'First things first, this Insect Race Space is practically a Divine Technique. I relied on it completely during that last fight. I have to upgrade it immediately!'
[Ding! 5 Evolution Points consumed. 'Insect Race Space Lv2' has been upgraded to 'Insect Race Space Lv3'!]
[Insect Race Space Lv3: The host can absorb any insects of the same grade into the 'Insect Race Space'. Current capacity: 1,000 insects! The host's mental load is further reduced, allowing for more precise control over the swarm!]
'Nice, very nice! The capacity doubled just like that! In the future, I'll have a mighty army... no, a mighty swarm!'
Chu Sheng nodded in satisfaction, then turned his attention to [Blood Food Tracking].
'Out here in the desolate wilderness, this skill is like a treasure-hunting radar. It's the perfect tool for finding high-level blood packs. I've got to upgrade it!'
[Ding! 3 Evolution Points consumed. 'Blood Food Tracking Lv1' has been upgraded to 'Blood Food Tracking Lv2'!]
[Blood Food Tracking Lv2: Within a 300-meter radius, the host can perceive any blood-bearing creature!]
'I have 14.8 Evolution Points left. The next evolution costs 10, so I'll have 4.8 to spare... It's a waste to just leave them sitting there. I might as well boost my combat power a bit more!'
Chu Sheng's gaze fell upon his new skill, [Wing Blade Slash].
'This move is perfect for long-range sneak attacks and harassment. It's right up my alley. I'll upgrade it!'
[Ding! 3 Evolution Points consumed. 'Wing Blade Slash Lv1' has been upgraded to 'Wing Blade Slash Lv2'!]
[Wing Blade Slash Lv2: The host can unleash a more powerful Wind Blade Slash, inflicting deeper cutting damage on the target! Qi Blood consumption is slightly reduced!]
A series of upgrades cost 11 Evolution Points, leaving him with 11.8... 'Once the wolf blood in my stomach is fully digested, I'll gain another 2.8, for a total of 14.6!'
'That's enough for the next evolution!'
'As for my Skills... the lowest one is Level 2 now, and it would take at least 5 Evolution Points to upgrade... I'll save them for now!'
Chu Sheng contentedly closed the panel. Feeling his power increase once again, he felt his future was dazzlingly bright!
After taking care of all that, Chu Sheng used his thick, hard proboscis to poke Gu Yuexi's shoulder. "BZZZ! (Empress, stop resting! We need to hurry up and find that Demon Beast with the High-Level Bloodline!)"
Gu Yuexi, who was resting against a tree, was speechless. "..."
'I just killed all those people in one go, and you won't even let me rest for a minute?!'
'What's the damn rush!'
The corner of Gu Yuexi's eye twitched. Though she grumbled internally, she knew what her priorities were.
After feeling that most of her stamina had returned, she quickly dealt with the scene. She dragged the bodies away from the pig carcasses, covered them simply with some weeds, and once that was done, her gaze turned toward the depths of the forest.
She closed her eyes, concentrating.
The faint, almost imperceptible aura of a High-Level Bloodline—one that made the Ten Thousand Beasts Melting Furnace Technique within her stir restlessly—was like a lighthouse in the dark, guiding her forward.
'That hunting party... they were leaving a trail of blood.'
'If I follow the trail of blood, I'll definitely find the source!'
A fiery glint flashed in Gu Yuexi's eyes.
A pile of Iron-skinned Pig corpses could only solve her immediate problem.
But the Essence Blood of a High-Level Bloodline Demon Beast could allow her to undergo a complete transformation before the joint exams!
This was the true fateful opportunity she had been looking for!
'Granted... the depths of the Black Forest are fraught with danger, and Demon Beasts of Fifth-Grade or higher are everywhere. For a First-Grade Middle Stage Martial Artist to venture so deep is an enormous risk.'
But Gu Yuexi didn't care. As the Empress in her previous life, the five words "fortune is found in danger" were carved into her very bones.
'The start of this life has already been hellish enough. If I don't take risks, how can I ever reach the Emperor Realm again?'
Gu Yuexi barely hesitated.
"Let's go! We'll check it out!"
"BZZZ! (Let's go, let's go, let's go!)"
Chu Sheng's reasoning was simple—'As the Reborn Empress, if she dares to go deep into the Black Forest, she must have a way to protect herself, right?'
'If she's daring enough to go, she must have her reasons!'
