The distortion in front of him shifted slightly again, like a drifting wisp of wind.
The system continued its explanation.
**[Mountain spirits are part of the environment that created them.]**
**[They are manifestations of a mountain's spiritual energy.]**
The lizard stared silently.
*So…*
*It was born here.*
The system confirmed.
**[Correct.]**
**[Mountain spirits possess a strong affinity with natural spiritual energy.]**
**[They often act as guardians or observers of their territory.]**
The lizard's eyes narrowed slightly.
*Observers.*
That word lingered in his mind.
The distortion in the air moved again.
Still unaware of him.
Still slowly inspecting the branch.
The system added another line.
**[Unlike ghosts, mountain spirits possess no previous identity.]**
**[They are born as new consciousness.]**
The lizard watched the faint ripple quietly.
Then his tail flicked once behind him.
Lightning crackled faintly along the dark scales.
A **sixth-layer Foundation Establishment spirit**.
Only a short distance away.
The lizard continued observing the faint distortion drifting in the air before him.
The mountain spirit moved slowly along the branch, like a thin current of wind gliding through the leaves. It carried no killing intent, no hostility—only a quiet, curious awareness.
Inside his mind, the lizard spoke again.
*If it's a mountain spirit…*
His golden eyes followed the ripple carefully.
*Then its body isn't really here.*
The system responded almost immediately.
**[Correct.]**
The lizard's pupils narrowed slightly.
*Its body is the mountain.*
The system confirmed.
**[Mountain spirits are manifestations of the spiritual energy of the terrain.]**
**[The mountain itself acts as its core and anchor.]**
The lizard stared at the faint distortion for a moment longer.
Then his tail flicked once.
A faint crackle of lightning ran across the dark scales.
*So even if I kill this…*
His gaze remained calm.
*I can't eat it.*
A short pause followed.
Then the system replied.
**[Correct.]**
**[Eliminating this projection will not produce biological matter.]**
The lizard's eyes shifted slightly.
*No flesh.*
*No blood.*
*No energy to consume.*
Which meant—
*No evolution points.*
The lizard thought for a moment.
Then he asked another question.
*Does it have a core?*
A demonic beast always had one.
That was the source of condensed energy.
The system answered.
**[Negative.]**
The lizard remained silent.
The system continued.
**[Mountain spirits do not possess independent beast cores.]**
**[The mountain itself functions as the spirit's core.]**
The faint distortion drifted slightly closer again, still completely unaware of the invisible predator sitting on the branch.
The system added one final clarification.
**[Mountain spirits draw power directly from the surrounding spiritual energy of their environment.]**
The lizard's golden eyes glowed faintly.
So the entire **Black Spine Mountains** were essentially its source of power.
He watched the drifting ripple for another few seconds.
Then slowly looked away.
There was nothing to gain here.
No evolution.
No nourishment.
Just a spirit born from the mountain itself, wandering through its domain.
The branch swayed faintly as the mountain spirit drifted along it, still examining the lingering traces of blood and spiritual disturbance in the area.
But the lizard no longer looked at it.
His golden eyes had already turned away.
*Useless.*
The thought passed calmly through his mind.
There was nothing to gain from the spirit.
No flesh.
No beast core.
No evolution points.
Only a projection of the mountain's spiritual energy.
Remaining hidden here any longer served no purpose.
The lizard's claws tightened slightly against the bark.
Then—
He moved.
His body pushed off the branch in one smooth motion.
Leaves rustled softly as the small dark figure dropped through the air.
Halfway down—
The shimmer of invisibility around his body began to fade.
Light returned to his scales.
His outline solidified.
And when he landed on the forest floor, he was no longer hidden.
His claws touched the ground softly.
The lizard stood in the dim moonlight, his white scales reflecting faint silver as his golden eyes turned toward the direction the cultivators had gone.
Above him, the mountain spirit continued drifting through the branches, paying little attention to the small creature that had just revealed itself below.
The lizard's tail moved slowly behind him.
*They were trying to bait something out.*
The exaggerated caution.
The staged retreat.
The deliberate splitting of paths.
It had been obvious.
But if they were waiting for whatever was watching them to reveal itself—
Then he would simply give them exactly what they wanted.
The lizard lifted his head slightly.
Golden eyes glowing.
*I'll be the bait.*
If they were still nearby, watching from the shadows—
They would notice him now.
A lone demonic beast standing openly in the forest.
No concealment.
No attempt to hide.
The perfect target to draw their attention.
And if they returned—
The hunter would become the hunted.
The lizard stood quietly on the forest floor.
Moonlight filtered through the towering trees, reflecting faintly across his dark scales.
For a moment, he did nothing.
Then—
A faint ripple of **spiritual energy** spread outward from his body.
It was controlled.
Measured.
He did not release his true cultivation.
The powerful pressure of the **peak Foundation Establishment realm** remained completely hidden.
Instead, what spread outward was only the aura of an ordinary **Foundation Establishment demonic beast**.
Strong enough to be noticed.
Weak enough to appear like prey.
The energy drifted through the surrounding forest like a quiet pulse.
Branches rustled.
Leaves trembled slightly.
And high above—
The drifting mountain spirit suddenly stopped.
The faint distortion hovering among the branches shifted as if startled.
Its attention immediately turned toward the source of the spiritual energy.
Toward the lizard.
The invisible ripple slowly descended through the air, circling the small white-scaled creature with quiet curiosity.
But the lizard did not look at it.
His golden eyes remained fixed on the dark forest ahead.
Because he wasn't doing this for the spirit.
He was doing it for **the one waiting**.
The pulse of his aura spread farther.
Across roots.
Through the undergrowth.
Into the deeper forest.
For several seconds—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Far away, in the shadows between the ancient trees…
Something reacted.
A faint disturbance.
So subtle that even the wind nearly concealed it.
But the lizard noticed immediately.
His golden pupils narrowed.
*There.*
The ones who had been hiding earlier had felt it.
The bait had been taken.
The hidden presence shifted again, this time moving quickly through the forest—circling closer.
Still concealed.
Still careful.
But now clearly interested.
Above the clearing, the mountain spirit hovered curiously over the lizard.
Below, the small white-scaled predator stood calmly in the open.
Golden eyes glowing faintly.
Waiting.