While the group continued pushing the metal attribute tiger toward its limits, the fragrance from the Clear Spring Grass finally began leaking outward.
At first—
The scent was faint.
Almost unnoticeable.
But within moments, the spiritual fragrance spread rapidly through the surrounding forest.
The medicinal aroma drifted through the mist like invisible waves.
Immediately—
The nearby yao beasts reacted.
Deep within the forest, countless roars and hisses echoed outward.
The ground began trembling faintly.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Predatory eyes opened throughout the outer region.
Even cultivators and yao beast hunters nearby immediately noticed something unusual.
"A spirit herb is maturing!"
"Quickly!"
"Follow the scent!"
Figures started rushing toward the source from multiple directions.
Inside the battlefield, the first person to realize the gravity of the situation was Lin Sheng.
His mental field had already detected numerous rapidly approaching lifeforms.
Both beasts and humans.
His expression darkened instantly.
"We leave now."
Battle experience could wait for another day.
Staying longer here would be suicidal.
Without hesitation—
Lin Sheng erupted completely.
Boom!
A terrifying suppressive aura exploded outward from his body.
Vajra Momentum activated.
At the same time, Eight Step Cicada circulated to its limit.
His figure blurred into an afterimage.
The tiger beast barely reacted before—
A streak of destructive fist momentum crossed its neck.
Puchi!
The massive tiger head flew upward instantly.
Blood erupted like a fountain.
The enormous corpse collapsed heavily onto the ground.
The others froze briefly.
Even Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened slightly.
That attack…
Was far stronger than before.
Before anyone could speak, Lin Sheng already rushed toward the cave entrance.
"Move!"
"Now!"
The others immediately followed behind him.
At the cave entrance, Lin Sheng shouted inwardly.
"Zhao Feng!"
"Pack everything and leave immediately!"
Inside the cave, Zhao Feng's voice quickly sounded.
"Wait!"
"It's about to mature!"
Lin Sheng frowned.
Inside the cave, streams of spiritual qi continuously converged into the Clear Spring Grass.
The herb glowed increasingly brighter.
The surrounding medicinal scent thickened rapidly.
Clear Spring Grass was an extremely valuable spirit medicine.
Its rank depended primarily on age.
Below fifty years—
Rank-1.
Above fifty years—
Rank-2.
At nearly four hundred years—
Rank-3.
This spirit herb was especially valuable because of its soul-enhancing properties.
It could serve as a medicinal primer for pills related to spiritual senses, mental strengthening, and comprehension enhancement.
Some cultivators even used it to temporarily increase thinking speed and breakthrough bottlenecks caused by poor comprehension.
Currently—
This stalk was already near fifty years old.
Its value was at least three thousand five hundred low grade spirit stones.
For newly advanced Innate martial artists like them—
That amount of wealth was enormous.
Enough to support cultivation for a long time.
Being lucky enough to encounter such an opportunity already bordered on fortune blessed by heaven itself.
Leaving empty-handed…
Would definitely become a lifelong regret.
Thus Zhao Feng refused to give up immediately.
Lin Sheng's expression became colder.
Just as he was about to forcibly drag Zhao Feng away—
A sharp hiss suddenly echoed from behind them.
Hissssss—!!
The sound carried terrifying pressure.
Everyone turned instantly.
A gigantic black python rushed out from the forest.
Lou Han's expression changed immediately.
"Adult Black Python!"
Zhao Feng's face also darkened heavily.
"This thing's dangerous."
"At least close to Rank-1 High Grade."
The massive snake lunged directly toward them.
Its enormous mouth opened wide enough to swallow an entire water buffalo whole.
Rows of barbed sharp teeth reflected cold light.
A suffocating bloody stench spread through the surroundings instantly.
The python's body stretched over four zhang long.
Its thickness rivaled a water bucket.
Dark scales covered its body completely, flickering with ghostly metallic luster beneath the dim forest light.
Its triangular head and vertical pupils radiated cold killing intent.
And unfortunately—
Lou Han stood closest.
The python attacked him directly.
Lou Han's instincts exploded.
He forcefully twisted sideways.
Boom!
The giant jaws slammed into the ground where he previously stood, shattering rocks instantly.
At the same moment—
Lin Xiaolu attacked.
Cold true qi erupted from her sword.
The surrounding temperature dropped rapidly.
Her figure flashed forward gracefully.
Gui Water True Qi gathered at the sword tip before condensing into an icy piercing strike.
Shing!
The sword thrust directly toward the joint between the python's upper and lower jaws.
