One-horned lizard!
Zhou Zhong and the other villagers immediately recognized that the dead monster was a terrifying adult one-horned lizard.
There was a strict standard that divided the animals on earth into three categories, which were wild animal, beast and monster.
Wild animals, like jackal, marten, fox, mongoose and the like, were violent yet could be killed by ordinary hunters.
Tigers, leopards, wild boars, raging bulls and bears were classified as beasts, for they could fight against a practitioner who had just began the journey of cultivation.
Monsters were totally different. They were the leviathans in the mountains, most of which had evolved to possess certain wisdom. Even the weakest monster could easily slay a practitioner within the level of Qi Guiding, while the most powerful ones could scare a practitioner reached the ninth level of the Martial Realm to run far.
The snow-spot leopard killed by Lin Xun a while ago was a beast.
However, it was just a low-level beast comparing to the one-horned lizard, which was able to slaughter a practitioner within the level of Orifices Connecting.
It was the first time Zhou Zhong had actually seen a one-horned lizard with his own eyes, although he had heard so many stories about how dreadful it was.
They were lucky that it was dead, or else they would hardly walk out of here alive.
Lin Xun crouched down to examine its wounds.
The one-horned lizard looked like a raging bull covered with dark green flakes. It used to have four pillar-like legs and a waning moon-like horn on its head, except the horn had been dug out, leaving a bloody hole there.
At its throat was another hole of the size of an infant's fist. Judging by the clean wound and its dying pose, it must have been butchered by a spear-like weapon that had impaled through its throat.
Lin Xun was in secret shock at this thought. Whoever killed it should have reached the fifth level of the Martial Realm, Orifices Connecting, at least!
Was there a powerful practitioner in this forest besides them?
"The person who has slayed this monster must be much more powerful than Captain Lian."
While Zhou Zhong and the others were amazed and wowed, Lin Xun made a quick decision, "We should leave."
"Leave?"
The villagers looked confused.
"If I'm right, the practitioner ahead of us must be too strong for us to compete with, and he must have some sort of purpose coming to this forest. Bad things might happen if we crash into him."
Lin Xun continued, "Of course, there might be a chance he will not give us a hard time. For our safety, I think we should go back to the village as soon as possible."
Zhou Zhong and the rest now understood the risk and agreed to leave immediately.
Once again, Lin Xun led the villagers to dissect the one-horned lizard and harvest all the valuable stuff.
Every part of it was a treasure. Its flakes, so hard that no sword could penetrate, were the best fit for making armors, so they could sell for a good price.
Its teeth and claws could also be used to make sharp weapons, and its bones, blood and flesh were also prized as excellent tonics.
But unfortunately, its horn that was the most valuable had been taken.
Lin Xun and the others had no reason to complain since they had contributed little to slay the one-horned lizard. They had got lucky enough.
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And Zhou Zhong was no longer in need to find the herbs for his wife as the flesh and blood he collected from the one-horned lizard would be much better.
Therefore they returned by the way they had come.
…
In the meanwhile, towering trees were burned down, thundering somewhere deep in the vast forest.
A giant wolf, red as fire, was running so fast that it became blurring. It dashed around madly, leaving a trail of falling trees and rocks behind it.
If Lin Xun was there, he could tell it was a lava wolf!
It was more than wise to aid its cultivation with the essence of the sun and the moon, so it could easily defeat a practitioner who had reached the ninth level of the Martial Realm!
Yet it was so scary and panic now as if it was chased by some horrific enemy.
All of a sudden, a blurring figure shining like the silver stars flashed by, tearing up the air with an incredible speed.
Roar***
The running lava wolf gave out a sad and shrill cry, and then collapsed on the ground. The flames spattered out scorched everything, even the ground, within a radius of thirty meters.
The cry died off soon, as the lava wolf exhaled its last breath. It was slayed with one fatal strike, which was a bone spear of three meters long that penetrated through its back and nailed it on the ground.
