In the courtyard, Lin Sheng was bare-chested. He skillfully dismembered the body of the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile.
Although it was still a juvenile and not yet an adult, it was a Spirit Beast after all, and its Materials and flesh were not ordinary.
Before long, Lin Sheng finished dismembering the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile.
He glanced at the sky; it was already late at night.
He didn't feel sleepy, but his stomach rumbled with hunger, so he simply started a fire and cooked, stewing the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile to avoid any complications.
Deciding to act immediately, flames quickly rose, a large pot was placed on the fire, and the cut Silver-patterned Black Crocodile meat was put into the pot.
He added plenty of firewood and then set it aside.
Meanwhile, he washed himself and began to cultivate.
After incorporating the high-grade common beast Black Tiger Ape, he hadn't had time to test the effects of cultivating Ape Embryo Skill, so now was naturally the time to experience it thoroughly.
Assuming a stance, Ape Embryo Skill is divided into a total of five layers, which include quiescent cultivation and dynamic cultivation.
Quiescent cultivation primarily involves sitting cross-legged to practice breathing techniques to stimulate one's Qi and blood, while dynamic cultivation consists of various stances and fist forms, tempering the body while simultaneously activating and guiding Qi and blood.
The two, one internal and one external, are indispensable.
What Lin Sheng was cultivating now was dynamic cultivation.
His figure moved quickly then slowly, flashing and shifting in the courtyard, his fists and feet coordinating to strike different poses, occasionally letting out crisp sounds of bones cracking.
Dark clouds filled the pitch-black night sky, and at some point, a light rain began to fall. Lin Sheng seemed unaware, but the speed of his movements became increasingly faster.
Suddenly, his legs bent slightly. The next moment, his body leaped high, hands clenched into fists and swung out, striking several times in the air like a swallow pecking for food, producing muffled sounds and shattering all the raindrops falling from the sky.
Half an hour later, Lin Sheng finally stopped his movements, and there wasn't a single raindrop on his body.
"Hoo..."
He gently exhaled and carefully felt the Qi and blood within his body.
"As expected, after incorporating the Black Tiger Ape, that slight anomaly in my Qi and blood has become negligible, almost undetectable."
"It seems the cultivation increase brought by incorporating a high-grade exotic beast is indeed much better. Based on this situation, the drawbacks of Ape Embryo Skill after incorporating the Black Tiger Ape are basically eliminated."
"Moreover, cultivating Ape Embryo Skill has become more effortless than before, and the efficiency of cultivation should have also increased significantly."
Lin Sheng could clearly feel the difference in cultivating Ape Embryo Skill after incorporating the Black Tiger Ape and the White Ape.
To give a more intuitive example, after incorporating the White Ape, when he cultivated Ape Embryo Skill, he could be considered a highly compatible first-rate Genius. Then, after incorporating the Black Tiger Ape, he advanced by one or even two levels on that basis, becoming a Genius among geniuses.
"The effect of high-level common beasts is already so extraordinary, what would it be like to incorporate ape-like Spirit Beasts?"
This thought flashed through his mind, but for now, he could only think about it. Any type of Spirit Beast is extremely powerful, and not something he could covet in his current state.
This time with the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile was just a stroke of luck.
At this moment, a tantalizing aroma of meat drifted out from the courtyard.
Even though a fine drizzle was falling from the sky, it couldn't mask the smell.
Only then did Lin Sheng slap his head. Because he was immersed in cultivation, he had forgotten that he was stewing a pot of meat, and had even forgotten to add seasonings.
By this time, the firewood in the stove was almost burnt out. Fortunately, the meat was cooked. Opening the lid, the aroma of meat immediately became richer.
Lin Sheng just smelled it and felt his Qi and blood become a bit more active.
At that moment, he didn't mind the heat, picked up chopsticks, and grabbed a piece of well-stewed meat to put into his mouth.
The meat was tough but very chewy. Fortunately, he had excellent teeth and swallowed it after chewing a couple of times.
Although no seasonings were added, the taste was surprisingly good.
Soon, three catties of beast meat went into his stomach. Lin Sheng only felt a swelling in his abdomen and couldn't eat any more.
"Spirit Beast meat is indeed extraordinary," Lin Sheng couldn't help but exclaim.
One must know that his usual appetite was not small; eating ten catties of ordinary meat at once was nothing for him.
The higher a Martial Artist's strength and Realm, the stronger his physique, and his appetite is naturally much larger than that of ordinary people.
He had even heard that for some powerful Martial Artists in high Realms, eating an entire ox in one meal was nothing remarkable.
Woof...
At this moment, a dog bark pulled Lin Sheng back from his thoughts. He saw Big Yellow, who had been huddled shivering in the firewood pile, had somehow rushed out and was circling the stove non-stop.
