The bloody scent in the cave overpowered everything else, seeping into Yan Shouyi's nostrils with the cold air.
Though he was accustomed to the smell of blood, witnessing Li Genmiao kill again served as a stark reminder to Yan Shouyi.
Despite Li Genmiao's refined demeanor, his outward appearance of normalcy masked an intrinsic nature as a complete psychopath.
Getting too close to the abyss meant being consumed by it.
Yan Shouyi's gaze gradually turned colder.
Just then, from an inconspicuous corner of the cave, a brown-grey bipedal chicken suddenly burst forth, flapping its wings towards the corpse of the black bear spirit.
"Tiezi!!!" the pheasant shouted loudly.
Both Yan Shouyi and Li Genmiao were surprised, as they hadn't seen the pheasant at all moments before. It hadn't been hiding there; it had simply appeared out of nowhere!
Many questions simultaneously flooded their minds.
Was this pheasant in league with the black bear spirit?
Not only could it speak, but it also possessed abilities like blinking or invisibility?
Yan Shouyi recalled that it was most likely this pheasant that had rescued the ginseng doll earlier.
As the pheasant wailed hysterically, the ginseng doll also emerged from the earth, clutching the black bear spirit's corpse and crying loudly.
For a moment, even Li Genmiao was unsure how to react to the scene.
After a brief silence, Li Genmiao once again revealed a fierce smile: "The ginseng doll has reappeared. Aren't you going to catch it? Leave the other strange pheasant to me."
Yan Shouyi had no intention of killing the ginseng doll in the first place. Moreover, the black bear spirit's death had once again made Yan Shouyi recognize Li Genmiao's true nature. Therefore, this time, he chose not to intervene.
He shook his head and said, "I don't want the ginseng doll. The black bear spirit is also dead. No one can block our path up the mountain. Let's go."
"Oh? Aren't you curious about this pheasant?" Li Genmiao asked, perplexed.
"If you're going up the mountain to catch a pheasant, then by all means, you should make your move," Yan Shouyi retorted sarcastically.
Li Genmiao snorted coldly, ignoring Yan Shouyi's taunt.
He was indeed very interested in this peculiar pheasant, but what truly piqued his interest was the pheasant's abilities. Whether it was blinking or invisibility, learning them would be a formidable skill.
Thus, Li Genmiao walked directly behind the pheasant and reached out to grab it.
Unexpectedly, at that very moment, a sudden anomaly occurred!
The pheasant, along with the ginseng doll, vanished again. Meanwhile, the black bear spirit, which had already exploded and died, suddenly awoke and slapped Li Genmiao in the chest with its paw!
Bang!
Li Genmiao flew out like a cannonball, crashing directly into the wall. Upon landing, he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yan Shouyi was also greatly alarmed. How had the black bear spirit revived?
The black bear spirit staggered to its feet, and the horrifying wounds on its body began to heal rapidly.
This was almost comparable to Yan Shouyi's own Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet!
The pheasant and the ginseng doll reappeared at the cave entrance, and the two of them were actually mocking Li Genmiao: "Hahahaha! You think you can kill Tiezi with your abilities? How ridiculous! Hahaha!"
It was the pheasant who spoke the mockery, while the ginseng doll made faces and stuck out its tongue at Li Genmiao, "Nya nya nya."
The leader of the prestigious Xin Xuan Sect was actually being mocked by a pheasant and a ginseng root?
Yan Shouyi felt like laughing, even wanting to join the mocking chorus, but he clearly understood his own predicament was similar to Li Genmiao's.
After the black bear spirit dealt with Li Genmiao, he would be next.
What was even more infuriating was that Yan Shouyi couldn't let Li Genmiao die right now.
"Human, your death day has arrived!!"
The black bear spirit roared and lunged at Li Genmiao, its massive bear paw aiming directly for Li Genmiao's head.
In a critical moment, Yan Shouyi flashed forward, blocking Li Genmiao's path and deflecting the black bear spirit's attack with his Soul Reaper Blade.
The sheer force of the black bear spirit's blow caused Yan Shouyi's entire body to sink, his feet digging deeply into the ground.
"Hmm?"
The black bear spirit seemed surprised that this human could withstand its attack. After retracting its paw, it sniffed the air and exclaimed in astonishment, "You... you are like me?"
Yan Shouyi froze.
What did it mean, "you are like me"?
Wait... immense strength, an unyielding body, incredible regenerative abilities...
Was this black bear spirit a Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet?!
Yan Shouyi looked at the black bear spirit in disbelief, his eyes filled with far more shock than the bear's.
The conditions for refining a Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet were extremely rigorous and troublesome; Yan Shouyi had only obtained his by chance. How had this black bear spirit acquired such a state?
Surely, no one would be so bored as to refine a black bear into a puppet, would they?
Li Genmiao, lying behind Yan Shouyi, his mouth still bleeding, couldn't resist a sarcastic remark: "You are both Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppets, perhaps you should become sworn brothers?"
The black bear spirit regained its senses: even if this human was a Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet, it didn't change the fact that they were enemies.
Moreover, the other human had just killed it once, so grudges had been formed.
"I don't care who you are! Trespassing on Changbai Mountain means immediate execution!!"
The black bear spirit attacked again, engaging Yan Shouyi in a fierce battle.
After several rounds, Yan Shouyi's strength gradually became apparent.
He didn't use any spells or divine abilities; relying solely on his physical prowess, he fought the black bear spirit to a stalemate.
The pheasant and the ginseng doll, who had initially been shouting "Go, go!", fell silent, as they both realized that Yan Shouyi was no pushover.
Even if Tiezi was powerful, he could still lose to this human!
Li Genmiao watched with keen interest, completely unconcerned about his injuries.
Finally, the black bear spirit couldn't hold back any longer.
It realized that this human was very troublesome, and it wouldn't be able to deal with him without employing its true abilities.
Thus, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.
The black bear spirit retreated a few steps, bit its own claw, and then drew a talisman in the air, causing silver lightning to erupt from its palm!
"Spirit of Jiaoji, divine spirits of Jia and Yi. Raise waves, beat drums, summon clouds and thunder. All demons wander and perceive, all dissolved by lightning. Cut off a thousand heads, sever ten thousand forms. Those who obey me live, those who oppose me fall. Disobey my command, and you defy the heavens. Haste, haste, as per the order!"
Palm Lightning!
Sizzle, sizzle!
The lightning snakes shot towards Yan Shouyi, who stared in stunned silence, only dodging at the last second.
Even Li Genmiao's eyes widened, but he quickly returned to normal, a smile playing on his lips, as if he had figured something out.
Yan Shouyi dodged the lightning snakes and exclaimed in shock, "Palm Lightning? How can a black bear spirit from Changbai Mountain know the skills of the Maoshan Sect?!"
The black bear spirit roared with laughter, "Now you know how formidable I am? I'll electrocute you to death!"
Following that, several more Palm Lightning bolts struck towards Yan Shouyi.
The morale of the pheasant and the ginseng doll surged, and they began cheering and laughing again.
Until Yan Shouyi, unable to bear it any longer, retaliated with Palm Lightning of his own: "Spirit of Jiaoji, divine spirits of Jia and Yi... Damn it, just electrocute them!!"
Thick lightning snakes instantly surged in Yan Shouyi's palm, far more terrifying than the black bear spirit's!
This time, it was the black bear spirit's turn to be dumbfounded: "You, how do you know Palm Lightning? Are you a Taoist priest from the Maoshan Sect?!"