The chill of early spring was piercing, enough to kill the young. Although February had arrived and spring had returned to the earth, the cold frost had not completely dissipated. The phenomenon of a late spring cold snap still caused nighttime temperatures to plummet to extremes. Even wild beasts curled up within their dens.

SWISH~~

Transformed into the Flower Fox Mink, Chen Ku darted across the ink-stained night sky of Baojiao County like a tiny sparrow. Yet, his speed was incredibly fast, often covering tens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Skinny Dog caught the scent of the Nine-Colored Deer near Li Mountain, west of Baojiao County. That area is sparsely populated, with hardly any villages. It's truly deep within a primeval forest, so it's normal for the Nine-Colored Deer to be active within this range.

He beat his wings. With the flying speed of the Flower Fox Mink that had assimilated the Golden-eyed White Jade Sculpture, he flew two hundred li in one hour, arriving near Li Mountain. Then, he perched atop a tree on a mountain peak.

From a distance, the Li Mountain range resembled a great python dormant upon the land, extending and spreading out, breathing in the natural Spiritual Energy between heaven, earth, and the mountains.

"Hundred Li Tracking Technique!" Chen Ku exclaimed. He pulled out a strand of Nine-Colored Deer Fur from the Storage Bag slung across his back and, at the highest point of Li Mountain, activated the Hundred Li Tracking Technique.

From above, the Li Mountain range appeared to stretch about four or five hundred li in length. As soon as Chen Ku initiated the Hundred Li Tracking Technique, the scents of all things within a hundred-li radius—animals, Demons, plants, trees, springs, dung, and decay—transformed into a colorful array flashing before his nose. The strand of Nine-Colored Deer Fur in his paw allowed Chen Ku to sift through this kaleidoscope of scents, extracting a single thread of aroma.

Suddenly, within his Olfactory Perspective, the entire Li Mountain transformed into a map of the Nine-Colored Deer's tracks. Line after line of long scent trails crisscrossed, seemingly following specific paths, forming a route map that materialized in Chen Ku's vision.

As expected, this is the Nine-Colored Deer's range of activity. These scent trails form its path… I can almost confirm it has been active in Li Mountain for a long time over the past half-month, which is why it left so many traces…

Chen Ku's mink-like nose twitched. The last known location is…

His vision extended towards a direction a hundred li away. Immediately, he flapped his wings and flew onward.

Launching the Hundred Li Tracking Technique once more, he suddenly sniffed the source of a scent, hundreds of times more intense than that of the Nine-Colored Deer's fur.

"Found it!!"

Chen Ku's spirit surged. He immediately followed the scent and soon halted on a slope. Activating Golden Eyes Hundred Li, he looked towards the source of the scent beneath a large tree.

The ancient tree was lush, its thick trunk appearing to be a thousand years old. Vines hung down, and unusually for this freezing early spring, they had already sprouted buds. A clear spring flowed beneath the tree, perhaps the reason for its greater vitality compared to other trees.

And at that moment, what captured all of Chen Ku's attention was the creature under the ancient tree.

It seemed somewhat young, barely over a meter tall. A pair of jade horns, like the most exquisite suet jade carvings, adorned its head. Even more captivating was its fur, which resembled crystal gemstones. In the night, it was almost transparent, rendering it extraordinarily mystical.

"So this is the Nine-Colored Deer?" Chen Ku mused, staring in a trance at the magical creature.

The creations of nature are truly incredible, to give birth to such a magical Demon.

An involuntary sense of compassion welled up within him.

However, just as Chen Ku felt it was wrong to harbor killing intent towards such a creature, a cool sensation suddenly emanated from between his brows.

"Hmm? Something's not right. What's happening?"

Chen Ku's heart turned solemn. I've been killing Demons and Strange Beasts at the Butcher Court for over half a year, among them some beautiful and adorable creatures like the Demon Peacock and the White Jade Rabbit. Yet, I never hesitated when striking them down. Now, merely looking at a deer from afar, I feel reluctant to harm it. This isn't normal. Could it be… that this Nine-Colored Deer naturally possesses some sort of special Charm—more accurately, the ability of a Charming Creature?

