Chapter 34: The Oriole Lurks Behind

They gazed into the distance, where grass clippings flew and dirt and stone were scattered by the impact.

A young man could be seen locked in a fierce battle with an Iron-Bristled Wild Boar. The two figures flickered in and out of the swirling dust, their assaults both incredibly swift and ferocious.

Qin Liang was unparalleled in his courage, wielding his sword with his right hand to hack and slash recklessly, while his left hand formed a fist to deliver crushing blows.

He had never practiced any specific swordsmanship, but with an Origin Weapon in his hand, every strike cut through metal as if it were mud. Furthermore, his left hand would periodically unleash the Seven-Star Fist, each strike carrying seven layers of hidden force.

The beast was thick-skinned and heavily armored; even after absorbing the hidden force of Qin Liang’s Seven-Star Fist, it suffered little injury.

At this moment, Qin Liang decisively activated his Beast-Battle Body, quietly circulating his secret technique.

"Beast-Battle Body: First Frenzy—Azure Wolf Frenzy."

"Awoo..."

A wolf’s howl emanated from within his body, and the faint phantom of an azure wolf emerged, circling him as if to guard his flanks.

From a distance, Qin Liang appeared like a wolf king, commanding a beast to join him in battle against the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar. His already formidable strength increased significantly at this moment, adding force to force as he clashed head-on with the creature.

As he deployed his movement technique, the Wind-Walker Step, his figure began to move like the wind.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In a very short span of time, the two collided repeatedly, separating only to charge at each other again.

The Iron-Bristled Wild Boar had burned its vital blood, fighting for its life. Even seeing that Qin Liang was gaining the upper hand, it showed no intention of retreating; the spiritual radiance on its body bloomed wildly, as dazzling as a midday sun.

For Qin Liang, this battle was truly exhilarating.

He landed many hidden-force strikes, but to his dismay, the effect was minimal. The boar’s physical body was simply too tough, successfully withstanding both the hidden forces and the raw power of his punches.

Fortunately, Qin Liang held the embryo of an Origin Sword. Each strike he delivered sheared away the boar's steel-needle-like bristles, sending them flying, before biting into the flesh and drawing beast blood.

In the heat of the fray, every swing of his sword drew a streak of blood, gradually staining the woodland red.

"Is Brother Qin truly only at the Fifth Refinement stage?"

Ling Dehai, watching from afar, was already dumbstruck. They had never imagined that a Fifth Refinement practitioner could be this powerful, to the point of suppressing a Sixth Refinement demonic beast that had burned its vital blood.

Despite burning its blood, the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar had no means to fight back. Had it not been for its thick hide, it would have been shredded by Qin Liang long ago.

After a stick of incense’s worth of fierce combat, the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar finally collapsed, unable to hold on any longer.

Its massive head was severed by Qin Liang’s sword, sending beast blood splattering.

Qin Liang wiped the blood from his sword embryo, turned his head toward the others, and said flatly, "The Iron-Bristled Wild Boar has been slain. We can enter the cave now."

The five people frozen on the tree branches finally regained their senses. They jumped down one by one and approached to examine the carcass.

"Good heavens, Brother Qin, aren't you a bit too savage? You killed a Sixth Refinement Iron-Bristled Wild Boar all by yourself," Mu Chuan said, kicking the boar’s head to vent his lingering shock.

Ling Dehai laughed heartily and praised, "If our Sulfur-Fire Mercenary Group had a young hero like Brother Qin, we would eventually level Hongxia Mountain and wipe these demonic beasts out entirely."

Hearing this, Mu Chuan and the others rolled their eyes helplessly.

"Big Brother, you used to advocate for sustainable development. How can you kill them all?" Mu Chuan teased.

"Ah... right, right. We must still focus on sustainable development."

Ling Dehai tapped his head, quickly changing the subject: "This Iron-Bristled Wild Boar isn't bad. We can let Fei'er have an extra meal tonight. Xiao Chuan, pack it up. Brother Qin and I will go into the cave to take a look."

