Ziyue calmly sheathed his long knife and continued forward.
Walking in this dense mountainous forest, encountering such poisonous snakes and other creatures was quite common. There were already five or six poisonous snakes that had died by his hands earlier, and he had also come across a lone wolf that didn’t see him as a threat, now naturally a dead object.
"Alright, we’re almost there."
When they reached a huge mountain hollow formed by the merger of two high mountains, Elder Scholar finally spoke.
"The Locust Tree Spirit is inside this mountain hollow?"
Curiously looking at the massive hollow, Ziyue noticed that, compared to the dense forest up the mountain, the trees in this hollow were relatively sparse.
But without exception, the trees here seemed extraordinarily tall.
"This is one of the few places nearby with a gathering of Spiritual Qi, so the plants growing around here are particularly tall and lush.
Moreover, the chances of encountering Exotic Beasts in this area are much higher than in the outside world."
Just as Elder Scholar finished speaking, a powerful roar of a tiger resounded from the hollow, the sheer domination in the sound sending chills down their spines.
Ziyue tightened his grip on his long knife, growing even more cautious.
Unknowingly, he had pulled out several talismans with his other hand.
"Don’t worry, at most it’s just a tiger that has just stepped onto the path of evolution. It’s not a significant threat."
Though speaking lightly, Elder Scholar also pulled out a small golden knife from his bosom. Thin streams of spiritual energy emanated from it, making one’s heart tremble.
Ziyue glanced enviously at it.
He too had two magical artifacts on his body, obtained from Wu Hao who had died at his hand. However, these artifacts, one being the Corpse-Reviving Bell and the other the Ghost-Nurturing Gourd, were useless to him without any ghost or zombie to control.
Clearly, the small golden knife Elder Scholar wielded was a truly formidable offensive magical artifact.
He couldn’t help but wonder, what grade of artifact was it?
"Due to the material restrictions, this Golden Thread Saber is only a lower grade artifact, a Fifteen Forbidden Dharma Artifact."
Seeing the envy and curiosity in Ziyue’s eyes, Elder Scholar casually explained.
"Fifteen Restrictions."
Ziyue’s heart lurched. The most powerful artifact he had, the Corpse-Reviving Bell, was merely a six-restriction artifact, yet the zombie it controlled already exhibited considerable combat power. One could imagine the power of this Golden Thread Saber.
Just as he was about to ask more, suddenly the trees in the distance began to stir. An enormous white tiger, nearly half a man’s height and far more muscular than an ordinary tiger, leaped from afar.
Clearly, the tiger had spotted Ziyue and Elder Scholar from a distance, and it had simply seen them as prey to be hunted.
"I’ll show you the power of this artifact." Elder Scholar chuckled lightly. Spiritual power surged within him, and in an instant, the Golden Thread Saber in his hand quivered, glowed with a golden light, and darted forward like an arrow.
The white tiger roared loudly, its powerful body leaping forward, creating a blood-curdling atmosphere.
At least in Ziyue’s eyes, the strength of this tiger was no less than that of an ordinary Peak External Forging Martial Artist. Coupled with its agility, it would be a tough challenge for most External Forging Martial Artists.
With a flash of golden light, the jumping tiger suddenly froze mid-air, then crashed heavily to the ground.
The golden knife had penetrated its head, deeply embedding inside and smashing its brain to pulp.
The tiger, naturally, died instantly, losing all vitality.
Sensing the increase in the amount, Ziyue quickly deduced that the strength of this tiger was indeed slightly superior to that of an ordinary Peak External Forging Martial Artist, nearly comparable to Zhang Bo who had just stepped into the Inner Cultivation Realm before dying at his hands.
"Let’s go, we can deal with it on our way back."
Without sparing a glance at the dead tiger, Elder Scholar led Ziyue swiftly towards the deeper part of the hollow.
Along the way, no other Exotic Beast dared to disturb them. Soon, they reached a slightly spacious flat area.
A towering locust tree, so large that it would take three people to encircle it, stood before them.
The lush tree’s branches were so abundant that some drooped to the ground like claws, deeply embedded in several dead wild boars.
These wild boars had already been drained of blood and flesh, leaving their skin deeply sunken, as if only skeletons remained inside.
Scattered around the locust tree were countless animal skeletons, and a rotten, decaying smell combined with the Yin Attribute aura unique to the tree created a sense of discomfort.
"It really is a matured Locust Tree Spirit."
Ziyue’s heart tightened, showing a trace of nervousness on his face. It was his first time facing such a peculiar creature. Particularly, although this Spirit Monster’s strength wasn’t extremely high, it indeed equaled that of a Demon.
"Be cautious next. Although the Locust Tree Spirit is a plant spirit, it doesn’t mean it cannot move. Its roots and branches can serve as weapons.
Moreover, it can command ghostly beings and transform into a soul body for attacks."
As Elder Scholar spoke, he quickly pulled out three sticks of incense from his bag.
These three sticks, entirely golden, were about a foot long, but the actual incense part was only three inches. The incense itself was golden like jade, finely condensed, looking quite precious.
Gathering Spirit Incense!
With a fleeting look of pain, Elder Scholar resolutely pulled out a fire stick and ignited them in succession.
In an instant, thick smoke began to emanate from the incense.
As a wisp of smoke wafted around Ziyue, he gently inhaled and immediately felt his spirit refreshed. The fatigue from the journey was greatly alleviated.
"In a moment, I will attack its main body. It will most likely send out ghostly beings to entangle us. Don’t let them get close to me. No matter what, ensure you hold them off for at least thirty breaths."
Speaking quickly, Elder Scholar surged with Spiritual Power, and the Golden Thread Saber in his hand quivered again.
In a blink of an eye, the saber, like a streak of golden lightning, shot towards the huge locust tree’s main body.
The Golden Thread Saber stabbed into the locust tree but did not fully embed, with at least half of the blade remaining outside.
However, this stab seemed to hurt the tree, as threads of blood-red liquid started to seep from the wound, resembling human blood.
Immediately after, the previously still giant locust tree began to tremble. Numerous branches and leaves shook, and even the ground beneath them churned as if the crust were moving.
The Locust Tree Spirit had awakened.