Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbit

Dao Sansheng followed the little creature, who darted ahead at full speed. Dao Sansheng called out to it, but it was running too fast; in this place, he couldn’t fly or use much spiritual energy, and even now, he was moving as quickly as possible. The little creature raced on, indifferent to Dao Sansheng’s struggles, already accustomed to life in this environment. Before long, it had disappeared from sight, leaving Dao Sansheng desperately chasing after its vanished silhouette, pressing forward into the unknown.

An hour passed before the familiar figure appeared ahead—it was the little creature, sprawled on the ground, digging holes and playing in the earth, provoking Dao Sansheng’s ire. Unconsciously, his spiritual energy began to circulate within his body, and he discovered that here, it flowed several times faster than in the place where he had first fallen. Dao Sansheng finally took note of his surroundings: the trees were clearly visible, far better than the previous environment, where only a haze could be seen and visibility beyond a few meters was impossible.

Was this already the edge of the stone cave? The trees here were noticeably taller, though above, the miasma persisted, thick as ever, not much different from the place where he had landed. Dao Sansheng couldn’t quite understand it, but judging from the ease with which spiritual energy circulated, there should be spirit beasts nearby. He resolved to fulfill his task: capture one spirit beast and return.

Ignoring the little creature, Dao Sansheng quietly slipped past it and headed toward the outermost edge. The further he went, the more swiftly his spiritual energy flowed, just as he had anticipated. With every step, the sky gradually darkened and the surroundings grew ever more obscure, but Dao Sansheng’s cultivation allowed him to see ten meters ahead even at night.

He walked for an indeterminate time before hearing the rustle of leaves being eaten nearby. Cautiously, Dao Sansheng crept closer, lying flat against the ground and inching forward, mindful that his cultivation was not high—should he encounter a high-level spirit beast, it would be dangerous. Crawling through the grass, he had not yet glimpsed the spirit beast, but the rustling had stopped, leaving the area in silence.

Had he startled it? Dao Sansheng lay still in the grass, not daring to move, holding his breath and listening intently, afraid to miss the slightest sound. After more than ten minutes, the rustling returned, seemingly not far away. Dao Sansheng listened carefully, identified the direction, and crawled toward the source. Yet the sound vanished again, and he waited patiently. Suddenly, the noise appeared right beside him, and the grass before his head began to stir.

The movement was intense, and the chewing sounded as if it were right at his ear. Dao Sansheng raised his head higher to see.

Peering through the blades, Dao Sansheng saw a pale violet rabbit head with long ears and purple eyes. The head was extraordinarily large, nearly a meter wide, its mouth wide open as it devoured the grass, bits of greenery tumbling from its jaws, filling the air with a fragrant scent. After a few bites, the rabbit turned to graze elsewhere, and as its head shifted, Dao Sansheng caught sight of its body. Though called a rabbit, it was nothing like an ordinary one—only its head resembled a rabbit.

Its body was covered in long, pale violet fur; beneath the fur, it possessed a pair of elongated forelegs, its physique somewhat plump. Both its front and hind legs were slender and long, with a small curled tail. Unaware of Dao Sansheng’s presence, it continued feeding. Dao Sansheng decided to use his cultivator’s detection mirror to locate its weakness, hoping to end the battle swiftly and capture it to complete his mission.

Name: Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbit (mutant)
Skill: Normal attacks emit poisonous mist
Rank: Fifth-Level Spirit Beast
Habitat: Long-term residence in toxic miasma environments, feeds on grass imbued with poisonous mist.
Weakness: Hind legs; after attacking its hind legs, the Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbit cannot easily turn its head, rendering its attacks ineffective.

Upon reading this information, Dao Sansheng made his decision: he would use a magic weapon to directly strike the hind legs. He quietly took out a spiritual blade from his hair ring—a purchase made during a trading conference, which now found its use.

He gripped the long blade, infusing it with spiritual energy. The blade trembled as the energy surged through it. This Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbit was a fifth-level spirit beast, on par with a human cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage. Dao Sansheng had not yet reached that level; if he failed to deal a fatal blow, the rabbit might escape, and he might not be able to outrun it.

The trembling of the blade alerted the rabbit. It turned its head, scanning behind with the corner of its eye, but it was already too late. Dao Sansheng struck—the blow sent the rabbit sprawling, yet the blade failed to injure it, its hind legs still intact.

Dao Sansheng rushed forward again. The rabbit flipped upright, and Dao Sansheng brought down the spiritual blade once more. This time, the rabbit let out a mournful cry and collapsed, but only its hind legs were slightly wounded.

As the rabbit howled, Dao Sansheng delivered another strike, again targeting the hind legs. This time, its hind legs were severely injured, but the spiritual blade had several notches and had lost its energy.

The repeated injuries left the rabbit wailing relentlessly. After several failed attempts to right itself, it was exhausted, its internal spiritual energy greatly depleted.

Dao Sansheng himself was nearly drained, having struck three times in succession. He sat down to meditate, taking out a spiritual stone to replenish his energy. Yet the little creature—the horned earth mouse—darted over and snatched the spiritual stone in its mouth, running off to the side.

Dao Sansheng could only take out another spiritual stone, absorbing its energy. His spiritual power, nearly depleted, finally found a source to absorb, and his parched meridians thirstily drew in the energy, quickly draining the stone.

Just as Dao Sansheng was still cultivating, the little creature suddenly interrupted him. Having spat out the spiritual stone, it launched itself from afar, leaping straight onto Dao Sansheng’s face with such force that it nearly caused his meridians to reverse.

Frustrated by the interruption, Dao Sansheng, whose spiritual sense had already reached the Golden Core stage, suddenly detected a group of spirit beasts approaching, their thunderous footsteps growing ever nearer.

This was bad—the Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbit was likely a herd animal. It had come here to feed, been injured, and sent a signal to its group. Now, they were all converging. Dao Sansheng realized he needed to flee at once, heading toward the inner region where the miasma was thick; the herd would not pursue him there.

He sprang to his feet, drew a spiritual longsword, and plunged it into the motionless rabbit’s head, extracting a brilliantly shining spirit core. Unlike ordinary ones, this core was violet, not white, but Dao Sansheng had no time to ponder it. He tossed the Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbit into his storage pouch.

Turning to find the little creature, he saw it had already run off—a disappointing lack of loyalty. Not far behind, Dao Sansheng glimpsed the approaching rabbit herd and sprinted toward the inner region without looking back.

The little creature had vanished, and Dao Sansheng, drenched in sweat, had not caught up. The herd of Big-Headed Short-Eared Rabbits pursued him relentlessly, showing no sign of stopping.