Chapter Five: Into the Purple Mist Forest
The Purple Mist Forest gets its name from the faint purple miasma that shrouds it year-round. Ancient trees reach for the sky, blocking out the sun; the forest is home not only to various rare spiritual herbs but also to countless bloodthirsty and ferocious demonic beasts. For the outer disciples of the White Star Sect, this is both a place of opportunity and a burial ground.
At this moment, two figures were trekking slowly in the Purple Mist Forest.
"Brother Tian, that cave is not much farther from here." The one who spoke was Tie Han.
Walking ahead of him was Hao Tian.
Hao Tian nodded while cautiously looking at his surroundings.
Roar—!!"
The two had been traveling for about half an hour now and had penetrated deeper into the outer area. Just as the two were intending to go further, the bushes in front of them suddenly burst open. With a ferocious roar, two dark figures, accompanied by a foul stench, viciously pounced on them!
"Watch out! It's a Green Fang Boar! And there are two of them!"
Tie Han's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm. Although this Green Fang Boar was only a low-level first-order demonic beast, equivalent to the strength of a human at the second level of the Martial Origin Realm, it had thick skin and flesh and was incredibly strong. In particular, its pair of scimitar-like tusks could disembowel even a martial artist at the third level of the Martial Origin Realm if they were hit.
If it were the Hao Tian of the past, facing the attack of two green-haired wild boars, his only option would have been to turn and run for his life. But now, looking at the two beasts charging towards him with bloodthirsty red eyes and drooling, Hao Tian held his sword tightly, his eyes flashing with fighting spirit.
"Let me test my strength with you pigs."
Hao Tian let out a low shout, and just as the three wild boars were about to crash into him, his body suddenly moved.
He slipped and stumbled, his figure shifting three feet in an instant, barely avoiding the lead boar's fatal charge.
Then, his rusty sword flashed as he slashed at the nearby boar.
"Pfft!"
The sound of flesh being pierced, followed by a miserable shriek, rang out.
Before Tie Han could even draw his machete, he saw that one of the two ferocious wild boars that had been charging at Hao Tian suddenly froze in mid-air and then crashed down on the ground.
The remaining wild boar clearly possessed some intelligence. Seeing its companion die instantly, the ferocity in its eyes turned into fear. It let out a strange roar and turned its head to burrow into the bushes.
"Trying to run?"
Hao Tian snorted coldly, and with a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between himself and the boar, slashing his sword fiercely.
"Pfft!"
The boar didn't even have time to scream before it was killed and collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The entire process happened in the blink of an eye, from the appearance of the wild boars to their complete annihilation, in less than three breaths.
"Brother Tian...?" Tie Han's shocked voice came from behind. "You have gotten so strong! That was a Green Fang wild boar! Its skin was so tough that even my machete could hardly pierce through it, and you...you just slaughtered it like cutting tofu?"
Hao Tian smiled slightly, offering no explanation, and said calmly, "Let's not waste our time here; the smell of blood will attract even stronger monsters." He glanced at the increasingly dense purple mist in the depths, his expression turning serious. "It will be dangerous if it gets dark."
Tie Han pointed southeast, saying, "It won't be late, as it's not far from here! After crossing that small hill, there's a small river, and once we cross the river, we will arrive."
The two set off again, but at a slightly slower pace than before, observing their surroundings with greater vigilance.
Throughout the journey, Hao Tian remained silent, but he was constantly making plans in his mind.
The Crimson Flame Spirit Fruit is a high-grade first-rank spiritual herb, and the Iron-Backed Grey Wolf that guards it is a mid-stage first-order demonic beast, whose strength is comparable to a human expert at the fifth or even sixth level of the Martial Origin Realm. Moreover, wolf-type demon beasts are cunning and cruel by nature and extremely fast, far surpassing those stupid pigs from before.
Although he has now broken through to the mid-stage of the fourth level of the Martial Origin Realm, his chances of winning in a head-on confrontation with the Ironback Wolf are still slim.
