Jiu Shen glanced at the horned behemoth through his spiritual power. The savage beast had the body of a robust dog that was over ten meters tall. Its body wasn't covered by fur but was instead protected by black infernal flames that fully enveloped its muscular body.
The grass beneath its feet turned into dust as the huge behemoth walked towards Jiu Shen and Lu Sulan while growling in a threatening manner.
"Grrrr! Grrr!"
The beast's scaldingly hot saliva dripped on the grassy field as it emitted an intimidating sound.
Lu Sulan could finally see the figure of the incoming beast after it showed itself in front of them.
It had a sword-like horn on top of its forehead. Its teeth were like sharp rows of blades that could even tear metals apart. And its black robust body was enveloped by dark nightmarish flames.
"That's an adult Horned Infernal Hound that is on the verge of breaking through to the 9th-rank Saint realm!" Lu Sulan exclaimed in surprise after identifying the savage beast.
Jiu Shen nodded his head in an expression that was devoid of any ripple. He looked at the savage beast with indifference, but if one would look closely, there was a hint of desire in Jiu Shen's silver eyes.
'Braised Dog Meat? Barbecued Dog Meat? Hmm...' Jiu Shen was still thinking about what kind of dish would he cook with the Horned Infernal Hound's meat.
The beast felt Jiu Shen's peculiar gaze and it felt a primal kind of fear taking root in its heart. The Horned Infernal Hound became confused with its own emotion. Since when did it fear humans? Never...
The Horned Infernal Hound could definitely feel the 8th-rank Divine realm cultivation of the woman dressed in white, but it couldn't even sense an ounce of power from Jiu Shen, so it didn't place Jiu Shen in its eyes. But strangely enough, its beastly instincts were sending signals about the danger that came from Jiu Shen.
"Roarrr!" The Horned Infernal Hound chose to disregard its instincts and pounced towards Jiu Shen with its mouth wide open.
Lu Sulan who was standing behind Jiu Shen felt the terrifying power of the beast as it leaped towards them.
"This beast is so much stronger than me, but master is already a 9th-rank Saint realm martial and soul cultivator. This kind of beast is just like a small puppy in his eyes." Lu Sulan muttered to herself, but she was still feeling somewhat nervous at the sight of a much stronger being than herself.
Jiu Shen remained unperturbed at the Horned Infernal Hound's menacing attack. When the beast was just inches away from tearing his head off, Jiu Shen lifted a finger and casually tapped the beast's head as if he was just pressing a neighbor's doorbell.
The Horned Infernal Hound could not even emit a cry of pain before it's huge body slumped on the ground, lifeless.
The ever-burning nightmarish flame around its body was gradually disappearing. What remained was just an intact burly body.
Lu Sulan gaped at the sight. The beast was not even able to touch the hem of Jiu Shen's clothes before it died in a blink of an eye!
She didn't even know how it died!
In fact, she only saw Jiu Shen casually tapped the Horned Infernal Hound's head before the beast's huge body dropped on the grassy field dead.
Jiu Shen walked towards the corpse of the Horned Infernal Hound and poked its body with his finger.
"The meat should be in perfect state since I only used my spiritual power to attack its brain in a short distance. This meat is quite firm and bouncy. It should taste much better if this is barbecued..." Jiu Shen nodded his head as he poked the beast's body from time to time.
Lu Sulan who was standing behind her master almost felt her head going dizzy after she heard what Jiu Shen said. 'So he intentionally killed the Horned Infernal Hound that way just to maintain the perfect condition of its meat?'
Jiu Shen placed the Horned Infernal Hound's corpse inside his spatial sword earring while nodding his head in satisfaction.
He then glanced calmly at Lu Sulan and ignored her doubtful glance as he said plainly. "Let's go. There is still an 8th-rank spiritual plant waiting to be plucked."
Lu Sulan opened her mouth but then she chose to not speak. She just nodded her head with a helpless sigh. "Yes, master."
Lu Sulan had many questions inside her head, but she knew it wasn't the right time to talk about it.
With a helpless look, she followed behind her master's figure. But despite that, she was also curious about the spiritual plant that her master spoke about.
'Just what could this spiritual plant be to garner my master's interest? Perhaps it's another ingredient for his wine?' Lu Sulan thought to herself.
Jiu Shen who was unaware of his disciple's thoughts continued moving towards where he saw the Abyssal Vine Cranberry.
Not long after, the pair saw a shrub that was as tall as an adult man. It had a few short trailing branches and there were also a number of small white flowers that clustered together. Dozens of small light red fruits can also be seen.
The Abyssal Vine Cranberry had an imposing name, but it's actually just a harmless spiritual plant. It was just named as such since its fruit was the main ingredient of a highly potent poison created by an alchemist from the Alchemy Hall.
Though its reputation was quite petrifying, the Abyssal Vine Cranberry wasn't really poisonous. In fact, it was one of the most precious and delicious fruits in Nuar.
"Master, what is this spiritual plant called?" Lu Sulan asked Jiu Shen as she inhaled the fragrant scent of the Abyssal Vine Cranberry.
Jiu Shen touched the small fruit that was light red in color and gave it a gentle pinch. It felt quite soft to touch signifying that it was still unripe. "This spiritual plant is called the Abyssal Vine Cranberry."