Edited by Aelryinth
\”That skill is really incredible!\”
Zhang Che’s eyes widened involuntarily as he watched the Rainbow Vinewood Deer disappear before him, despite knowing it had such a skill beforehand.
It wasn’t like Zhang Che hadn’t seen other exotic beasts using their skills to escape, but they had always left a trace for him to follow.
The Rainbow Vinewood Deer was different, however. It actually vanished without any trace by relying on the nearby plants.
Luckily he had prepared for this long ago, and had the Purple Jade Condor watching from the skies. Otherwise, this exotic beast would have escaped!
Soon, the Purple Jade Condor above sent him information.
Zhang Che slapped the back of the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon below him, then pointed northeast and shouted, \”Quickly, don’t let that fellow escape!\”
At the same time, Zhang Che summoned out the Earthen Rock Demon and the Demonic Energy Large Boar with a wave of his hand.
Although the two subdued beasts’ fighting abilities were limited, there wouldn’t be a problem using them to protect his spiritual herb. Zhang Che didn’t believe an extremely powerful exotic beast would find its way here and snatch his reward in a short time.
In the next moment, the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon flew off in the direction Zhang Che had pointed in.
The Rainbow Vinewood Deer could forget about escaping from Zhang Che’s pursuit today, unless it was faster than the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon! As a non-flying exotic beast, although the Rainbow Vinewood Deer could take flight temporarily, its speed could definitely not match up to Hanming!
——
\”Zhang Che, where are you going!?\”
On the hill hundreds of meters away, Huang Tielan didn’t understand what had happened when she suddenly saw Zhang Che flying off on the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon and couldn’t help but grew anxious. She hurriedly yelled out and took off on the Dark Unicorn at the same time, chasing after him.
\”I’m going to chase after that exotic beast, Tielan! You go dig out that spiritual herb first; I’ll come back soon!\” Zhang Che shouted in reply without turning his head back, chasing off in the Rainbow Vinewood Deer’s direction.
-What? The exotic beast escaped? Why didn’t I see anything?- Huang Tielan was confused. However, she knew that there were many things she didn’t understand given her experience. Since Zhang Che had said so, then that exotic beast must have made its escape already.
At present, the spiritual herb was more important. Zhang Che was strong; he probably wouldn’t have any problems.
Thinking of things that way, she relaxed. She guided the Dark Unicorn to fly in the direction of the spiritual herb.
——
Ten kilometers away, the Rainbow Vinewood Deer appeared in the forest, in very bad shape. Without stopping to think, it chose a direction to flee.
Its enemy from earlier was truly too strong. It knew it had zero chance of winning. Although it had escaped ten kilometers away in an instant, heavens knew if that enemy would come chasing after it?
As such, it immediately raced off, choosing to run to places where vegetation was richer.
If ordinary exotic beasts were to choose such places to escape to, they were simply looking for death. Thick forests would definitely slow their escape considerably.
The Rainbow Vinewood Deer was different, however. It was a wood-attributed exotic beast, and was born with the ability to control plants. Not only would it not be slow when fleeing through those thick areas, on the contrary, it would actually be a little faster than escaping in open spaces!
Also, the vegetation could conceal its tracks very well, leaving its enemies unable to find it.
Alas, the Rainbow Vinewood Deer did not expect that there was a pair of sharp eyes in the skies watching it closely at that moment, even if it was beaten to death. Despite moving through the forest, producing minimal commotion, it was still under observation by the Purple Jade Condor.
Just like that, under the Purple Jade Condor’s constant guidance, Zhang Che quickly closed the distance between him and the Rainbow Vinewood Deer on Hanming.
It was only a minute before the Rainbow Vinewood Deer sensed that formidable enemy’s aura behind it, immediately throwing it into a panic. Its control over the nearby plants became weaker all of a sudden, producing a huge commotion. Tree branches kept swaying about.
Zhang Che took notice of the track of swaying tree branches and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. \”Hahahaha, it actually ran here! I’ll see where you can run to!\”
Zhang Che was really glad that he had the inspiration to let the Purple Jade Condor watch from the skies beforehand. Otherwise, this epic-quality exotic beast really might have escaped from him!
Although that fellow wasn’t very strong, it was an epic-quality exotic beast, after all. They were rare creatures that he could only hope to bump into. Naturally Zhang Che wasn’t willing to let it go just like that!
What happened after was nothing to write home about. Although the Rainbow Vinewood Deer tried its best to escape, it was helpless about the situation. After struggling for some time, it was finally cut across the neck by Zhang Che with the scarlet and white sword, decapitating it and instantly turning it into a rainbow light.
Originally, Zhang Che wanted to tame it as a pet. However, although the Rainbow Vinewood Deer seemed harmless, it was unusually stubborn. It wouldn’t give in to threats or promises.
In the end, Zhang Che was helpless about it and could only kill it, receiving a rainbow-colored epic-quality beast card.
