As he got closer, Hun Hunsheng's scent of blood became even more pronounced.
Mu Chen felt no discomfort, because he himself now had that same scent of blood on him.
"She also cultivates the Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art, and her attainment isn't low…" Mu Chen secretly guessed in his heart.
Neither of them slept. It was their first meeting, and there was always some wariness between them.
After completing the Spiritual Array, Mu Chen sat down again and meditated.
After finishing his roasted meat, Hun Hunsheng walked to a tree and sat down, crossing her arms and closing her eyes to rest.
The bonfire burned, emitting a bright light, occasionally accompanied by the crackling sound of branches exploding in the flames.
Early the next morning, the east turned white, and the intertwined golden-red light left a brilliant color in the sky.
Mu Chen opened his eyes, stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at Hun Hunsheng.
The black-haired girl opened her eyes, and her blood-red pupils were as beautiful as blooming flowers.
"Let's go…" Mu Chen said.
"Mm." Hun Hunsheng took a step.
Mu Chen called out to her, "Wait, where are you going?"
"Didn't you say we were setting off?" Hun Hunsheng blinked.
"This way…" Mu Chen pointed in the opposite direction.
The girl was silent for a moment, then turned around.
The two walked through the forest. As they passed a pond, a giant golden crocodile suddenly sprang out of the water and opened its large mouth to bite Mu Chen.
Mu Chen lightly tapped the ground with his toes, his body quickly retreating, dodging the golden crocodile's pounce.
He counterattacked with a punch.
Accompanied by violent spiritual power, the Bansho Death Seal instantly flew out.
It instantly knocked the golden crocodile over. He followed up with another punch, killing it.
After collecting the spiritual beast essence, the mark on his brow was slightly enhanced again.
Mu Chen, as before, splattered the blood of the newly killed spiritual beast onto his body. The Blood Emperor Body Tempering Art slowly circulated, drawing essence from the fresh blood to strengthen himself.
Hun Hunsheng watched quietly from the side, not urging him.
Mu Chen whispered, "This spiritual art is effective, but it might cause some trouble in the forest."
Unlike the bloody scent on Hun Hunsheng, which had blended into her own aura, the bloody scent on Mu Chen was real and substantial; many spiritual beasts could smell it from a great distance.
Hun Hunsheng said indifferently, "It just so happens to be bait. Attracting spiritual beasts over also makes it easier for you to raise your mark level."
"I'm afraid it won't just attract spiritual beasts." Mu Chen glanced to the side and said loudly, "How long are you few going to watch?"
"We've been discovered."
Five figures appeared on the tree branches ahead.
Standing in the middle was a man with slightly dark skin, thick lips, and round eyes.
He looked at Mu Chen, a flicker of thought in his eyes, feeling that this person seemed somewhat familiar.
Unable to recall who it was for a moment, he didn't dwell on it too much and said, "We saw this spiritual beast first and have been watching it for half a day. You snatched our prey, so tell us, what should we do?"
"What, you've been watching it for half a day?" Hun Hunsheng's face showed surprise, and her beautiful blood-red eyes blinked, appearing a little innocent.
"No, you don't actually believe that, do you?" Mu Chen looked at Hun Hunsheng, about to complain, when he heard her say again, "Then you guys are too weak."
Mu Chen swallowed the words he was about to say, for a moment unable to tell if Hun Hunsheng was mocking him or genuinely expressing herself.
There was a sudden silence for two seconds…
Mu Chen said, "If you want to snatch the mark, just say so. There's no need to find so many excuses."
The leader on the opposite side nodded slightly, "Indeed, there's no need for excuses. So, if you don't want to suffer, obediently hand over your marks."
"So, they're here to snatch things…" Hun Hunsheng mumbled.
Two of the five people split off and surrounded Mu Chen, while the other three attacked Hun Hunsheng.
The two who attacked Mu Chen were both at the late Spirit Wheel Realm, on par with his cultivation.
Mu Chen found it not too difficult to deal with them. He dodged the first person's attack, pushed back the second with a palm strike, and still had enough energy to pay attention to the battle on Hun Hunsheng's side.
The leader of the five erupted with the aura of an early Divine Soul Realm practitioner, and the other two also had the strength of the late Spirit Wheel Realm.
Mu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, but he wasn't too worried. The heart-palpitating dangerous aura that Hun Hunsheng exuded when they first met wasn't fake. He was more eager to see her methods.
He saw a burst of black mist emerge from her body, and three chains appeared behind her, shooting out like lightning, directly piercing the abdomens of the three people.
"Hehehe… If you're trying to scheme against me, then you've definitely picked the wrong target."
After the black mist appeared, Hun Hunsheng's laughter became somewhat sinister.
So fast… Mu Chen's pupils constricted. Although from a bystander's perspective, he barely managed to see the trajectory of the chains, if he were in that position, he honestly wasn't confident he could dodge or block them.
The three people injured by Hun Hunsheng covered their abdomens in disbelief, their eyes filled with extreme shock.
Hun Hunsheng retracted her chains and black mist, not making any further moves, only looking at Mu Chen.
The two who were attacking Mu Chen saw how powerful his companion was, lost their will to fight, and prepared to flee. Mu Chen, experienced and shrewd, seized the opportunity and quickly defeated them one by one.
