TL: Etude
Ye Tian looked at the Golden Winged Peng in front of him and realized it was the same one he had encountered before. The likelihood of it being another Golden Winged Peng was slim, as such coincidences were rare in the world.
Clearly, after being defeated by the Battle Axe Emperor, this Golden Winged Peng had come to this place. What had transpired next was unknown, but it had started fighting another Emperor-level ferocious beast.
"Ye Tian, we have a lead!" The voice of Empress Yue reached Ye Tian's ears.
"What lead?" Ye Tian turned to look at Empress Yue.
"The big eagle is probably the same one you discovered last time. However, the one it's fighting with is the same Emperor-level ferocious beast we battled last time. Its speed is incredibly fast. The reason the Emperor-level ferocious beast with the soul talent was able to escape last time was largely due to this creature's help. Now that we have found this Emperor-level ferocious beast, if we follow it, we might be able to locate the one with the soul talent," Empress Yue explained.
"But I can't keep up with its speed!" Ye Tian frowned.
His cultivation level was still too weak. Even with his God-level extreme speed talent activated, he couldn't catch up to the opponent.
"Let me carry you then. Although it will cause some yuan force fluctuations, the Emperor-level ferocious beasts are loud when they fly anyway. If we follow behind, we won't be too conspicuous and are unlikely to be discovered," suggested Empress Yue.
"Okay!" Ye Tian agreed with Empress Yue's plan.
Immediately after, Ye Tian focused his gaze on the other Emperor-level ferocious beast. Capable of battling the Golden Winged Peng, this beast's strength was evident, and it seemed to have the upper hand. It was unclear if this was due to the Golden Winged Peng not fully recovering from its injuries.
From its appearance, the Emperor-level ferocious beast looked like a porcupine, with incredibly tough spikes covering its body and a rapid healing ability. The Golden Winged Peng's slashes had shattered its spikes, but they quickly grew back. In contrast, the Peng was riddled with bloody holes from the porcupine beast's attacks, looking quite pitiful.
Ye Tian and Empress Yue observed the battle for an hour, after which the Golden Winged Peng fled. The porcupine Emperor-level ferocious beast, having also expended a lot of energy, did not pursue and instead roared a few times before turning and leaving.
"Follow it!" Empress Yue, holding onto Ye Tian, flew swiftly.
Empress Yue's speed was not far behind the porcupine Emperor-level ferocious beast. The latter didn't seem to be flying at full speed but at a leisurely pace. It was unaware that two humans were following it, still excited about its recent victory.
After a while, the porcupine Emperor-level ferocious beast landed to hunt and eat several large King-level beasts before continuing its journey.
An hour later, the porcupine Emperor-level ferocious beast finally stopped and descended into a vast valley. From within the valley, faint breaths of other Emperor-level ferocious beasts could be detected.
"Ye Tian, it's up to you now!" Empress Yue stopped flying and spoke to Ye Tian.
Ye Tian, holding tightly to Empress Yue's hand, activated his flying talent and moved slowly, not daring to fly too quickly. This place might be where the Emperor-level ferocious beast with the soul talent was hiding, possibly a lair of ferocious beasts. Who knew what special beasts might be inside? If any of them could see through his invisibility talent, it would spell trouble.
Even the mighty Empress Yue was just one person, and it would be challenging to face so many Emperor-level ferocious beasts.
Caution was necessary!
At this moment, Ye Tian was not so much flying as he was floating at low altitude, using only his eyes to observe the surroundings.
As they continued to float along, a Saint-level ferocious beast passed by them.
Gradually, Ye Tian and Empress Yue ventured deeper into the valley and began to spot more Emperor-level ferocious beasts. Empress Yue frowned upon seeing this. Clearly, the number of Emperor-level ferocious beasts had increased significantly since their last encounter, indicating that they were stepping up their protection for the beast with the soul talent.
In secret, Ye Tian's Copying Talent covered a range of 5000 meters ahead, using it instead of other detection methods. This talent only scanned for others' talents, but that was enough to deduce a lot of useful information. Moreover, the scanning of the Copying Talent was undetectable.
In a situation where neither divine sense nor spatial awareness could be used, the Copying Talent was undoubtedly the best method.
The interior of the valley was dense with trees and teeming with ferocious beasts.
Empress Yue was extremely tense. Despite her immense strength, venturing deep into the lair of ferocious beasts was perilous, especially if they were to be discovered. As time ticked away, Ye Tian's Copying Talent had detected numerous Emperor-level ferocious beasts. He had also enveloped the one they were tracking, clearly understanding its talent composition:
Species: Spiky Scaled Beast
Bloodline Talent: Moonlight
Speed Talent: Mystic
Strength Talent: Mystic
Defense Talent: Pseudo-Mystic (60%)
Healing Talent: Pseudo-Mystic (50%)
Armor-Piercing Talent: Top
"An Emperor-level ferocious beast with a Pseudo-Mystic grade healing talent!" Ye Tian was excited. His own healing talent, although top-grade, was still somewhat slow for a Saint-level warrior who could attack numerous times in an instant. In real combat, his top-grade healing talent wasn't very effective. But the Pseudo-Mystic grade healing talent of this beast was much more impressive. During its battle with the Golden Winged Peng, it had quickly healed from numerous injuries. Not copying this would be a disservice to himself.
"Copy!" Ye Tian copied the Spiky Scaled Beast's 50% Pseudo-Mystic grade healing talent.
As they proceeded, another Emperor-level ferocious beast's talent caught Ye Tian's attention:
Species: Spirit Cloud Beast
Bloodline Talent: Moonlight
Defense Talent: Mystic
Speed Talent: Pseudo-Mystic (30%)
Strength Talent: Intermediate
Soul Spike Talent: Top
"The Soul Spike Talent, could it be a soul-related talent?" Ye Tian was shocked. If this was true, then this Spirit Cloud Beast was the soul-type Emperor-level ferocious beast that had been troubling the Battle Axe Emperor, Empress Yue, and Blood Eye Witch Emperor.
"Copy!" Without hesitation, Ye Tian copied the Spirit Cloud Beast's top-grade Soul Spike Talent.
At that moment, Ye Tian gave Empress Yue a meaningful glance, as if to say: We've found it! Empress Yue looked a bit puzzled but didn't use telepathy, as it could be detected due to the divine sense fluctuations. With so many Emperor-level ferocious beasts nearby, the risk of exposure was high.
Ye Tian and Empress Yue slowly floated away, retreating from the valley.
"Empress Yue, I think I've found that Emperor-level ferocious beast inside the valley!" Ye Tian spoke.
"Are you sure? I was with you, and I didn't see it. Also, are you certain that the Emperor-level ferocious beast you found is our target?" Empress Yue expressed her doubts.
"You briefly described the appearance of that Emperor-level ferocious beast to me before. I have a special method that allows me to observe distant situations. Although it's not as far-reaching as your Moon God Mirror, it's absolutely secretive. The Emperor-level ferocious beast I saw matches the description you gave, and it was surrounded by other Emperor-level ferocious beasts. I'm positive it's the one!" Ye Tian confidently affirmed.