Clang!!
The collision sounded like metal striking metal.
Sparks erupted everywhere.
Lin Xiaolu's expression changed slightly.
Her true qi drilling force had actually been deflected heavily by the scales.
Only a deep mark remained.
The defense wasn't broken.
The intense pain instantly enraged the python further.
It hissed violently.
Then whipped its head sideways with terrifying force.
A foul wind exploded outward.
The massive jaws bit toward Lin Xiaolu again without slowing at all.
At that critical moment—
Woooom!
A sharp whistling sound tore through the air.
Lin Sheng moved.
Unlike before, he did not confront the python directly head-on.
Instead—
The moment Lin Xiaolu attracted its attention—
Lin Sheng seized the opening instantly.
His target—
The seven-inch vital point.
Boom!
Eight Step Cicada erupted fully.
Lin Sheng's body transformed into a cyan blur.
At the same time—
His fist momentum condensed completely.
The aura surrounding him resembled a descending vajra.
Domineering.
Suppressive.
Unstoppable.
With terrifying precision—
His fist struck directly toward the exposed weak point beneath the scales.
Puchi—!
A deep tearing sound echoed outward.
The fist momentum pierced through the gap between scales violently.
Then—
Lin Sheng twisted his arm viciously.
The destructive force exploded internally.
Crack!
Bones shattered.
Internal organs ruptured.
Dark red almost black blood erupted outward from the wound like a fountain.
"HISSSSS!!!"
The black python released a shrill painful scream.
Its massive body arched upward violently from the fatal damage.
The surrounding trees shook from the impact.
Lin Sheng's attack had not merely pierced the scales—
It completely destroyed the internal structure beneath them.
The python convulsed madly.
Then finally—
Boom!
Its gigantic corpse collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Silence filled the surroundings briefly.
Lin Xiaolu stared at Lin Sheng silently.
Lou Han's expression became complicated.
Even Lin Shou looked shocked.
They all knew Lin Sheng was strong.
But this…
Was excessive.
That black python had nearly reached Rank-1 High Grade.
Equivalent to Qi Refinement Sixth Layer or Innate Inner Strength Peak.
Yet Lin Sheng killed it almost instantly after finding an opening.
At that moment—
Zhao Feng finally rushed out from the cave.
In his hand was the fully matured Clear Spring Grass.
The spirit herb glowed faintly blue while spiritual mist drifted around it continuously.
Without hesitation, Zhao Feng immediately stored it carefully inside a preservation box including the corpses of the beasts before placing it into a storage bag.
"We need to run now!"
Lin Sheng's mental field spread outward again.
Then his expression sank.
"They're close."
Within his perception, numerous lifeforms were rapidly approaching from multiple directions.
Yao beasts.
Martial artists.
Immortal cultivators.
Some weaker.
Some stronger.
The mature spirit herb scent had completely attracted the surrounding region.
Without wasting another second, Lin Sheng immediately took the lead.
"This way!"
The group rushed through the forest rapidly.
Behind them—
Roars continuously echoed.
Several yao beasts arrived at the battlefield only to find the tiger and python corpses already dead.
The scent of blood drove them increasingly mad.
At the same time, several cultivators also arrived shortly afterward.
Seeing the battlefield, everyone's expressions changed.
Looking at the battlefield left behind, they knew that the opportunity had been taken.
"They escaped recently!"
Greed immediately appeared in several people's eyes.
Some quickly followed the escaping traces deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile—
Lin Sheng's group moved rapidly through rough terrain.
Thanks to his mental field guidance, they continuously avoided incoming yao beasts and approaching cultivators.
Several times, they narrowly escaped direct encounters.
One wrong turn—
And they might have become surrounded completely.
Hours later—
The dense mist finally began thinning.
The forest outskirts gradually appeared ahead.
The group finally exited the outer region successfully.
Only after seeing the distant outline of Cloud Mist Market did everyone finally relax slightly.
Even Zhao Feng released a long breath.
"That…"
"Was way more exciting than expected."
Lin Shou laughed bitterly.
"Next time, if you see a nearly mature spirit herb…"
"We're leaving immediately."
Zhao Feng coughed awkwardly.
"That's impossible."
"A cultivator's greed is eternal."
Lin Xiaolu silently cleaned her sword.
Lou Han remained expressionless as always.
As for Lin Sheng—
His gaze quietly swept toward the distant Cloud Mist Forest behind them.
The forest mist drifted endlessly.
Like a gigantic sleeping beast.
Dangerous.
Mysterious.
And filled with opportunities.