ALL NOVEL
Chapter 52: Chapter 52 The Might of Li Xiaobai
"Miss, what is a 'Spirit Beast'?" Uncle Wang asked, puzzled.
"Uncle Wang, you see, this little dog is clearly looking for us. It already has spiritual intelligence; it understands what we're saying,"
Situ Yanyu said with a smile, her heart growing fond of the scruffy little dog.
Such a cute and telepathic little dog could be described as a girl's kryptonite.
"So, what does it want from us?" Uncle Wang prodded the scruffy little dog.
"Woof woof woof!"
"Do you want us to follow you?" Situ Yanyu asked with a light laugh.
"Woof woof woof!"
The scruffy little dog was very excited, the other party understood its intent, and it tugged at Situ Yanyu even more vigorously.
"Uncle Wang, why don't we delay our journey for a bit and follow it to see?" Situ Yanyu suggested.
"Alright, I've never encountered a telepathic little dog in my life. To think it can understand human speech is truly incredible," Uncle Wang said.
"Woof woof woof!"
The scruffy little dog stood up on its hind legs, with its front paws behind its back, a gesture of disdain.
It looked on as the elder and the young girl were flabbergasted.
"Quick, follow it!"
Situ Yanyu felt like she had stumbled upon a treasure today, such human-like Demonic Beasts were rare to see.
The other families in the city also kept Spirit Beasts, but they could only understand the most basic commands and were not very obedient, nothing compared to the scruffy little dog in front of them.
If only she could persuade this little dog to become her personal Spirit Beast.
Uncle Wang drove the carriage off the official road and followed the scruffy little dog, tearing through the dense forest.
"Miss, it's dangerous in these woods, they say Demonic Beasts often appear here," Uncle Wang warned.
"Uncle Wang, you go back. I'll just follow the little dog. I'm a cultivator, I'll be fine," Situ Yanyu assured him, her lips tightly pursed, fixated on the scruffy little dog, unwilling to pass up such a rare opportunity.
"Hehe, what nonsense are you talking about, young lady? Is Uncle Wang the type to abandon you in the Demonic Beast Forest and leave you to fend for yourself?"
"Uncle Wang is just worried about your safety, that's all..." he admitted.
The carriage sped along, going deeper and deeper into the woods.
In the jungle, the roars of Demonic Beasts could be heard from time to time, interspersed with gusts of wind carrying a tinge of blood, an indicator of the oppressive aura unleashed by the howling beasts.
"Woof woof woof!"
The scruffy little dog suddenly stopped in the distance and barked furiously at the carriage.
Situ Yanyu's face lit up with joy. They had arrived at their destination. She stepped out of the carriage and scrutinized the surroundings. They were in a valley, with mountain breezes blowing through now and then, the air refreshingly crisp.
She had never ventured so deep into a mountain forest.
Normally, she would collect herbs no more than a few miles off the official road, but this time, they must be at least a hundred miles away from it.
It wouldn't be unusual for any type of Demonic Beast to reside here; she just hoped to pass through safely.
"Miss, this place isn't safe. Let's finish our business quickly and leave!"
"This place feels too comfortable to stay. Wherever it's comfortable is bound to be suitable for living; it must be inhabited by Demonic Beasts," Uncle Wang nervously suggested.
He had gotten carried away and followed her into this place.
Now, he regretted it a bit. It was one thing if he died here, but if Situ Yanyu also perished, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
If he had known, he would have come alone.
However, the scruffy little dog didn't care about their concerns. With a leap, it jumped into the valley, barking at them again.
The two of them hurried to keep up. Having come this far, they had to see what the scruffy little dog needed.
As they got closer, they saw a figure lying quietly in the middle of the valley—a young man.
"Miss, this is..." Uncle Wang began.
"Uncle Wang, this appears to be a cultivator, and this little dog is probably here to find someone to rescue this cultivator."
Situ Yanyu's expression was somewhat conflicted, and her heart sank with disappointment as she realized the scruffy dog already had an owner.
"Miss, perhaps it's not our place to meddle in affairs between cultivators," Uncle Wang cautioned.
"Uncle Wang, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda. Let's go down and see."
"Alas, all right..."
The two of them made their way down the slope to the bottom of the valley and headed towards Li Xiaobai.
In an instant, they were both so shocked that their hair stood on end.
At that moment, Li Xiaobai's skin had not completely regrown, his body's muscle tissues still throbbed palpably, and the bloody hole in his chest was especially appalling to behold.
"This... This man must be dead, his chest has been pierced through!" Uncle Wang exclaimed in shock.
Situ Yanyu felt a wave of nausea, and the sight in front of her made her feel incredibly ill at ease.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Situ Yanyu turned to the scruffy dog and asked,
"Do you want us to take him away?"
"Woof, woof, woof!"
The scruffy dog began dragging Li Xiaobai towards the carriage, its intent clearer than ever.
"Miss, please think this through. Bringing this person with us may bring disaster upon us," Uncle Wang said, feeling fearful at the sight of Li Xiaobai.
Situ Yanyu also felt torn since the man before her was clearly being pursued by enemies, and saving him could bring trouble upon herself.
However, in the span of those thoughts, multiple furious roars filled the air, and several gigantic demonic beasts appeared atop the valley, letting out a terrifying bellow at the two humans and one dog below.
An intangible scent of blood filled the valley.
Situ Yanyu turned pale. The inevitable had arrived.
"Little doggy, do you have a way to drive away the demonic beasts?" Situ Yanyu asked.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
The scruffy dog darted back to Li Xiaobai's chest.
The hearts of both humans sank, realizing that, even though the dog was spiritually aware, it clearly lacked strength.
Given the intimidating presence of the demonic beasts above, who seemed to possess the power of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stage, they feared their deaths were certain.
"Uncle Wang, I'll distract them while you take the opportunity to drive the carriage away!"
Situ Yanyu's face was filled with resolve.
"Uncle Wang is already over fifty; you still have your prime years ahead of you. Practice well in the future, and avenge me," Wang said.
Uncle Wang's face calmed down as he faced the crisis. He realized that by sacrificing his old life to protect fresh blood, his tale would not be a sad one.
"Uncle Wang, Yan Yu has some cultivation power and can hold them off for a while. Please just listen to me this once..."
"Woof, woof, woof!"
As the two were at an impasse, the dog's urgent barking sounded again, as if trying to communicate a message to them.
"Do you want us to get closer?"
Situ Yanyu understood the scruffy dog's intent.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
The two approached Li Xiaobai's "corpse" and crouched down, enduring their discomfort.
Surrounded by several large demonic beasts, they knew their chances of survival were virtually nil; they had no choice but to trust the scruffy dog this once.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, the demonic beasts from above made their powerful charge.
Their roars echoed through the valley and their formidable presence swept across the field; the two humans curled up together, eyes tightly shut, having abandoned all hope. Against such powerful demonic beasts, even a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage would falter.
It was at this moment they suddenly heard a low, hoarse voice by their ears.
"Blood Demon Transcendental Venerable!"