'I need the bones, right?'
Li Yun recalled that he required the bones of many beasts for the first stage of the Titan's Cauldron Forging Technique, but after pondering for a moment, he decided against using the bones of the Steel Armoured Bear. He had better plans for bones.
He bent down, touched the corpse of the Steel Armoured Bear with his hand, and initiated the Chaos Devourer Art.
As soon as he used the technique, the bear's body began to convulse and shrink before drying up, as if all life had been sucked out of it, leaving nothing but a mummified corpse.
'Still, nothing changes in the Chaos Seed. It's still black.'
Li Yun frowned, noticing that despite his efforts, the Chaos Seed hadn't evolved. He had expected that a substantial amount of beast essence would be required to level up the Chaos Seed, but the endless hunger he was witnessing now only gave him a headache.
'It seems hunting and killing should be my second hobby,' he mused.
Looking ahead, he saw only dense forests surrounding him, and he was still at the outskirts of the peak. He wondered what might lie at the center of the Seven Peak Forest.
'Let's not get distracted.'
Shaking his head, Li Yun focused on the habitat of the Titanium Leopard. As far as he could remember, they preferred rocky or mountainous terrain—a habitat rich in metallic ores and minerals.
"But where can I find such terrain when all I see is forest around me?"
Li Yun sighed. Knowing the habitat of certain beasts and actually locating them were two entirely different challenges, something he was now learning firsthand.
"Looks like it's going to be a long day."
He mused as he continued his journey, staying along the edges of the forest to avoid venturing too deep.
Along the way, he encountered many low-level beasts. Some he easily defeated, while others required him to use Raging Heaven. He killed them all and, without forgetting, collected their blood and sucked their essence with his Chaos Devourer Art.
"What is that?"
Suddenly, Li Yun noticed something in the distance. The leaves and tree branches obscured his view, but he was sure he saw something that wasn't green.
He quickly climbed a tree and scouted the area from the top.
"A mountain!"
He exclaimed upon seeing not just one mountain but several small and large ones clustered together.
"There, I will definitely find the grave of the Titanium Leopard!"
Li Yun wasted no time, swiftly making his way toward the mountain. His movements were quick yet calculated, his footsteps barely making a sound as he dashed through the forest. The air grew cooler the closer he got, and soon, the trees thinned out, giving way to an open region.
Upon reaching the base of the mountain, he paused for a moment, taking in the new surroundings. The landscape was bathed in white and yellow hues, a stark contrast to the dense greenery he had just left behind.
At that moment, he noticed something coming down the slope, kicking up a dust storm in its wake.
'Something's coming down!'
Li Yun drew his sword and quickly jumped back to the top of a tree, observing the situation. The beast came down fast, and he noticed it wasn't slowing.
"At this rate, it'll collide with the trees."
Li Yun decided to watch a bit longer.
The beast finally reached the base of the mountain and crashed into a tree, shattering it before coming to a halt.
"A Heavy Tiger?"
Li Yun was surprised. Heavy Tigers usually inhabited forests, so this one must have climbed the mountain to hunt.
'It's not moving... strange.'
The beast lay still, surrounded by broken wood and branches, its back exposed—an easy target for anyone.
"Strange."
Something felt off. The Heavy Tiger hadn't moved an inch since the collision, and Li Yun didn't believe such a simple crash could kill it. It was impossible.
'Let's wait a few more minutes.'
He waited for another half an hour, but the tiger still showed no signs of movement.
'It's dead, alright.'
Li Yun cautiously approached the corpse. But when he turned over the body, his eyes widened in shock, and he instinctively took a step back.
"What happened to this beast?"
The tiger's body was marked with red lines running all over, and bones pierced through its chest and stomach as if something had clawed its heart open. Yet there were no visible wounds, as though the damage was part of the creature's natural state.
"I guess something must have happened to it," he muttered as he took out empty bottles, sliced a portion of the body with his sword, and began collecting its blood.
He filled three bottles with the blood of the Heavy Tiger.
Then, he placed his hand on the corpse and drained its essence entirely, leaving it dried up like a mummified husk.
'It's done. I should move on and look for the grave of the Titanium Leopards.'
Li Yun resumed his journey toward the mountains but veered toward the side rather than heading to the peak.
After running for several minutes, he came to a halt.
"I'm finally in the mountain region. Now, where would the grave of the Titanium Leopards be?"
He pondered, looking around. He knew the Titanium Leopard's habitat should be in the mountains, but he lacked specific information about the location of their graves.
"Senior Brothers, there he is!"
A shout drew his attention to the left. A young lady, around 18 years old, was pointing at him. Behind her were three young men and two women, all around 18 or 19 years old.
Li Yun quickly assessed their cultivation levels. The lady in front was at the 4th level of Qi Training, while the five behind her were all at the 5th level of the Qi Training Realm.
"You! How dare you kill a member of the Profound Sword Sect!" one of the young men shouted angrily, glaring at him. He had shoulder-length black hair and an arrogant expression.
The group quickly surrounded Li Yun from all sides.