Chapter 29: Beast Tide (Seeking Monthly Ticket)

Otherworld.

Underground Camp.

After dealing with the matters on Chuying Star, Fang Xing immediately returned here.

Feeling the air, even fresher and more suited for martial training, he showed a trace of excitement on his face, "Before school starts, I'm not going anywhere else—I'm all in!"

This time, his visit to the black market had left him feeling much contemplation and made him realize how weak he was.

Being weak was not scary. What mattered was striving to catch up.

"Hmm?"

Upon entering the surveillance room and checking the system's monitoring logs, Fang Xing's expression suddenly changed, "How could this be? Demon Beasts... have increased so much?"

In these days of surveillance, the number of Demon Beasts around the camp had drastically increased!

Even the ground's disguised lawn seemed plowed, messy everywhere with pits.

"Hmm? Quite a few of the simulated bird drones are broken..."

Fang Xing quickly released new drones and immediately witnessed a startling scene.

Across the vast lands, various Demon Beasts were running, frolicking...

The territory of the original boar Demon Beasts had already changed hands to a group of fist-sized red ants.

And that fierce boar Demon Beast, which had killed many Martial Artists, had turned into a white skeletal remains, standing quietly, as if lamenting its pain and unwillingness...

"Although I heard of frequent Demon Beast activity in the market, this change seems too drastic, doesn't it?"

"I really know too little about this world..."

Fang Xing quietly reflected.

Although it had become extremely dangerous outside, he had a compelling reason to visit Qinglin Square Market.

Not to mention anything else, he absolutely had to replenish his Elixirs and Spirit Rice Talismans once they ran out!

'With the drones, finding a relatively safe path should not be too difficult...'

'But the urgent matter is to first check the situation at the market... If Qinglin Square has been breached, then there's no value... wait, that just makes it even more worth scavenging!'

Fang Xing's expression turned grave, "Here, I have a Nano Protective Suit and an electric baton to use, combined with Talismans, which greatly increase my strength... but it is still not quite safe, perhaps..."

He thought of the product he had been yearning for—the Swift Dragon class Laser Gun!

Of course, he couldn't afford the black market version, but the official store version was still an option.

Although 200,000 was not a small amount, with a few more trips to the black market, it wasn't impossible to earn.

More importantly...

"Even if it cannot be used against humans, it can still slay Demon Beasts!"

"It's just a pity that the 'cannot target humans' programming in the Laser Gun is built-in, running independently even without a network connection, otherwise it'd be thrilling..."

Fang Xing found that shuttling between two worlds had another advantage, which was the ability to evade some restrictions.

For instance, the basic Nano Suit he saw in the black market without backdoors made him realize the right decision was not to bring modern products back.

Of course, if the tech products in his hands could still send data back to the Blue Star Federation from another world, then that would mean the Federation had long mastered the technology to traverse other dimensions, and Fang Xing could only accept defeat.

'Weapons purchased through official channels in the Federation mostly cannot be used against humans... but in the Otherworld, as long as there's no built-in program, I can get around it, and it can't even send an alarm...'

'And the Talismans and Magic Artifacts of the Otherworld... taking them to Chuying Star to commit crimes would certainly be very effective, most importantly leaving not a single trace...'

Any weapon has an origin, but for Chuying Star, Talismans and Magic Artifacts appear 'out of thin air,' severing many clues for investigation.

'It might possibly link to the Evil God... after all, those who wield the authority of the Imaginary Space could also deploy certain materials... but cultists? Aren't they just made to take the blame?'

Blaming them, Fang Xing felt perfectly justified.

...

Pfft!

Pfft!

In the jungle, a few birds flew by, their looks dull, but their forms nimble.

Moments later, a silhouette appeared, sneaking forward covertly—it was Fang Xing!

"This could be a bit troublesome..."

Fang Xing was in his usual appearance, wearing a hair bun, dressed in ancient garb, carrying a large basket on his back filled with some herbs.

After all, much Spirit Rice had been consumed, and he had to replenish them at the market.

For this trip, he deployed a large number of drones to find a suitable safe route, going quite out of his way, which was indeed quite troublesome.

But thinking of that Demon Beast he saw earlier, Fang Xing felt it was good to take the long way around.

"That Demon Beast... was six or seven meters tall, its claws bigger than my entire body... its strength is either at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage or comparable to Foundation Establishment... better to keep a distance."

He muttered to himself.

In Qinglin Market, Fang Xing had also heard about the general classification of Demon Beasts, the ones that could rival a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator were First Rank Demon Beasts.

And those corresponding to a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator were Second Rank!

"Now there might even be Second Rank Demon Beasts appearing..."

"If it weren't for the Array protection in the market seen in the surveillance, as stable as Mount Tai, I wouldn't go..."

Fang Xing complained, then suddenly frowned, "Something's up?"

Through a scout hummingbird drone ahead, he saw a scene.

It showed a group of Cultivators and Martial Artists, attacking an odd Demon Beast.

This Demon Beast was over three meters long and resembled a red-haired tiger. Its patterns were dazzling and brilliant, with a layer of shimmering glow over its fur.

