*Splat!*
A short blade grazed the skin of Feng Wuji’s neck!
A hair-thin line of blood appeared on his neck, and a bead of blood slowly trickled down.
Feng Wuji touched his neck, his heart hammering wildly.
For some reason, though he was a modern man, he felt not a shred of fear at this moment—only excitement!
"Feng Wuji, you've already been demoted to a Servant Disciple and you don't even have a Spirit Pet. Why come here looking to die?" the man in black rebuked angrily.
Feng Wuji narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that this fellow knew a lot about Beast Taming Mountain!
Who on Beast Taming Mountain didn't know?
Once a Beastmaster's natal Spirit Beast perished, at least half of their combat power was instantly crippled!
In the eyes of the man in black, he was no different than fish on a chopping block right now!
"Who told you this daddy doesn't have one?!" Feng Wuji said coldly.
Before his voice even faded, the entire dense forest suddenly shuddered violently!
A crimson cloud of insects that blotted out the sun poured down from the tree canopy, and a torrent composed of thousands of Dark Blood Mosquitoes instantly engulfed the man in black!
"What the hell is this?!"
Terrified out of his wits, the man in black roared as he frantically brandished his short blade, the blade's light weaving into a barrier.
Yet the mosquitoes darted agilely through the air; how could anyone possibly track them with the naked eye?
The Mosquito Queen in midair spread her four wings and flew like a shooting star straight to the wrist of the man in black!
"These are... mosquitoes?"
How could the man in black have ever seen mosquitoes the size of a finger? While he was still bewildered, the Dark Blood Mosquitoes suddenly struck!
"Ah! My hand!"
The bone-piercing, soul-shredding agony forced a shrieking howl of pure misery from the man in black.
But this was merely the beginning!
More Dark Blood Mosquitoes ignored the flashing blade, crazily hurling themselves forward, searching for the gaps in his dark armor and the tears in his robes!
They even burrowed frantically right into the wounds on his arm!
In a moment, the screams of the man in black rapidly shifted from high-pitched to hoarse and faint!
His entire body looked as though its flesh and blood essence had been sucked dry; under the shroud of the mosquito swarm, he withered visibly to the naked eye!
At last, he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud—a terrifying, emaciated corpse, withered to the bone with skin devoid of color, countless tiny blood holes riddling his entire body!
Feng Wuji picked up the Storage Bag that had fallen to the ground and said flatly, "Your turn!"
This bloody, bizarre, and utterly horrifying scene poured down like a basin of icy water, freezing the movements of the three fiercely battling figures into a sudden, rigid halt!
A bone-chilling frost instantly gripped the livers and gales of the two remaining men in black!
"A monster! He's a monster! Run! Hurry, run!!"
Terror completely overwhelmed their mission. The two men no longer possessed an ounce of fighting spirit, letting out a bizarre cry as they bolted for their lives deep into the dense forest like stray dogs!
They didn't even dare to spare a second glance at their companion's desiccated corpse!
"You keep watch over the coffin here. I'm going after them!" Feng Wuji paused. "About the mosquitoes..."
"Even if it costs me my life, Qing'er will never breathe a word of the Young Master's secret to anyone!" Xu Qing'er said with a deadpan earnestness.
Feng Wuji chuckled. "Are you afraid of me?"
Unexpectedly, the next moment Xu Qing'er lunged into Feng Wuji's embrace.
She shook her head. "The Young Master is my sky. How could I ever be afraid..."
Feeling the softness in his arms, Feng Wuji laughed in mock scolding, "You silly girl!"
"If the Young Master keeps calling me silly, what will Qing'er do if she really turns into a fool in the future?" Xu Qing'er murmured softly.
Feng Wuji glanced at the mess all around them. "Being a fool is fine, too. At worst, the Young Master will support you for the rest of your life."
He spoke without intention, but she listened with a heart full of meaning.
Xu Qing'er's heart trembled. Supporting her for the rest of life—wasn't that just marriage?
Instantly, she felt her cheeks grow burning hot.
The next moment, Feng Wuji had already set off to chase down the three men.
Reaching an open clearing, Feng Wuji intended to dispatch the mosquitoes to track the targets. After all, mosquitoes were tiny in size and numerous in quantity; much like a fleet of small drones, they were far more efficient at searching for people than he could ever be.
