<h4>Chapter 302 - Cloud Canine</h4>
After the sudden appearance of thick mist, Yu Chong ran off without a word.
<i>What did that coward see? </i>Long Chen was not an idiot. Since Yu Chong had fled, he was prepared to run too. That was when two beasts charged out of the mist. They were canine-type beasts that were notrge—barely half the size of the Sun Devouring Wolf. Long, white fur covered their bodies with ck patterns that looked like runes. Their eyes were ck, and they had manes like lions, making them look strangely regal.
“Immortal beasts?” Long Chen halted because he sensed that the two canine-type beasts were around Category Three Earth-tier. It was rare for Earth-tier Category Four beasts to appear in the Elementary Zone.
“What a useless bastard. He ran because of only two Category Three Earth-tier beasts ... But I don’t think Yu Chong feared the beasts. He was only trying to use them to kill me. He’s maniptive but clearly only average at it.”
Despite knowing Yu Chong’s intentions, Long Chen did not flee. To him, both immortal and demonic beasts were sources of nourishment.
The damp environment of the Nine Devil Mountains bred venomous beasts that possessed strong venom. Here at the Counter Essence Realm, the spiritual Qi was abundant and even condensed to a liquid state. Being constantly immersed in spiritual Qi turned demonic beasts into beautiful and intelligent beings, and their violent tendencies were subdued with the nourishment of the spiritual Qi.
These two beasts matched the descriptions of Category Three Earth-tier Cloud Canines. They had only evolved to this current look after countless generations within the immortal realm.
Long Chen had no choice but to use maximum strength to defeat them. He quickly activated his Dragon Soul Transformation, so neat and uniform red dragon scales instantly protected his body. He radiated power, even when he was standing still.
<i>Roar!</i>
The two Cloud Canines were initially heading towards the center of Area Eighteen. When they saw Long Chen, they turned and roared, then they charged at him. Ever since the imperial family took control of the Counter Essence Realm countless years ago, they had been at constant war with the immortal beasts. This hatred had long seeped into their bones, so when they spotted Long Chen, they attacked.
<i>This speed is simr to Xiang when he was at the Category Three Earth-tier. </i>It was no wonder Yu Chong would run. Cloud Canines were considered one of the stronger species among the Category Three Earth-tier beasts; even Yu Chong was not sure if he could defeat one.
<i>Yu Chong isn’t here, so I can test out my Divine Fire Clone. </i>With that thought, Long Chen released the fire seed he had recently condensed. Five human-shaped fire clones appeared, standing behind him. After some practice, he had sessfully mastered the second stage of Divine Fire Clone!
When the Cloud Canines saw the five fire clones, they were momentarily stunned, though they did not falter. One canine broke off to fight the clones.
The five clones surrounded the canine and started to attack it. Fire flew in all directions,pletely restricting the canine. Long Chen used his Azure Dragon Halberd to m it away, then pounced on it. He swung his halberd as hard as he could, attacking it again and again!
The Cloud Canine’s advantage was that it was fast and agile. It could dodge Long Chen’s quick attacks to a limited extent, and it forced him back with the help of its powerful ws and teeth.
“Nine Spinning Fire Shields!”
Halting his halberd attacks, Long Chen had an idea and activated the Nine Spinning Fire Shields. He used it as a weapon, pressing down on the canine. The Cloud Canine could not react in time to the giant fire spiral that had appeared out of nowhere. Plus, this was an intermediate Earth-tierbat technique, so how could it be simple?
The fire from the Nine Spinning Fire Shields caused the Cloud Canine’s white fur to start erupting in mes. It let out a painful howl and wanted to run away to seek help from its friend. That was when Long Chen removed the shield and shed it with his halberd!
“Azure Dragon Combat Technique, Nine Heavens Dragon Ascension!”
The Azure Dragon soul soared ahead, then it sted the canine that was about to flee up into the air. The canine crashed into the ground, eyes wide and ck blood flowing out of its eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. It was dead!
When the other canine witnessed the tragic death of its friend, it went mad and destroyed two of the five clones instantly!
Long Chen did not stop. Right after killing one Cloud Canine, he pounced on the other. His Qi was definitely not weaker than the Cloud Canine’s demonic power, plus he had an intermediate Earth-tier weapon and three fire clones restricting it. Using the same method, he killed the other canine too.
“Blood Transmutation!”
Long Chenpletely absorbed the blood of two Cloud Canines using the divine technique from the Ancient Bloodsoul Dragon, turning it into his own Qi. When the star Qi in his body increased, his cultivation improved a little.
