Chapter 340: Toward the Yeluo Valley

Chapter 340: Toward the Yeluo ValleyAs Hong Xi absorbed the soulshard, a ball of light appeared on her palm, and a green-feathered fan materialized.

She twisted the fan open, seeing the figure of a fleet-winged windbird on its surface, with picturesque scenery in the background. As she waved the fan, a cool gust of wind began to blow. The stronger she waved it, the stronger the wind became. A miniaturized tornado took form, disintegrating a boulder into pieces and uprooting nearby shrubs and trees.

"A wind-attuned fan—not bad! Your genetic armor doesn't seem compatible with you at all. You'll need another set of armor, as well as a suitable weapon. If I recall correctly, superior-grade lunar butterflies can drop a rapier that might be well-suited to [Eclipse] and to your skills, but they're a little annoying to hunt at the moment since they always appear in swarms. Once I finish maxing out my superior gene fragments, I'll get you one."

Hong Xi smiled with gratitude. "Thank you, Master! In that case, where are we heading now?"

"To the Yeluo Valley. The Yeluo clan lives there, and there's something I'd like to acquire from them."

Hong Xi seemed rather surprised. "You mean that there are other intelligent races here in the second realm besides the sura?"

"Of course! The second realm boasts more species of lifeforms than exist in the Milky Way. Did you ascend without even knowing this much?"

He handed her a vial of Potion #1. "Here, drink this. Given your improved strength, you should be able to digest it easily."

Hong Xi swallowed it in one gulp, then suddenly felt as though her stomach was burning up. The hot and spicy feeling made her open her mouth and pant, "Water, water—water!"

Zhang Lie handed her a bottle of water, the entirety of which she consumed before her thirst was satiated.

As she circulated genetic energy through her body, she suddenly discovered that she seemed to have grown quite a bit stronger, and the strange announcement in her head which she had never heard before sent her into a bout of momentary confusion. "Master, c-could this be—"

Zhang Lie laughed. "It is. Get used to your newfound strength, and then I'll hand you Potion #2 once we're done with the Yeluo Valley."

Hong Xi was lost in thought as she sensed the changes throughout her body. "Master, are these the rumored limit-breaking potions that you're known for?"

After Zhang Lie's surprise victory at the Void Cup, his theory of limit fragments had spread like wildfire across the galaxy. However, hardly anyone was able to acquire vials of such precious potions for themselves.

She hadn't expected Zhang Lie to be so generous given how new an apprentice she was.

"It's just a vial of Potion #1, nothing more!"

"Wait a minute, Master, you mentioned Potion #2 just now—could you have already developed it?!"

"Shh!" Zhang Lie shushed her. "This isn't a secret to those who know me, but you shouldn't mention it in front of anyone else."

Hong Xi obediently nodded. Bcause Hong Xi didn't have a stealth-type soulshard of her own, and because it would consume too much energy for Zhang Lie to stealth her as well, they had no choice but to walk through the forest boldly.

As they hunted down any lifeforms daring enough to cross their path, Zhang Lie found that he had already accumulated over a hundred superior gene fragments. Most superior-grade hordes wouldn't be able to cause him any trouble, so he didn't have to be as careful as he had been.

"Hong Xi, what do you think of that herd of bihorns over there?"

Hong Xi glanced at Zhang Lie doubtfully. "Master, that's a huge horde of bihorns! Surely you aren't thinking of—"

"Wait here. Let's see if we can get something for you!" Zhang Lie stealthed, dashed over, and slaughtered over a dozen superior-grade bihorns with one activation of [The Boundless Blade].

Hong Xi gaped at the sight. By the time she returned to her senses, Zhang Lie was already by her side, checking the spoils he had obtained. "Not here, nor there, nor there—not even a single soulshard!" he cursed.

Mere moments later, he rested his eyes on a pack of dragonscaled lions. "Hong Xi, what do you think of those lions?"

Before she could reply, he had already darted off. For the rest of their journey, he attacked any group of lifeforms that he came across and thought was interesting, and Hong Xi's surprise and shock was quickly replaced by imperturbable calm. The superior-grade lifeforms that she was paralyzed by and had hidden from were all turning into walking sacks of treasure.

