Before her words even faded, Xie Zhaolin's figure flashed forward again, her attacks sharper and more ruthless than before.
At that very moment—
Inside the You Ming Bracelet, the little green sprout of Hun Yu trembled violently inside the jade box that You You held. It had sensed the battle outside and especially the Golden-Backed Wolf's terrified pleas for mercy.
The tiny leaves shook like crazy, its mental voice bursting with glee and smug delight.
Serves you right!
Kill it! Kill it!
Hun Yu remembered everything perfectly. That damned beast had stopped it from devouring Xie Zhaolin back then, setting off a chain of disasters.
Because of that wolf, it had nearly been destroyed in both body and soul and had no choice but to surrender and acknowledge a master just to survive.
Now, seeing its old enemy being beaten down, begging for its life, it was more thrilled than if it had just advanced in cultivation. At the same time, a rush of gratitude welled up inside it.
Thank the heavens it had chosen to submit!
Otherwise, it might've been the one lying there, dying in despair. Following such a decisive and terrifyingly capable master... didn't seem so bad after all.
You You could feel the sprout's excitement almost bouncing through the air and could only shake her head helplessly. Still, she carefully steadied the jade box in her hands.
Back on the battlefield—
When the Golden-Backed Wolf saw that begging was useless, madness and desperation filled its eyes.
"Roar! I'll take you down with me!"
It opened its huge bloody maw wide, and a golden phantom of its demon core appeared, shining brilliantly. It was burning its very essence for one last strike.
A cold gleam flashed in Xie Zhaolin's eyes. She knew this was nothing but a dying struggle.
Instead of retreating, she charged forward. The Annihilation Yinsha Core roared to life within her, churning madly. Dense, pitch-black baleful qi gathered in her palm, radiating terrifying power.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the forest.
Golden light and black mist intertwined and devoured one another, clashing wildly.
Moments later, the light faded.
The Golden-Backed Wolf's massive body crashed to the ground, lifeless.
Xie Zhaolin stood still, breathing lightly. Inside her, the power stirred even stronger, and she could feel the barrier to mid-stage Golden Core loosening again. Yet her expression remained calm.
Killing the wolf wasn't about revenge. It was simply following the most basic rule of the Cultivation Realm—seize resources, grow stronger.
Just like what she'd done to Hun Yu before. The difference was, that demonic plant had chosen submission and proved its worth. The wolf, however, had become another stepping stone on her path to power.
"The weak feed the strong..." she murmured, her eyes deep and unreadable.
She had to grow stronger, or she'd be the one devoured next time.
Just as she was about to store the wolf's corpse in her ring, the jade box inside the You Ming Bracelet began to shake violently.
The little green sprout was thrashing wildly, its leaves trembling with frantic longing.
"Master!" You You's surprised voice echoed from within. "This little thing... it looks really interested in that wolf's body!"
Xie Zhaolin paused, her divine sense sweeping over the jade box.
The tiny sprout was almost jumping out, its consciousness locked onto the corpse outside.
She frowned slightly, thinking.
Hun Yu might excel in soul enchantment, but at its core, it was still a demonic plant. Devouring flesh and blood essence was one of the fastest ways for it to recover and grow.
And the corpse of a mid-stage Golden Core beast like this wolf... was indeed a feast.
But more than that—
Her eyes flickered with thought.
This Golden-Backed Wolf had developed partial intelligence and even speech at its current level. That kind of evolution usually came with some extraordinary fortune.
Maybe it didn't even realize it itself, but that fortune must've been hidden within its bloodline or demon core. A beast that could fight evenly against a gifted plant like the Hun Yu was rare among mid-stage Golden Core creatures.
Though she was curious what that fortune was, she also knew that most beast fortunes—especially those related to bloodline or innate ability—were useless to human cultivators.
Even if she discovered it, it might not benefit her.
But for Hun Yu, another member of the beast race, this corpse might be a treasure trove. Judging by how desperately it wanted it, the corpse clearly held something invaluable to it.
If she sold the wolf's body, she could get a good pile of spirit stones. But for her current situation, spirit stones were just icing on the cake. A subordinate who could recover its strength quickly—or even make a breakthrough—was worth far more.
Without hesitation, Xie Zhaolin took out the jade box. The little green sprout immediately poked out its head, its leaves nodding frantically toward the wolf's body.
"You want this?" she asked calmly.
The sprout swayed wildly in response.
"Fine." With a flick of her finger, she sent the sprout drifting through the air until it landed softly on the still-warm corpse. "Then it's yours. How much you can absorb depends on your own luck."
The moment the sprout touched the beast's flesh, its delicate roots shot out like threads, piercing the tough hide without resistance and burying deep into the body.
Gurgle... gurgle...
A faint sucking sound filled the air.
The wolf's corpse shriveled at a visible rate, its flesh and remaining demon energy turning into streams of crimson light that poured into the sprout.
The tiny plant began to glow faintly, its body swelling a little, its leaves turning greener, and at its tip, a tiny bud began to form. It had entered deep absorption and refinement. This would take time.
Xie Zhaolin watched quietly for a moment, then moved the sprout and the patch of soil beneath it into her spirit beast pouch, setting up a nourishing seal.
With that handled, she turned her eyes back toward the heart of the beast plains.
For the next month, she continued her hunt.
Like an untiring war machine, she sought out mid- and late-stage Golden Core beasts, clashing with one after another.
Battle, healing, comprehension, then battle again!
Her baleful qi grew thicker and sharper. Her body toughened with each injury and recovery. Her control over her power reached a new peak. Inside her dantian, the barrier to mid-stage Golden Core was now cracked all over, trembling on the verge of collapse.
All she needed was one final push—one last spark.
Then, one day—
After finishing a brutal fight with a Scarlet Flame Lion, Xie Zhaolin sat cross-legged inside a cave, refining the gains from battle.
Suddenly, the spirit beast pouch at her waist trembled slightly.