The outer beasts were almost devoid of intelligence, while the beasts here, influenced by the proximity of demonic beasts, had slowly developed some intelligence, thus possessing territorial awareness.
The place where Zi Linling was currently located was the territory of a tiger-like fierce beast, the man-eating pig.
The man-eating pig was an ancient fierce beast that preyed on humans.
"Little girl, the man-eating pig is highly sensitive to human soul power, so from now on, do not use your divine sense."
Elder Du had ceased his sulking since Zi Linling entered the inner region of the Misty Forest.
After all, he had lived for over a thousand years and was intimately familiar with the habits of various fierce and demonic beasts, making him a veritable walking library.
Zi Linling nodded, retracting most of her divine sense back into her sea of consciousness, leaving behind only a sliver to scout ahead.
A foul, fishy odor permeated the air, making Zi Linling feel incredibly oppressed.
To save time, she moved in almost a straight line, which meant she had to pass through the heart of the man-eating pig's territory.
As for taking a detour, Zi Linling hadn't even considered it.
Although this was the fringe area of the Misty Forest's inner region, it had already been completely divided up by various fierce beasts.
Therefore, even if she bypassed the man-eating pig's territory, she would inevitably enter the territory of other fierce beasts.
And those who could be neighbors to the man-eating pig were, without exception, extremely powerful fierce beasts, such as the Crimson Flame Beast and the Lion-Faced Man.
Thus, with pursuers at her heels, Zi Linling could only choose the simplest, most direct, most effective, and most time-saving route.
Although the man-eating pig was highly sensitive to human divine sense, it spent most of its time in slumber. As long as she was careful and minimized fluctuations in her divine sense, it shouldn't be difficult to leave its territory.
Despite these words, Zi Linling proceeded with extreme caution, spending a full quarter of an hour to cover less than five hundred meters.
At the junction between the outer and inner regions, Xie Shenghua, Xiong Tai, and Li Luo finally caught up.
Seeing that they had all arrived, Fu Liuyun briefly explained the situation and awaited their opinions.
Xie Shenghua pondered for a moment and said, "This fairy intends to go in. That brat has played tricks on this fairy twice now. If I don't personally witness her being devoured by fierce or demonic beasts, I will not be able to quell the hatred in my heart!"
Although she said this, the greed in her eyes could not be concealed.
She thought to herself, "Hmph! It's good that brat is dead. Then this fairy can contract that little divine dragon!"
"Exactly, exactly! That brat is too detestable, more slippery than an eel. With her wit, she might even manage to escape the inner region."
Xiong Tai looked at the three of them and continued, "Therefore, I have decided to go in and try my luck. If she truly dies in the mouth of the beast race, then so be it. But if she is fortunate enough to survive..." Su Dan Novel Network
"Heh heh!"
He let out a cold laugh and added, "Then I will personally capture her!"
Do not be fooled by Xiong Tai's righteous words; he was calculating his own gains with great shrewdness.
He harbored the same intentions as Xie Shenghua. If Zi Linling died, it would be an opportune moment to contract the little divine dragon. If Zi Linling survived, she would certainly not escape his grasp.
Li Luo repeatedly looked at her elegant finger and said, "Your servant has no objections!"
Fu Liuyun nodded and said, "Since everyone's opinion is unanimous, let's prepare ourselves and set off!"
"This fairy can depart at any time!"
"This seat needs no preparation!"
"Your servant neither!"
Seeing the eagerness of the three, Fu Liuyun shook his head and said, "I scouted ahead just now. About a hundred meters ahead, there is a patch of miasma. Its extent is impossible to estimate, so we will need to prepare a large quantity of antidote pills or detoxification elixirs."
"Can't we just force our way through with our spiritual power?" Xie Shenghua asked with a frown.
Fu Liuyun shook his head and said, "That miasma corrodes spiritual power, and it does so extremely rapidly. Without a Saint King realm cultivation, one cannot hope to brute-force their way through."
"Oh?"
Xiong Tai pondered for a moment, then walked towards the Black Water Hall's contingent. "Hand over all your antidote pills or detoxification elixirs, and wait here."
Although the people of the Black Water Hall were reluctant, Xiong Tai was, after all, the Left Protector.
Thus, they all unwillingly produced the antidote pills and detoxification elixirs they carried.
As for hiding some? They dared not. Despite Xiong Tai's seemingly simple-minded demeanor, he could kill without blinking an eye.
Li Luo and Xie Shenghua followed suit, consolidating the antidote pills and detoxification elixirs from the Sacred Sect and the Hundred Flower Palace, and ordered them to await their return.
As the sect leader, Fu Liuyun naturally would not be short of such supplies, so he did not search the members of the Flowing Cloud Sect, much to their relief.
He glanced disdainfully at the three and said, "Since everyone is prepared, let's set off."
With that, he took the lead and strode forward.
The other three did not delay and quickly followed.
Zi Linling finally reached the heart of the man-eating pig's territory. She dared not even breathe, for the man-eating pig's den was only a few dozen steps away.
What Zi Linling had to do now was to bypass the man-eating pig's den and enter the central area of the inner region.
Her mind was highly concentrated, and her body was in a state of extreme alert.
One step!
Two steps!
Three steps...
With each step, she had to pause and carefully listen to the surrounding movements.
As she drew closer to the man-eating pig's den, the beast's snores grew louder, causing her eardrums to throb.
Twenty steps!
Thirty steps!
Fifty steps!
Zi Linling was now standing at the entrance of the man-eating pig's den. She curiously peered inside.
The den was not deep, and Zi Linling could see the slumbering man-eating pig within at a glance.
The man-eating pig resembled a tiger in appearance, with a tail like an ox, and it was said that its roar sounded like a dog's bark.
"Eh! What is that?"
Zi Linling noticed five small, silvery-white grasses growing by the man-eating pig's mouth.
As the silvery light on the grasses continuously flowed, the surrounding spiritual energy poured into the grasses and then entered the man-eating pig's nostrils.
Spirit Guiding Grass!
Zi Linling was overjoyed. It was truly a case of "searching high and low without finding it, yet finding it when one stops looking."
The Spirit Guiding Grass she had been desperately seeking was actually in the man-eating pig's den! More precisely, it was by the man-eating pig's mouth.
What to do?
Pluck it or not?
Plucking it might awaken the man-eating pig, but if she didn't, she didn't know when she would find another Spirit Guiding Grass.
Pluck it?
Or not?
After a brief internal struggle, Zi Linling gritted her teeth and said, "Fortune favors the bold, I'll risk it!"
She carefully concealed her aura, and the divine sense she had long since retracted into her sea of consciousness dared not leak even a trace. Then, she slowly crept towards the man-eating pig.