"Right, they sucked the blood of quite a few beasts along the way. Let's see if we can strengthen the Dark Blood Mosquitoes." Feng Wuji pondered to himself.
Wherever Feng Wuji had passed along the way, whether winged creatures or beasts on four legs, every single one had taken a bite or two.
On a tree not far from Feng Wuji, a monkey was baring its teeth and scratching furiously at its scrotum, itching so badly it let out loud cries of distress.
After feeding all the collected blood, a system prompt appeared.
[Feeding complete]
[Dark Blood Mosquito]
[Quality: General]
[Evolution Progress: 55.5%]
[Combat Power: 10]
[Lifespan: 288 days]
[Skill/Nurture: Can compress sucked blood into spirit pills, providing the user with a boost in spiritual Qi cultivation]
[Skill/Queen: Can command the mosquito swarm; the host no longer needs to consume excess spiritual power]
He hadn't expected the Dark Blood Mosquito's progress to jump from 13.5% all the way to 55.5%.
"As expected of the deep mountains and forests, resources are simply abundant... It's just a pity that the spirit beasts on Beast Taming Mountain have already been hunted clean, leaving only some ordinary wild beasts behind." Feng Wuji opened an earthenware jar.
The original wrigglers had all transformed into mosquitoes.
[Bloodthirsty Mosquito]
[Quality: Soldier]
[Cannot evolve (of the same species of insect, only one can undergo evolution)]
[Combat Power: 10]
[Lifespan: 30 days]
[Skill/Nurture: Can compress sucked blood into spirit pills, providing the user with a boost in spiritual Qi cultivation]
He stood up and took a deep breath.
"Scatter! Search the mountain inch by inch for me! Tear up the ground three feet deep if you must, but drag those three rats out!"
Feng Wuji waved his hand grandly.
Hum!
The swarm of insects burst apart in response, transforming into hundreds of inconspicuous dark red threads that silently melted into the night of the mountain forest, beginning their most meticulous search.
Dismissing the insect swarm, Feng Wuji flipped his hand and produced three bizarre blood pills, each the size of a longan, perfectly round and glowing with a warm red luster.
These were precisely what the Mosquito Queen had condensed using the "royal" grade precious blood of the Blue-Eyed Savage Bull!
Recalling the bull's thick hide that was harder than fine steel, Feng Wuji had originally held no hope.
Who would have thought the Mosquito Queen was shrewd and ruthless, specifically targeting weak spots like the ear canals, lip corners, and armpits to bite, literally pulling fangs from a tiger's mouth to suck out the precious blood essence!
Aside from what the Mosquito Queen used for her own evolution, only these three remained.
Without a moment's hesitation, Feng Wuji swallowed all three blood pills in one gulp!
The blood pills melted upon contact with his tongue. Rather than liquid, they transformed into three piping-hot, surging torrents of pure energy that instantly rushed into his limbs and bones!
The spiritual Qi exploded forth, a hundredfold more violent than ordinary beast blood!
His meridians instantly bulged to the point of feeling as though they were about to burst!
"Ugh-ah!"
Clenching his teeth, Feng Wuji let out a low roar, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently as he channeled his cultivation technique to guide this ferocious power.
The agonizing pain was mixed with an indescribable sense of supreme comfort!
"I've reached Foundation Establishment Level 2! Ha-ha!" Feng Wuji opened his eyes happily, only to find the surroundings pitch black—night had already fallen.
"That bunch from daytime probably didn't dare to leave, but come nightfall, those three men in black should be making a move." Feng Wuji slowly stood up. Flexing his hands and feet, he found his entire body brimming with strength.
"Time to go settle the score with them!" Feng Wuji leaped down from the boulder.
Yet a feeble Moon Bear wandered past his line of sight, staggering unsteadily.
"Your Majesty, stop always picking on the same wool..." Feng Wuji looked helplessly at the Mosquito Queen by his side.
Clearly, the Mosquito Queen had also developed rudimentary intelligence.
She flew a circle around Feng Wuji, and moments later, three more mosquito eggs materialized on a small stone slab right in front of him.
Feng Wuji suddenly understood; she had been preparing mosquito eggs for him.
Buzz-buzz!
A few mosquitoes flew over from among the trees, circling around Feng Wuji.
Immediately afterward, a massive number of mosquitoes formed a formation in midair.
It was an arrow pointing forward.
The corners of Feng Wuji's mouth curled upward. "Found them?"