At that moment, a hissing sound suddenly rang in Chu Tian's ears, and the system also echoed in his mind.
[Detected replicable talent, do you want to replicate it?]
Chu Tian immediately scanned his surroundings and spotted a thick-boned black snake almost as thick as his thigh in a nearby patch of grass.
[Iron-Boned Black Snake]
[Gender: Female]
[Species: Beast]
[Level: C-rank]
[Talents: Poison Arrow, Venomous Body]
Seeing this Iron-Boned Black Snake, Chu Tian thought of the black Tang knife that Liu Wei had. The iron-like bones of the snake were incredibly tough, and ordinary blades would have a hard time cutting through them. In terms of hardness, the Iron-Boned Black Snake's bones would easily rank third among the materials he had encountered, with the antlers of the Iron-Horned Elk being the hardest and the bones and horns of the Divine Fire Rhinoceros following closely behind. Of course, if he had managed to capture a Golden Snake Turtle, its shell would have ranked at the top in terms of hardness, surpassing all other materials in the entire federation.
Suppressing his aura, Chu Tian quietly approached the snake, and a cold aura began to envelop him, shielding his body temperature. He also purchased some Flame Seeds from the surrounding area. The cold aura isolated his body temperature, making it impossible for the Iron-Boned Black Snake to sense him.
However, this action made the Iron-Boned Black Snake suspicious. It raised its snake head and made a hissing sound, its pair of snake eyes fixed on Chu Tian. The snake seemed puzzled, as it relied on heat sensing to locate prey, and Chu Tian had just concealed his body temperature.
As Chu Tian slowly approached, the Iron-Boned Black Snake suddenly felt something and began to slither away.
But just at that moment, Chu Tian made his move. Flames erupted from the ground, forming a fiery wall that blocked the Iron-Boned Black Snake's path.
Panicking, the snake hissed and circled within the confines of the fiery wall.
Chu Tian smiled slightly and contracted the fiery wall, burning the Iron-Boned Black Snake to death.
[Ding - Detecting decomposable materials, do you want to decompose?]
"Decompose."
[Ding, decomposition successful. Host gains a slight increase in strength, speed, defense, and spiritual power.]
[Ding, decomposition successful. Host gains a slight increase in strength, speed, defense, and spiritual power.]
[Ding - Killing a C-rank beast grants 80 talent points. Current talent points: 1410.]
Chu Tian decided not to collect any other parts from the Iron-Boned Black Snake since its bones were the most valuable and its skin contained a significant amount of venom.
Leaving the area, Chu Tian ventured deeper into the forest.
Along the way, he killed several more beasts, and his talent points reached 1500.
However, at that moment, Chu Tian's spiritual perception suddenly detected a group of five people nearby, approximately 100 meters away. He quickly concealed his aura.
These five individuals emitted a strong spiritual energy, and among them was the man in a black robe whom Chu Tian had seen before in the black market.
Chu Tian's spiritual perception allowed him to pick up fragments of their conversation due to the distance.
"Black Robe... Have you been able to pinpoint the location?" A burly man wearing a black python-patterned combat suit asked the man in the black robe, his bald head glistening.
The man in the black robe was completely concealed within his black robe, making it impossible to see his face. It seemed that the robe had a special property that blocked attempts to see his appearance.
The man in the black robe then replied, "According to the map markings, this forest leads to a basin about two kilometers to the south. That's where we'll find it."
"If the markings are correct, then this map is indeed for the Dimensional Gate."
Dimensional Gate? Chu Tian heard this term for the first time, which surprised him.
"Let's hope for no surprises. We need to find the Dimensional Gate quickly. Once we capture the elves, we can move to the Moon Base. You know, all the top officials of the Federation are on the Moon Base. We can live a luxurious life for the rest of our days."
One of the men, visibly excited, spoke enthusiastically.
However, another person quickly poured cold water on their enthusiasm.
"Don't get too excited. You should know that the Federation is currently recruiting individuals of A-rank or higher to establish a defense line on the Moon Base. They say they've discovered a new race of disgusting insects. Let's hope that after capturing the elves, we won't become cannon fodder. Instead, we'll truly live the good life."
"Alright, enough chatter. Rest up and let's depart quickly. We aim to reach the Dimensional Gate within an hour. The Dimensional Gate only opens three times a year, each time for two hours. If we miss this opportunity, we'll have to wait until next year," said the bald leader.
One of the team members with a voice like a chainsaw asked, "Can we capture the elves within an hour?"
"Our concern isn't whether we can capture them or not, but whether we can return safely. People trapped in the Dimensional Gate have never returned," the man in the black robe replied, suddenly glancing in Chu Tian's direction.
"What's going on?" The bald leader looked in the same direction as Chu Tian.
Chu Tian was taken aback. These five people were about 100 meters away from him.
"Nothing, perhaps someone is approaching. Let's hurry and go. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com." The man in the black robe spoke and led the way, with the other four following.
Whether they had noticed him or not, Chu Tian couldn't be sure. However, after they left, he cautiously emerged from his hiding spot.
"A new alien race that resembles insects?"
Chu Tian couldn't help but wonder. His mind conjured images from movies he had seen in his previous life, such as the bugs from "Alien" and the insect-like creatures from "Starship Troopers."
Combined with the information he had just heard, it seemed like he had stumbled upon some extraordinary information.
The term "Dimensional Gate" and the mention of an insect-like alien race were intriguing.
In an instant, Chu Tian felt that his world had become much more complex than he had initially thought.
He had believed that the resurgence of spiritual energy had only brought about the existence of beasts. However, now he realized that there were also alien races.
Chu Tian quickly took out his communicator and examined the map Liu Wei had given him.
After a thorough search, he found a peculiar marking on the map—a purple vortex pattern. Clearly, this was the rumored Dimensional Gate.
As for the elves they mentioned, Chu Tian felt a growing curiosity. They were a completely unknown species, and he couldn't help but wonder what they looked like.
However, he also knew the risks involved. The five members of the team had strong spiritual energy fluctuations, and they were all at least C-rank. While he might have a chance against a single C-rank talent user, facing five of them was a different story. He understood his own limitations.
So, Chu Tian suppressed his impulsive curiosity and decided to head toward the lake where the Golden Snake Turtle was rumored to be.