"Be careful, Big Brother," Mu Chuan said with concern.

It was the habit of mountain-exploring teams to leave a few people on guard outside the cave to prevent other demonic beasts from smelling the commotion and trapping everyone inside.

"Brother Qin, stay behind me. If anything goes wrong, retreat from the cave immediately."

Ling Dehai took the lead, drew a torch to light the way, and carefully ventured deep into the cave, his footsteps light and cautious.

Qin Liang released his spiritual perception to sense the conditions within.

Before long, a faint trace of spiritual energy was detected by Qin Liang, right at the deepest part of the cave.

Reaching the end of the tunnel, they encountered no other demonic beasts; everything remained safe and sound.

"There really is a spiritual herb! This trip was certainly worth it!"

Ling Dehai urged him, "Brother Qin, go ahead and harvest the herb. We must leave immediately. The previous battle will surely attract many demonic beasts; if a herd arrives, we’ll be in trouble."

Qin Liang did not stand on ceremony. Since he had slain the boar, he had contributed the most and rightfully deserved the herb.

This herb was known as the Wither-Bloom Grass. It was said that it had to experience a cycle of withering and blooming before it could begin to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to become a spiritual substance. Its medicinal properties were also beneficial to the meridians.

Qin Liang had once refined the Meridian-Nourishing Rejuvenation Pill for Hua Zhiqiao, which contained this very ingredient.

After securing the herb, the two carefully searched the area but found nothing else.

"It seems the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar discovered this by accident and was staying here, perhaps intending to make it its long-term lair just for this herb. Unfortunately for it, we stumbled upon it," Ling Dehai concluded, recalling the vine-covered entrance of the cave.

Demonic beasts did not know how to refine pills. They guarded spiritual herbs mostly to inhale the essence of heaven and earth.

Since spiritual herbs could attract this essence to a certain degree, beasts would not consume the herbs they guarded unless absolutely necessary, as doing so would be cutting off their own future—unless, of course, they found a new one.

They knew the difference between a full meal once and being full forever.

"Let's go!" Qin Liang and Ling Dehai headed toward the cave entrance.

Mu Chuan and the others were guarding outside, remaining vigilant. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from nearby, and their spirits tensed. "Who’s there? Stop skulking around!"

"Hahaha..."

Laughter erupted from the bushes. Ten robust figures leaped out, instantly surrounding the cave with malicious intent.

"Zhu Hao? Why are you here?"

Mu Chuan asked with a wary shout, staring at the shirtless, burly man in the lead, his expression darkening.

Zhu Hao, shouldering a massive broadsword, sneered, "Mu Chuan, you haven't even become a deputy commander after all these years. If you defect to my Black Tiger Gang now, perhaps you could land a position as a deputy leader just like me."

"In your dreams!" Mu Chuan asked coldly, "How did you find this place?"

Hearing this, Zhu Hao and the other nine men laughed, mocking him: "We discovered this cave first. I even know the spiritual herb inside is Wither-Bloom Grass. Do you still not understand?"

"What?" Mu Chuan and the others’ faces changed.

"Enough, there’s no point in talking to you. Once I finish you off, I’ll go inside and take care of Ling Dehai. Then today’s mission will be complete."

Zhu Hao swung his broadsword and commanded the others, "Do it!"

"Yes!"

The nine men lunged forward. They were all Fifth Refinement practitioners—experts of the Black Tiger Gang with formidable strength.

In an instant, a fierce battle erupted on the clearing in front of the cave.

Mu Chuan and the others were limited in number. Facing nine opponents of the same rank, the pressure was immense. Before long, they were all wounded and coughing blood, collapsing to the ground in defeat.

"I’ll spare your lives for now, otherwise it won't be easy to report back," Zhu Hao said coldly. He pointed at two of his men and ordered, "You two, go into the cave and take a look."

"Yes!" The two men acknowledged and stepped into the cave.

The moment their feet touched the threshold, they were struck by a surge of immense force that sent them flying backward. They crashed into a large tree in the distance, suffering broken bones and coughing up mouthfuls of blood.