The coachman simply wished to reach Tian Chu City earlier and earn more to support his family.
Such ordinary people were everywhere.
They had traveled on this small road for about a day, and it had been calm all along.
The coachman grew increasingly boastful, regaling Ling Fan with tales of his vast experience and profound knowledge of demonic beasts' habits.
Suddenly, Ling Fan's eyes snapped open within the carriage, his gaze seeming to pierce through the vehicle and reach far into the distant mountain forest ahead.
A few breaths later, a cataclysmic tremor echoed from the forest.
Waves of surging demonic energy washed over them, rustling the leaves with a fierce roar!
A beast tide!
Oh, my heavens.
The coachman's face contorted in terror, his body trembling uncontrollably, his legs turning to jelly.
The fine steed also reared up on its hind legs in fright, nearly unseating them all.
"How could this happen! I've traveled this road dozens of times, it's the safest route to Tian Chu City, and I've never encountered a beast tide, not even a large demonic beast a few times. Why am I so unlucky today!"
He was in a panic, almost wanting to bolt.
Fortunately, he still had some professional integrity.
He remembered there was a guest in the carriage.
He quickly said, "Young Master, it's over, it's over! We've encountered a beast tide, quickly follow Old Six, if we don't leave now, it'll be too late!"
He had expected the young man with the strange gray-white hair to flee with him in terror.
But to his surprise, the young man calmly stepped out of the carriage.
His expression remained unruffled.
Instead of fleeing, he walked towards the direction from which the beast tide was coming.
"Young Master! Where are you going! Are you trying to die!"
Coachman Old Six was terrified and tried to grab Ling Fan.
But Ling Fan's movements, though seemingly slow, were incredibly swift.
Before his hand could even reach out, Ling Fan had leaped from the carriage and vanished into the dense forest ahead.
The coachman sighed, stomped his foot in frustration, lamenting his greed for speed, which had led to this beast tide and the likely death of the young man!
Now, it was probably too late to save the young man.
He knew how terrifying a beast tide was.
Let alone ordinary people like them.
Even cultivators in the Qi Refining realm or the Profound Gang realm would be trampled into a bloody pulp by thousands of ferocious demonic beasts in an instant!
That young man looked so scrawny; he probably wouldn't even have a bone fragment left.
Alas.
What a sin.
Helpless, the coachman decided to flee on his own.
What he didn't know was that after Ling Fan left the carriage, the imposing beast tide ahead had abruptly changed direction and was not heading towards them...
Within the mountain forest.
Violent fighting sounds erupted.
Interspersed with the thunderous roars of demonic beasts that shook the mountains.
A lithe, slender figure weaved and leaped between rocks and trees.
She held a gleaming silver spear stained with blood, and with every thrust, she drew forth gouts of foul-smelling demonic blood.
Around her, more than ten robust wolf-like demonic beasts, as strong as young bulls, had eyes that gleamed with cunning and ferocious red light.
These were second-tier demonic beasts, Crimson-Eyed Wolves, comparable to peak Qi Refining realm cultivators.
On the ground lay the corpses of even more Crimson-Eyed Wolves.
The wolf blood flowed in winding streams, forming a small river.
"Awooo!"
The leading wolf king let out a piercing howl, and all the Crimson-Eyed Wolves cooperated, attacking the human female warrior with perfect coordination.
*Squelch!*
The gleaming silver spear in the female warrior's hand shot out like a swift, agile dragon, piercing the vital point of a demonic wolf, splattering wolf blood everywhere.
However, this demonic wolf was also ferocious. Despite suffering a fatal wound, its claws clamped tightly onto the female warrior's spear.
A nearby demonic wolf seized the opportunity and pounced!
The situation was extremely perilous.
The female warrior gritted her teeth, and five golden spirit patterns suddenly lit up on her gleaming silver spear.
Then, the five golden spirit patterns were covered by wolf blood.
This spear seemed to possess the ability to absorb the vital essence of demonic beasts.
Five blood lines rapidly spread, channeling the wolf blood into the female warrior's body.
The female warrior let out a roar of pain, and a powerful blood-red light erupted from her body, her aura surging significantly!
*Bang!*
The demonic wolf's corpse exploded, and the spear was pulled free.
With an explosive, wild posture, the female warrior swung her spear, using it like a heavy iron rod, smashing two attacking demonic wolves into scattered bloody fragments!
After killing three more Crimson-Eyed Wolves, the female warrior gasped for air, her lungs feeling as if they would burst.
Her exhaustion was immense!
For several days, she had barely rested, hunting demonic beasts like a madwoman, collecting their precious materials.
By now, she had slain nearly a hundred second-tier demonic beasts.
The number of weaker first-tier demonic beasts was countless.
Under this frenzied assault, she was now at the brink of exhaustion.
She staggered, as if she might collapse at any moment.
"Awooo!"
The remaining seven demonic wolves silently surrounded her, their predatory presence accompanied by a strong, foul stench as they lunged!
...
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
All the demonic wolves lay dead.
And the female warrior, with her fiery, explosive physique, finally knelt in the pool of blood, leaning on her spear.
Though utterly spent, she forced herself to collect the precious materials from all the wolf corpses on the ground – their unique red wolf eyes – one by one.
These crimson wolf eyeballs could be used to craft spiritual items or refine special pills to strengthen spiritual power and will, making them extremely valuable.
Just as the female warrior finished digging out all the wolf eyeballs and carefully placing them into her animal hide pouch.
Suddenly, a cackling laugh echoed through the forest.
Like a lioness, the female warrior tensed her entire body, assuming a defensive stance.
"Ji Yan, my good sister, no need to be so tense. It's us!"
After the laughter, five figures who had been lurking in the shadows emerged from various corners.
"Ji Yong, Ji Ba... what are you doing here!"
Seeing these five familiar faces, the female warrior did not relax; instead, her vigilance intensified.
At the same time, her heart sank.
She knew all too well what these people were after.
It certainly wasn't to help her.
"Why can't we be here! Can only you come, and we cannot?"
The five figures chuckled sinisterly.
They appeared to be around the same age as the female warrior, perhaps in their late twenties or early thirties.
Their martial aura was surging and extremely potent.
Furthermore, their auras were fierce, as if stained with an indelible, thick scent of blood.
It was clear they were no good sorts.