnace below, which was emitting a fatally attractive scent to demon beasts, during the battle.
However, the three humans were extremely vigilant and cooperated seamlessly, so they had not found an opportunity yet.
Caw, caw!
At this moment, an eighth-tier stag with camouflage green fur and antlers resembling tree branches, ran out from the jungle, charging towards the location where the Hua Tuo Projection was performing alchemy!
Xia Tian and Wu Song were entangled with the fierce tiger and giant bears, so Hua Rong immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow at the rapidly running green deer.
Caw!
In the sky, the snow eagles, who had been plotting for a long time, suddenly launched an attack, descending like four white streaks of light from the sky, directly pouncing on the ancient alchemical furnace in the center of the valley, which was continuously emitting an aura that made demon beast bloodlines boil.
“Good beasts, I’ve been waiting for you!”
However, in the next moment, Hua Rong suddenly changed targets, three arrows appearing on his hand, all placed on the bowstring!
Buzz!
Then, the bowstring loosened, and three sharp arrows flew out like lightning, all accurately predicting the snow eagles’ flight paths and intercepting them in mid-air.
In addition to being skilled in horseback archery, Hua Rong was also extremely adept at taming the Haidongqing, known as the “God of Ten Thousand Eagles.”
It could be said that he knew the habits of eagle-like creatures like the back of his hand!
Puff, puff!
Two of the snow eagles were caught off guard in mid-air and struck by the long arrows.
One was pierced through the heart, and the other had an arrow embedded in its head.
The third arrow, after piercing through the chest of one snow eagle, carried blood as it flew through the air for a distance, embedding itself in the belly of a second snow eagle.
Three arrows on one string, killing two birds with one stone!
“The ‘Five Animal Play’ taught by Lord, truly a priceless martial art!”
Even Hua Rong, looking at the snow eagles that had all fallen to the ground, showed a hint of excitement on his face.
Archers are different from other combat professions; they not only require strong physiques and astonishing arm strength, but also powerful “spiritual souls,” possessing extremely keen senses and precise control over their bodies!
If it were before practicing the “Five Animal Play,” Hua Rong, although capable of shooting four arrows from one string, would absolutely not have been able to do so with such precision.
Nor would it have been possible to achieve the feat of killing two birds with one stone while simultaneously shooting four arrows from one string!
With the “Five Animal Play,” Hua Rong had great confidence in being able to complete the challenge of “Flying General Li Guang,” a renowned archer.
Puff!
Hua Rong drew his bow and shot an arrow again, striking down the green stag that was about to charge towards Hua Tuo.
Then, he immediately went forward and used the arrowhead as a blade to cut open its body, extracting some blood from the still-warm heart of the stag!
At the same time, Xia Tian and Wu Song also approached the fallen bodies of the Water Ape, Black Tiger, and Fire Bear, similarly using arrowheads to cut open their fur and obtain fresh blood from specific parts of their bodies.
The Fire Bear, Black Tiger, Water Ape, Snow Eagle, and Ganoderma Deer... from these five creatures with demon beast bloodlines, fresh living blood was taken from their liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, respectively, which in traditional Chinese medicine theory symbolize the “Five Elements,” and dripped into the alchemical furnace.
Immediately, the already intense medicinal scent, which had driven the creatures in the surrounding valley mad, suddenly vanished completely.
Had the refining failed?
Apparently not, but rather because the essence of this batch of medicinal materials had all been infused into the “precious medicine” that was forming in the furnace!
After a while, when the furnace fire had completely died down, Hua Tuo removed the lid of the alchemical furnace.
The three of them curiously peered inside and found a dark, yet visually colorful, medicinal paste!
【Transcendent Treasure Medicine (Gold)】
【Level】 Transcendent
【Characteristics】 1. Bone and Marrow Transformation (Strengthens the body, improves physique, enhances the capacity to contain spiritual energy) 2. Soul Refining and Spirit Condensing (Strengthens the spirit, elevates the soul, enhances the speed of spiritual energy absorption)
【Description】 To be taken after reaching one’s limit, and supplemented with the practice of “Five Animal Play” for digestion and absorption, there is a high probability of achieving “transformation.”
【Remarks】 For most mortal creatures, especially those with impure bloodlines and incomplete Five Elements, this is a “treasure medicine” capable of changing their destiny against all odds.
“Indeed, it’s a good thing!”
Xia Tian noticed the prompt from the Earth’s Will.
If he successfully brought Hua Tuo over, perhaps he could mass-produce this treasure medicine, and even use it to attract demon beasts, turning some potential crises of “secondary fusion” into opportunities?
However, it was actually a medicinal paste.
Xia Tian had originally thought it would be like in television, where once the lid was lifted, there would be shiny, extraordinary-looking pills inside.
“Medicines refined from mortal-grade materials lack sufficient spiritual energy and cannot directly achieve ‘alchemy’ to the extent of pills.”
The Hua Tuo Projection explained with a smile.
“However, if young friend needs it, this old man can also help you roll this paste into pills!”
“Uh, thank you, sir, I’ll just take the medicinal paste directly.”