Chapter 12: The Nether Bow

In a moment of desperation, Mu Feng felt a strange tremor in the Essence Formation within his Original Soul. A peculiar sensation surged through him, and instinctively, he rolled at an unusual angle, sliding under the Nether Leopard and propelling himself to safety.

He had finally mastered the second layer of the Linglong Step!

For three years, Mu Feng had trained diligently in this technique, known as the most effective life-saving movement skill for a formation master. However, he had been stuck at the first level all this time. Fortunately, in this moment of life-and-death crisis, he broke through.

The Linglong Step was divided into four levels. The first, called "Weaving Through Flowers and Trees," took Mu Feng over a year to master. He had practiced under the Flower Sea Illusion Formation set by Bai Lao, dodging falling petals until none could touch him, which was only the entry-level requirement for the Linglong Step.

As Bai Lao had often remarked, "The Flower Sea is static, and the trajectory of falling petals can be easily predicted. Moving through them without being touched is something any skilled body technique can achieve. The true brilliance of the Linglong Step lies in the following three levels: Ghostly Steps, White Dew Crossing the River, and Riding the Wind.”

Mu Feng had just broken through to the second level, Ghostly Steps! At this level, he could now find opportunities to evade attacks within a dynamic, shifting "flower sea"—the chaotic flow of an opponent's assaults.

The hallmark of mastery in this level was the ability to evade using the enemy's strength without leaving any trace, all without the opponent realizing what had happened.

Buoyed by the second level of the Linglong Step, Mu Feng's confidence surged. He moved swiftly, dodging and firing a series of arrows at the Nether Leopard.

"Well done!"

Huo Gen exclaimed with joy, greatly impressed. He wasn’t just glad that Mu Feng had narrowly escaped with his life; he was even more impressed that, instead of fleeing, Mu Feng had immediately regained his composure and counterattacked. His courage earned Huo Gen's admiration.

Although Mu Feng’s arrows weren’t perfectly accurate, they served their purpose. A quick succession of shots forced the Nether Leopard into a limited area, turning it into a sitting target.

And who better to take advantage of such an opportunity than the ever-precise Huo Gen?

He drew his bow.

Right eye, forepaw, neck...

Huo Gen fired several arrows in quick succession. Unlike Mu Feng, Huo Gen’s heavier bow granted him both greater power and precision. With the Nether Leopard pinned in place, it had no chance of dodging.

The arrows struck home, leaving the beast wounded!

"Finish it while it's weak," Huo Gen said. Against an injured Nether Leopard, the fight had become much easier.

Mu Feng and Huo Gen worked in perfect coordination, alternating between shooting and repositioning. Soon, the Nether Leopard was bristling with arrows, and it finally collapsed, dead.

The two exchanged a glance and smiled. Both were exhausted, but the relief of surviving such a perilous fight was undeniable.

"Don’t let its rank fool you—it may only be a Tier-One spirit beast, but there’s plenty of treasure to be found on its body," Huo Gen said, rubbing his hands together with excitement.

Indeed, even the most basic spirit beast contained valuable materials that could enrich a person’s life.

Once an ordinary beast absorbed enough of the world’s spiritual energy, it evolved into a spirit beast. These beasts were categorized into nine tiers, with each ascending tier becoming more powerful and valuable.

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When Mu Feng saw the glowing patterns flash across the Nether Leopard’s pelt, he knew it contained a beast core—the defining feature of spirit beasts.

The beast core stored part of the spiritual energy and power that the spirit beast had accumulated in its life, along with some of the wild, untamed energy of heaven and earth. These cores could be refined into pills, used as formation cores, or even, through certain secret methods, directly absorbed to enhance one's cultivation.

Once the Nether Leopard was confirmed dead, Mu Feng and Huo Gen dragged the body to a safer area, where Huo Gen began the dissection.

From his belt, Huo Gen pulled out a knife and sliced into the Nether Leopard’s abdomen. After cutting through the fur, he reached inside and extracted the beast core.

"Here, take this. Whether you sell it or use it, it’s yours," Huo Gen said, holding the glowing beast core out to Mu Feng.

Huo Gen's hand was covered in blood and smelled foul from gutting the beast, but in those filthy hands lay a gleaming, radiant gem, its surface marked with patterns identical to those on the Nether Leopard's pelt, emitting a faint blue-black glow.

Mu Feng hesitated, unwilling to take it. This was Huo Gen’s kill—he had risked his life for it, so it rightfully belonged to him.

“Take it. It’s of no use in the village anyway,” Huo Gen said, sensing Mu Feng’s reluctance. Without further hesitation, he tossed the core over to Mu Feng.

Seeing no way to refuse, Mu Feng accepted the core with a nod of gratitude.

The beast core would certainly be useful to him. When Mu Feng had left the Linglong Valley, he had taken only some unread formation manuals. Bai Lao and Hei Lao hadn’t given him any formation materials or spirit stones. Their excuse had been that the valley’s supply of spirit stones was exhausted, but Mu Feng doubted that.

So whenever Mu Feng encountered materials that could be used in formations, he treated them with great care.

