Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 24 A Chance Encounter

The next day, the three of them finally made a discovery through even more careful exploration.

In a relatively dry hilly area, they found several cloud flowers growing in the crevices of rocks.

The flowers were pale purple, shrouded in a misty, ethereal aura, just what the mission required.

The three carefully collected the plants, and although each plant only yielded one point, it finally broke the deadlock of zero and boosted morale slightly.

However, the good fortune did not last long.

Just as they finished collecting the Cloud Mist Flowers and were preparing to continue their journey, they encountered their first battle since entering the secret realm.

The opponent is a Shadow Leopard, known for its speed and stealth.

This monster has a sleek body and gray-brown fur that blends seamlessly with its surroundings. It moves almost silently.

It pounced out of the shadows like a ghost, its target being Hu Zhen, whose cultivation was slightly weaker!

"Watch out!" Lu Ming reacted quickly, slapping a Qingfeng talisman on Hu Zhen while stepping forward and gathering spiritual power in his sword to slash at the monster's waist and abdomen.

A flash of blue light, and Hu Zhen retreated swiftly, narrowly avoiding the fatal attack.

Seeing this, the Shadow Leopard swung its hand back and slapped at Lu Ming's longsword, producing a sound like metal clashing. Although it didn't hurt the Shadow Leopard, it still made it feel pain, letting out a low growl, its eerie green eyes fixed on Lu Ming.

Qin Feiyu brandished his spear and attacked from the side, but the Shadow Leopard was exceptionally agile. With a twist of its waist, it dodged the spear tip and used its claws to grab Qin Feiyu's face.

Its speed far surpassed that of any of the monsters they had encountered before!

The three were immediately plunged into a fierce battle.

The Shadow Leopard's speed and agility completely overwhelmed them; they couldn't even get a chance to attack it, and every swipe of the Shadow Leopard's sharp claws carried the threat of death.

Lu Ming's talismans had limited interference effect, Qin Feiyu's power was unable to hit the target, and Hu Zhen's magic was even less able to capture that ghostly figure.

Within a few short breaths, all three of them were injured.

Qin Feiyu's arm was slashed with a deep bloody gash, Lu Ming's clothes were torn on his shoulder with several claw marks, and Hu Zhen, although under special protection, had also consumed a lot of spiritual energy in order to evade, and her face was pale.

"This won't do!" Lu Ming thought anxiously. This Shadow Leopard was obviously stronger than they had estimated, probably already at the peak of the first tier (equivalent to the perfect Qi Refining stage).

If they fight head-on, their chances of winning are slim.

Just as the Shadow Leopard transformed into a gray shadow once again and pounced on Hu Zhen, a sudden change occurred!

"laugh!"

A sharp whooshing sound rang out, and a crimson streak of light shot out like lightning, accurately hitting the Shadow Leopard's waist and abdomen where it had nowhere to brace itself in mid-air!

"Awooo—!" The Shadow Leopard let out a shrill scream as its body was sent flying by the immense force.

The Shadow Leopard crashed heavily into a tree, a crimson arrow, its tail still trembling, lodged in its abdomen, blood gushing out.

It struggled to get up, but its waist and abdomen were clearly its weak points. Severely injured, it had lost most of its fighting ability and could only look at the direction from which the arrow came with a venomous gaze.

Lu Ming and the other two looked over in astonishment.

Four figures were standing on the slope not far away.

The leader was none other than Nangong Yu! In his hand he held a magnificent crimson longbow with flowing flame patterns, the bowstring still vibrating slightly.

Standing beside him were three other disciples.

Nangong Yu slowly lowered his longbow, his gaze sweeping over the disheveled Lu Ming and his two companions, finally settling on the struggling Shadow Leopard, and said calmly:

"We'll take this Shadow Leopard."

His tone was calm yet domineering.

Qin Feiyu was instantly enraged. Ignoring his injured arm, he stepped forward and shouted, "Why?! We found it first! And we fought for ages!"

