Xu Nian and his four companions traveled swiftly and finally arrived at the outskirts of the Demon Beast Forest by evening.
"Let's rest here for the night," Lin Feng said with a smile, "and set off early tomorrow morning."
No one had any objections. Demon Beasts were most active at night, and anyone with a basic understanding of forest survival knew that moving through the Demon Beast Forest at night was a death wish.
Moreover, after a day of hurrying along, everyone was somewhat tired, and it was not suitable to enter the Demon Beast Forest. Stopping to rest and recover now was the wisest choice.
Thus, Xu Nian and his companions set up a campfire outside the Demon Beast Forest and somehow got through the night.
However, no one got a good rest. Part of the reason was the need to remain vigilant in this unfamiliar environment. Another reason was the terrifying roars of Demon Beasts coming from the forest, which instilled fear in everyone.
Xu Nian, too, had a night of fake slumber. The night seemed peaceful, but his emotions were more complicated than anyone else's.
The first reason was that he knew the mission they were about to undertake was to steal an Earth Dragon Egg.
The Earth Dragon was a Demon Beast at the Peak Level of the Star Realm, containing Dragon Bloodline within its body. Although extremely rare, this thin lineage made it far more formidable than the average Peak Powerhouse of the Star Realm.
He couldn't believe these people were so bold as to target the Earth Dragon Egg, for that could easily provoke not just one Earth Dragon, but two.
The second reason was related to Xu Nian's Nine Dragon Supreme Divine Body. His master once said that his Bloodline needed nine different Dragon Clan Bloodlines to fully awaken, so Xu Nian was eager to see if this journey into the Demon Beast Forest might present such an opportunity.
As for the last reason, it was about Murong Xue.
He discovered that Murong Xue was absent-mindedly holding his Jade Pendant late at night, her lips occasionally revealing a shy, sweet smile. Eventually, she even made the Jade Pendant into a pendant that she hung close to her chest.
Seeing Murong Xue's actions made Xu Nian feel unsettled.
Obviously, Murong Xue was afraid of entering the Demon Beast Forest and accidentally losing the Jade Pendant, so she chose to keep it close to her body.
However, this also showed that she was very anxious about the Jade Pendant, which caused a huge stir in Xu Nian's heart. He did not expect that the person Murong Xue had always liked was actually him.
This discovery was both shocking and joyous for Xu Nian, yet he still decided to keep to himself the fact that he was her lifesaver.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Xu Nian and his group dashed swiftly through the Demon Beast Forest, heading deeper inside.
The hierarchy among Demon Beasts was strictly enforced, with a very strong sense of territorial consciousness. Therefore, the more powerful the Demon Beast, the deeper it lived inside the forest.
As a Demon Beast of the Star Peak, the Earth Dragon naturally lived even deeper within.
At the very outer edges of the Demon Beast Forest were only Basic Demon Beasts with incomplete Spiritual Wisdom. Upon seeing Xu Nian and the others invade their territory, they launched attacks.
However, these Basic Demon Beasts were all killed by Lu Morning's Iron Fist before they could even get close. Thus, Xu Nian and the team were not hindered much on their journey.
"Stop!"
However, as they reached a dense thicket, Lin Feng suddenly called out.
Everyone looked at Lin Feng with puzzled expressions, while he watched their surroundings with a vigilant face.
Xu Nian's brow also furrowed slightly—he too sensed that something was amiss. It was eerily quiet around them, an unnatural silence devoid of any sounds from insects or small animals. This was extremely abnormal for a dense forest.
The only explanation for this situation was that a formidable Demon Beast was lurking nearby; its presence intimidated and silenced all other Demon Beasts and living creatures around.
"Retreat!"
Lin Feng waved his hand and spoke softly.
The people around him also realized that something was amiss and began to retreat, not daring to be careless in the Demon Beast Forest, as a moment's negligence could cost them their lives.
"Whoosh!"
But before they could take a few steps back, a dark shadow shot out from the jungle at high speed, heading straight for Xu Nian. Its sharp claw, like a cold blade, reached for Xu Nian's brow.
A Third-star of the Star Realm Demon Beast, the Black Wind Leopard!
Xu Nian recognized the beast instantly, not expecting to encounter such a high-level Demon Beast here.
The Black Wind Leopard's attack on Xu Nian was clearly because it sensed Xu Nian's weak aura and sought to kill him in one fell swoop.
Xu Nian's hand instantly grasped the hilt of his sword, intending to draw it to defend against the attack of the Black Wind Leopard, but a fierce shout came from beside him, "If you don't want to die, get out of the way!"
Then, a figure rushed forward, leaping ahead of him to meet the Black Wind Leopard's sharp claw.
Xu Nian saw clearly that the person was none other than Lu Morning.
But Lu Morning was merely at the Second-star of the Star Realm, no match for the Black Wind Leopard.
His punch against the Black Wind Leopard's claw was shredded, leaving three deep gashes. Fortunately, Lu Morning's punch managed to repel the Black Wind Leopard and resolved the crisis for Xu Nian.
Lin Feng also drew his Long Spear in an instant, and while the Black Wind Leopard was repelled, he swung a mighty arc and slammed it into the beast's abdomen.
The Black Wind Leopard, struck in the abdomen, was thrown more than ten meters away and crashed into a sturdy tree, a trickle of fresh blood leaking from the corner of its mouth before it chose to retreat.
Lin Feng did not pursue further, knowing that if it hadn't been for Lu Morning's full-strength blow, which caused the Black Wind Leopard to reveal a flaw, he would not necessarily have been a match for it in a head-on battle.
As a rule, Demon Beasts are stronger than Spirit Cultivators and Body Cultivators of the same level, which is why most Cultivators rarely enter the Demon Beast Forest alone unless they are exceptionally powerful.
After repelling the Black Wind Leopard, everyone gathered around Lu Morning, whose hand was severely injured, with three wounds deep enough to reveal bone and flesh mangled.
After a simple bandaging of the wounds, Lu Morning glared at Xu Nian, angrily saying, "Did you think you could block that Third-star Demon Beast? Next time, if you're still so reckless, no one will save you."
Without waiting for Xu Nian to explain, he turned and walked away.
Xu Nian felt speechless inside; he didn't know whether to thank or blame Lu Morning for his presumptuousness, but Lu Morning's actions warmed his heart.
Just as Murong Xue had said, Lu Morning was a person with a sharp tongue but a soft heart—who wasn't bad at the core, or he wouldn't have risked his life to save him.
"From now on, follow behind me and don't get more than two meters away," Murong Xue said as she walked over, clearly intending to protect Xu Nian.
Xu Nian found this even more amusing. Was he so weak that he needed a woman to protect him?
However, he did not refuse. Refusing would only make Murong Xue think he was too proud to accept help.
"Whoosh!"
However, just as they were about to set off, a cold light suddenly broke through the air from afar, arriving in an instant and aiming straight at Murong Xue's chest.
It was an arrow, one imbued with Spiritual Energy, and immensely powerful.
Murong Xue was shocked and hurriedly tried to swing her sword to block the sudden arrow, but she was still a beat too slow and could only watch as it bore down on her chest.
The people around were only just reacting, but they were too far away to lend any help.
As the arrow was about to pierce Murong Xue's chest, a figure appeared by her side like a ghost, and the swiftly lethal arrow was caught by him. The razor-sharp tip was just an inch away from her heart.