Huo Gen continued to process the rest of the Nether Leopard’s body. Aside from the beast core, there were many other valuable parts. Its sharp claws could be turned into crude but effective weapons; its bones could be fashioned into tools, and its tendons, known for their durability, would make excellent bowstrings.

“These are good materials. When we get back, I’ll make you a bow more suited to you from this Nether Leopard,” Huo Gen said, holding up a piece of tendon.

Mu Feng smiled gratefully and casually asked, “Brother Huo Gen, where did you learn your incredible archery skills?”

“They’ve been passed down through my family. Our village? Long ago, someone from here became quite famous,” Huo Gen said, his eyes shining with a mix of pride and reverence.

Since it was a family secret, Mu Feng didn’t press the matter.

After they finished cleaning up, the two men hoisted the remaining carcass onto their shoulders. The dead beast weighed several hundred pounds, and carrying it back was no easy task.

To avoid drawing attention, they quietly disposed of the remains when they returned to the village. The villagers assumed it was just a regular wild leopard.

Over the following days, Mu Feng spent his time hunting with Huo Gen, learning more about archery. At night, he would tell Huo Niu and Huo Yu stories about the continent and share cultivation knowledge.

Meanwhile, Huo Gen continued to gather materials from the animals they hunted to craft a bow tailored for Mu Feng.

However, one thing puzzled Mu Feng. Despite Huo Niu being of age and in good health, his Original Soul still hadn’t awakened. Even with Mu Feng’s help, there was no progress, leaving Mu Feng at a loss for the cause.

One evening, around the campfire, the group gathered to chat.

Huo Niu, feeling dejected, asked, “Brother Mu Feng, do you think I’ll ever be able to awaken my Original Soul?”

“Don’t worry. While it’s true that some people can’t awaken their Original Souls, you’re not one of them,” Mu Feng reassured him. He had sensed the presence of spiritual energy within Huo Niu, so he was confident there was no issue.

But Huo Niu seemed not to hear Mu Feng’s words. He mumbled to himself, “Unable to awaken the Original Soul…” like he was in a daze.

Huo Niu, who had longed for soul cultivation, couldn’t accept the possibility that he might never awaken his Original Soul. In a fit of frustration, he shouted and ran toward the village’s ancestral shrine.

Just as Mu Feng received his new bow from Huo Gen, they saw Huo Niu dash away.

“What’s gotten into him?” Huo Gen asked with concern.

“His Original Soul still hasn’t awakened. He’s upset,” Mu Feng explained.

“Don’t worry, he always heads to the shrine when he’s like this. He’ll calm down after smelling the incense for a bit,” Huo Gen said with a reassuring smile, handing Mu Feng the newly crafted bow.

The bow had taken a great deal of time and effort to make, and Mu Feng could see Huo Gen’s dedication in every detail. He handled it with care and appreciation.

Mu Feng examined the bow. Its black surface was even darker than the fur of the Nether Leopard, with no gleam whatsoever. It would blend perfectly into the night.

The bow was simple in design, with no unnecessary embellishments. Its primary function was practicality. Strange patterns were etched into the bow’s surface, resembling the markings on the Nether Leopard’s beast core, though they weren’t exactly the same. Despite his knowledge, Mu Feng couldn’t decipher them.

The bowstring had a dark red hue, like dried blood. The combination of black and red gave it an eerie appearance, though it wasn’t ideal for blending into the darkness.

“Try drawing it fully,” Huo Gen said proudly, as if he knew what Mu Feng was thinking.

Mu Feng complied.

As he pulled the bowstring, the blood-red string gradually turned black, swallowed by the darkness, until it was the same color as the bow itself. It was truly a marvel!

When the bow was fully drawn, Mu Feng smelled a faint, strange fragrance coming from it.

Amazed, Mu Feng looked at Huo Gen, curious about the bow’s secrets.

Huo Gen laughed. “It’s just a little trick. I soaked the original red bowstring in 'Wolfbane Grass,' which reacts with the leopard blood. When the bow is under tension, it turns black.”

“Thank you, Brother Huo Gen,” Mu Feng said sincerely, deeply touched by Huo Gen’s thoughtfulness.

“It’s your bow now, so give it a name,” Huo Gen suggested.

“Since it was made from the Nether Leopard, I’ll call it the ‘Nether Bow,’” Mu Feng decided after a moment’s thought.

Just as they were about to discuss more of the bow’s unique properties, a loud crash echoed through the village. They turned to see dust billowing from the direction of the ancestral shrine.

“The shrine collapsed!” a villager shouted in panic.

“Brother Huo Niu’s still in there!” Huo Yu cried out in fear, her face pale, on the verge of tears.

“Let’s go!” Huo Gen said urgently as he sprinted toward the shrine.

Mu Feng quickly stored the Nether Bow and the beast core in his storage ring before following.

The sudden collapse of the shrine filled the villagers with dread. The shrine was where their ancestors were honored, and its destruction was a bad omen.

By the time Mu Feng and Huo Gen arrived, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance, watching anxiously.

“Make way! Make way!” Huo Gen shouted as he pushed through the throng, Mu Feng close behind him.

As the dust settled, everyone stared in disbelief.

The shrine was gone, replaced by a massive, deep pit, dark and ominous, with no bottom in sight.