Over the next two hours Bai Jingshen and Sam managed to hunt three more beasts. Although both men were happy with their gains, they realized that they probably had to leave soon. Bai Jingshen contemplated if it was feasible to hunt a high-grade immortal beast. With enough preparation they could most likely give it a try, but unfortunately, they simply didn't have the time.
The former emperor grew slightly annoyed at his breakthrough speed. His advancement towards the Qi Gathering Realm was already over a week ago. At least that's what he had been told. It was hard to measure time in the New World, as with the nine suns circling above this world, it never really got dark here. Therefore, people simply used the time measurements established in the old world. Though they still required machines to keep track.
A moment later Bai Jingshen calmed himself down again. Cultivation simply couldn't be rushed. It was still important however, as to many strong beings lived in this world. Right now, him and Sam once again stood among a tree crown, scouting their surroundings. With the passing of time Bai Jingshen could feel stronger beings coming closer. A short while ago they already saw a Thobar Bionics team having a hard time against a high-grade tier three beast. As this beast was equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm it couldn't even be compared to its tier two counterparts. All its attacks used large amount of Qi and its lifeforce was more tenacious than humans'.
The two young men could only watch from the distance, as the Thobar Bionics team, despite being ten people and having strong coordination, still had to endure heavy injuries before killing the beast. Looking at them, Sam felt proud about his own achievements so far, as he got better and better at killing beasts.
Suddenly a cold shiver ran down Bai Jingshen's spine. For a split seconds he felt as if a terrifying monster observed them. His eyes shot open as his head darted around. He couldn't see anything, but his uneasiness only grew.
Sam took a sudden step back at Bai Jingshen's abrupt movement. However, since gaining his special constitution, he was closely attuned to nature. He quickly realized that he felt something unnatural in the direction Bai Jingshen looked. It felt as if a plague spread over the trees there, somehow contaminating its surroundings. Unfortunately, nothing could be seen with the naked eye.
"We're leaving!"
Bai Jingshen instantly came to this decision. Facing something unknown in this world would be pure hybris. The smartest thing to do was naturally to return. However, they only managed to move a few meters.
Suddenly the leaves to their left parted, as a small, furry creature with six legs and red eyes jumped at them. Sam actually recognized this famous nightmare of all adventurers, as he screamed in shock:
"Red-striped Tree Stalker!"
However, Bai Jingshen didn't have any time to get an explanation form Sam. His face turned incomparably serious as his senses screamed danger at him. In a split second he already knew he wouldn't be able to overpower this high-grade beast, so dodged to the side, letting himself fall off the tree.
As the beast attacked Bai Jingshen, Sam had a second to think. Knowing that this fluffy monster was famous for its unrivaled movement on trees and seeing his friend fall, Sam also came to the conclusion that they couldn't fight here.
Both men jumped off the trees, rapidly advancing towards the ground. Bai Jingshen had already suppressed any form of panic, as his hand shot to the side at the perfect moment. He grabbed at a nearby vine, breaking his fall, before safely dropping the last two meters. Since Sam was able to choose his direction beforehand, he now fell closer to the tree's tribe, able to slow down his fall with multiple branches.
As soon as the young men reached the ground, the broke out into a sprint. They tried their absolute best to race back towards the lake. Suddenly Bai Jingshen rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the Stalker crashing into the ground where he just stood. If this attack would have hit, his head would be gone by now.
Sam saw that they couldn't escape and tried to crush the beast with his mace as it had just landed. He underestimated the high-grade beast's power however, as two claws instantly swiped through the air, pushing away his mace and leaving deep marks on his weapon. Strangely enough the beast ignored Sam afterwards and shot at Bai Jingshen again as soon as the former emperor stood up. At this point he decided it wouldn't be shameful to call for help.
Bai Jingshen finally crashed the ball he got from Elena. In no time at all, a thick shield of Qi appeared around him. The small beast shot headfirst into it, only to finally get a serious injury as it bounced off the shield and violently crushed into a tree. Bai Jingshen saw the beast's situation and instantly closed the gap between them.