His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, and strings of sticky saliva continuously drooled down. He would look at Lin Sheng for a moment, then at the iron pot.
"Scram!"
Seeing Big Yellow in this contrasting state, Lin Sheng frowned and barked, then put the lid back on.
He already had a plan for how to deal with the remaining meat.
After cooking it, he would air-dry it to make jerky. Although the taste might be slightly worse, it was convenient to carry and not easily noticed as unusual.
At this moment, Lin Sheng suddenly felt a warm current surge from within his body, rushing towards his limbs and meridians, and this was just the beginning.
The warm current was just a trickle at first, but it gradually became thicker with time, and also hotter.
In the end, Lin Sheng only felt like a ball of fire was burning inside his body, constantly scorching him.
"This is the effect of the Spirit Beast meat!!"
Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, all caused by the burning heat of the current.
This feeling was more intense and overbearing than the effect he experienced when using the blood enhancement pill before.
Without hesitation, he immediately sat cross-legged and began cultivating the quiescent practice of Ape Embryo Skill.
He guided this warm current to merge with his own Qi and blood, circulating constantly within his body.
He cultivated like this all night, and only opened his eyes when the sky in the east turned pale like a fish's belly.
At this moment, his eyes sparkled with brilliance, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Ape Embryo Skill second layer is complete."
Successfully advancing Ape Embryo Skill to the second layer overnight, in addition to the amplification effect of incorporating the Black Tiger Ape, this Spirit Beast meat was also indispensable.
The effects contained in the Spirit Beast meat he ate yesterday were no less than the effects of the blood enhancement pill he had taken before.
The only drawback was that the effect was much more overbearing. An ordinary person who ate that much might not be able to digest it at all, and could even be in life-threatening danger. However, for him, it wasn't a problem.
After breaking through, he was in a great mood. After removing the scales and other Materials from the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile, there were still about a hundred catties of meat left.
This much quantity was enough for him to eat for a long time. Coupled with the effect of the Black Tiger Ape, the progress of cultivating Ape Embryo Skill would definitely be rapid.
Of course, using the flesh and blood of the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile as alchemical Materials could maximize the effects of this Spirit Beast flesh and blood even further.
However, doing so was too risky. Compared to that, it was more convenient to just make it into jerky.
As for how to deal with the remaining Materials, Lin Sheng also had some plans in mind, but exactly what to do would have to wait for some time.
"Hmm!?"
Only then did he notice that Big Yellow was still squatting by the stove, sniffing around the iron pot from time to time, and even sticking out his tongue to pick at the edge of the pot, licking soot all over his tongue, making it completely black.
After noticing Lin Sheng's gaze, Big Yellow immediately stood up and darted to his side, starting to rub against his leg constantly. His dog eyes looked at him pleadingly, full of pitifulness.
Seeing Big Yellow like this, Lin Sheng frowned and kicked him away.
"Stupid dog."
After cursing, he took out a fist-sized piece of beast meat from the iron pot and, under Big Yellow's excited gaze, threw it directly into his own mouth.
Woof...!
Big Yellow couldn't help but let out a bark.
Hmm!
Lin Sheng let out a soft "Hmm," and Big Yellow was immediately scared into squatting down, not daring to bark again. He didn't even dare to look at Lin Sheng again, but turned his head away, his body trembling non-stop.
Soon, Lin Sheng smelled a faint odor of urine. This stupid dog had actually peed again.
"I'm truly speechless."
After cursing, Lin Sheng finally opened his mouth and spat out a piece of meat, then turned and entered the room.
And as soon as he entered the room, Big Yellow, who had been lying on the ground, immediately stood up, ran over like the wind, and swallowed the dark red meat scrap the size of a fingernail on the ground in one gulp.
He just bit down hard a few times but found he couldn't chew it at all, so he simply swallowed it directly in the end, a look of satisfied enjoyment appearing on his dog face.
Coming out of his residence, Lin Sheng headed straight for the Hunting Beast Hall.
After several days off, it was time to report back to the Ninth Squad and also inquire about the situation on Yangping Mountain.
After all, even a master like Iron Fan Scholar had died, which might stir up some trouble.
Ninth Squad barracks, side hall.
"The Spirit Beast Silver-patterned Black Crocodile appeared in the central part of Yangping Mountain!!?"
Lin Sheng looked at Wang Sanyang sitting opposite him and said with a shocked expression.
"That's right. Don't go into the central part of Yangping Mountain during this period. Yesterday, the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile and another Spirit Beast, the Black-toothed Python, had a great battle, fighting all the way from the depths of Yangping Mountain to the central area, near the Black Earth Forest. I heard the commotion was huge, and some unlucky individuals caught in the crossfire didn't even leave behind a complete corpse."
Wang Sanyang nodded with a serious expression, his face also showing shock.
