In the Depths of the Forest
In the gloomy forest, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and raindrops pattered down, making the atmosphere incredibly desolate. However, the darkness did not affect the vision of normal cultivators, let alone the four beings locked in a standoff here.
Facing Luo Ren, the Brute Force Gorilla and the Blazing Flame Bird both glared at him with hatred. This person had, at a crucial moment, ruined their chance to kill the White Star Serpent. Moreover, the illusory Earth Bear constantly roaring behind Luo Ren also made them extremely wary.
Drip, drip.
The rain obscured the bright stars. The White Star Serpent's star power amplification disappeared. On the opposing side, the Blazing Flame Bird hovering in the air was also extremely uncomfortable; being a fire-attribute demonic beast, it utterly detested the rain. Although normal raindrops couldn't harm it, they somewhat limited its strength, preventing it from fully unleashing its power.
Swoosh!
The White Star Serpent did not hesitate further. Its large, round eyes conveyed a sense of reassurance towards Luo Ren. Its silver-white body rapidly shot towards the Blazing Flame Bird hovering in the air. Clearly, it hadn't forgotten the sneak attack by this one. Furthermore, the Brute Force Gorilla's defense was very solid, and the White Star Serpentknew that without the support of starlight, it would be difficult to harm it.
Soon, the two demonic beasts entered a state of fierce battle. In terms of advantage, the Blazing Flame Bird had a slight edge due to its flight capability, but the White Star Serpent was no less agile. Its serpentine body was incredibly graceful, and its mouth continuously spat out light spheres containing dense spiritual energy towards the Blazing Flame Bird in mid-air. However, without the stars' enhancement, the rate of energy consumption significantly increased.
RUMBLE! ROAR!
The Brute Force Gorilla was unwilling to be outdone. Its mighty arm pounded its chest, as if to stir its morale, then uprooted a large tree and charged towards Luo Ren.
Luo Ren's expression was solemn, not daring to underestimate it in the slightest. The enemy's strength was one stage higher than his, and it possessed great defense and a powerful physical body.
Luo Ren took a deep breath. His right eye glowed eerily, and green veins bulged on his face. Luo Ren at this moment clearly observed every tiny detail on the Brute Force Gorilla's body. His right eye was like an analysis machine, observing every movement of his opponent's cells. Moreover, any openings in the opponent's attacks could not escape his mysterious silver-white gaze.
This was Insight Through Weaknesses—one of the three abilities of the White Moon Soul-Stealing Eye.
Against the Stage Three Mid-stage Brute Force Gorilla, he was forced to use this skill. The price was the continuous consumption of soul power within his body.
"Got it!" Luo Ren smirked, raising his fist and aiming for the Brute Force Gorilla's right calf.
ROAR!
The Earth Bear roared. Following Luo Ren's command, its two mighty arms crossed and lifted high, blocking the tree trunk that the Brute Force Gorilla slammed down.
CRACK!
The sturdy ancient tree trunk broke in half. At this moment, Luo Ren's fist, empowered by countless strands of Earth spiritual energy, also directly struck its intended target.
HOWL!
The Brute Force Gorilla howled in pain. Its right calf was a weak point on its body, where it had sustained an injury during a territorial dispute with another demonic beast. Although it had been a while, this was still the only weakness on its tough body.
The Brute Force Gorilla itself never expected its enemy to discover its hidden wound. Luo Ren's Two Cauldronstrength was not weak, equivalent to an early-stage Core Formation cultivator, causing it to suffer a bitter loss.
GROWL! GROWL!
The Brute Force Gorilla was enraged. Its large, bell-like eyes turned bloodshot. It threw away the broken tree trunk. It wanted to engage Luo Ren in a close-quarters fistfight.
The illusory Earth Bear behind Luo Ren was no less impressive. Compared to the enemy's colossal, rock-like body, it was only larger, not inferior. It extended its two mighty arms to clash, while Luo Ren deftly dodged attacks, analyzing the openings in each of the Brute Force Gorilla's strikes, then used his will to control the Earth Bear to fight.
BOP! BOP!