Looking again under the tree, he discovered that, apart from the Nine-Colored Deer, many other creatures were sleeping around it, as if crowning it their king.

Chen Ku glanced casually and gasped, "Howling Monkey, Tail Fire Tiger, Mammoth Cow, and even a swarm of Red-Tailed Bees…"

That Howling Monkey was a Demon listed in the Treasure Flood Dragon Demon Atlas. Once mature, it possessed at least the Demonic Qi of a Third Realm Demon. It could emit a shriek far more terrifying than the Sound Wave Skill of Martial Artists, with an extremely wide attack range. The Mammoth Cow's body was massive, like the Third Realm Year Beast from before, resembling a thatched cottage. The Tail Fire Tiger, a tiger Demon whose tail blazed with fire, was typically a king among mountain lords, the king of beasts to whom other Demons would submit. Yet now, it lay beside the Nine-Colored Deer like a courtier. And that swarm of Red-Tailed Bees, notoriously venomous insects, ranked sixty-seventh on Qiu Dragon Mansion's list of poisonous creatures. The venom of a single Red-Tailed Bee could kill an Inner Qi Realm Martial Practitioner. Not to mention there was an entire swarm, likely numbering in the thousands…

"Are all these creatures captivated by the Nine-Colored Deer's strange Charm, guarding it?" Chen Ku was astonished.

However, after careful consideration, he transformed back into his human form. Taking a Bow and Arrow from his Storage Bag, he quietly aimed from five or six li away at the Nine-Colored Deer sleeping soundly under the tree. If he could hit it with one arrow and then find a chance to lure away its 'courtiers', he would succeed.

However, just as Chen Ku drew his bow and aimed at the Nine-Colored Deer, under the tree, the magical Strange Beast, seemingly carved from crystal white jade, fluttered its long eyelashes. Its eyelids snapped open, and it looked up towards Chen Ku, five or six li away. With a single glance, it saw the Bow and Arrow and sensed the hostility.

WHOOSH!

The moment it opened its eyes, Chen Ku inwardly cried out, "Oh no! Is this some kind of danger sense?"

The arrow in his hand was released without hesitation.

However, almost at the instant Chen Ku loosed the arrow, the magical Strange Beast leaped from its spot, dodged the projectile, and then, as if flying, bounded across the treetops, its form vanishing into the air between the trees. But Chen Ku's keen olfactory senses told him the Nine-Colored Deer was still there—it had just turned invisible!

"It really has an invisibility ability?!"

Even though Chen Ku had suspected it, he was still shocked by the Nine-Colored Deer's Invisibility Technique. A moment later, delight surged through him; if he killed the Nine-Colored Deer, that ability would be his.

Unexpectedly, almost at the instant the Transformation Diagram warned him:

[Strange Beast Nine-Colored Deer has harbored killing intent toward the Diagram Master…]

In the dense forest, under the deep night sky, a pleasant and ethereal belling sound suddenly echoed from among the ancient trees. The deer's belling call!

BOOM!

Suddenly, all the Demonic beasts under the ancient tree awakened, as if summoned by their 'Demon King'. They all turned towards Chen Ku's location simultaneously.

ROAR~~~

A tiger's roar shook the mountains and rivers, stirring up a furious wind. Immediately, the Tail Fire Tiger's tail erupted in a great fire, and the Third Realm tiger Demon charged towards Chen Ku with terrifying speed.

[Demonic beast Tail Fire Tiger has locked onto the Diagram Master's scent, unfavorable to Master…]

At the same time:

[Mammoth Cow unfavorable to Master…]

[Howling Monkey unfavorable to Master…]

[Three thousand nine hundred eighty-one Red-Tailed Bees unfavorable to Master…]

The moment the Transformation Diagram's warning came, Chen Ku heard a piercing howl by his ear, akin to a Sound Wave Skill, emanating from the Howling Monkey's mouth five or six li away and spreading out. His eardrums throbbed, and they began to bleed.

