Chapter 76: Cleansing Midnight Mushroom
Having found the perfect location, Xu Min and Ye Ling started to go through every inch of the place. There were a few beasts left behind, but most of them were killed swiftly by Xu Min and his lion.
Keeping their beast cores, Xu Min smiled as he scanned the area with his Qi. He noticed that they had traveled quicker than he had expected. He also noticed that Shen Yu’s group which previously had moved slowly but confidently were now spreading out their Qi to cover large pieces of land to scan it for living creatures making their movements slower.
"If we want them to notice us, then we need to hurry up," Ye Ling sneered. Xu Min nodded his head. Xu Min found two mushroom-like plants. He handed one to Ye Ling and ate the other. The aura, scent and presence of both man and beast returned.
"We are lucky that there are no other groups close by," Xu Min sighed as he sat down and waited for the Shen Ye’s group to notice them.
It did not take long before a Qi aura reached Xu Min and his lion. They were scanned by Shen Ye’s Qi, which instantly vanishing moments after encountering them.
"Master Shen!" someone called at the group of experts, "I found Xu Min and his beast. They are in the savannah just outside of this forest. I think they knew they were running out of Illusion Spirit Grass and started rushing away from us. They were probably hoping that we would not notice them. They are retreating even now as we speak!"
The speaker was filled with excitement. His eyes gleamed as he thought about the ability to be capable of defeating the infamous Xu Min. Having seen his comrades die, he was blinded by anger and also greed. They could all guess that Xu Min had killed many experts while being in the Immortal Valley. and they all wanted these emblems.
Shen Yu's face turned curious when he heard the words spoken by the expert in front of him, but he was not instantly ordering everyone to change their location.
"Why are you hesitating Shen Yu?" A friend by his side asked. This person was not like the others but Shen Yu's genuine friend. He often listened to him, and the two together ledthis diminishing group of experts.
"So far all of his planned have worked out," Shen Yu said slowly as he scratched his chin. "Although he no longer has the illusion spirit grass to hide his aura, who is to say he did not remove it on purpose? Our group has gotten lowered by a lot already, how can we possibly just rush into something which is likely to be an ambush?" Shen Yu asked curiously.
"We got more people than him, but somehow he has managed to tame a fifth-rank Golden-furred Blood Lion, according to that one guy who survived the attack. If he was truly correct, then we are in big trouble. While the beast keeps me busy, Xu Min will have enough time to attack every one of my followers."
"He is only a three-star Warrior," the friend laughed, "even if he can kill a few experts, he will soon be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of experts we have. We can easily kill him."
Hearing these words, Shen Yu shook his head once more, "no we cannot. You know he got the nickname when he was only a level two-star Warrior. He battled a lot of men at once, but even so, he was able to defeat everyone that came into his reach."
"I don't fear that we won't be able to kill him," Shen Yu continued, "but I am not willing to pay the price we need to pay for such a victory. At least another half of my group will vanish, and so far I have not gotten enough beast cores to be able to rank highly." Shen Yu grumbled, but his friend just laughed.
"Do you care if these people die, or are you just interested in their emblems?" he asked for clarification. Shen Yu sent him a telling glance. He clearly did not care about their lives.
"If that is the case, then go and hunt down this Xu Min. Even if your experts die, you will be the survivor who can take all the emblems. You will even be able to take all the emblems that this Xu Min has gotten up until now. With his many kills, he ought to be loaded with emblems."
"Once you have killed him, though you've lost the majority of your force, you can just start again and gain more followers once more. You are a direct descendant of the Snow Mountain of the Dragon Ruins. There are so many people who are willing to find you."
The more his friend spoke, the more Shen Yu was tempted to do as he was being told. The many emblems he had lost so far was truly a pain to him, getting them all back alongside more emblems was something he definitely wanted.
"Not to mention, he has already tamed a five-star Golden-Furred Blood Lion. All you need to do is take over his contract. Then you will be even more dangerous than you already are. If he could tame it, then you can definitely help as well," he said with a smile on his face and laughter in his voice. This friend truly wanted to kill Xu Min. Not because of the emblems or anything like this, he had already promised his emblem to his good friend Shen Yu. No, he wanted to defeat Xu Min who had gotten such an amazing title and hopefully prove his strength so that he could join the Snow Mountain.
