"Hmph! Keep dreaming!"
"Use your head for once! The fact that the two of us brothers happened to land in the same spot this time is already incredibly lucky. At least our chances of survival are far better than everyone else's. We only managed to kill that person by sheer luck, so don't act like we're some kind of unstoppable force, trying this idiotic tactic of lying in wait. What if you run into someone fierce and get your teeth knocked out—or worse, lose your life? Besides, who'd even come to a godforsaken place like this? The smart move is to head to the central area as quickly as possible and fish in troubled waters!"
The older of the two Spirit Beast Mountain disciples was clearly far more forceful—and far more cunning—than his younger companion. He lectured him without pause while warily scanning the surrounding dense forest.
At the sight of this, Han Li grew even more cautious, pushing his Breath Concealment Technique to its absolute limit and withdrawing his aura completely, not daring to let even the slightest trace slip out. As for the foolish notion of fighting "two against one," that had never once crossed his mind, nor would he be so stupid as to attempt it.
These two wielded Magical Power at the twelfth level—one at the early stage, the other at the late stage. If they teamed up, he would stand virtually no chance of winning. He did not possess some kind of monstrous, overwhelming power that could hold off a hundred.
Thus, Han Li could only watch helplessly as the two stripped the remaining Frost Grass from the pond's edge, then set the body of the Tianque Fortress disciple ablaze and burned it to nothing. Finally, they stuffed the Ice Toad into a red leather bag and vanished into the forest on the far side.
The moment the pair left, Han Li did not rise immediately. Instead, after a long interval, he shook the fallen leaves from his body, straightened up, and gazed thoughtfully in the direction they had disappeared.
It seemed he was far from the only one who had thought of this.
It was hardly surprising. Anyone bold enough to risk their life in the Blood Colored Trial—who among them wasn't dreaming of the spiritual treasures at the heart of the forbidden zone? A bloody clash was inevitable. After all, the spiritual herbs that sprouted and ripened there each time were pitifully scarce, nowhere near enough to go around.
Han Li stood in place for a while, his face grim, and bitterly mused to himself.
He had watched, with his own eyes, a blue-clothed person every bit as cautious and vigilant as himself vanish from the world without a sound. And how many times had this same scene played out in forgotten corners of the forbidden zone? His confidence in achieving his goal wavered yet again.
Was this trip into the forbidden zone truly the right decision? Perhaps he could have succeeded in his Foundation Establishment just by consuming those two Foundation Establishment Pills—there had been no need to take such an enormous risk.
Han Li's spirits sagged at the thought, a hint of the urge to retreat stirring within him. It was easy to talk tough, but once the shadow of death truly loomed overhead, even he felt his composure begin to crumble.
Several hours later, Han Li set off from the spot. From the direction he headed, it was clear he was still pushing toward the forbidden zone's center.
After considerable deliberation, reason had won out in the end. He recognized that his earlier doubts were nothing more than excuses for his own cowardice. So he steeled himself, rallied his spirits, and set off once more.
Han Li did not follow directly behind the two Spirit Beast Mountain disciples. Instead, he took a slightly longer detour, circling around to advance indirectly. Though the route the Spirit Beast Mountain pair had taken was the nearest and the fastest.
His concern was not that they might detect him through their own abilities—he was far more wary of Spirit Beast Mountain's strange and unpredictable beast-controlling techniques. He had no idea whether they had some special method for spotting a tail through other means, so it was best to keep his distance.
After all, back when he had possessed only a small Cloud Wing Bird that was only partially tame, he could already track and surveil specific individuals from long range. Surely Spirit Beast Mountain's techniques for commanding beasts were far more subtle and eerie by comparison. They were cultivators, after all—their methods were nothing compared to what martial artists could muster.
Speaking of the Cloud Wing Bird, Han Li felt a pang of vexation. When he had first entered Yellow Maple Valley, he had released the bird into the Taiyue Mountain Range to keep it from attracting attention, letting it roam free.
At first, the bird still returned frequently to seek out its master, Han Li, hoping for a few of the "Yellow Chestnut Pellets" it loved. But as time passed, its visits grew steadily rarer. By the time Han Li realized his mistake, the bird had grown completely wild. After flying off one day, it never returned. He had been heartbroken over it. Otherwise, it would have proven enormously useful on this trip into the forbidden zone.