Even when assaulted by Wind Blades, Fireballs, and other spells cast through Talismans, the impact was deflected, leaving scarcely any injuries.

"Is this...hunting a Demon Beast? The coordination is quite skillful…"

Upon closer inspection, Fang Xing noticed there were five people, men and women mixed; the leader was a black-robed elder who occasionally used Talismans and muttered spells, evidently a Cultivator.

The rest, mostly exhibiting astonishing movement techniques and wielding various colored weapons, each acted with an overwhelming force, and were evidently Martial Artists.

At that moment, the elder finally finished chanting his spell, extended his hand, and a pale azure Wind Blade appeared in the palm of his right hand.

A sharp aura immediately spread out, causing even the Demon Tiger to become somewhat cautious.

"Good, big brother's Wind Blade Technique has become even more skillful,"

applauded a charm-filled lady among the four great Martial Artists.

"Go!"

The elder pointed his hand, and the azure Wind Blade flew out, continuously drawing in specks of azure spirit light in mid-air, instantly growing over a meter long and moving at an astonishing speed!

"Ao!"

The Demon Tiger roared, attempting to dodge, but a giant wielding an enormous hammer, his stature like a steel tower, forced it back with a swing, leaving it no choice but to take the hit from the Wind Blade.

Hiss-hiss!

The spirit light on the Demon Tiger's fur, already dimmed from previous attacks, now completely dispersed.

The Wind Blade slashed the surface of the Demon Tiger, tearing into its flesh and leaving a large wound on its right shoulder.

Had the beast not dodged midair slightly, the blow could have landed on its neck.

"Good!"

Several Martial Artists cheered while the elder calmly backed away several steps, applied a Golden Light Talisman to himself, and warned, "Be cautious of its counterattack…"

Wounded beasts are most dangerous!

This was naturally true for Demon Beasts as well!

The Demon Tiger, soaked in blood, suddenly roared loudly, opening its wide, bloody jaw.

Threads of red light converged, forming a large Fireball that exploded towards them!

"Not good, dodge quick!"

The five were covered in dirt and then saw the Demon Tiger, not keen on lingering, immediately escaping through the gap created by the explosion of the Fireball!

"Damn it, chase!"

The elder's hand burned a Spirit Talisman, turning into a breeze that blessed their legs with added speed, using the 'Wind Control Talisman'!

They hastily pursued, as they had been scouting for a long time and had only just encountered a solitary, weak Demon Beast.

Having invested a lot in this beast, if the Demon Tiger were to escape, everyone would feel sick enough to vomit blood!

However, at the next moment!

"Ao!"

A roar of pain from the Demon Tiger came from ahead!

"Stop!"

The elder quickly raised his right hand, signaling his sworn brothers and sisters to halt and move forward slowly.

After passing through a bush, they saw the Demon Tiger lying on the ground, its fate unknown, and beside it stood a youth in a silver robe.

"Fellow hunters, are you here for this Demon Tiger?"

Fang Xing, holding a staff in his silver attire, smiled slightly as he asked.

Since encountering these five, he had decided to come over and inquire about the news of the Qinglin Square.

After all, the drone's footage confirmed only that the square had not been breached, but what changes had occurred within needed to be asked of others.

Fang Xing naturally wanted to inquire fully, to ensure there were no dangers within the square, so he could enter and shop safely.

Otherwise…well…the Federation's nutrient fluid wasn't great, but it would suffice reluctantly.

Combined with the local environment, martial training progress wouldn't be too slow either…

"Indeed!"

The five exchanged glances before the black-robed elder stepped forward and said, "Old man Chen Yi, these are my four sworn siblings, Hua Feiyue, Chen Hongtian, and the couple Meng Yi and Shen Yuxin… Thanked by friends in the Square, we are humorously nicknamed 'the Five Righteous of Cang Mountain'."

This was somewhat modest as without real skill, one would hardly dare to venture out of the square to hunt Demon Beasts at this time.

To major forces in Qinglin Square, the Five Righteous of Cang Mountain might still seem insignificant, but among lower-level Cultivators, they were not unknown.

"So it is the Five Righteous of Cang Mountain before me, Fang Xing at your service…"

Fang Xing smiled lightly, his eyes sweeping over the Cang Mountain Five Righteous one by one as he greeted with a bow.

This time, he planned to rent a house in Qinglin Square using a new identity, establishing yet another base like a rabbit's three burrows, and thus used his real appearance.

After all, any disguise would easily be seen through after long-term interactions; better to use one's real face.

Since his real appearance was clean and would not attract trouble, he could operate well.

Now, looking at the Cang Mountain Five Righteous was pensive.

Chen Yi, a Qi Cultivator with many Talismans, should have the strongest ability among the five.

Hua Feiyue, dressed in peach-red, her enchanting eyes like silk, appeared around thirty years old, indeed like a juicy peach.

Chen Hongtian was the hammer-wielding, black-clothed, tower-like strong man, his features as if chiseled from stone, his demeanor astute and formidable.

Meng Yi wore a cyan scholar robe, his actions cultured, while Shen Yuxin exuded a jade-like quality, the couple's demeanor affectionate towards one another.