\”Hahahaha, not bad, not bad! My gains this time are really more than expected. Come, let’s return!\”
Although Zhang Che claimed he didn’t view the Rainbow Vinewood Deer with high regard, he was very happy inside and laughed out loud for a while. When he was done, he recalled the Purple Jade Condor and flew back in the direction they came from on Hanming.
He wanted to hurry back and see what kind of spiritual herb it was, if an epic-quality exotic beast was actually guarding it.
It went without saying that it was definitely nothing ordinary. How could something that could benefit epic-quality exotic beasts be common?
——
After a short while, Zhang Che returned to the peak from before.
Sensing Zhang Che’s return, Huang Tielan immediately cried out excitedly from the woods below, \”You’re back, Zhang Xiaoche. Come take a look. This spiritual herb is about to mature!\”
-Hmm? She actually didn’t dig out the spiritual herb?- Zhang Che was a little taken aback. But it made sense since she said the spiritual herb was about to mature.
In any case, the two had planned to stay in the beast world for a long time. Delaying for a couple of days wouldn’t hurt.
However, Zhang Che wouldn’t hesitate to dig it out if the spiritual herb needed too long to mature. In any case, there were large amounts of spiritual crystals buried under the herbal field. He didn’t have to worry that the spiritual herb would wither.
\”I want to see exactly what kind of spiritual herb this is, that an epic-quality exotic beast guard it,\” Zhang Che laughed. He ordered the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon to dive down, then jumped off Hanming’s back and walked up to Huang Tielan.
At that moment, Zhang Che finally saw the spiritual herb’s true appearance.
It was a huge plant. The branch and leaves were more than half a meter wide in a circular area, with a huge flower in bloom at the top. The petals were closely packed, their colors following the order of rainbows in a circle, giving it a mysterious sense of beauty.
\”So pretty!\” Zhang Che couldn’t help but sigh in admiration when he saw the spiritual herb.
\”I know, right? I can’t believe there’s such a beautiful flower in the world!\” Huang Tielan was sighing with praise as well. Her eyes were filled with stars, looking at the spiritual herb.
Girls have never had high resistance to pretty things. This spiritual flower was so pretty that Huang Tielan couldn’t bear to dig it out.
However, the herb was already in full bloom. When it fully matured in a few days, it’d quickly wither and bear a big spiritual fruit.
Zhang Che observed the spiritual flower carefully, feeling inexplicably shocked.
He was so close to the flower, but he couldn’t feel a hint of spiritual force from it. He didn’t know how the Rainbow Vinewood Deer discovered the herb to begin with and came here.
However, on second thought, the Rainbow Vinewood Deer was a wood-attributed exotic beast. It was highly possible it was born with unimaginably high sensitivity towards the auras of these plants.
Wasn’t the frisky monkey able to sense the presence of this spiritual herb from thousands of meters away, too?
It could only be said that different species of creatures had different abilities.
Zhang Che wasn’t able to sense the herb’s spiritual force, but that didn’t mean exotic beasts with sharper senses couldn’t sense it.
\”Ah, what a pity!\” Huang Tielan suddenly sighed regretfully at the side, like she was feeling her heart aching.
Zhang Che thought she had neglected something important and hurriedly asked, \”What is it? What happened?\”
Huang Tielan couldn’t resist laughing when she saw the worried expression on his face. She chuckled, \”Nothing. I was only finding it a pity that technology was useless in the beast worlds. I could have taken a picture of this flower otherwise. That way, even when it withered in the future, I could admire such a beautiful flower at any time.\”
Zhang Che finally relaxed. He sighed. -As expected, men can never understand women.-
At the very least, he didn’t think that was something to feel pity about. -Could it be that I’m lacking romantic cells?-
Zhang Che shook his head fiercely. What world was he in? Who had the time to think about anything romantic? Having the strength to protect himself and his family in the upcoming chaos was the most important. Everything else was secondary!
\”Right, Zhang Xiaoche, what should we do for the next few days? Are we just going to keep standing guard here? It’d be too much of a pity if other exotic beasts discovered this spiritual flower,\” Huang Tielan suddenly asked, her tone worried.
Obviously they didn’t know exactly how many days it would take before the spiritual flower matured. They still needed to continue hunting exotic beasts so that she could rise to Tier Six beastmaster as soon as possible. They couldn’t possibly stand guard here every day and do nothing else.
Zhang Che smiled, \”What’s there to worry about? I’ll just have two of my epic-quality subdued beasts stay guard here. No epic-quality exotic beasts would come within hundreds of kilometers. If other exotic beasts dared barge in here, wouldn’t we just get to obtain more beast cards?\”
Zhang Che wasn’t worried about this at all. With the Earthen Rock Demon and the Demonic Energy Large Boar guarding here, there was no need to worry about anything happening to the spiritual flower.
\”That’s true. Then we better go hunt exotic beasts quickly and try to return soon.\”
Truthfully speaking, after being in the beast world for more than twenty days, Huang Tielan had grown bored of the environment. She wanted to return home as soon as possible.