And so, the human and the mosquito followed the barely perceptible trail of blood, sneaking deeper into the Black Forest.
...
「Jiang City. Headquarters of the Jingzhe Guild, one of the three great Hunting Guilds.」
Hu Feng and his remaining squad members rushed into the guild hall, not even taking the time to clean the bloodstains from their bodies.
He was frantic.
'This matter was too huge. A single second's delay could let this heaven-sent opportunity slip through my fingers!'
Hu Feng's hunting squad was just a low-level team in the Jingzhe Guild.
At his level, he naturally wouldn't be able to meet the guild master, an Eighth-Grade powerhouse who presided over Jiang City.
He could only rush frantically to the door of the Field Operations Department's steward.
"Steward Liu! We have a major situation!"
Hu Feng kicked the door open and roared at the middle-aged man who was sipping tea inside the office.
Steward Liu was so startled he spilled his tea. His brow furrowed. "Hu Feng? What are you yelling about? Has the sky fallen?!"
Hu Feng panted, his face a mixture of uncontrollable excitement and lingering fear. "Steward Liu! Deep in the Black Forest, we discovered... an Eighth-Grade Azure Flame Flying Lion! A High-Level Bloodline!"
"And? So what?"
Steward Liu looked completely baffled. Wasn't it perfectly normal for there to be Eighth-Grade Demon Beasts deep in the Black Forest?
"But!"
Hu Feng swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he continued, "But! It... it seems to have had a difficult birth! It's heavily injured, and its strength has dropped drastically. I estimate its combat power is at Third-Grade at most!"
"And... we saw with our own eyes, it gave birth to three cubs! Three live, High-Level Bloodline cubs!"
BOOM!
The news was like a bombshell that exploded directly in Steward Liu's mind.
He froze on the spot, his mind a complete blank.
'A difficult birth?'
'Strength dropped to Third-Grade?'
'Three High-Level Bloodline cubs?!'
He was, after all, part of the guild's upper management. After a brief stupor, he immediately realized what this implied!
'Those are three High-Level Bloodline Demon Beast cubs!'
Steward Liu knew very well that the Spiritual Cyan Snake, which occasionally appeared on the market and was also touted as a High-Level Bloodline, was a complete trap!
It had to molt several times as it grew, and the mortality rate for each molt was over ninety percent!
Out of ten thousand Spiritual Cyan Snakes, if even one managed to successfully reach adulthood and break through to Seventh-Grade, it would be considered a blessing from one's ancestors!
That was why the things circulated on the market—they were nothing more than lottery tickets!
But the Azure Flame Flying Lion was different!
With enough resources, this type of Bloodline could grow up steadily and reliably! It would reach Seventh-Grade upon adulthood! With a bit of luck, it might even replicate its mother's Eighth-Grade glory or even push for the Ninth Grade—it wasn't impossible!
'Three of them!'
This meant that as long as they got their hands on these three cubs, in a few years, the Jingzhe Guild would possess three top-tier combatants at Seventh-Grade or higher!
That would be enough to change the entire power structure of Jiang City!
At this thought, Steward Liu's breathing grew ragged. He stared intently at Hu Feng. "You... you engaged it?"
"We... we did."
A bitter and fearful look appeared on Hu Feng's face. "We originally planned to take advantage of its weakness to snatch the cubs, but... Old Li and Ah Qiang were smashed into paste by one of its claws on the spot..."
"Even though its strength has fallen, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. We were no match for it at all, so we could only retreat and call for reinforcements!"
"Idiot! You're just a piece of trash at the Peak of Second-Grade, and you dared to take on an Eighth-Grade Demon Beast? Do you have a death wish?!"
Steward Liu cursed angrily, but now was not the time to assign blame.
He immediately picked up the encrypted communicator on his desk, connected to the higher-ups, and reported the matter in the most concise language possible.
The other end of the line was silent for a good ten seconds or more.
Clearly, the news had sent a massive shock through the guild's top brass as well.
Soon, a cold, unquestionable voice came through the communicator.
"This matter is to be classified as top secret!"
"Immediately dispatch the 'Shadow Fang Squad' to the scene! They will be led by the Seventh-Grade Beast Tamer, 'Leng Yan'!"
"They have only one mission!"
"Kill the mother lion! Bring back the three cubs! This must be kept absolutely confidential. If you encounter anyone during the mission..."
"Kill them without mercy!"
...