Li Tan entered the domain of falling immortals once again. By sheer coincidence, he encountered an injured ferocious beast and immediately saw it as an opportunity for profit. He took out his only weapon, a dagger, from his sleeve and, like a seasoned warrior, slightly crouched his body, his eyes fully focused on the beast that was creeping forward.
The beast was a dull creature, unable to sense any danger from the frail Li Tan, and naturally had no thought of fleeing. It lived up to the meaning of its name, raising all its fur and preparing to enjoy a snack.
The beast leaped into the air, drawing a beautiful arc. Its body was agile and full of strength. However, when its gaping maw was less than half a meter away from Li Tan, the duck that seemed about to be bitten dodged the attack by arching its waist backward and facing the sky. Not stopping there, Li Tan casually raised his dagger, pushed his foot backward, and dashed forward at high speed. As a result, the beast and his hand switched positions—the beast had disemboweled itself. Blood, intestines, organs, and pus-like fluids spilled out. Then the massive body crashed heavily to the ground.
Li Tan showed no sign of pride. Calmly, he approached the beast’s head and slashed downward with his knife. The blade made a “clang” sound, as expected only breaking the skin but unable to penetrate. The beast’s skull was extremely hard, difficult to break open by ordinary means, and applying too much force could damage the beast core inside. Therefore, cutting open the skull was also a complicated procedure.
Fortunately, Li Tan had once had the good fortune to learn skull-cutting techniques from a senior named Qing Lian.
He gently rolled up his sleeve, sliding the tip of the knife across the beast’s head. At the jawline, the blade trembled slightly and slipped into a small crevice. Li Tan applied a little force, and the skull made a “crack” sound, revealing a fine fissure.
What followed was naturally not worth mentioning—it was simply expanding this crack.
This method might seem quite simple, but in reality, it was extremely complex. For example, the crevice was as small as a sesame seed; finding it was already difficult, and any mistake in the subsequent steps would result in total failure.
Li Tan retrieved the beast core and wiped off the blood with a leaf, then used a broad leaf as a bowl to scoop up some standing water to clean the filth from his body before heading elsewhere. His current mission was to collect medicinal herbs for crafting the Nine Revolutions Green Spirit Pill, so it was unwise to waste time on other matters.
The place where he found the beast was in the outermost hunting zone, so Li Tan did not expect to find any medicinal plants here and headed straight deeper into the domain.
The deeper one went into the domain of falling immortals, the quieter and more serene it became, the air cooler, and the vegetation taller. It was said that at the deepest point stood a colossal tree towering to the heavens, though that was likely just a legend, as Li Tan had once specifically searched for it in the domain of falling immortals but found nothing.
In the jungle, a rustling sound arose. Between two large trees, thorny vines tangled like a ball of yarn were severed by a sword, and a group of silent, armor-clad mercenaries emerged from behind. However, among this band of iron men was a small white figure, like a baby elephant among a herd of elephants.
“Uncle Zhou, how long have we been walking?”
The white-clothed youth’s face was slightly flushed, with a layer of sweat covering his forehead. He brushed away the sweat with his sleeve and asked while panting.
“Master, about two hours,” the tall middle-aged man slightly ahead replied after glancing around.
This group of mercenaries was indeed the same one Li Tan had encountered previously. The tall middle-aged man was Zhou Tong, and the white-clothed youth was naturally Ming Ren.
“Only two hours?” Ming Ren’s expression turned slightly sour, and he slowed his pace, asking, “Then we should be going until noon. Let’s take a rest.”
Zhou Tong looked at the muddy ground in the forest for a moment, then nodded after a pause, “Then we’ll follow your suggestion, Master. It’ll also help dry the ground a bit, making it easier to walk.”
Ming Ren and the mercenaries had set out early in the morning and were caught in an unexpected downpour, soaking them completely. Now their clothes were somewhat dry, but wearing damp clothes was still very uncomfortable. Therefore, as soon as they heard the order to rest, the men took off their clothes beneath their armor to dry them out, revealing their copper-toned bare torsos.
Ming Ren was also quite uncomfortable, but somehow couldn’t bring himself to take off his clothes. He stood awkwardly, embarrassed by the sight of the muscular mercenaries.
Suddenly, he felt an upward force on his arm. Startled, he turned around and saw Zhou Tong pulling at his clothes, arguing all the while, “We’re all men, what are you being shy for, acting like a young girl? Hurry up and take it off. If you get sick, I won’t be able to explain it to your father.”
Thus, the physically weak Ming Ren fell victim to Zhou Tong’s “cruel hands.” The scattered mercenaries around, who were resting or keeping watch, all looked at Ming Ren and burst into hearty laughter. This laughter was pure, without any mockery, making one feel particularly warm-hearted.
Zhou Tong swiftly stripped off Ming Ren’s clothes and hung them on a low tree branch to dry. Wrapped in a coarse linen robe provided by Zhou Tong, Ming Ren sat on a large rock with a deeply aggrieved expression. It was his first time wearing such inferior fabric—it felt as if he were draped in dirt, making his entire body itch with discomfort.
Just then, as the rain had only recently ceased, droplets continued to drip sporadically from the verdant canopy overhead. But it wasn’t just rainwater—occasionally, grotesque venomous creatures would also plummet down, like centipedes. Even sitting still offered no peace—he had to remain vigilant against whatever might drop from above.
After resting for a while, Ming Ren gradually got used to the uncomfortable clothing. As he gazed through the “light rain” of the forest, he suddenly pointed in a certain direction in surprise and said to Zhou Tong, “Uncle Zhou, look over there.”
Zhou Tong followed the direction indicated. There was a crooked tree with many vines hanging from it.
“Isn’t this the place we encountered the vine dragon yesterday?”
Ming Ren asked.
Zhou Tong wasn’t surprised and explained, “We’ve basically been following the path we cleared yesterday. It’s safer and saves time.”
“I see.”
Ming Ren nodded, his expression suddenly turning regretful, “Yesterday was right here that we parted ways with Brother Li. I really wonder who he is, capable of subduing a terrifying beast with just one hand.”
After returning home the previous night, Ming Ren had specially sought information about the beast. At that time, someone told him: “If the vine dragon appears in Linjiang, half the population would be killed.”
From this, he understood just how terrifying such beasts truly were, and thus deeply regretted driving Li Tan away.
Zhou Tong said, “It was my fault for acting too rashly and mistaking a good person.”
Ming Ren had no intention of blaming Zhou Tong, instead saying, “Uncle Zhou, don’t blame yourself. Yesterday, you acted cautiously out of prudence.”
Zhou Tong stole a glance at Ming Ren, his eyes flashing with a hint of admiration as he slowly said, “That person named Li Tan shares the same name with the Li Tan from the Li family. I wonder if he might have some connection to them.”
Ming Ren thought for a moment, then lifted his head with certainty and said, “It’s unlikely. Perhaps the Li Tan from the Li family isn’t as useless as the rumors suggest, but he definitely wouldn’t have the same level of knowledge and experience as Brother Li. Brother Li might not be from Linjiang; Linjiang couldn’t produce such a genius.”
Zhou Tong found this reasoning sound and sighed, “Master, your words make sense. Li Tan not only has vast knowledge and superb cultivation, but also an excellent temperament. Despite everything that happened yesterday, he managed to remain calm throughout.”
Ming Ren didn’t respond, instead gazing at the lush ancient trees and sighing, “Since we parted ways yesterday, it might very well be a permanent separation. Every time I think about it, I feel a sense of sorrow in my heart.”
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