Ten days later, she even began to attack these superior-grade lifeforms on her own. Given her incomplete foundation from the first realm, Zhang Lie was rather surprised by her strength in the second.

"Master, why don't you take a break? Let me show off my new skills!"

She had grown tremendously as a hunter since becoming Zhang Lie's apprentice.

Hong Xi: a mutated-grade lifeform

Framework: Foundation, Lv. 10; Eclipse (advanced)

Techniques: Fists of the Silent Sea (intermediate), Moon Seeker (intermediate), The Elusive Moon (intermediate), Syzygy Blade (intermediate)

Genes: Basic, 100; Mutated, 100; Superior, 100; Peak, 0; Disaster, 0

Soulshards: Fleet-Winged Windbird (superior), Iris Peacock (superior), Mindborne Leopard (superior), Spirit Fox (superior), Lunar Pig (superior)

She had acquired all her superior gene fragments and soulshards from hunting with Zhang Lie, though she was unable to face the lifeforms head-on; she had had to launch sneak attacks on them.

Her superior-grade iris peacock soulshard allowed her to generate a bright five-colored light, which had the unusual effect of separating an enemy from their weapons or soulshards. It could also be used to cause temporary blindness.

Her superior-grade mindborne leopard soulshard was able to create a number of illusions, and her spirit fox soulshard took on the form of a long, blazing robe, which would counterattack all foes that struck her. Finally, her superior-grade lunar pig soulshard produced a large quantity of lunar arrows which she could shoot at her opponents.

Zhang Lie was shocked to learn of the overwhelming affinity that Hong Xi seemed to have with [Eclipse]. In just ten days or so, she had already reached advanced proficiency, a feat even he hadn't been able to duplicate.

However, Hong Xi had done so with ease. Part of the reason was because the framework she had used to date was a predecessor of [Eclipse], and she was naturally primed for it. After watching her for a few days, Zhang Lie came to another conclusion: she could well be more attuned and more compatible with [Eclipse] than even the Eclipse Sage himself.

Her [Eclipse] domain grew stronger by the day, and with its help, she soon became able to take down hordes of superior-grade lifeforms as well.

The two hunters took about a month's time to reach the Yeluo Valley. It was filled with a large number of bug-type lifeforms and unusual plants. Even at Zhang Lie's level of strength, he couldn't be careless given the unusual abilities that some bug-type lifeforms possessed.

This was his first time in the Yeluo Valley proper. Although he hadn't met many of the Yeluo in his past life, he knew quite a bit about what he would have to be wary of within the valley.

Almost immediately as they entered, Zhang Lie remindd Hong Xi, "Follow me tightly. We're basically there, and the members of the Yeluo clan might be even more dangerous than the lifeforms we're apt to encounter."

"Understood, Master!" Hong Xi fell in line behind him.

When they stepped into the valley proper, what first caught their attention was the lush greenery all around, the bright blue skies, the grass sparkling with dew, the fresh scent of floral fragrance—and the danger that lurked beneath.

The Yeluo clan was situated in the deepest part of the Yeluo Valley. They lived off the land, a world apart from any other hunter. The clan was about three thousand members strong.

As Zhang Lie and Hong Xi made their way deep into the valley, they suddenly heard an ongoing fight in the distance. Members of the Yeluo clan were exterminating a swarm of poisonous superior-grade bug-type lifeforms.

This was the first time Hong Xi and Zhang Lie had met the Yeluo. Hong Xi didn't seem to think much of it, but Zhang Lie was thrilled. He had finally found the Yeluo! In his past life, they had been massacred to the last after an unexpected altercation with an enemy clan. By the time a human discovered that their potions were particularly effective against the sura, it was already too late—the Yeluo had been wiped off the face of the earth.

Their hair was dark green, with the color and texture of seaweed. Their skin was lustrous and the color of bronze; their bodies large and hardy, the adults almost uniformly over two meters tall. They looked more like bronzed statues rather than actual lifeforms. Most of them wore hunting masks covering the upper half of their faces, with sharp teeth jutting out of their uncovered mouths.

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