At first glance, these two massive beasts resembled enormous apes, yet their bodies were covered in abnormally long green fur, and each possessed three black eyes that rotated in unison, giving them an exceptionally alert appearance.
Han Li watched silently as the two long-haired beasts passed beneath the tree and gradually moved off into the distance. Only then did his figure flicker, reappearing beneath the giant tree once more.
Gazing in the direction the beasts had vanished, a flicker of suspicion crossed his face.
These two creatures, which appeared to be on patrol, were clearly not Wood Clan members — so why were they roaming through the Black Leaf Forest? The enormous bronze tridents resting on their shoulders suggested they possessed a high degree of intelligence.
Could they be some other, unknown alien race?
Han Li mulled this over for a moment, then shook his head.
As far as he knew, the Wood Clan was extremely xenophobic and would not ordinarily allow alien races to strut about so brazenly within their territory. Could they be war beasts trained by the Wood Clan?
That was the thought that crossed his mind.
So-called war beasts were essentially the same existences as spirit beasts — just called by a different name. Just as the human and demon clans used various secret techniques to refine and command spirit beasts, other alien races also knew how to use medicines or other methods to train ancient beasts and bend them to their will.
Of course, what types of beasts each race could train and control varied greatly depending on their unique aptitudes. Not all ancient beasts could be tamed.
The two-headed monstrous beast he had previously encountered belonging to the Shadow Clan was a war beast unique to that clan, possessing considerable power. However, it was likely that only the Shadow Clan knew the methods to tame such a creature.
As for the Wood Clan, as far as he knew, they had not previously employed any war beasts. Had they recently succeeded in training some?
Han Li pondered with a head full of doubts for quite some time, but ultimately decided not to dwell on the matter any further.
Since these two long-haired beasts had failed to detect him even when he was right beside them, they were probably the thick-skinned, tough-fleshed type — nothing to be concerned about.
Having made up his mind, Han Li's figure blurred as he transformed into a phantom and vanished.
…
One day later, beneath a large tree deep in the forest, Han Li stood with a dark expression, staring at the eight long-haired beasts before him.
These ape-like creatures were different from the previous two. Not only were they a full size smaller, but their entire bodies were a fiery red color. Instead of bronze tridents, each wielded an eight-foot-long black, gleaming spiked club.
All eight beasts were baring their fangs and glaring at Han Li with aggressive ferocity.
The corner of Han Li's mouth twitched.
He had originally assumed these long-haired beasts would possess extremely dull spiritual senses, but when this squad of them had passed nearby just moments ago, they had immediately detected him hidden behind the tree and surrounded him without hesitation.
As Han Li looked at the third eye on each of these eight monsters' foreheads — eyes that kept flickering with black light — his brow furrowed as he realized something.
When he had encountered the two green-furred beasts earlier, the third eyes on their heads had appeared to be tightly shut.
At that moment, the eight red beasts let out a low growl, leapt forward, and swung their spiked clubs with savage force.
A layer of green luminescence immediately surfaced on these brutal weapons as several gusts of fierce wind hurtled toward Han Li from above, smashing down at him.
Han Li raised both eyebrows slightly. Without any attempt to dodge, he simply swept one sleeve upward toward the sky with effortless composure.
Eight small golden swords materialized in a flash, then instantly transformed into eight golden threads that shot outward, circling around the eight long-haired beasts in a single pass.
With a series of soft "pfft" sounds, eight massive heads tumbled to the ground as cleanly as vegetables being chopped.
When the eight golden threads flashed and reverted to small swords, quivered, and flew back to him, eight corpses — their blood a vivid emerald green — had already crashed heavily to the ground.
Han Li's other long sleeve shook toward the corpses, and eight crimson fireballs flew forth, striking the bodies.
After a few soft pops, the corpses were immediately reduced to ash amid the crimson flames.
Having completed all of this, Han Li's expression remained impassive as his figure flickered, trailing a string of afterimages, and plunged back into the forest, disappearing once more.
What Han Li did not notice was that shortly after he left, on the thick trunk of a nearby giant tree, two points of green light suddenly flashed as a pair of green eyes, each roughly a foot in size, opened wide. The emerald-green pupils rotated twice without any hint of emotion, then slowly fixed upon the direction in which Han Li had vanished, unblinking.
Some tens of thousands of miles from that spot, concealed behind other trees on the trunk of an unremarkable tree, another pair of eyes with a faint green glow also opened.
In the direction those green eyes were quietly gazing, in a slightly open clearing some hundred-odd zhang away, a man and a woman stood side by side. The man wore a purple robe and the woman a black dress — they were none other than Long Dong and Xiao Hong.
The two were subtly moving their lips, sending voice transmissions to each other. And on the ground nearby lay more than a dozen corpses of long-haired beasts in both red and green.
"Brother Long, these creatures don't seem very powerful, but how were they able to see through our concealment techniques? My Phantom Radiance Banner is something even cultivators of the same rank cannot see through." The young woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she transmitted her voice.
"It probably has something to do with that third demonic eye of theirs. Beasts born with multiple eyes tend to carry some unusual abilities. If that's the case, we'll need to be even more careful." Long Dong's face likewise showed a trace of surprise, but his voice transmission was measured.
"That's most likely it. Let's move on. We absolutely must arrive there before that girl does. Otherwise, that item could very well fall into her hands." The woman's expression turned suddenly cold.
"Heh heh! I never imagined that you and that girl would both sign up for this mission — each harboring such designs. What a pity that for my Long clan, that item is nothing but a chicken rib. But, Fairy, don't forget our prior agreement — the item goes to you, but the person is mine." Long Dong let out an eerie chuckle, his voice carrying a chilling edge.