Chapter 496 - 478: Dragon Sinew Grass Matures
Medicine Valley was a relatively small canyon. Surrounded by steep rock walls, it had only two entrances, one in the north and one in the south. In the center grew a lush green lawn interspersed with some low-lying trees. It seemed like a peaceful land, but at this moment, blood flowed freely.
At the foot of the eastern cliff, over a dozen stalks of blood-red Dragon Sinew Grass appeared on the verge of maturity. They exuded an astonishing aura that spread throughout the entire canyon and its periphery. As the saying goes, whenever Treasures of Heaven and Earth mature, a tribulation is bound to follow. These dozen or so stalks of Dragon Sinew Grass were of extraordinary value, and naturally, they would not be easily obtained.
The exotic fragrance they emitted had long since attracted two powerful groups of beasts, which were now slaughtering each other in the valley.
A massive Wild Boar King, three meters long with snow-white tusks, had rough, thick skin coated in a layer of hard, black mud. It charged like an armored vehicle. With a loud BOOM, it sent a hound flying.
"AWOOO..."
There were over a dozen hounds in this pack. After one was sent flying, the rest became even more fierce and violent. A black-furred hound turned into a blur, launching a vicious sneak attack on the Wild Boar King from behind. Its sharp canines sank into the boar’s lower abdomen, tearing off a large chunk of flesh and blood in a single bite.
"BOOM!"
In pain, the Wild Boar King spun its massive body around with astonishing speed. With a swift swing of its snow-white tusks, a squelching SQUELCH rang out as it pierced the hound’s body and flung it away.
When Su Yu and Shi Yueshan arrived, the two sides were engaged in a bitter struggle. Upon seeing the Dragon Sinew Grass, a trace of relief flashed in Shi Yueshan’s eyes.
"Thank goodness. The Dragon Sinew Grass hasn’t matured yet, so these beasts haven’t ruined it!"
"Kill them quickly, Brother Shi! More Exotic Beasts are approaching from afar!"
Su Yu’s Divine Sense was astonishing. Condensing it into a long beam, he probed toward the canyon’s other entrance and could already feel an aura sprinting their way.
"Kill!" Shi Yueshan shouted. Gripping his long saber, he leaped toward a hound. As his blade rose and fell, the heavy, oppressive force of a mountain crashed down, splitting the beast in half with a single strike.
Su Yu’s attack was even more startling. He hurled the Flying Locust Stones in his hands like Scattering Gold Everywhere. Accompanied by muffled THWACK THWACK THWACK sounds, three hounds were knocked flying in quick succession. Following that, he swung Mo Yuan down repeatedly like Frenzy Demon Vibration. The continuous flashes of saber light quickly slaughtered several more hounds.
This pack of hounds consisted merely of Tier One Demon Beasts, and even their leader was only a Tier Two Demon Beast comparable to the Flesh Refining Realm. How could they possibly be a match for two great Muscle Forging Realm experts? In less than a single exchange, they were utterly routed.
The remaining Wild Boar King was terrified. Even with Treasures of Heaven and Earth right in front of it, the instinct of fear triumphed over its greed, and it turned tail to flee. However, before it could even reach the canyon entrance, a black blur pounced in from afar.
"ROAR!"
The black blur was like a bolt of lightning, its speed absolutely staggering. Shi Yueshan was greatly alarmed; his eyes could only catch a trailing black shadow.
The very next moment, the massive Wild Boar King let out an agonized squeal. Dark red blood splattered wildly as its body was abruptly flipped over, crashing to the ground with a thunderous BOOM. The black blur left behind several more afterimages. In the blink of an eye, it tore open the Wild Boar King’s abdomen and gouged out its internal organs.
In mere seconds, the Tier Three Demon Beast Wild Boar King—a creature comparable to the Muscle Forging Realm—completely lost its life force.
"Careful, it’s a Shadow Leopard!" Shi Yueshan’s expression turned grave when he finally got a clear look at this Exotic Beast.
The Shadow Leopard was an elite among Tier Three Demon Beasts, possessing extreme speed. If an ordinary Muscle Forging Realm Martial Artist encountered this beast, it would be a dead end. During their previous exploration of Medicine Valley, they hadn’t discovered this Shadow Leopard!
"ROAR!"
With a low growl, the Shadow Leopard’s body turned into black smoke. In the blink of an eye, it lunged at Shi Yueshan.
"CLANG!"
Shi Yueshan was also a formidable Middle Dragon Tendon expert. He slashed out with his saber, blocking the razor-sharp claw. But immediately following that was a relentless barrage of over a dozen claw strikes, raining down like a violent storm.
"SLASH!"
The Shadow Leopard’s speed was simply too fast. Unable to dodge in time, Shi Yueshan took a claw to the chest. At this moment, he finally understood why rumor had it that anyone who encountered a Shadow Leopard was likely doomed.
Seeing that the Shadow Leopard was about to launch an even more ferocious attack, Su Yu’s figure suddenly appeared in front of Shi Yueshan.
"Leave it to me." Since the Shi family had promised him a stalk of Dragon Sinew Grass this time, he naturally wouldn’t stand idly by.
