Lü Zhong took the first watch of the night, so it was his turn to rest for the second half.
Instead of napping, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, hoping to recover as much Spiritual Power as possible.
It was essential to maintain as much Spiritual Power as possible while out in the wilderness.
Soon, the sky began to brighten.
By the time the sun rose, a pot of Spirit Rice was ready. They added plenty of freshly picked wild vegetables and yesterday's leftover jerky, and the mix tasted decent enough.
After breakfast, the party set off again.
However, their luck took a turn for the worse as it suddenly began to rain.
What began as a drizzle soon turned into a torrential downpour.
Even though they all had rain gear, the downpour created a thick curtain that severely obscured their vision. Just figuring out which way to go was incredibly difficult, let alone trying to advance through such a storm.
"If only Fellow Daoist Lü had learned the Path-finding Skill. Then we could keep moving."
Taking shelter from the rain under a rocky overhang, Lin Zhongze sighed as he gazed out at the white, misty world.
The Path-finding Skill didn't actually find paths; it was a type of status-enhancing Blessing Magic.
When cast, it allowed the target to maintain their sense of direction in complex environments. Because it was often used for navigation and tracking, it gradually became known as the Path-finding Skill.
If Lü Zhong were to cast the Path-finding Skill on Xiaoqi, he would be able to maintain his sense of direction.
This way, they would not get lost in the heavy rain.
Getting lost in the wilderness was a terrifying prospect.
You never knew what you might encounter if you strayed from the path.
You might stumble upon a precious Spirit Medicine, or you could wander into a deadly Forbidden Land.
That was why Lin Zhongze had halted the party—to avoid getting lost in the downpour.
After nearly an hour, the sudden storm finally subsided.
The party set out immediately, not wanting to waste any more time.
The wilderness was exceptionally difficult to traverse after the storm. The path ahead was either blocked by flash floods or landmarks on the map had vanished in landslides, forcing them to constantly reorient themselves before they could press on.
After a stumbling journey, by the time they reached Wild Ox Valley, everyone was covered in mud and water.
"Here." Lü Zhong took out Cleaning Talismans and distributed them to the others.
No one stood on ceremony, since it would all be reimbursed as part of their expenses anyway. They each thanked him as they took one.
After distributing the talismans, Lü Zhong walked a few steps away from the others before slapping the talisman on himself.
Instantly, a faint Spiritual Light covered his entire body. The mud and grass clinging to him from their journey were shaken off, and even his soaking wet Daoist Robe dried a little, no longer feeling like a shell of mud.
He slapped on three in a row before he finally felt fresh and clean.
By this time, the others had also finished cleaning themselves up.
"Let's go. We'll head into the valley and see if that Fear Bear is still there." Lin Zhongze summoned his long spear, its tip scattering sparks, and took the lead.
Xiaoqi followed close behind, then Sanniang and Huang Shuyuan.
Seeing this, Lü Zhong also infused his Green Frost Sword with Spiritual Power and quickened his pace to follow.
...
Wild Ox Valley.
On the map, it was a long, narrow valley.
It stretched for over ten miles from north to south, and was no more than a mile or two across at its widest point.
There weren't many trees in the valley, but lush, juicy berry-grass was everywhere.
Perhaps because of the recent downpour, the air was now extremely humid, and the valley was filled with a dense fog.
With visibility so poor, reconnaissance and information gathering became crucial.
This was Xiaoqi's time to shine. After fumbling around in his clothes for a moment, he took out an exquisitely crafted, pitch-black, animal-shaped doll.
"A Mechanical Beast?" Huang Shuyuan said in surprise.
Lin Zhongze gave Huang Shuyuan a surprised look and said with a smile, "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Huang to be so knowledgeable as to recognize this item's origin at a glance. You guessed right. It is indeed a scouting Mechanical Fox. With it scouting ahead for us, we can advance without worrying about sudden danger."
Then he looked at Lü Zhong and continued, "I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Lü to use your Qi Observation Skill to scan the area. The Mechanical Fox might not be able to spot every danger, so it's best to be cautious."
Lü Zhong nodded, formed a hand seal, and began chanting, casting the Qi Observation Skill.
At that moment, his vision instantly turned black and white again.
The fog no longer obstructed his sight, and he could clearly distinguish all the scenery.