He didn't hold back and without delay used his Blinding Strike. Sam turned his head to the side, as the environment was illuminated by Bai Jingshen's sword again. However, only the former emperor noticed two black shimmers not being drowned out by his attack. Shortly after he was startled, as his strike produced a loud clang, hitting the tree, with the stalker nowhere to be seen.
Sam already had a bad feeling. In the moment Bai Jingshen activated his shield, the young man felt the contamination from before in the air. He didn't know it, but a barrier of strange, contaminated Qi blocked their emergency signal.
The young man quickly ran towards Bai Jingshen, hoping to see a dead stalker. However, both men soon realized that they had lost sight of their enemy. They carefully positioned themselves as far away from any trees as possible. Both of them kept their weapons up, ready to attack at any time.
The two good brothers suddenly felt their guts sink shortly after, as weird black spots started to appear all around them. They weirdly floated in the air, laid down on trees, and darkened the ground. Even Bai Jingshen's shield gained spots of black Qi. Quickly analyzing this new change, Bai Jingshen realized how the vitality in his surroundings streamed towards a certain place among the trees.
The former emperor knew not to give his enemy any time to prepare, so he took a knife from his belt and threw at his the place where the vitality converged. It shot at the tree, managing to cut off the leaves blocking their sight, before a black claw cut it in little pieces. Bai Jingshen and Sam drew in a sharp breath looking at the Stalker now.
Its formerly white fur had now turned pitch black, only leaving its characteristic red stripe. However, this elegant stripe now took on a deep red color, reminding them of blood. Its six legs grew even sharper claws, as its whole body grew bigger. Even its aura showed signs of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Until now Sam was still able to fight, but this change finally made him panic a little. Although he already matured quickly, but at this point he saw death before his eyes.
Bai Jingshen noticed his friend's arms trembling as he searched for a way out. Looking at his shield, he realized that it wouldn't hold much longer. Just like the vitality around him, his shield was also slowly being drained without any possibility to refill it. The experienced veteran also knew that help would probably not arrive, or else the old man would already be here with his speed. As his brain went into overdrive Bai Jingshen suddenly noticed something peculiar.
Although all the surrounding trees were covered in black spots, only the one's equivalent to the Qi Gathering Realm were drained rapidly. Trees, which already had the resilience of a tier three being, lost only a negligible amount of vitality. Finally, Bai Jingshen had found a solution.
The former emperor gradually showed fear on his face. His legs began to tremble slightly, as he took Sam by the arm and backed away from the Stalker. The weird beast noticed their actions and actually showed them a sinister, mocking smile. It watched the two young men backing of until their backs collided with a tree. Just like a cat playing with mice it even began jumping left and right on its tree, only waiting for Bai Jingshen's shield to vanish.
Closely observing the beast's movements, Bai Jingshen still acted afraid as he leaned against the tree, deprived of any way out.
Suddenly the tension in the air seemingly exploded. Sam actually calmed down as death stared him in the face. He could only watch as Bai Jingshen's shield flickered a few times before it vanished. The stalker didn't delay any longer and instantly pushed itself off the tree. It shot through the air at the two young men, a crazed shimmer in its eyes.
Just as the beast raised its claws, with victory close at hand, it felt an air current from above. Bai Jingshen reacted perfectly, as his Qi shot into the Crown of Ordur. He felt unprecedented control over nature around him. The trees in his vicinity seemingly let out joyful cries, welcoming their king. The former emperor didn't have much time to revel in this feeling, as he instantly ordered the tree behind their backs to attack. A massive branch shot down on the Stalker, bringing with it the force of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator's attack. The beast had no time to maneuver anymore as it only let out a scream before crashing into the ground. It didn't understand what happened until the end, as the surrounding foliage held it in place while the tree rained down attacks. It was only able to withstand two hits before it was enveloped in darkness.