Although the people who were within the valley were incapable of hearing the words spoken between the two, everyone outside of the valley observing the battles had heard every single word. Many faces turned sour as they understood that their family members were nothing but cannon fodder for Shen Yu. Still, dying for the sake of Snow Mountain was an honor. Thus, these families owed Snow Mountain a favor. No one said anything out loud; even though, they were deeply dissatisfied with seeing the geniuses of their family dying one after another.
These people outside of the valley were also fully aware that Xu Min and Ye Ling had both eaten a Cleansing Midnight Mushroom.This mushroom removed any negative or positive effect on the consumer, in this case, the illusion spirit grass.
While many other battles were being shown at the same time, this one battle that was about to occur grasped the attention of most of the experts. Most experts had understood the enmity between Xu Min and Snow Mountain. Many as well had also done what they could to examine the background of Xu Min, but all were shocked. They noticed he was here on behalf of the Bu family, but he was actually not a true member of their family. He had appeared in the ruins just recently. The first place he appeared was when he battled the Snow Mountain. Before that, no one had been able to see where he came from.
With Xu Min's talent, he should have been the pride of many families. His age was definitely amongst the youngest in the Immortal Valley Rankings. Although he was simply a third-star Warrior, the raw strength he showed was simply outstanding.
Many of the major families considered recruiting him. However, little did they know that Xu Min was only here for the sake of increasing his strength. As soon as he turned into a level eight warrior, he would be returning to the place he used to call home to gain vengeance.
"They still haven't moved towards us," Xu Min said with a sigh as his aura swept towards the major group. "Think they knew it was an ambush?"
"It does not matter if they know," Ye Ling said with a carefree voice. "They might be hesitating, but you killed so many of their followers now; they probably have so much enmity towards you. Eventually, their greed and hate will win over their rational way of thinking. As long as we wait here in the Savannah, they'll come to us sooner or later."
Nodding his head, Xu Min agreed with Ye Ling, but he also sighed. The longer it took for the larger group to reach them, the higher the possibility there was of running into other groups of experts. If more joined in, then he would be in trouble. Even now, battling the group was going to be troublesome. However, he also knew that there was no way they could successfully attack at night again. The members would not leave the main group any longer. Their only option was to fight them face on and hope for the best.
"It's a shame Cao Cao isn't here by my side," Xu Min sighed. Ye Ling snorted, "A snake is very good, but don't forget that I am by your side. I am at least as strong as this snake-friend of yours if not stronger!"
The words spoken by the haughty lion made Xu Min laugh. It was true that he was no longer alone, and for today's battle he was very grateful for this.
"Had you not been weakened, then I would have been dead already," Xu Min mused out loud. The lion just snickered. It was happy Xu Min knew about his own ability.
"So I am going to leave this Shen Yu to you," the Lion said, "while you play with him, I'll deal with everyone else. Don't get killed, if you get killed they will definitely kill me or try and tame me; I doubt they are as polite as you."
Although Ye Ling very rarely expressed any compliments, he did so this time.Xu Min could hear the genuine worry in his voice. "Don't worry," he promised, "I might get wounded, but I should be able to deal with someone as simple as Shen Yu. If I cannot even deal with Shen Yu, then I am simply too weak to stay within this Valley. Death is the only answer for those who do not have the ability to save themselves."
"Humph," Ye Ling said no more, but his eyes turned gentler. "Oh, now they are on the move!" Xu Min called out. Just as he did, Ye Ling came to his side. Xu Min held the sword in his hands with a tight grip.
Both human and Lion had their Qi spread out to see where the enemies arrived from.Even though no one seemed to advance from the back and the sides, both of them kept looking at all directions. After having been using illusion spirit grass for as long as they had, they knew that others could use the same trick and catch them in a pincer attack. This was something they could not afford to let happen.
"Using the Qi to examine the group, it seemed as though there were no members coming towards the left, but they might have some abilities which can trick us," Xu Min said. His body was trembling with excitement, his eyes shining. The flame within his body was burning brighter than any time before. He was so eager to battle that his killing intent oozed out of him. Xu Min had never been this eager to start a battle before; his eagerness divided with Ye Ling who felt his own killing intent surge. His urge to battle and fighting spirit rose.
"Let us see just how powerful this group of experts is," Xu Min said. Tightening his grip on the sword hilt, his face beaming with a smile that promised pain and suffering to anyone who dared stand in his way. A low grumbling could be heard from Ye Ling as his hair started rising on his body. He too was ready to battle.