After a moment of consideration, Wang Mu decided to first quietly observe and play it safe.
At that moment, the Xuan Gu dove down, spewing a purplish-red poisonous fog from its mouth. The fog descended upon the forest below, and where it touched, the lush branches and leaves instantly turned to ash, scattering in the wind.
So strong... Wang Mu thought.
The trees in the Divine Wood Forest were incredibly hard, barely any softer than the Purple Shuo Trees.
The corrosive power of the poison fog exhaled by this Fierce Beast, the Xuan Gu, was too strong.
Ordinary mortals would probably turn into bloody water upon contact.
The poisonous fog quickly enveloped the Thunder Light Rabbit.
The already misty morning now resembled a labyrinth, making it difficult to distinguish person from beast beyond ten meters.
With his excellent vision, Wang Mu could barely make out the silhouette of the Xuan Gu.
Strange, why didn't that Thunder Light Rabbit run just now... Wang Mu wondered.
The Thunder Light Rabbit's speed was extremely fast.
Though the Xuan Gu flew in mid-air, the dense branches and leaves of the Divine Wood Forest, combined with its large size, made flying difficult. It couldn't catch up to the Thunder Light Rabbit in the woods.
An idea occurred to Wang Mu. It seems this rabbit has a reason not to leave.
Huh, wait, it seems there are people here too?
With his mind racing, Wang Mu suddenly looked towards another direction.
A unique aura emanated from there.
People? Could they be cultivators? Disciples from the Immortal Sect on Gu Yun Mountain?
Wang Mu quickly pulled down the bamboo hat on his head, subconsciously sinking his body lower.
Interesting. Could it be that this Xuan Gu wasn't trying to hunt the Thunder Light Rabbit, but was instead being pursued by some Immortal Sect disciples?
The Village Chief had mentioned that occasionally, some disciples from Immortal Sects would come to the Divine Wood Forest to hunt Fierce Beasts.
Sometimes, if they failed to hunt any, they would seek out him, the Village Chief of Anle Village, to purchase some materials.
The Village Chief often bragged about these matters, taking great pride in them.
If that's the case, then it seems there aren't many options in this event...
The Xuan Gu was a very powerful Fierce Beast.
Wang Mu didn't have much confidence he could kill it with the hunting bow in his hands.
Its pitch-black feathers shimmered faintly, looking as impregnable as an iron wall.
Ordinary arrows could hardly penetrate it.
However, based on my years of observation and confrontations, Fierce Beasts like the Xuan Gu do have weaknesses.
This type of Fierce Beast fears arrowheads made from Flame Attribute Ore. Attacking with such arrows will inflict a certain amount of damage on the Xuan Gu.
Furthermore, the Xuan Gu has one or two vital spots. If these vital areas are struck with such arrows, it will suffer a fatal blow. It's just that these vital spots are very well protected, making them exceedingly difficult to hit with an arrow.
The Village Chief claimed he had once hunted a Xuan Gu, though Wang Mu wasn't sure if it was true.
Since there are others, I'll continue to observe quietly and, in the meantime, try to find the Xuan Gu's vital spots mentioned by the Village Chief… If there's a chance, I'll attack and test my skills! After all, such a Fierce Beast is a rare sight!
Since that's the case, I'll directly use the action points...
Wang Mu spent his remaining action point on Hunting.
「Meanwhile, on the other side.」
"Brother Su! Quick, look, that Xuan Gu has come out!"
On the branches of a large tree on the other side, a group of young men and women with varied expressions watched the distant Xuan Gu.
Su Yu shook his head helplessly and said, "Quiet down. With all this commotion, are you trying to attract that Xuan Gu over here?"
As the eldest disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak at the Shangxiao Sword Sect, he wasn't actually too keen on taking the newcomers out for training, because it was a troublesome matter.
A few years ago, Su Yu had actually quite enjoyed taking out newcomers for training. These were recruits who had been accepted as disciples but hadn't formally joined the sect yet. Their training involved hunting Fierce Beasts and leisurely exploring mountains and rivers.
