Chapter 87: Third-Class Spirit Pet

After an exhausting ordeal, he obtained three beast cores, but this was still a long way from meeting Li Mu’s hopes.

Replenishing his true power, Li Mu climbed over the first rocky mountain, heading toward the twin peaks ahead.

The mountain pass still reeked of miasma, though he wondered who had set such rules here; the sprawling range within was shrouded everywhere in poisonous mist.

Li Mu reluctantly lit the ancient spirit lamp—this was his first time here, so caution was necessary.

Caution was warranted indeed, for the miasma between the two peaks was even thicker than the first, making it almost impossible to traverse for a time. Worse still, blood leeches would often dart out from within the fog.

These venomous spirit beasts, though not worth much on their own, were swift and elusive, leaping out before one’s eyes like taut ropes. If they so much as brushed past you, it was akin to being struck by a blood-sucking curse; without prompt healing, your blood would soon be drained dry. Even cultivators at the Spirit-Building stage found it hard to recover quickly. Encounter enough of them, and death was likely.

Had it not been for the illusionary barrier he’d cast, Li Mu would not have had the leisure to fend off so many blood leeches. The thought unsettled him—had he and his companions been the first to enter this place, they would have been far less fortunate.

But now, with only himself to worry about, Li Mu felt less flustered and instead used the opportunity to hone his combat skills.

After another incense stick’s time, the miasma gradually dissipated, revealing an expansive area, at the center of which lay a deep, shadowy pool.

Li Mu furrowed his brows. Compared to land-bound spirit beasts, those dwelling in water were far more troublesome. He did not fear confronting dragon-like monsters, but these aquatic creatures were utterly impervious to fire.

As fate would have it, the very thing he dreaded appeared. Li Mu had barely taken a few steps when several green crocodiles poked their heads from the shallows, crawling toward him in slow pursuit.

These were Green Savage Crocodiles, second-rank spirit beasts said to descend from ancient primordial crocodiles. Their strength was immense, their hides thick and tough, making them hard to injure. They also possessed a formidable spell: the Wave Surge. In water, its power was several times more potent than when cast on land.

Watching the encroaching crocodiles, Li Mu did not attack. Instead, he summoned his flying shuttle.

Leaping aboard, he soared some ten meters into the air.

He had no intention of dealing with the crocodiles immediately. It was not for lack of means—second-rank spirit beasts posed no real threat to him at present—but killing them outright would waste valuable materials. If he simply slew them, much of their beastly essence would be lost.

He recalled that the scales of the Green Savage Crocodile, resistant to both water and fire, were the main component of the second-rank treasure, the Verdant Sharp Armor, within the Myths Spirit Tower. He did not want to squander even a fragment. The crocodile’s eyes, too, were a rare ingredient for alchemy, even more precious and not to be damaged.

But how could one slay them without harming the valuable parts of their bodies?

A stratagem was called for.

Li Mu smiled as he pondered a plan of attack; had he not encountered the Bai siblings earlier, such a thought might never have crossed his mind.

Suddenly, a roar of immense volume echoed from the opposite bank of the pool, as if thunder had split the sky, the sound reverberating endlessly overhead, shaking the world and ringing in his ears. This was not a spiritual technique, but a raw outpouring of power—a shockwave that made Li Mu’s whole body tremble, as if struck by a giant hammer, his mind ringing with the impact.

Lost in thought, Li Mu had been unprepared. The flying shuttle wavered, nearly spiraling out of control and plummeting from the sky.

But halfway down, he regained his composure, reasserting control over the shuttle. As he steadied himself midair, one of the green crocodiles nearly lunged up and bit the craft from below.

“That was close. Flying truly allows no distractions.”

Shaking his head, Li Mu banished all other thoughts and focused ahead. Nothing seemed amiss at first glance.

Clearly, the roar had come from several li away. Judging by the force of that bellow, the beast responsible was certainly no ordinary spirit creature.

Crossing over the pool and venturing deeper, he soon found the trees ahead all snapped and toppled, and in a flash, a massive rhinoceros charged toward him.

This creature stood several meters high, over ten meters long, its body black as coal save for the glistening white horn on its brow. That horn was razor-sharp, exuding an aura of invincibility. Its flesh bulged with muscle like solid stone, exhaling bursts of chilling air.

“A Tremorhorn Rhino!” Li Mu was inwardly startled—he hadn’t expected a third-rank spirit beast!

A third-rank spirit beast was equivalent to a cultivator at the Vein-Refining stage.

Yet, their cultivation merely matched in power; in true battle, a beast that had not awakened its spirit was no match for a cultivator of equal rank.

But if it could fight, he would fight. Third-rank spirit beasts always bore beast cores, and their horns were rare treasures not to be missed.

Li Mu’s eyes blazed with excitement. He leapt from his flying shuttle, facing the fearsome foe head-on.

The Tremorhorn Rhino had noticed him as well, unleashing a roar that shook the heavens and earth.

“Woooo!”

Its limbs, thick as black pillars, seemed to shake the world as it stomped the ground with all its might. The earth suddenly split beneath its feet!

A long fissure, like a dragon coiling at will, rushed toward Li Mu in an instant, gaping wider and wider as if to swallow him whole.

The Tremorquake Art—the rhino’s signature spell. It was a formidable territorial sorcery, its power so great that only those at the Vein-Refining stage could hope to master it.

With the ground collapsing beneath him, there was no footing to be found. Li Mu could only summon his flying shuttle again and take to the air.

From above, he could see the terrifying destruction wrought by the Tremorquake Art—long, jagged cracks radiating from the rhino, forming a bizarre pattern across the land.

The Tremorhorn Rhino raised its head, eyes gleaming, its lethal horn swaying slightly as if to declare itself the undisputed lord of this domain.

Li Mu gave a muffled grunt, guiding the flying shuttle toward the beast.

“It’s here that I’ll fight you. Ruin the ground all you want—it won’t matter to me!”

He had made up his mind: get close, then unleash the purple flame from his gourd to roast the beast.

But as the shuttle drew within a dozen meters, the Tremorhorn Rhino roared once more.

The shockwave came barreling toward him, roar after roar reverberating like wind howling through the world. Even Li Mu, with all his cultivation, found it impossible to withstand such force up close. He was blasted far away before he managed to halt himself.

Still, it did not end there. Despite his cultivation, his body could not bear such close-range tremors; blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

Li Mu wiped away the blood and swallowed a healing pill, his expression growing grave.

This was troublesome—the ground was impossible, the sky no better; distance was no advantage, nor was proximity.

Worthy indeed of a third-rank spirit beast—its offense and defense alike matched the power of a Vein-Refining cultivator.

But was it intelligent?

Staring at the fierce Tremorhorn Rhino, Li Mu pondered, a subtle, unreadable smile curling on his lips.

He drew a little closer, then suddenly leapt from the flying shuttle, dropping toward the earth.

The rhino’s reactions were lightning-fast. As soon as Li Mu landed, it instantly unleashed another Tremorquake.

The rocks split, the earth cracked once more.

But at that very instant, Li Mu summoned his flying shuttle again, landing steadily atop it and smiling at the Tremorhorn Rhino.

“You can shake the earth, but I can run. Let’s see how long you last—I’ll wear you down yet!”