A disciple nearby sneered, "Just because we saved you! If it weren't for Senior Brother Nangong's arrow, you'd probably be either dead or seriously injured! This Shadow Leopard is naturally our spoils!"

Hu Zhen was also indignant and argued, "Thank you for your help, but you've been far too domineering!"

"Hmph! Domineering? Keep your childish ideas to yourself."

"Fighting is forbidden in this Yunmeng Marsh. If we were truly tyrannical, we would even snatch the Cloud Mist Flowers from you! We might even smash your jade tokens and eliminate you from the competition," a disciple behind Nangong Yu said disdainfully.

"You..." Qin Feiyu said, about to step forward to argue with them, but was stopped by Lu Ming.

Nangong Yu ignored Qin Feiyu and Hu Zhen, and looked directly at Lu Ming, who had been silent all along:

"Lu Ming, what do you think? Should you continue to fight this heavily injured demon beast, wasting your already limited strength and pills, and then other demon beasts or... other people who have heard the news might take advantage of you?"

"Shall we take the spoils, while you preserve your strength to find your next target?"

His words were calm and realistic, hitting the nail on the head regarding Lu Ming's concerns.

Having undergone the trial of self-examination, Lu Ming had naturally seen through the so-called battle of egos.

They were indeed nearing their limit, and continuing to engage the Shadow Leopard would be extremely risky.

Moreover, Nangong Yu and his group were clearly stronger. Although their attitude wasn't exactly friendly, they weren't unreasonable either. At least they had indeed saved Hu Zhen just now.

Suppressing his resentment, Lu Ming glanced at the Shadow Leopard, which was still growling and struggling, then at the injured Qin Feiyu and the pale-faced Hu Zhen, and finally said in a deep voice, "Shadow Leopard, you are mine."

"Lu Ming!" Qin Feiyu exclaimed urgently.

Lu Ming raised his hand to stop him and said to Nangong Yu, "However, I would like to ask Senior Brother Nangong to do us a favor and allow us to rest here for a while, treat our injuries, and leave immediately."

Nangong Yu glanced at Lu Ming, seemingly surprised by his quick concession, and nodded:

"Alright." He then gestured for the disciples to step forward, finish off the Shadow Leopard, and skillfully extracted its inner core and useful materials.

Lu Ming stopped looking over there, pulled the indignant Qin Feiyu and the aggrieved Hu Zhen aside, silently took out some medicine, bandaged Qin Feiyu's arm, and treated the wound on his own shoulder.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber. They had fought so hard, only to have their efforts benefit others. This sense of powerlessness was more unbearable than the physical pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm so useless..." Hu Zhen lowered her head, feeling that she was a burden to everyone because she needed protection.

"It's none of your business," Lu Ming interrupted her, his voice gentle.

"It's because we're not strong enough. Nangong Yu is right, continuing to entangle us will be disadvantageous. Only by conserving our strength can we have a chance to gain more points."

Qin Feiyu gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the ground: "Damn it! If only we were a little stronger..."

After resting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lu Ming and the other two got up and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Nangong Yu suddenly spoke up, tossing over a small jade bottle: "This is top-quality healing medicine, more effective than what you use."

Lu Ming caught the jade bottle and was stunned for a moment.

Nangong Yu said expressionlessly, "I don't like owing favors. You did help with the monster just now."

After saying that, he turned and left with his men, disappearing into the dense forest.

After Nangong Yu and his group left, a disciple standing next to Nangong Yu said, "Senior Brother Nangong, we are competitors with them anyway. Let them fend for themselves. Why bother helping them and creating more rivals?"

"Opponents? I don't consider them opponents. Our opponents are those in the top ten," Nangong Yu said calmly.

Lu Ming held the bottle of medicine, his feelings complicated.

Three people toiled for half a day, but it was no match for one arrow from the other.