But now, he was thoroughly tired of it.
However, despite his weariness, it was a sect duty, so he still had to complete it meticulously. After all, Heavenly Sword Peak, compared to the other major peaks, was rather desolate in terms of talent—only he remained.
There had actually been others before.
Even he, the current eldest disciple, had only recently inherited the position. The previous eldest disciple, it was said, had been lured away by a demoness from the Fengyue Sect and hadn't returned to the sect for several years.
Whenever Su Yu thought about this, he felt somewhat bewildered.
The Fengyue Sect and our Shangxiao Heavenly Sect have been feuding for nearly a thousand years... It's said that this feud has persisted since the very founding of our sects, right up to the present day...
Although the Fengyue Sect isn't a renowned Righteous Sect, it's not a Demon Sect either... Why is the enmity with our sect so profound?
This question had puzzled Su Yu since he joined the sect.
Rumor had it that the founding ancestor of the Fengyue Sect was a woman of peerless beauty, originally the Taoist couple of the Shangxiao Sword Sect's founder.
Later, the Shangxiao Sword Sect's founder abandoned this woman.
Thus, the bitter entanglement began.
To this day, whenever disciples of the Fengyue Sect encounter disciples of the Shangxiao Sword Sect in the Mortal World, they try to entice and lead them astray.
According to the old seniors in the sect, since that time, the Fengyue Sect has poached hundreds of our sect's exceptionally talented disciples. Su Yu mused.
Sigh, Eldest Senior Brother, you just left like that, and the burden of Heavenly Sword Peak has fallen to me...
Su Yu felt a sense of loss.
It wasn't just the Eldest Senior Brother; the Peak Master of Heavenly Sword Peak had also been lured away by a demoness from the Fengyue Sect during a contest for a secret realm...
At that time, the sect was enraged and intended to personally lead all disciples to crusade against the Fengyue Sect.
However, Elder Yan's Crossing Tribulation was imminent. As the sect's strongest power was about to undergo tribulation, they could only wait.
Later, when Elder Yan failed his Crossing Tribulation, they had no choice but to temporarily endure this grievance.
Snapping back to reality, Su Yu roused his spirits and looked at the children, whose faces were all alight with excitement.
These children were mostly fifteen or sixteen years old. They were promising 'seedlings' with fairly good Spirit Roots whom Su Yu had discovered in several villages and towns during his patrol down the mountain.
After reporting to the sect, he was immediately instructed to recruit and cultivate them carefully. Passing through this area, they happened upon the conflict between the Xuan Gu and a Spirit Beast, so he cast a Hidden Talisman to conceal themselves nearby and let these promising 'seedlings' observe.
They all possessed Spirit Roots. Although they were just adolescents from the Mortal World, their martial skills were by no means superficial.
Some from prosperous families had even cultivated some superior techniques for strengthening the body, breath control, and consolidating their vital essence.
However, seeing such a Fierce Beast for the first time, they were all somewhat lost in a daze.
Su Yu looked among them.
One youth, dressed in black and carrying a long bow on his back, appeared exceptionally cold and detached. He watched the distant conflict with little emotion in his eyes.
Su Yu frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then asked in an inquiring tone, "Everyone, the Thunder Light Rabbit and the Xuan Gu are currently fighting. If you were to intervene, how would you help?"
Hearing this, the young faces immediately burst into eager chatter.
"Brother Su, I know this one! Of course, we should help the Thunder Light Rabbit! The Thunder Light Rabbit is a Spirit Beast, possessing spiritual wisdom, just like us! The Xuan Gu is a Fierce Beast that specifically preys on other life forms. We should help the Thunder Light Rabbit!"
"That's right, that's right! The Xuan Gu is so ferocious, and the Thunder Light Rabbit is weak and helpless. Punishing the strong and aiding the weak is the righteous path for us who walk the Jianghu!"
"The Xuan Gu is powerful, but we have numbers on our side! Although my Thunderbolt Palm is just a Mortal World martial art, my proficiency isn't low. If we are to act, I definitely won't hesitate!"