"Alright everyone, the victor has been decided. Since you wanted to rob us, and your strength isn't enough, then you should pay the price. Hand over your marks," Mu Chen clapped his hands and said.
He then looked at Hun Hunsheng, "The spoils of whoever defeats them belong to them, is that okay?"
Hun Hunsheng nodded. She wasn't very concerned about that.
"I remember now, you're the 'Blood Calamity Bringer' from the Spiritual Road!" the leader of the five-person team, whose abdomen was still bleeding, suddenly said.
He stared at Mu Chen, then suddenly laughed, "I never thought the 'Blood Calamity Bringer' who struck fear into everyone on the Spiritual Road is now only at the late Spirit Wheel Realm."
Mu Chen smiled, "But you still lost."
The leader glanced at the black-haired girl, a hint of fear in his eyes. He thought for a moment and said, "I'll trade a piece of information for you not to take our Soul Marks, is that acceptable?"
"What information?"
"I know the location of a Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma."
"Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma?" Mu Chen's face showed a hint of longing. Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma, this kind of rare treasure, greatly benefited Divine Soul Realm experts and could also help those in the late Spirit Wheel Realm break through to the Divine Soul Realm.
Mu Chen was currently in the late Spirit Wheel Realm. If he cultivated by himself, it would probably take about a month to break through to the Divine Soul Realm, and he was short on time now.
He had provoked many people on the Spiritual Road, and it was very possible to encounter them in this North Cang Realm. With his current cultivation, if he met those stronger ones, he wouldn't fare well… He couldn't possibly ask Amon for a trade just for something like this, could he?
Mu Chen looked at Hun Hunsheng and said, "Hun Guniang, what do you think?"
"You're also a Spiritual Array Master, right? I'll help you snatch the Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma, and you'll owe me a favor, how about it?"
Mu Chen nodded, "Then I thank you, Hun Guniang."
So the leader revealed the location of the Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma:
"North of here, there's a large river. Follow the river upstream, and you'll see a valley. There are many rare treasures in the valley, including the Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma."
Mu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You probably haven't finished, have you? If there really was such a good place, would you leave it and not go get it yourself?"
"There are three high-level spiritual beasts guarding the valley, and several other groups of people have also set their sights on it. I originally planned to join the fun, but then I encountered you on the way."
"I hope you haven't lied to me, otherwise you know the consequences." Mu Chen delivered a harsh warning, then hurried with Hun Hunsheng towards the valley.
By the time they reached the valley, many people had already gathered around it.
Ge Hai, with a hideous scar extending from his left eye corner all the way to his neck. Ye Qingling, tall and slender, with a sharp aura between her brows. Yang Gong, dressed in white. Zhou Li, dressed in black.
Each of the four led dozens of people, confronting each other at the valley entrance.
"Those who should be here are here. Let's join forces, take down those three high-level spiritual beasts first, and then decide the ownership of the Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma," Ge Hai suggested.
"Little beauty, would you like to be my woman? If you're interested in this Divine Soul Yin-Yang Ganoderma, I can give it to you after I snatch it later," Yang Gong said with a smile to Ye Qingling.
Ye Qingling gave him a cold glance, her face showing undisguised disdain.
"Whoa, quite a lot of people, aren't there? What should we do? Wait for them to start fighting and then look for an opportunity?" Mu Chen, who had just arrived, asked Hun Hunsheng beside him.
"No need, just go straight in."
Hun Hunsheng flew into the sky and directly charged towards the valley. Mu Chen followed closely behind her.
Zhou Li and the others saw their actions and didn't stop them; it was naturally best if someone was willing to lead the charge.
Yang Gong's eyes flashed with a hint of desire, "Another little beauty has arrived."
Soon, violent spiritual power soared into the sky, and deafening roars of beasts resounded through the clouds.
Ye Qingling's eyes flashed with a hint of solemnity. Any one of the spiritual beasts inside would be difficult for her to take down, and there were three such spiritual beasts in this valley.
The beast roars abruptly ceased. Mu Chen looked at the spiritual beasts whose heads had been pierced by three chains, his gaze only pausing slightly before he looked deeper into the valley.
A ganoderma, like a jade-green emerald, grew on the mountain wall, emitting a faint glow. The light was not dazzling, yet it was clearly visible even under the sun.
"Found you!" Mu Chen rushed towards it.
Wang Li and the others had originally intended for Mu Chen and his group to wear down the guardian spiritual beasts, but the beast roars disappeared too quickly and too suddenly, making them realize something was amiss.
They immediately rushed to the valley.
When they arrived, they just happened to see Mu Chen digging up the Yin-Yang Divine Soul Ganoderma from a distance.
"How dare you! You dare to snatch something I set my eyes on?" Zhou Li roared in anger.
"Hand over the item!" Yang Gong shouted.
Ge Hai looked at Mu Chen's figure, his expression gradually twisting, "It's you… Mu Chen!"
Ye Qingling, however, frowned. But since Mu Chen had already obtained it, she had no intention of forcibly snatching it, only planning to gather some other rare treasures.
Zhou Li, Yang Gong, and Ge Hai all attacked Mu Chen simultaneously.
A chain streaked through the air, like skewering candied hawthorns, piercing through their abdomens and stringing them together.