"Not good!"

He hadn't expected the Nine-Colored Deer to possess such a strong sense of danger, not only dodging an arrow but also instantly awakening its subordinates, all of whom now attacked him. Chen Ku was so nauseated by the Howling Monkey's cry that he felt like vomiting. This was from five or six li away; if he faced it directly, he feared his brain would be instantly scrambled.

"Retreat!"

The attack having missed, Chen Ku unhesitatingly transformed back into a Flower Fox Mink and, flapping his wings, soared into the sky. The Tail Fire Tiger on the ground, which had been pouncing with incredible speed, could only let out an angry, heaven-shaking roar upon seeing its enemy fly directly into the sky.

ROAR~~~

It watched Chen Ku soaring away, helpless.

As soon as Chen Ku took flight, although he was beyond the attack range of the Howling Monkey and the Tail Fire Tiger, he soon heard the loud BUZZING of bees near his ear. Turning back, he saw a vast, dense cloud of red bees under the night sky, speeding toward him. Chen Ku's heart sank.

With so many Red-Tailed Bees, if he were surrounded, he could not endure the agony of thousands of stings at once, even with his bait mouse's Immune to All Poisons ability to withstand their venom! However, he hadn't expected that even with the speed of his Second Realm Flower Fox Mink, he still couldn't shake off the swarm of Red-Tailed Bees, which continued to chase him like a red cloud. Hundreds of even faster bees had already closed in on him from all directions.

BUZZING~~~ BUZZING~~~

Chen Ku felt surrounded by the thrumming wings of Red-Tailed Bees; the whole world was a deafening buzz.

FWOOSH~~

But at that moment, a vast gout of flame burst from Chen Ku's mouth, sweeping from left to right.

[Diagram Master killed one… twenty… fifty… one hundred twenty-eight… one hundred thirty-one Red-Tailed Bees, received one hundred thirty-one strands of First Realm Red-Tailed Bee Evil Qi]

Yet, even so, four or five Red-Tailed Bees landed on Chen Ku, their stings piercing the Flower Fox Mink's fur, causing him to groan in pain.

Finally, he spotted a small river below. Still in Flower Fox Mink form, he leaped and plunged into the water with a SPLASH! just as…

BOOM!

The river roiled as if a torpedo had exploded within it. It turned out that the Flower Fox Mink, the moment it hit the water, had transformed into an aquatic Demon, the Centipede Viper. It hid underwater, watching the thousands of Red-Tailed Bees swarming towards the pool.

Although unable to enter the water, the bees hovered over the surface, seemingly waiting for Chen Ku to emerge.

However, Chen Ku declared, "All of you, turn into Evil Qi for me!"

WHOOSH!!

In the river, Chen Ku, transformed into a giant Centipede Viper, unleashed a wave of Cold Current from the water surface, spraying into the air above.

[Diagram Master killed five hundred Red-Tailed Bees… one thousand Red-Tailed Bees… one thousand five hundred Red-Tailed Bees… one thousand eight hundred Red-Tailed Bees…]

BOOM!!

A massive number of Red-Tailed Bees, completely unprepared, were annihilated by the thousands by the Cold Current spewed from Chen Ku as the Centipede Viper. The rest instantly dissipated into a red cloud of smoke. At that moment, watching the dense array of Red-Tailed Bee Evil Qi on the Transformation Diagram in his field of view, Chen Ku laughed heartily, exclaiming, "Awesome! This is awesome!!"

To gain over a thousand strands of Evil Qi at once, even if only First Realm Evil Qi—the exhilaration of this sudden fortune was indescribable. Even the sharp pain from being stung five or six times seemed much alleviated.

"Hm? With so much Red-Tailed Bee Evil Qi, why not transform into one of them and blend in...?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.