Holding his newly upgraded scythe, his steps were light and full of energy, as if a tiger leaping through the wind.
He felt not only mentally refreshed, but also physically light, quite literally.
The right foot bone from the One-Eyed Giant-Horned Antelope had strengthened his body.
His overall abilities had improved.
But the greatest enhancement was to his right leg, where the external spirit bone had fused, significantly empowering it.
The One-Eyed Giant-Horned Antelope could leap tens of meters.
Fang Ling wasn't that strong, but he could now jump seven or eight meters easily.
Even without jumping, simply walking made him feel like he was bouncing on springs, as if treading on cotton candy.
His speed had increased compared to when he was previously moving at full sprint.
Half a day passed, and he easily earned another six points.
Because he was heading straight toward the forest's edge, the spirit beasts he encountered grew weaker, most were only decade-level beasts.
At this point, there was no way he'd encounter another inexplicable thousand-year beast.
If so many stubborn, irrational spirit beasts really existed, how could they have survived until now?
"…?"
As Fang Ling walked, he suddenly realized something was wrong, the silence was too intense.
Even the rustling of leaves in the breeze had vanished. It was eerily quiet.
A strange atmosphere gave rise to an unsettling sense of dread.
Looking around, all he saw was ordinary forest scenery.
"No way I'm really this unlucky…" Fang Ling muttered to himself, sniffed the air slightly, and then his expression darkened.
A sweet, metallic scent lingered in the air.
Just a shallow breath made him dizzy, his body weak and limp.
Poison?
He quickly held his breath and stepped back several paces.
The grass and leaves here were darker in color, drooping as if poisoned.
Following this trail, he spotted a massive black figure shifting under fallen leaves and dead branches, feeding.
His heart skipped a beat.
His eyes were full of caution.
Fang Ling couldn't believe it at first, but on second thought, it did make some twisted sense.
According to the Law of Luck Conservation, after receiving a rare external spirit bone, he had used up all his accumulated good fortune.
Now he was in a slump, entering the phase of bad luck.
Fang Ling didn't want to be unlucky, and especially didn't want to provoke such a dangerous creature.
He quickly and quietly retreated, but still startled the shadow.
The black figure stopped and slowly slithered up a tree.
It was a massive, twenty-meter-long, purple-red centipede!
Its half-meter-wide body looked like a flowing river of crimson, each segment brimming with strength and threat.
Its carapace seemed forged from steel, not only tough but also gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen, even in the forest's dim light.
But the most terrifying part was its head , a pair of massive, razor-sharp pincers gleamed ominously, as if they could tear through any creature daring to come close.
Fang Ling recognized it immediately.
A highly venomous spirit beast: the Giant Multilegged Heavenly Dragon!
Its cultivation level increased by one segment every fifty years, and with each segment came two additional legs.
This one had forty segments and eighty sharp legs, a full two-thousand-year-old beast.
It was only about thirty meters away from him, and had been happily feasting just moments ago.
Now startled, its coiled form around the tree appeared especially menacing.
Thick purple toxic mist began passively radiating from its body, corroding nearby plants with a sharp sizzling sound.
Even rocks looked like they might melt.
The forest's earlier decline was just a prelude. Only now did it reveal its true venomous power.
Fang Ling's pupils shrank as he inhaled sharply.
That pair of massive pincers was already oozing a dark black poison, and its long limbs pulsed rhythmically.
It looked as eerie and terrifying as an unsealed demon god.
Fang Ling's face darkened , it was just interrupted while eating, but it was so protective of its food? Did it have to be so aggressive?
He was now truly experiencing the dangers of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Nervously, he summoned his battle scythe spirit, gripping the rough silver handle tightly. That brought him some comfort.
Fight it?
Even the toxic mist around it was strong enough to corrode stone, could he really block the actual venom?
A two-thousand-year beast? No way he could fight that.
In a flash of light, his martial spirit disappeared.
Fang Ling's expression turned serious. He stomped hard with his right foot and leaped away, turning to flee.
Two thousand years old. Twenty meters long. Fighting it meant certain death.
He ran, and the centipede sprang forward like a bullet.
Its body twisted, shooting forth with an unbelievable speed like a dark-purple flash — swift and sinister.
Its eighty sharp limbs weren't just for show. Combined with its agility, its speed was terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, it was nearly upon him.
So fast!
Fang Ling realized he wasn't fast enough. Twisting mid-run, he summoned his scythe and executed a rapid spinning slash with its cursed blade.
The venom-coated pincers clashed violently with the mirror-like scythe blade.
Boom!
A massive explosion echoed through the forest.
Predictably, Fang Ling was overwhelmed and thrown backward.
In that brief moment of impact, he felt like his martial spirit might shatter.
And this was after it had just been upgraded to Level 4, along with its "Tenacity" trait.
Had it still been Level 3, it would've been destroyed on the spot.
At least he met this monster after upgrading, a small comfort, maybe?
Fang Ling forced a bitter smile.
The centipede's legs moved rapidly, launching forward again with deafening speed.
Its pincers locked onto the scythe, thrashing its head violently.
The powerful force nearly twisted the blade apart.
The scythe vanished in an instant before it could be broken, and Fang Ling quickly retreated.
This creature was fast, strong, highly aggressive, and extremely poisonous.
A true thousand-year spirit beast, far beyond the simple-minded One-Eyed Giant-Horned Antelope.
Against this type of beast, terrain meant nothing.
To survive, his only option was to lead it elsewhere, to create conflict between two powerful beasts and find a chance to escape in the chaos.
He needed another thousand-year beast to fight this one.
But that was the problem.
He had long since crossed into an area dominated by decade-level spirit beasts. After traveling outward for half a day, there were no strong creatures around.
Where was he supposed to find another thousand-year beast to pit against this monster?
Fang Ling's heart sank.
He channeled more spirit power into his right leg.
Thankfully, the external soul bone from the One-Eyed Giant-Horned Antelope had given him this chance, otherwise, he'd already be dead.
Though he wasn't dead yet… he was close.
Fast, but not fast enough.
The temporary advantage granted by the antelope's spirit bone was quickly dwindling.
Fighting was hopeless. Running was the only chance to maybe , just maybe , survive.
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