As soon as it died, a small figure emerged from the deep forest. It was a girl at the age of six or seven.
She had long black hair, her slim body was covered with an old animal-skin skirt, and her bare feet were as white as jade.
She had a clean face, white and delicate, and a pair of crescent-shaped eyes, dark and serene. She looked like an offspring of some savage tribe, with a feeling of tranquil and ethereal beyond her age.
She went straight to the dead lava wolf, and her slim figure was in drastic contrast to the huge carcass.
With an easy leap, she was on the back of the lava wolf. She reached out one of her hands, also as white as jade, and lightly lifted the bone spear out of it, letting its blood splash widely.
The bone spear was white and shimmered with silver light, making the girl even more mystical.
Evidently the lava wolf was hunted down by this little girl!
Imagine how shocking it would be for other practitioners to see.
She bent over and took out a fiery-red crystal as big as a pigeon egg from the wound on its back.
As she laid her eyes on the crystal, she smiled like a flower bud blossoming after raining, so magnificent that it could eclipse all the beautiful things in the world.
She was about to leave when she sensed a faint breath in the distance, so she cocked her black eyebrows and looked deep into the forest.
A strange feeling arose from her heart. It was not rejection or hatred but a joyful yearning which she had never experienced. She stood there in still with her clear eyes filled with confusion.
Dong! Dong!
She was startled and turned around to see a gigantic figure of dozens of meters high coming towards her. Everything in its path was destroyed. The earth trembled, the mountains swayed, and the monsters hidden in the forest was shaking in fear.
That was a black bear, huge and imposing like a small mountain.
The little girl was not frightened by its terrifying appearance. Instead, she babbled a few obscure words to it and gesticulated with her hands.
The black bear stopped and shook its head, suggesting it disagreed with her.
She seemed to be disappointed, but soon she gnashed her teeth and dashed at the opposite direction like a bullet.
No more than a few steps was she cupped by a big bear-paw, leaving her no way to escape.
She shouted in great anger, yet the black bear ignored her and headed deep into the forest.
She had no choice but to sit on its paw in frustration, looking blankly at some place that was farther and farther away.
…
On the way back to the village, a thundering roar was suddenly heard from somewhere deep in the forest, terrifying Lin Xun and the villagers whose faces turned colorless.
"Lava wolf!"
"Good heavens! Did the person who had killed a one-horned lizard slay a lava wolf now?"
"His cultivation must be within the Gang Spirit Realm or above, or there's no way he is capable of doing this."
"Within the Gang Spirit Realm? It's impossible. It is said no one in Green-sun Tribe has such high cultivation."
"Judging from the sound, that's where we have planned to go. Luckily we didn't."
Everyone was in great shock and couldn't help wondering.
Lin Xun thought the same in his heart as well. If they had decided to continue their hunting, it was likely they would get themselves killed. Even he was intrigued and wondered who the practitioner that was able to slay a one-horned lizard and a lava wolf was, and where he or she came from.
"We'd better leave the forest as soon as possible. It's too risky to stay."
Zhou Zhong suggested in a worrying tone of voice. No one said no.
About half an hour later, they stepped out of the vast forest. It was nearly noon, and a burning sun was high in the clear sky.
"What a fruitful hunting today!"
"Hurry up! Let's go back to the village and let others share our joys."
"Hey, I think someone can't wait to show off!"
"Do you have a problem with that? Till now, this is the first time I ever come home with a dead snow-spot leopard and a one-horned lizard. I never have such good luck before!"
Clearly, Zhou Zhong and the other villagers felt relieved after they got out of the dark forest full of dangers, and their spirits were lifted up by the full animal-skin bags on their back.
Lin Xun, on the other hand, turned around to watch the vast forest in the distance, thinking to himself, "What kind of treasure hidden there will draw such a powerful practitioner to come? I shall seek it out when I have the chance."
Then he shook his head and followed Zhou Zhong back to Feiyun.