Fists collided with fists. The two massive beings continuously exchanged blows. The Earth Bear, being condensed from Luo Ren's Earth spiritual energy, felt nothing. In contrast, the Brute Force Gorilla, having its weak point attacked and taking painful blows, gradually showed signs of exhaustion.
The Brute Force Gorilla's intelligence was not low. It knew that the one fighting it had no life, and the mastermind was the young man leaping before it. It had tried many times to find an opportunity to attack Luo Ren but to no avail.
Thanks to the Insight Through Weaknesses ability, Luo Ren easily found openings in its attacks. He calmly and unhurriedly dodged, seizing opportunities to control the Earth Bear to attack the opponent.
Within his Dantian, the Earth Spirit Cauldron continuously operated, continuously supplying Earth spiritual energy, making the Earth Bear like an immortal war machine. As long as the source material, Luo Ren himself, did not fall, it meant immortality.
GRUNT! GRUNT! ROAR!
The Brute Force Gorilla began to tire. It turned its head and roared towards the Blazing Flame Bird for help.
On the other side of the battlefield, the White Star Serpent and the Blazing Flame Bird were locked in an evenly matched struggle. Flames and star power continuously collided. The hard ground was charred and riddled with large pits. However, due to its previous injuries, the White Star Serpent's stamina depleted much faster than its opponent's.
One must know that the White Star Serpent was challenging an opponent beyond its cultivation stage, and was severely wounded, yet it could fight for so long, demonstrating its extraordinary potential.
Luo Ren observed the situation and secretly thought: "I need to quickly deal with this big, dark brute."
Having made up his mind, he began to mobilize his secret power: Soul Power.
ROAR! GROWL! GROWL!
The Earth Bear suddenly became ferocious. Its roaring made the Brute Force Gorilla retreat warily. Its eyes, which had been devoid of sentience, now became filled with fierce killing intent, utterly domineering.
Soul Power Amplification!
Luo Ren mobilized his soul power to empower the Earth Bear, causing it to unleash the true might of a genuine Profound-grade Peak-quality martial skill.
The Earth Bear moved as if it had taken a stimulant. Its two fists continuously launched attacks, a barrage of afterimages constantly pushing back its opponent.
Luo Ren was not idle, occasionally seeking opportunities to attack the Brute Force Gorilla's right calf.
Truly a two-on-one fight.
Fear finally appeared in the Brute Force Gorilla's eyes. The Earth Bear's power was too eerie. Every time it clashed with its opponent, its soul would ache. The opponent's attacks seemed to directly affect its soul, making it extremely confused.
That was the effect of Soul Power Amplification. It caused attacks to directly impact the opponent's soul.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking. The Brute Force Gorilla's mighty arm was inadvertently broken by the Earth Bear. Enduring the pain, it exerted all its strength to kick Luo Ren, forcing him to retreat.
Seizing the opportunity, the Brute Force Gorilla fled.
"Hmph, truly a cunning fellow," Luo Ren snorted, but did not pursue. This creature's cultivation was higher than his, and Luo Ren's current attack methods were too few. Without risking his life, it would be difficult to kill it.
Hiss!
A pained hiss came from the White Star Serpent. The Blazing Flame Bird, seeing its comrade flee, became even more furious. Its attacks grew more intense, as if it wanted to perish together, causing the White Star Serpent to suffer losses, with several smooth scales getting burned.
"You won't get away!" Luo Ren activated his spiritual energy, soaring upwards. The Earth Bear followed, its two sturdy arms mercilessly smashing into the Blazing Flame Bird's floating body.
Squawk! Squawk!
The Blazing Flame Bird was famously ferocious and ruthless by nature. It had no intention of fleeing like that dark brute. Its two wings, engulfed in flames, frantically flapped towards Luo Ren.
"Water spiritual energy, protect!" Faced with the enveloping flames, Luo Ren smiled coldly.
A screen of water rapidly formed before him, extinguishing all the engulfing flames. Although Luo Ren had no water-attribute martial skills, he still knew how to basically manipulate water spiritual energy.
SQUAWK! SQUAWK! SQUAWK!
Witnessing the dark blue water screen protecting Luo Ren, the Blazing Flame Bird shrieked in fear. Water was its natural enemy, and moreover, it felt that Luo Ren's water spiritual energy was much stronger than normal.
This was Profound Water.