However, her goal wouldn’t be achieved if she didn’t advance to Tier Six beastmaster. She still had to continue working hard.
\”Mmm, then we need to work even harder,\” Zhang Che nodded. He quickly left this mountain with Huang Tielan on the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon, flying off to the distance.
After all, there were very few exotic beasts nearby, due to the presence of the Rainbow Vinewood Deer. It truly wasn’t a good area to hunt in.
——
While flying above the mountain forest, Huang Tielan suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Zhang Che, \”Oh, right, Zhang Xiaoche, what about that exotic beast you just killed? Quickly, let me take a look.\”
Zhang Che nodded. He quickly retrieved a rainbow beast card from his spatial storage. After triggering it, he branded it with his spiritual imprint. Afterwards, a mass of rainbow light shot out from his brow, falling onto the latter half of the Darkfiend Abyssal Dragon’s back.
The light quickly faded. A majestic and beautiful large deer appeared in front of Huang Tielan.
\”Woah, what a beautiful stag! This fellow really doesn’t look like an epic-quality exotic beast, but an ordinary herbivorous animal.\”
The Rainbow Vinewood Deer immediately drew Huang Tielan’s eyes the moment it appeared. She stared at the unusually beautiful subdued beast, unwilling to shift her gaze away.
Huang Tielan had truly never seen such a beautiful exotic beast before. It had a physical body born from the accumulation of the blessings of the heavens and earth, able to make other exotic beasts die from envy.
Although she claimed to not believe this fellow was that strong, Huang Tielan was still able to sense that this subdued beast was much stronger than her own Dark Unicorn, and not by a tiny margin, either. As expected of an epic-quality beast!
——
During the next few days, Zhang Che and Huang Tielan continued hunting exotic beasts in the surrounding, and would return to that mountain forest to check on the rainbow spiritual flower after they were done for the day.
The flower was indeed about to mature. As day after day went by, the colors on the flower became brighter and more gorgeous. It had bloomed to the extreme, proving that it would bear fruit very soon.
Fortunately, the fruit of this type of spiritual herb would quickly mature as well. Zhang Che couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
Ordinary fruits would take a month from maturing to bearing fruit at the very least, let alone spiritual fruits. Heavens knew how long that would take.
—
In the end, on the afternoon of the third day, Zhang Che suddenly received a telepathic message from the Earthen Rock Demon. Although it couldn’t express its intentions clearly, Zhang Che knew that the spiritual flower was about to fully mature and would bear fruit soon.
\”The rainbow spiritual flower is about to mature. Let’s hurry back!\” Zhang Che shouted at Huang Tielan, who was riding on the Dark Unicorn at the side, wielding her Cold Jade Sword. The two immediately put down whatever they were doing and flew in the direction of that mountain.
When they arrived in the vicinity, Zhang Che and Huang Tielan saw bright rainbow light shining from the peak. Soon, an extremely thick fragrance quickly spread.
\”Ah, we’re a step too late. Looks like the fruit has matured!\” Huang Tielan said in frustration. She urged the Dark Unicorn below her to speed up in order to reach the forest sooner.
Looking to the distance, the spiritual flower had indeed disappeared without a trace. There was only a rainbow colored fruit about the size of a baby’s head left on the stem of the plant.
At that moment, the fruit was emitting rainbow light. Wave after wave of delicate fragrance spread from it, quickly reaching its surroundings.
Zhang Che’s expression changed slightly. He hurriedly rushed forward, \”Quick, we have to pick the spiritual fruit fast! This is causing too much commotion! It’ll be troublesome if it drew the nearby powerful exotic beasts!\”
This was indeed a heavenly treasure. When its fruit matured, it actually caused such a huge commotion. It truly shocked Zhang Che and Huang Tielan.
It went without saying that the exotic beasts with sharper senses within dozens of kilometers would have noticed it. Perhaps they were already making their way here.
Although Zhang Che was confident there shouldn’t be any other epic-quality exotic beasts within a hundred kilometers, who could be certain?
What if there really was another epic-quality exotic beast or two hiding nearby, in addition to the weaker exotic beasts? If they all came rushing to the fruit, Zhang Che might not be able to guarantee Huang Tielan’s safety, despite how strong he was.
While talking, Zhang Che had arrived in front of the large spiritual fruit. He reached out for the fruit and picked it off the plant without hesitation, stashing it in his spatial storage.
He was originally thinking of leaving immediately. However, when he noticed there were no signs of the plant withering, Zhang Che quickly brought out a herbal hoe and swiftly dug out the herb and its root, stowing it away along with the matured fruit in his spatial storage where a piece of spiritual jade was.
In that instant, he thought to himself, -If I can keep the herb alive and continue growing it after bringing it back, wouldn’t I have a chance of obtaining this fruit again? If that is true, we’ll have really struck it rich on this trip!-