“It’s a pity that I''m still a distance away from the Third River Stage. It looks like only Category Four Earth-tier immortal beasts are enough for me. But I can’t beat them ...”
This was indeed a dilemma to him.
After digesting the blood of the two beasts, he cremated their carcasses, which were already burnt ck. Checking the time, he looked in the direction that Yu Chong had run towards, knowing he would return soon. Enough time had passed for him to return to base, report to Yu Tao, ande back to collect Long Chen’s body.
As expected, Yu Tao and Yu Chong, along with several patrolling guards, rushed over soon after. From far away, they saw Long Chen standing there unscathed and were shocked. Yu Chong was in disbelief; he rubbed his eyes to check if it really was Long Chen.
“Long Chen, where are the two Cloud Canines?” Yu Tao quickly looked around. Other than traces of fire being burnt in his surroundings, there was nothing else.
“What Cloud Canines?” Long Chen looked at him with a half-smile.
“Yu Chong, didn’t you say there were two Category Three Earth-tier Cloud Canines here?” Yu Tao asked sourly.
“It’s true! It wasn’t a mistake! They were definitely two Cloud Canines! Why are they gone now?” Even if Long Chen had killed them, where were the carcasses? had he burned them? Was he that powerful? Could he kill two Category Three Earth-tier beasts despite only being at the Second River Stage?
“Since when was there a Cloud Canine? We arrived here during our patrol, but then Yu Chong rushed off. I thought you were looking for a ce to poop. Haha ...” Long Chenughed, though with some glee directed at Yu Chong.
“Long Chen, what did you say?” Yu Chong had an icy expression.
“Whatever.” Yu Tao shook his head and pressed Yu Chong down. Looking at Long Chen in puzzlement, he said, “Since there are no Cloud Canines, everyone get on with your tasks! Continue patrolling!”
“Yes!” Although everyone was confused, they did not dare believe that a country boy from a small town could kill two powerful immortal beasts in such a short time without getting hurt.
Long Chen was still mulling over the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit, so he ignored these unimportant figures. Although they were stronger than him, as a Dragon Warrior, he would soon surpass them.
The days passed. During his patrols, Long Chen killed many beasts ranging from Category One to Three. At this point, he was extremely close to reaching the Third River Stage. However, he still had no information on the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit, and he knew that he could not go on like this. One day, while he was resting in between patrols, he couldn’t help but ask Zhang Yuanteng about it.
“Brother Zhang, do you know of any famous treasures in the Counter Essence Realm?” he asked in a low voice.
“Treasures? I don’t know about that. The Advanced Zone is a ce directly controlled by the imperial family, so everything inside is strictly confidential. But I know about a rumor of a talisman in the Advanced Zone. It is a strange talisman because it can be seen but not touched, so no one can do anything with it.”
“A talisman?” This had nothing to do with Long Chen, so he asked anxiously, “Have you heard of the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit?”
“No, I haven’t. What level is that spiritual herb?” Zhan Yuanteng asked, stunned.
Long Chen had not asked Li Xuanji what level it was. That was his mistake. However, he guessed that an herb that could help recover Ling Xi’s physical body could only be found in the Advanced Zone.
If Zhang Yuanteng did not know of it, it meant that it was a precious treasure.
“Can we enter the Advanced Zone?” Long Chen asked cautiously.
“Of course not.” Zhang Yuanteng grinned. “The Advanced Zone is directly owned by the imperial family and holds countless treasures. If we trespass, we will definitely be killed instantly. Long Chen, you’re not thinking of going, are you? It’s not a joke! You’re likely going to die!”
“No! That would be looking for death,” Long Chen said with a grin, though his heart sank. It looked like obtaining the Nine Heavens Immortal Fruit would be more difficult than he anticipated ...
“There are many very powerful cultivators in the Advanced Zone who can kill you. Even if we put that aside, Category Seven Earth-tier beasts are verymon there too. If you go there, a random encounter will get you killed,” Zhang Yuanteng borated, worried about him.
“Category Seven Earth-tier beasts? Do they live in the Advanced Zone?” he suddenly asked.
“They typically only show up in the Advanced Zone, but there have been several immortal beast stampedes before, which consists of immortal beasts moving together. During these stampedes, many powerful immortal beasts from the Advance Zone run over to the Elementary Zone. Many people die every time there’s a stampede.”
“Immortal beast stampede?”
If it was called a stampede, then it consisted of many beasts, and that would be absolutely terrifying.