Luo Ren obtained this high-grade Water spiritual energy when he refined the Profound Water Pill with Yan Ruoxue. This was the first time he used it.
While the Blazing Flame Bird was terrified, the Earth Bear's fist successfully struck its body.
CRACK!
Another sound of breaking bones. The Blazing Flame Bird's body, hovering in mid-air, fell heavily to the ground, enveloped in smoke and dust.
The White Star Serpent did not miss the opportunity. Enduring the pain from its injuries, it quickly condensed a large, silver-white sphere in its mouth, shooting it directly at its enemy.
As the smoke and dust dispersed, the Blazing Flame Bird lay convulsing on the ground. The flames around its body died down, revealing its sharp, wounded body.
The Blazing Flame Bird was dead.
The Earth Bear's fist, empowered by soul power, combined with the White Star Serpent's mental attack, meant that even a Stage Three Mid-stage demonic beast could not survive.
Looking at the Blazing Flame Bird's corpse, Luo Ren's right eye began to glow.
White Moon Soul-Stealing Eye – Soul Seize.
The Blazing Flame Bird's dissipating soul was rapidly sucked in.
"Hmph," A slight grunt of pain from Luo Ren as his soul reacted to refining a high-grade soul.
The Immortal Proliferation Scripture operated – Soul Refinement.
Ancient scriptures carved on his soul glowed, soothing his pain.
And Luo Ren's soul power successfully broke through at this moment, entering the Early-stage Core Formation soul level.
Smiling contentedly, the illusory Earth Bear dissipated. Luo Ren quickly rushed to the side of the White Star Serpent, which lay sprawled on the ground, its injuries this time not light.
Without much hesitation, his last Healing Pill appeared in his hand. He approached the White Star Serpent's mouth and said gently: "Open your mouth! This can heal you."
Looking at the spiritual energy-rich pill in his hand, the White Star Serpent's large, round eyes showed a hint of emotion. Its massive cheek rubbed against Luo Ren, but it shook its head, its gaze directed towards the Shape-Shifting Grass still present nearby.
"As long as it refines the Shape-Shifting Grass, not only can it transform into human form, but its strength will also increase, and naturally, its injuries will fully heal. The White Star Serpent is saving you resources, Young Master," Kim Nhi suddenly appeared and explained.
Luo Ren had a sudden realization. He put away the Healing Pill, quickly ran to pick the Shape-Shifting Grass, and brought it to the White Star Serpent's mouth, saying:
"Refining spirit herbs takes a certain amount of time. This place is too dangerous. I'll take you to a safe place for seclusion. How about it?"
The White Star Serpent immediately nodded in agreement, clearly never thinking that Luo Ren would harm it.
"Alright, relax your whole body!" Luo Ren said gently, taking out the Spirit Realm Pearl.
Inside the Spirit Realm Pearl
The White Star Serpent and the Shape-Shifting Grass appeared simultaneously.
Briefly assessing the surroundings, and feeling that the spiritual qi here was three times denser than the outside world, the White Star Serpent joyfully chirped, opening its mouth and swallowing the Shape-Shifting Grass.
After moving the White Star Serpent into the Spirit Realm Pearl, and seeing its slender body beginning to be covered by layers of glowing scales as it quietly refined the Shape-Shifting Grass, Luo Ren smiled in satisfaction.
"This time, Young Master gained a huge profit. The descendant of the Grand White Star-Devouring Serpent is truly extraordinary," Kim Nhi said cheerfully.
"What profit? I simply appreciate the White Star Serpent, that's why I saved it. I have no intention of profiting from it at all," Luo Ren replied, displeased. Although the White Star Serpent was a snake, its appearance was incredibly cute and beautiful, which made him unable to resist saving it.
"Under the conditions of no contract, no capture, yet the demonic beast willingly obeys you. Even if you drive it away later, the White Star Serpent won't leave," Kim Nhi said, looking at Luo Ren with admiration and sighing. The Young Master's sincerity moved even demonic beasts.
Luo Ren smiled and nodded. Demonic beasts were much purer in heart than humans. Once they acknowledged someone, there would be no betrayal.
"Ding! Mission complete."
The mechanical voice of the System echoed in his ear.