Yun Xi brushed her storage pouch, and with a flash of light, a massive rhinoceros beast and a giant jackal appeared on the ground. She set them out for Dian Dian and Fei Xia to examine, hoping they might find something unusual.
Dian Dian's little pink nose twitched nonstop as it padded around the hulking corpses, sniffing carefully. The Flying Mist Butterfly fluttered its jeweled wings, scattering glittering powder over the beasts.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi deftly cut off the rhinoceros beast's horn. Holding it in her hand, she examined it closely. She remembered it clearly—the horn had glowed once and neutralized the strike of her Soul-Shattering Staff.
Now that it was in her grip, Yun Xi realized the horn was incredibly heavy. To the naked eye, it looked no different from an ordinary rhino horn, only much larger.
"Hm? Did I imagine it?" she murmured to herself.
She swept the horn again with her spiritual sense, but still found nothing. Her mind flashed back to the time she had examined the freshly killed panther and found inscriptions etched into its bones. Perhaps because this beast had been dead too long, the marks had already faded away.
A twinge of regret struck her. She should have checked immediately after slaying it. Maybe she had missed an important clue.
Unwilling to give up, Yun Xi struck the horn with a Lightning Technique. The moment the bolt hit, a faint white light rippled across the surface, blocking her strike. Her eyes lit up.
Just for an instant, her spiritual sense caught sight of fleeting inscriptions etched into the horn. That was it. These mysterious markings were what allowed the beast to withstand her attacks.
Startled, Dian Dian leapt onto Yun Xi's shoulder. "Master, what just happened?"
Yun Xi replied, her tone calm but her eyes sharp: "I think I've uncovered the secret of these giant beasts. Their massive size isn't their only strength. These strange inscriptions also empower them.
The rhino's horn resisted my staff because the inscriptions turned it into something akin to a spiritual treasure. That's why it could match me in battle. But once the beast dies, the inscriptions start to fade."
Dian Dian scratched at his ear and asked, "Then where are the jackal's inscriptions hidden?"
Yun Xi thought for a moment. "The jackal relied on speed. Its fangs and claws were its weapons. Let's test them."
She pried out the sharp fangs and cast a Lightning Technique upon one. The tooth was charred black, offering no resistance. Next she struck the claws, which were reduced to brittle charcoal. Unlike the rhino horn, no markings appeared.
"Was my guess wrong?" she muttered.
Dian Dian circled the jackal's body, then piped up: "Master, it was fast. Try striking its legs."
Yun Xi raised her hand, lightning crackling as it struck down at the jackal's limbs. This time, the corpse flared with a faint blue glow, just barely withstanding the blast.
Her spiritual sense probed carefully. Yes—the inscriptions were carved into the leg bones, much like the panther she had seen earlier.
"Are these inscriptions designed specifically to enhance speed? Who could have carved them?"
Another unanswered question, and no one to solve it for her.
As she pondered, the corpses dusted with Fei Xia's powder began shrinking.
"Master, look!" Dian Dian squeaked. "Fei Xia made them shrink!"
The butterfly perched delicately on Yun Xi's hair and transmitted its voice: "Master, these beasts did not grow this large naturally. They absorbed some kind of substance that enlarged their bodies. Once dead, my powder neutralized it, and they returned to their original size."
Yun Xi stroked her chin, thoughtful. "Fei Xia, if you released powder while they were alive, would it still work?"
Fei Xia's wings stirred gently. "Unlikely. While alive, they constantly absorb that strange energy. My powder would be neutralized, allowing them to keep their massive forms."
"That makes sense. Tonight, we'll test it and see if your theory holds." Yun Xi's eyes gleamed with interest. "This jungle is fascinating. Spiritual energy is rich here, but neither people nor beasts cultivate it directly. Instead, it's mixed with some other substance, making the beasts grow gigantic and more ferocious.
Their bones hold inscriptions that strengthen their power. Perhaps those primitive tribes survived here for the same reason.
But day and night are different for the beasts. At night they grow even more violent, as if the darkness belongs to them. I wonder how those tribes endure."
She laid out her discoveries one by one.
Dian Dian tilted his head. "Master, should we visit that primitive tribe's camp? Maybe we'll find answers."
Yun Xi wanted to see for herself, but she had no desire to intrude. She preferred to be invited. She turned to Fei Xia instead. "Ask the little Flying Mist Butterfly what the tribesmen were doing last night."
Fei Xia shook its wings. "Master, I've lost contact with the child."
Yun Xi's brows furrowed. Was the little butterfly captured? Destroyed? It was still a second-rank spirit beast. It shouldn't be so easily killed.
"Could it be affected by the same nighttime force that drives the beasts mad, making it lose control and sever contact?" she asked.
Fei Xia twitched its feelers, uncertain. "Perhaps."
Yun Xi rubbed her palms together, then glanced at the corpses. "Let's process these first. Even if we do visit, we can't show up empty-handed. I noticed the tribesmen ate panther meat after the hunt. These can serve as our gifts."
She pulled out a dagger and began carving the carcasses with practiced efficiency.
Dian Dian covered his eyes with his paws. In his heart, his master was far too ruthless.
While Yun Xi worked, Wei Yunqing finally stepped out of her hiding place. The previous night, she had concealed herself in a cave protected by formations. She hadn't dared face the rampaging beasts head-on. Nor had she cultivated. She had spent the entire night on edge, fearful of discovery.
Only when dawn came and the giant beasts withdrew did she release her array. Though it cost her many spirit stones, she considered it worth the price.
After being teleported here, her first thought had been to find Sheng Yuhong and naturally form a team with him. She had even marked him with a tracking seal beforehand. Yet upon entering this place, she discovered she couldn't sense her mark at all.
Soon after, a Rock Ox ambushed her. Unlike the spirit beasts of the cultivation world, it couldn't manipulate elemental forces, but its raw power was overwhelming. Her attacks had been little more than tickles.
In the end, she had no choice but to burn a high-grade third-rank Exploding Talisman, blasting the Rock Ox apart. Fearing more beasts would be drawn to the noise, she hadn't dared linger, swallowing a single Spirit-Replenishing Pill before hastily searching for a place to hole up.