"Careful, Brother Su!" Shi Yueshan only had time to shout a warning before the Shadow Leopard pounced again.
"CLANG CLANG CLANG..."
Su Yu activated his Celestial Thunder Step, purple Thunder Power flowing beneath his feet. Like a bolt of purple lightning, he continuously crossed paths and clashed with the shadowy black figure.
"So strong!" Behind him, Shi Yueshan watched, dumbfounded.
He knew that Su Yu had defeated two Middle Dragon Tendon Great Commanders and was stronger than him, but he had assumed they were still roughly on the same level. Seeing Su Yu make his move, he realized how wrong he was. Although the Shadow Leopard’s strength wasn’t quite at the Great Dragon Tendon level yet, its speed absolutely was. Even a Middle Dragon Tendon expert like himself couldn’t block it, yet Su Yu had easily intercepted the beast.
Didn’t this mean that Su Yu’s strength had already reached the Great Dragon Tendon level? It had only been a few days. Had his strength improved again, or had he simply held back during their previous sparring match? No matter the answer, Shi Yueshan’s estimation of Su Yu skyrocketed once more. He thought that once Brother Su broke through the Dragon Tendon, it would undoubtedly be the moment he soared to the heavens!
"Get back!"
Su Yu’s saber technique was fierce, akin to Spiritual Ape Subduing Demons. He kicked the Shadow Leopard away as if kicking a dog. The beast let out a yelp, baring its fangs in rage at Su Yu.
In the distance, the aura emitted by the Dragon Sinew Grass grew increasingly dense. A blood-red mist could even be seen visibly rising from the valley. The blood from the fallen Exotic Beasts unknowingly seeped into the ground and was frantically absorbed by the Dragon Sinew Grass, further accelerating its maturation.
"SCREECH!"
Above Medicine Valley, the piercing cry of an eagle tore through the air, echoing in the clouds. Su Yu swept the area with his Divine Sense, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Brother Shi, careful, here comes another one!"
Shortly after Su Yu spoke, a thunderous RUMBLE of shaking ground echoed from the canyon entrance in the distance. A massive cloud of dust and dirt billowed up as dozens of Demon Beasts stampeded their way. Leading the charge was a massively built bull draped in fiery red fur. With every step of its hooves, a fissure cracked open across the canyon floor.
"A herd of bulls! The leader is a mutated Fire-Armored Bull King!" Shi Yueshan was horrified. He hadn’t expected this patch of Dragon Sinew Grass to attract so many Demon Beasts; it was somewhat beyond imagination.
Fortunately, from behind, Shi Hai had already arrived with reinforcements.
"Stop them! Don’t let them ruin the Dragon Sinew Grass!" With an angry roar, Shi Hai leaped forward like a great roc spreading its wings. The long staff in his hands swept out like a flood dragon rising from the sea.
"BOOM!"
Immense power smashed onto the leading Fire-Armored Bull’s head, forcibly halting its momentum. The entire bull herd instantly plunged into chaos as the others took the opportunity to intercept them.
Yang Zhen’s figure was elegant, as if she were stepping on cyan lotuses. The Jade Sword in her hand danced, trailing faint cyan sword shadows. Wherever she passed, the light of the Cyan Lotus Sword bloomed.
"SHING SHING!"
A single sword strike pierced through two Cyan Armored Bulls comparable to the Muscle Forging Realm, shocking the bull herd once more.
"Excellent swordsmanship!" Shi Hai couldn’t help but praise her. He never expected this young woman to possess such an astonishing Sword Stance.
Not far away, Li Jingfeng and his two companions did not join the fight; they merely spectated. Seeing Yang Zhen’s swordsmanship, the three had different reactions.
Li Ningcai, always outspoken, couldn’t help but praise, "Zhen’Er’s swordsmanship is truly incredible. I could never execute a strike like that!"
A flash of jealousy passed through Gu Junyao’s eyes. She hadn’t expected this Yang Zhen to be more than just a pretty vase. Ever since she first laid eyes on Yang Zhen, a competitive urge had stirred in her heart. Now, seeing her display such strength—a sword strike packing the power of the Jiao Tendon Realm—her jealousy only deepened. Fortunately, she was just a woman from the Outer City with a poor background, and she had merely married an Outer City bumpkin like Su Yu.
The situation on the battlefield was chaotic, but it was actually well under control. Su Yu was handling the Shadow Leopard with effortless ease and had already wounded it. Shi Hai, as a Profound Bone Realm expert, possessed an even more staggering imposing aura. Wherever his long staff passed, he converted his momentum into raw power, distorting the air and beating the Fire-Armored Bull King back repeatedly.
The other Fire-Armored Bulls and various Tier One Demon Beasts that continued to charge were intercepted by the Shi family and continuously slaughtered. Unknowingly, the blood pooled into a small stream, flowing toward the patch of Dragon Sinew Grass with a soft GURGLE.
Under the irrigation of blood, the Dragon Sinew Grass finally reached maturity, instantly blooming with a brilliant red light.
"It’s matured! Hurry and harvest it!" Overjoyed, Shi Yueshan quickly gave the order.
"SCREECH!"