The jungle had just experienced a heavy rain, which diluted the bloody scent of the corpses.
An ordinary hunter might miss the target because of this, but for Luojia, the smell mixed in the post-rain air was enough to tell her a lot of information.
For example, there was more than one animal corpse there—some of the bloody smells were pure, while others had a hint of rot, proving that multiple animals had died in the same place one after another.
Small prey such as rabbits, mice, and foxes found it difficult to spread their scent so far, and even if they did, it shouldn't be so clear. In other words, those that died were basically large animals, with a size no smaller than that of cattle and horses.
Anything that could drag these big guys to one place must possess corresponding strength, and the act of gathering multiple corpses was mostly due to the carnivorous animals' habit of storing food.
Such locations were often the lairs of large predators.
Of course, the most important point was that Luojia captured an indescribable turbid aura in the bloody smell, which was the unique smell of mixed-breed evil beast blood. If she didn't transform into her wolf form, she would only be able to smell a pungent stench. Only after using her ability could she detect the subtle differences hidden within it.
That was the smell of magic power.
Not every mixed-breed could absorb magic power, but those with magic power in their blood were definitely mixed-breeds, and their strength would be far superior to that of ordinary evil beasts.
This could also be counted as one of the improvements she had gained from several months of jungle hunting.
If she had mastered this skill before the Sacred Duel, the four-winged eagle that launched a surprise attack from the sky would not have been able to grab the corner of her clothes at all.
Although the climate, environment, and prey in the Wilderness were very different from those in the desert, the hunting techniques were the same—summarized in no more than three points: caution, meticulousness, and patience.
Luojia's target was a burly bear-type mixed-breed.
When it stood up, it was as tall as three people, and at first glance, it looked like a moving iron tower. It was unknown what kind of evil beasts it was mixed with, but its skin was like armor, and even sharp wolf teeth couldn't kill it with one blow. What was even more terrifying was its head—the bear species actually had four eyes, two of which were located at the back of its head, which made her best back-attack and blood-letting throat-cutting techniques ineffective.
Five days ago, Luojia had fought against it. After a fierce battle, she broke two claws, while the bear-type lost half of its forepaw, and its stomach was covered in bloody wounds. It could be said that this was the most difficult enemy she had encountered since entering the Wilderness, and its strength was roughly equivalent to that of a desert sacred beast. If she hadn't been fully trained in advance, she would probably have fled in panic when she first encountered this guy.
However, this was a hunt, not a fair duel—she carried herbs cultivated with leaves, Lily's purified water, and the powerful recovery ability after transforming. She didn't need to worry about ordinary injuries at all. In addition to healing her wounds, she had spent the rest of her time searching for the bear-type.
As the smell gradually intensified, Luojia knew that the outcome would soon be decided.
She gently stepped over a puddle, her paw pads sinking into the wet soil, making almost no sound. She chose to cut in from the downwind direction, making it difficult for the opponent to detect her presence through smell. Getting closer to the source of the smell, she pricked up her ears, using sound to locate the target's direction, while slowly lifting her paw to push aside the vines blocking her way.
The bear-type mixed-breed's body appeared in her sight.
The opponent was completely unaware of her arrival and was burying its head in devouring a plump male deer. The gushing blood stained its cheeks, along with the exposed bones of the broken limbs, making it look particularly terrifying. If it were an ordinary animal, it would definitely be listless and curled up in a hidden place after suffering such serious injuries, and would basically not move easily before recovering. But it didn't seem to care about those wounds, as if filling its stomach was the most important thing.
The wolf girl tensed her hind legs and lowered her body slightly—this time she planned to destroy the evil beast's four eyes first, so that it would have no chance of escaping.
Just as she was gathering her strength, another series of footsteps suddenly came from the depths of the dense forest.
This made Luojia stunned for a moment.
Why would such rhythmic bipedal steps appear in the depths of the Wilderness?
The steps were heavy,
with no intention of hiding at all. The alternating steps were unique to humans, and... there was more than one.
Could it be that hunters from Neverwinter City got lost?
No... she quickly dismissed this guess. This place was ten days away from the border of Graycastle, and considering the dense forest and overgrown weeds, land travel would only be slower. Not to mention that after crossing the Great Prairie, there were fierce beasts and snakes everywhere, and the area around the Taquila ruins was where mixed-breed evil beasts roamed. Even if they got lost, they couldn't possibly have walked here alive.
Luojia suddenly thought of an answer.
An answer that seemed reasonable and had been long awaited.
At that moment, she felt the hairs on her body stand on end, and her heart seemed to be pounding—although her nerves were highly tense, her body instantly entered its best battle state.
The bear-type also noticed this unusual sound. It dropped half of the deer leg, turned around, and let out a hoarse growl in the direction of the footsteps.
The bushes shook, and the intertwined branches were pushed aside. Two hideous monsters walked out of the shadows.
Dark brown skin, muscular arms, full-coverage beast bone helmets, and sharp bone spears.
Exactly as Lightning had described—
They were devils!
She had finally waited!
And the moment the devils appeared, the bear-type mixed-breed launched an attack.
It raised its intact forepaw and pounced on the uninvited guests who had disturbed its meal. The speed was so fast that it didn't seem like a body of such a large size could make such a movement.
In addition to the power possessed by the bear-type itself, this attack also came with the impact of the entire body, and its effect was no less than that of a four-winged eagle's high-altitude dive. If it were the Third Princess, her first reaction would definitely be to avoid it. After all, if she wasn't a Transcendent, even if she could block this palm, she would pay a considerable price.
But the enemy advanced instead of retreating! One of the devil's arms quickly expanded and directly met the evil beast's swinging giant paw. With a muffled sound, the two monsters collided without any buffer!
The result was a stalemate!
Neither the bear-type nor the devil could move forward any further. Just in terms of individual strength, the devil was half a body shorter than the opponent, and continuing the stalemate would obviously be disadvantageous for it.
However, there was not only one devil on the scene.
Another Mad Demon had already taken down the bone spear and aimed it at the mixed-breed evil beast.
The battle was about to end, and there was little time left for Luojia to consider.
Should she leave or stay?
"Although the tube on their back is the devil's weakness, they are not easy to deal with," she suddenly heard Lightning's warning in her mind. "If you really encounter the enemy, it's best to retreat immediately and tell Roland about it."
Reason also told her that she should retreat temporarily at this time, but the instinct to fight was boiling in her chest.
No, this was not a question that needed to be considered.
Danger certainly existed, but she had come for this, hadn't she?
Moreover, according to intelligence, the Mad Demon would have a period of obvious weakness after expanding its arm. She might be able to gain an advantage in a two-on-one situation!
"Whoosh—"
With a sound of air being torn apart, the devil threw the bone spear in its hand.
Almost at the same time, Luojia jumped out of her hiding place and bit at the devil that was stalemated with the bear-type!
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