Shiliu and Mudan finally left, looking back at Xu Yi's earnest persuasion and the silent threat from someone.
Watching the backs of the two demon beasts disappear bit by bit, Xiong Zhuangzhuang praised heartily, "Fellow Daoist Xu, Fellow Daoist Lu, no wonder I felt such a kinship with you two. You are more suited to be disciples of the Beast Taming Sect than Zhou Cheng."
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow, "Why does that compliment sound so awkward to me?"
If you're going to praise, why bring up the Beast Taming Sect?
Xiong Zhuangzhuang laughed heartily.
He found Fellow Daoist Xu very interesting. She wasn't gentle like ordinary women, her personality was straightforward, her words were witty, and being around her felt very comfortable.
He truly regretted that she wasn't a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang's laughter was infectious, making Xu Yi's eyes curve with a smile.
Lu Zaiye glanced at their expressions and, for some reason, felt a pang of annoyance. "This place is dangerous, we shouldn't linger."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang immediately stopped laughing and added, "That's right, we should hurry along."
Xu Yi shrugged, and the three of them set off at a brisk pace towards Yang Shen Qian.
...
When Yin Li woke up, she was met with Feng Ge's concerned little eyes.
She instinctively smiled at it, "Feng Ge, you broke through?"
Immediately, she seemed to recall something and sat up in a panic.
She realized she was lying in a giant bird's nest, with vast stretches of forest within her sight.
Had she returned to the Myriad Demon Ridge?
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Feng Ge hopped to her side, chirping rapidly.
Yin Li listened intently, her expression gradually becoming solemn.
She had defeated a Vermilion Crown Nightingale, identical to Feng Ge, in that mysterious space, and then lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found herself here.
Feng Ge had been explaining to Yin Li that after it woke up, it saw Yin Li lying on the ground. Fearing the ground was unsafe, it had dragged her into this empty bird's nest.
"Thank you, Feng Ge."
Yin Li reached out and gently stroked Feng Ge's soft crown.
With Feng Ge by her side, the fear of being in an unfamiliar place lessened considerably.
Just as she was about to pick up the communication disc to send a message to her senior brother,
An incredibly foul smell assaulted her nostrils, almost making her faint.
Yin Li trembled as she sealed her sense of smell, and was about to search for the source of the stench when she saw Feng Ge, swaying as if drunk, its feathered face filled with intoxication.
Yin Li: ...
She felt even dizzier.
Who could tell her why her Feng Ge had such a peculiar preference?
It actually liked this smell.
Before she could fully accept reality,
She saw that in the air, on the trees, on the ground, in every corner she couldn't have imagined, countless demon beasts had appeared at some point.
And all those demon beasts were sniffing the air with intoxicated expressions, swaying their bodies and moving towards the same location.
Yin Li, with quick reflexes, grabbed Feng Ge, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, and forcibly stuffed it into her spirit beast pouch. She then crouched down, nervously observing this bizarre scene, a thrilling guess suddenly forming in her mind.
It was rumored that the Soul Returning Demon Fruit emitted a special fragrance upon its birth.
Perhaps what seemed unbearable to her was an irresistible temptation to demon beasts.
She lurked for a while and found that the demon beasts seemed completely indifferent to her presence, utterly captivated by the scent.
After a moment of consideration, she affixed several stealth talismans to herself, gritted her teeth, and followed them.
She grew increasingly alarmed as she proceeded, for the number of demon beasts kept increasing. She even spotted several demon beasts with top-tier bloodlines among their species, and her heart sank to the bottom.
With these demon beasts around, even if she managed to obtain the Soul Returning Demon Fruit, she would likely be torn to shreds by them.
If only her senior brother were here...
Yin Li unconsciously reached for the communication disc at her waist, but stopped her hand just before touching it.
No, it was too dangerous here. Even if she called her senior brother, it wouldn't help. It was better not to put him at risk.
Despite knowing the dangers of this undertaking, Yin Li suppressed her fear and mingled with the demon beasts, pressing onward.
What if, what if she had this opportunity?
Even if she couldn't get the Soul Returning Demon Fruit, she could carefully observe the growth environment and characteristics of the Soul Returning Demon Fruit, which might help her senior brother next time.
With such thoughts, Yin Li gradually moved closer to the unknown destination.
...
"Something seems a bit strange over there."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang looked at the mountain forest ahead, emanating surging demonic energy, and for some reason, his heart inexplicably quickened.
Xu Yi also observed their surroundings curiously and agreed, "Yes, there seem to be fewer demon beasts here than before."
Although they had concealed their auras, their appearances were impossible to hide. Therefore, they encountered at least three waves of demon beast attacks every day.
But today, they hadn't encountered a single demon beast, which was abnormal.
"Also, do you guys smell a faint odor?" Xiong Zhuangzhuang added.
"An odor?" Xu Yi took a deep breath, uncertainly. "It seems there's a little."
The two looked at Lu Zaiye in unison.
Lu Zaiye nodded, confirming their guess, and then the two began to analyze.
"Could it be that a great demon has fallen? Is it the smell of decay?"
"Not necessarily, I think two great demons might have fought."
"Then what about this smell?"
"This could be a demon beast's attack method!"
"..."
As their arguments strayed further, Lu Zaiye had to speak up to bring them back on track.
"The attention of the demon beasts is drawn over there. We can use this opportunity to leave."
"Right!"
Xu Yi and Xiong Zhuangzhuang said in unison.
The two chose a path that required a longer detour but was safer as they continued forward.
As Lu Zaiye was leaving, he paused, glancing in that direction.
Due to his internal injuries and his desire not to expose his identity, he had suppressed his cultivation to the Nascent Soul stage, which also affected his spiritual sense to some extent.
In the past, he could have discerned what was happening without getting close, but now he could only vaguely sense a peculiar fluctuation over there that piqued his interest.
"Lu Zaiye, hurry up and catch up."
Ahead, Xu Yi's voice called out.
Lu Zaiye snapped back to attention, shook his head, and followed with a light tap of his toe.
His current identity was Lu Zaiye, a disciple of the Xuanji Sect. He didn't need to overthink things.
...
"Soul Returning Demon Fruit! It must be the Soul Returning Demon Fruit!"
Yin Li, leaning against a tree trunk, gazed at the single tree in the clearing ahead and murmured to herself.
The tree was only about a person's height. On its bare branches hung two plump fruits. Outside the fruits, a layer of black spiritual light flickered on and off, as if brewing something.
All the demon beasts stood tens of miles away, staring intently at the tree, waiting for the fruits to ripen and fall.