"Brother Tian, we've arrived..."
At noon, the two lay down behind a thorny earthen slope. Tie Han lowered his voice and pointed his finger toward a valley ahead.
The entrance to the valley was extremely well hidden, concealed by a large number of vines. But even from a distance, Hao Tian could still smell a unique and refreshing fragrance coming from the depths of the valley.
Just by taking a whiff, Hao Tian felt the flow of spiritual energy within his body quicken, and his body, which had been somewhat tired from the journey, was instantly refreshed.
"It really is the Crimson Flame Spirit Fruit! And judging from the intensity of its aroma, it's absolutely the best of the best!" A fiery glint flashed in Hao Tian's eyes.
If he could consume such a spiritual item, breaking through the fifth level of the Martial Origin Realm would not be impossible!
But soon, his gaze was drawn to a huge rock at the mouth of the valley.
Atop the rock was lying a massive wolf. Its eyes were closed, as if it were taking a nap, but the occasional twitching of its ears and the powerful muscles that rose and fell with it clearly showed its constant vigilance.
Ironbacked Grey Wolf, a mid-stage first-order demonic beast!
Even from the distance, Hao Tian could still feel the ferocious aura emanating from the giant wolf.
Tie Han showed an expression of fear, and he subconsciously shrank behind Hao Tian. "Brother Tian, that's the Iron-Backed Wolf. Last time I only caught a glimpse of it from afar, and it almost spotted me. That beast has a very keen sense of smell."
Hao Tian stared intently at the giant wolf, his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword.
"He's definitely a troublesome guy," Hao Tian muttered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly.
The aura of this Iron-Backed Wolf was even stronger than he had anticipated. If they were to fight head-on, even the two of them combined probably wouldn't be enough to satisfy the beast's hunger.
"Tie Han," Hao Tian turned his head and spoke in a low voice, "This beast is too strong. We can't fight it head-on. Listen, the plan we're about to follow concerns our lives. You must remember it clearly, and there can be absolutely no mistakes."
Seeing Hao Tian's solemn expression, Tie Han also became nervous and swallowed hard. "Brother Tian, whatever you say, I'll listen to you. If I die, please take the spirit fruit and save my father."
"It's not that exaggerated." Hao Tian's gaze fell upon the deep cave. "Later, I'll go out and lure this beast away. My movements are more agile than yours; I'm confident I can hold it off for a few minutes. You take advantage of the moment it leaves the cave entrance and rush inside as fast as you can to pick the Crimson Flame Spirit Fruit!"
"What!!!" Tie Han panicked upon hearing this, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "No, no! Absolutely not! Brother Tian, that's an Ironback Wolf! You're going to lure it away? That's suicide! I'll go instead; I'm tough and can take a beating! Brother Tian, you're good; you go pick the fruit!"
Hao Tian felt a warmth in his heart, patted Tie Han's broad shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Stop arguing. You're too slow. You'll be caught and torn to pieces before you even take a few steps."
"But..." Tie Han's eyes reddened with anxiety.
"No buts!" Hao Tian interrupted Tie Han, "I am stronger than you. Have you forgotten how I just killed those wild boars? You must follow my plan; only then will we be able to make it safe and alive."
A powerful confidence suddenly erupted from Hao Tian, and that domineering aura made Tie Han swallow back the words he was about to say.
"Remember, once you succeed, don't worry about me. Run back immediately; we'll meet up at the rocky beach downstream! Do you understand?" Hao Tian stared intently at Tie Han's face.
Tie Han gritted his teeth and nodded with a resolute expression, "Brother Tian, you...you must be safe...if you can't hold on, just run away and don't care about me."
"Don't worry, I won't die here!"
Hao Tian spoke with confidence, then he took a deep breath and picked a nearby stone.
"Prepare..."
Hao Tian gripped the rusty sword tightly, his muscles tensing to the limit, and the martial energy within him surged wildly, ready to rush at any moment.