"These two big fellows are Spirit Beasts of the Blood Transportation Realm. Even if our Landlord Ouyang Shan personally takes action, he might not be a match for one of them, let alone two appearing at once."
"Black Earth Forest? How did these two big fellows come out this way?"
Hearing Wang Sanyang mention the Black Earth Forest, Lin Sheng was startled inwardly, but he didn't show it on his face.
He naturally knew the reason. These two big fellows probably appeared near the Black Earth Forest because the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile was looking for its offspring.
"Who knows the reason? The commotion caused by this incident was too big, even alarming Landlord Ouyang Shan. Tang Zhu and the others have also been dispatched to investigate the cause."
Wang Sanyang shook his head slightly, clearly not understanding the specific situation.
"However, this time Landlord Ouyang Shan personally ordered the suspension of all missions in the central part of Yangping Mountain, temporarily only allowing activities and hunting in the outer areas."
"So there won't be any missions during this period. It's also a good time to rest for a while and prepare for the upcoming beast tide."
Until he came out of the Ninth Squad, Lin Sheng still felt some lingering fear. It was fortunate that he ran fast enough back then and didn't delay too much, otherwise, if he had encountered the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile desperately searching for its child, he would likely have perished there.
Meanwhile, in the Black Earth Forest of Yangping Mountain.
The Black Earth Forest was a mess at this time. Most of the surrounding large trees, perhaps only one in ten remaining, were basically shattered.
There were even several terrifying large pits on the ground.
"These two big fellows certainly caused quite a commotion."
A somewhat aged voice sounded from within the Black Earth Forest. This was an old man with a slightly hunched figure but who looked extremely energetic.
The old man was dressed like a hunter, but on his back was a large saber. His entire person exuded a remarkable aura of power. He was precisely Landlord Ouyang Shan of Zhenshan Tower.
"Landlord, these two Spirit Beasts shouldn't normally appear here. Fighting fiercely here is too abnormal."
The one speaking was a strong, one-eyed man with a very tall stature, also exuding an extraordinary aura of power. However, compared to the old man, he was far inferior.
"Could it be due to the beast tide? Recently, there have been many more high-level common beasts on Yangping Mountain than before. They should all be coming from the depths. Did something happen in the depths?" This time, the speaker was an honest and sturdy man, none other than Tian Hu.
As for the previous one-eyed man, he was another Deputy Tang Zhu, Chai Fang.
"We'll know the reason soon enough."
The old man spoke calmly, then took out a bamboo cage from his waist. When the cage was opened, a palm-sized white-furred mouse immediately poked its head out. The mouse had pure white fur without any Noise, and its eyes were a rare green.
Ouyang Shan stroked the white mouse twice.
"Go."
The white mouse immediately sniffed, and the next moment it vanished from Ouyang Shan's palm, shooting off in one direction.
And Ouyang Shan's figure also disappeared afterwards. Seeing this, Chai Fang and Tian Hu also quickly followed.
They naturally knew the ability of Landlord's white mouse. Its sense of smell was extremely sensitive, especially to the scent of various exotic beasts, and it could play a significant role in tracking them.
In less than half an hour, the group had already reached the depths of the Black Earth Forest. It was also a mess here, but slightly better than the outside.
They saw the white mouse shuttle through the vegetation for a while, and soon it bit off a branch and brought it back to Ouyang Shan.
The branch was stained with a lot of blood that had already dried, turning the originally green leaves brown.
Ouyang Shan looked at the leaf and put it under his nose to sniff.
"The blood of a Silver-patterned Black Crocodile, but much weaker than that big fellow's. It should be the big fellow's offspring."
"Landlord, do you mean the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile gave birth?"
Hearing Ouyang Shan's words, Tian Hu and the other person were startled.
"No mistake, it's the blood of the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile's offspring. No wonder that Black-toothed Python sought out the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile."
Ouyang Shan chuckled softly, playing with the leaf in his hand, and then glanced at the vegetation from before.
"It seems the Black-toothed Python's goal was achieved. The Silver-patterned Black Crocodile's offspring is dead."
"Already dead!? Was the body taken away by the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile?"
Tian Hu and the other person couldn't help but ask.
"Not sure. It might have been taken away by the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile, or it might have gone into the Black-toothed Python's belly. Of course, there's another possibility, which is that it was taken away by someone else."
As he spoke, Ouyang Shan's gaze constantly scanned the surroundings, especially the broken ancient trees and the exploded ground. Then his figure flashed, and when he reappeared, he was already dozens of yards away.
In his hand, there was now a slightly bent large iron rod.
"This is..." Looking at the large rod, Tian Hu and the other person's faces were full of doubt.
However, Ouyang Shan seemed to have figured something out. He let out a cold snort, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
