Chapter 48: Forest of Fierce Beasts

The Forest of Fierce Beasts....

As far as the eye could see, the mountains loomed like a colossal wall, rising and falling in endless waves. The dense trees formed a seemingly impenetrable canopy, stretching far beyond the horizon.

This was the place countless immortal cultivators dreamt of—a land where powerful beasts lay in wait, concealed in the shadows of the mountains and the depths of the rivers.

Here, danger lurked in every corner.

For many immortals, it was a place of nightmares.

Yet, the forest was rich in materials, including various rare and valuable resources that lured countless cultivators to risk their lives in pursuit of these treasures.

As the saying goes, fortune favors the brave.

Li Taixing was well aware of this truth. The group before him likely had their sights set on finding a suitable opportunity to strike at him.

However, Li Taixing refrained from taking action. After all, he had no concrete evidence to prove that these people were robbers or had ill intentions.

At the very least, they had been helpful to him along the way.

"Where should we go to find the noctilucent grass?" Li Taixing asked, breaking the silence.

The thin and tall young man pondered for a moment, then pointed in a direction. "This way. Follow us."

"Alright."

Li Taixing followed, all the while surveying the surrounding terrain. He realized that they were on the outer edge of the Forest of Fierce Beasts, but their path was leading them deeper into the forest, which surprised him.

'Aren't these people afraid of death? How dare they venture into the heart of the Forest of Fierce Beasts?'

From Li Taixing's understanding, he thought that if these Body Refining cultivators wanted to ambush him, they would do so on the outskirts. Venturing into the central region meant not only risking failure in killing him but also endangering their own lives.

"Are we close?"

"Not yet, but we're almost there."

"Alright."

After a short walk, a glimmer of light appeared in the distance. As they approached, Li Taixing's eyes widened at the sight—noctilucent grass covered the ground, its green leaves glowing softly with a faint, mesmerizing fluorescence.

Li Taixing could hardly believe his eyes.

"This is the place. Go in and start collecting," the thin and tall young man said with a smile. "However, there are dangers in the area, so your time is limited. We'll stand guard outside."

"If anything happens, just call for us."

"Alright."

Li Taixing recalled the map and knew that this area was within the central part of the Forest of Fierce Beasts.

This meant that the beasts in the vicinity were at least in the Qi Gathering stage.

As he probed the surroundings with his senses, he detected several Qi Gathering boa constrictors hidden nearby and immediately understood their sinister intentions.

"We'll hold onto your belongings for you, so you can move more freely," said a tall young man as Li Taixing was about to enter.

The man reached out to take Li Taixing's weapon, but Li Taixing swiftly evaded him.

"Don't worry, we'll be right here. It's safe enough, but carrying your things inside might slow you down. We'll take care of them for you, and you can retrieve them when you return."

Seeing the cautious look on Li Taixing's face, the tall man quickly added, "We're just trying to help."

"Enough of the pretense. You're after my Qingyue Sword, aren't you?"

"Huh?" The tall and thin young man seemed taken aback.

They all stared at Li Taixing, their true intentions now apparent.

"So what if we are? Hand over the sword, and we'll let you walk away. Otherwise, you'll only have yourself to blame," the thin and tall young man said, abandoning any further attempts at deception.

They had been tailing Li Taixing for quite some time and had yet to see anyone guarding him.

So, they decided to make their move.

"You finally show your true colors?" Li Taixing said with a sneer.

The thin and tall young man wasn't surprised at all and asked, "Did you already suspect us?"

"I wasn't sure at first, but now I am."

"And so what if you are? Either hand over your weapon, or you can step into the noctilucent grass and see what happens." They blocked Li Taixing's path, inching closer in an attempt to take the Qingyue Sword from him.

Li Taixing couldn't help but smile. "Let's see if you're up to the task."

"Hmph, you're courting death!" The tall young man finally dropped all pretenses and threw a punch at Li Taixing.

Boom.

Li Taixing caught the tall youth's fist effortlessly with one hand.

"Agh!"

Li Taixing then twisted the youth's arm with a sharp crack, making him scream in agony.

A swift kick followed, shattering the young man's leg before Li Taixing threw him into the noctilucent grass.

"Help! Someone help me!"

The tall man screamed for help.

But no one came to his aid.

Soon, the sound of something slithering through the grass reached his ears.

"No! Stay away!"

With one arm and one leg crippled by Li Taixing, the tall young man found it nearly impossible to fight back or flee.

Hiss.

"Argh!"

A few moments later, the tall young man fell silent.

"Is this what you call a safe place?" Li Taixing mocked.

Their plan was obvious—they wanted to steal Li Taixing's belongings and let the noctilucent grass do the rest, leaving them blameless.

After all, they could claim they had no idea there would be so many pythons hiding within the grass.

"You, you..." Seeing how effortlessly Li Taixing had dispatched their comrade, the remaining group began to panic.

"Damn it, kill him!"

"Yes!"

At the thin and tall young man's command, the rest of the group charged at Li Taixing without hesitation.

Li Taixing sneered. "Perfect timing."

He deftly dodged their attacks, his fists moving like lightning. With each punch, bones cracked, and agonized screams filled the air.

One by one, Li Taixing tossed the attackers into the noctilucent grass.

Another round of anguished cries echoed through the forest, but soon, all was quiet again.

"You… you…"

The thin and tall young man was now trembling with fear.

Li Taixing didn't look particularly strong, yet he had overpowered them with ease, a fact that was simply unbelievable.

"What's wrong with me?" Li Taixing asked, stepping closer as the young man backed away, clearly terrified.

"No, don't come any closer!"

"Oh, I'm definitely coming closer. I'm even planning to send you on your way."

"No…"

Li Taixing drew his sword. A cold flash of light followed, and a thin line of blood appeared on the young man's neck.

Li Taixing walked up to him, patted his shoulder, and said, "Thanks for showing me the way."

Thud.

The young man's eyes went blank as he collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his neck. By this time, the pythons had already caught the scent of blood and were slithering towards him.

Hiss.

In no time, a python sank its fangs into the thin and tall young man, dragging him into the noctilucent grass.