However, the terrain of Wild Ox Valley was truly complex. The ground was uneven and rugged, with too many places hidden from the naked eye. Lü Zhong estimated that even without the fog, it would have been difficult to spot hidden dangers.
'No wonder Lin Zhongze had Xiaoqi send out the Mechanical Beast to scout.'
After advancing for a while, Lü Zhong made a discovery.
"I see Demon Qi! It's in the direction of that wedge-shaped boulder to the front-left!"
"Good. We'll sneak over there slowly. Be careful not to alert the Demon Beast," Lin Zhongze ordered decisively.
Cultivators were at a great disadvantage in head-on confrontations with Demon Beasts, due to differences in Innate constitution and the way Spiritual Qi nourished their bodies. They typically resorted to surprise attacks, hoping to mortally wound the creature in the first clash. This minimized the risks of Beast Hunting.
The group advanced toward the wedge-shaped boulder and soon heard a chewing sound.
Peeking through a crevice in the rock, they could see a giant bear in a basin below where the fog was thinner. It was tearing at the carcass of a wild ox on the ground, its mouth full of blood, eating with great relish. It looked like it would be eating for a long time.
"That's it, the Fear Bear!" Lin Zhongze confirmed.
When hunting Demon Beasts, the most difficult part was never how to kill them, but how to find them.
The wilderness was so vast that even experienced hunting parties often went ten days or half a month without finding their target.
After all, Demon Beasts weren't fools. They wouldn't just show up out in the open, as that would make them prey for other Demon Beasts.
This Fear Bear before them must have been lingering here because it coveted the herd of wild oxen in the valley.
But no one knew how long it would stay in Wild Ox Valley.
"There's no time to lose. We'll proceed according to the plan!" Lin Zhongze was decisive. He then turned to Xiaoqi and said, "Xiaoqi, use that Poisoned Arrow. The Fear Bear's meat isn't worth any money anyway."
Xiaoqi nodded, reached for the quiver on his back, and took out a long, glistening green arrow.
He nocked the arrow on the bowstring, then slowly drew the Five-Stone Bow, waiting for the others to get into position.
A few moments later, a green shadow flew out silently.
With a soft, wet thud, the long arrow struck the Fear Bear squarely in the belly.
The Fear Bear roared in pain and reared up on its hind legs, towering nearly twenty feet high as a ferocious aura erupted from it.
At almost the same instant, Lin Zhongze charged out, Flame Long Spear in hand. Without any flourish, he leaped off a pile of rubble and thrust his spear toward the Fear Bear's eyes.
The Fear Bear reacted immediately. It was smart enough to shield its eyes with one of its arms.
At the same time, a paw the size of a round table swiped down.
The blow was immensely powerful; anyone hit by it would surely be smashed to pieces.
But just then, the silhouette of a talisman shot toward the Fear Bear's feet, and the weeds on the ground began to grow wildly.
It was Sanniang, who had activated a Wood Binding Talisman. The rampant weeds immediately wrapped around the Fear Bear. Although they were instantly snapped by its Giant Strength, they managed to slow the descent of its paw.
It was Lü Zhong's turn. His Green Frost Sword flew near the Fear Bear, its blade now glowing with a cyan light as Cyan Frost Cold Qi spread from it.
Without a moment's hesitation, he chose to attack the Fear Bear's other exposed vital point.
It was a textbook case of "guard the head, forget the rear." At that moment, its asshole was wide open!
'Pierce!'
With a change in his Sword Mantra, the Green Frost Sword shot forward.
Fast! Precise! Vicious!
"AWOOOO!" A bloodcurdling howl echoed through the mountains.
The Green Frost Sword sank in up to its hilt. At the same time, its attached Minor Divine Technique activated to its full potential. Waves of Cyan Frost Cold Qi radiated from the blade, inflicting even greater damage on the Fear Bear.
Lin Zhongze blocked with his spear, but an immense force struck him, sending him flying.
When he saw Lü Zhong's sneak attack succeed, he immediately disregarded his injuries and charged forward with his spear.
A cold glint of light flashed as he launched a ferocious assault on the Fear Bear.
But to Lin Zhongze's surprise, the Fear Bear's movements had become incredibly sluggish, lacking its initial ferocity.
At first, he thought the Poisoned Arrow was taking effect.
But when the Fear Bear roared and spat out frost, he finally realized that it was Lü Zhong's Cyan Frost Cold Qi that had made the difference.
Before long, the Fear Bear collapsed with a deafening crash.