Having recognized the guardian magical beast concealed in the depths of the abyss, Xiao Yan glanced around and then silently retreated nearly several hundred meters. He found a spot where the wind blew towards the deep water and took out a fruit tree from his Nalan ring. The fruit tree was entirely ice blue, only about half a foot in size. At the top of this tree, there was a fist-sized blue fruit. As soon as this fruit appeared, the surrounding air became much more humid, with surging water elemental energy flowing out like a tide. This fruit tree is called the Water Drunken Cloud Immortal Tree, and the fruit on it is called the Water Cloud Fruit. It contains extremely rich water attribute energy, which is highly attractive to some water attribute magical beasts. Moreover, due to the immense energy within the fruit, it contains a special inebriating juice. This inebriating juice is incredibly potent; even a seventh-grade magical beast would gradually fall into a state of hibernation after consuming it.
What Xiao Yan needed was precisely this inebriating juice from the Water Cloud Fruit.
“Ah, to obtain the Pill Spirit Sap, I can only give up on this,” Xiao Yan carefully buried the Water Drunken Cloud Immortal Tree in the ground. For a more realistic effect, he also made the surrounding soil look the same, so that from a distance, it seemed as if the tree had always been growing there.
The location where he buried it was quite a distance away from the deep pool. Xiao Yan knew that the spiritual intelligence of a seventh-grade magical beast was already considerable. If such a treasure suddenly appeared beside it, it would certainly raise suspicion. Although it was far away now, Xiao Yan was confident that it would be attracted. He had personally seen the attraction the Water Cloud Fruit had for water attribute magical beasts in the past.
After burying the Water Drunken Cloud Immortal Tree, Xiao Yan leaped onto a giant tree, concealing himself in its lush foliage. He watched the calm deep pool through the gaps, completely suppressing his presence.
As Xiao Yan grew quiet, the forest also fell into an unusually silent state. The deep pool remained without any reaction, not even a ripple stirring its surface.
Xiao Yan did not show any impatience. After waiting for nearly half an hour without any movement, he slowly closed his eyes, meditating. Today, he was prepared to outlast this magical beast.
Time passed quietly, and nearly three or four hours went by. The forest remained silent, with no sign of any other beast roars, creating an eerie atmosphere.
“Hiss…”
Another hour passed, and a faint sound of water lapping against the shore suddenly broke the silence.
At that moment, Xiao Yan’s slightly closed eyes snapped open, and his gaze instantly turned toward the deep pool. To his delight, ripples began to spread across the surface of the deep pool…
“So, it can’t resist any longer…”
Seeing this, Xiao Yan chuckled inwardly. While he could easily deal with this Dark Water Tiger Manta, this place was not suitable for a battle. If it were to attract other magical beasts, things could get tricky.
As the ripples on the surface of the pool increased, a powerful aura gradually appeared in Xiao Yan’s perception.
“Indeed, it’s a seventh-grade Dark Water Tiger Manta.”
Not long after detecting the aura, a black shadow suddenly shot out from the deep pool, causing water splashes.
The black shadow was not large, only about two meters in length. Its body was covered in blue scales with tiger-like patterns, exuding a fierce aura. Its menacing mouth was gleaming, and its serpentine eyes scanned the surroundings.
Seeing the Dark Water Tiger Manta, Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Despite its small size, in battle mode, it could grow to hundreds of meters in size, and its tail could easily topple a mountain.
The Dark Water Tiger Manta, for some reason, did not transform into a human form. Its long tentacles wiggled continuously, and after a moment, its gaze turned toward the forest, where Xiao Yan had buried the Water Drunken Cloud Immortal Tree.
This Dark Water Tiger Manta was very cautious. Even though it had smelled the irresistible fragrance, it did not act rashly. After hesitating briefly in front of the deep pool, it opened its mouth and shot out a blue light, forming an energy shield around the giant rock containing the Pill Spirit Sap.
After setting up this defense, it flicked its tail and flew swiftly into the forest.
Seeing how cautious this creature was, Xiao Yan was impressed. True to its nature, a seventh-grade magical beast had a considerably higher intelligence than ordinary beasts.
The Dark Water Tiger Manta entered the forest, sniffing at the fragrance, and wandered for a while. Finally, in a slightly secluded area, it found the Water Cloud Immortal Tree buried by Xiao Yan.
When it saw the tree, a joyous expression flashed in its eyes, but to Xiao Yan’s surprise, it did not immediately pounce. Instead, it flicked its tail, and a light blue water barrier rapidly spread out in all directions.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan was surprised. He subtly extended his soul power, enveloping himself completely. The water barrier passed over him without causing any disturbance.
After spreading about a hundred meters, the water barrier dissipated, turning into mist.
Reassured, the Dark Water Tiger Manta opened its mouth, sending a water shield over the tree and swallowing it. It then flew back to the deep pool with a lazy flick of its tail.
Hidden in the branches, Xiao Yan chuckled inwardly as he saw it finally take action. He subtly moved his finger.
As Xiao Yan’s finger twitched, the Water Cloud Fruit inside the water shield trembled and quietly split open, releasing a stream of juice, which dripped down…
The sudden splitting of the fruit caught the attention of the Dark Water Tiger Manta. A moment later, it froze, then suddenly realized what had happened. A brilliant blue light burst from its body.
“Bang!”
As the light appeared, it abruptly halted. The Dark Water Tiger Manta thudded to the ground, and a strong, intoxicating fragrance permeated the air.
“Whoosh!”
As soon as the Dark Water Tiger Manta hit the ground, Xiao Yan knew the Water Cloud Fruit’s effects had taken hold. He darted down from the tree, appearing on the giant rock in a flash. A single punch shattered the water shield. He then formed a flame-tipped spike with his fingers, piercing the rock and prying out the stone hole.
With the stone in hand, Xiao Yan took out a cold jade box, carefully placing the sap-filled stone inside. He then stowed it away and quickly flew low into the forest, disappearing in a few bounds.
Xiao Yan knew the effects of the Water Cloud Fruit, while strong, would not last. With the Dark Water Tiger Manta’s strength, it would likely regain consciousness in just a few minutes. If he delayed, he would face a furious chase.
As expected, not long after Xiao Yan escaped, a thunderous roar echoed, shaking the earth. Xiao Yan could still hear the ground-shaking noise from afar, indicating the rage of the Dark Water Tiger Manta.
He could only secretly chuckle, then sped up, leaving the troublesome area behind.
On the summit of the mountain peak, resembling a pillar reaching the sky, stood a grand hall made of enormous stones. Two colossal beasts lay in vigil outside, exuding a ferocious and sinister aura that was even more powerful than that of the Dark Water Tiger Manta.
“Grandma, have you had enough?!” Suddenly, a voice of great pain echoed from inside the hall. The two beasts outside raised their heads, then lowered them again, as if they had heard nothing.
Inside the grand hall, there was a spacious square filled with countless neatly arranged herbs. If Xiao Yan and his companions could have seen this, they would have been dumbfounded. Any of these items, if taken out, would make any alchemist drool. Yet here, they were as common as cabbages.
Among the myriad treasures, a muscular, bare-chested man stood, giving off a steady and weighty presence. But at the moment, he was staring hopelessly at the center of the square, where a petite figure was grabbing a rare herb and eating it, munching loudly.
“Stop howling. Once I’m full and find the person, we’ll leave. Don’t worry, breaking through space is my specialty…”
The petite figure mumbled as she ate, clearly displeased with the man’s anguish.
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