Ying XianDa moved very carefully, nearly stopping every two or three steps to look around at the surrounding situation.

To be honest, he was scared to death by that strange giant rat.

It was just a rat, albeit four or five times larger than a regular one, yet it was so difficult to deal with.

If he hadn't burst forth at the last moment, he might have actually been killed by a rat.

And he was in the late stage of Integration, just thinking about it felt suffocating.

"This place seems quite good." Half an hour later, Ying XianDa entered the mountain covered with fiery red trees.

It was only after entering that Ying XianDa realized the extraordinary weirdness of these red trees. Their bodies were blood-red, and even the trunks had veins, just like human meridians.

It truly gave Ying XianDa an eerily chilling feeling.

He even felt that these trees were alive.

"Damn it, what kind of hellhole is this?" Ying XianDa cursed angrily, already somewhat regretting coming to this place.

Look, not only did he not find Tang Rao, but he also got himself injured.

Let alone a treasure, damn it, he hadn't even seen a decent Spirit Plant.

"Let's just rest here for a bit." Ying XianDa found a cave.

The cave was not deep, probably only around five or six meters, and after he slightly covered the entrance with something, he sat down to begin healing his injuries.

...

As for Tang Rao, at this time, he had become an expert in flattering, not with his mouth, but Tang Rao felt like even using Soul Divine Sense to do so made him feel like vomiting.

Poor me, I used to be a Tribulation-passing Cultivator, nearing the existence of Great Perfection, why have I ended up like this?!

He never imagined he would be desperately flattery to a Golden Core Stage Spiritual Beast.

Of course, this also had its advantages, at least within these mountains, he was absolutely safe.

This Golden Core Stage Dark Demon Leopard was undoubtedly the king of these mountains.

"Lord Dark Demon, I am going to roast some meat to eat," Tang Rao communicated with the Dark Demon Leopard.

"Why roast when you can just eat it directly?" The Dark Demon Leopard didn't understand.

"Roasting makes it taste better, you can try it later," Tang Rao said with a grin.

The Dark Demon Leopard huffed twice, then laid down on the ground, meaning it didn't care what Tang Rao did.

Tang Rao didn't delay, he took out firewood and a grill from his Space Token, as well as some meat that had been marinated in advance.

Lighting the fire, barbecuing, the grease on the meat started sizzling, a tantalizing aroma assaulted the nose.

The Dark Demon Leopard, which had originally been lying down, suddenly stood up and stared intensely at the grill in front of Tang Rao. The enticing aroma was emanating from it.

"Is it ready to eat?" the Dark Demon Leopard immediately conveyed to Tang Rao.

Tang Rao shook his head: "Not yet, need to wait a bit longer."

The Dark Demon Leopard drooled, having never smelled such a delicious scent before, seemingly arousing its every craving.

Tang Rao quietly grilled the meat, bottles by his side, sprinkling some contents on the meat every now and then.

Half an hour later, the meat was properly cooked, just right, any longer would be too tough, and any shorter would be undercooked.

"Lord Dark Demon, it's ready."

Hearing Tang Rao's words, the Dark Demon Leopard charged forward, extending its claws, and pulled a piece of meat off the rack.

Just as it was about to put it into its mouth, the Dark Demon Leopard stopped, then ripped the meat into two pieces, throwing one piece to Tang Rao.

"You eat first."

Evidently, the Dark Demon Leopard still took its precautions with Tang Rao; it was worried Tang Rao might poison it.

Tang Rao didn't refuse; after a light chuckle, he picked up the meat, put it in his mouth, and slowly began to chew.

Only after seeing Tang Rao swallow the meat did the Dark Demon Leopard throw the meat into its mouth.

Tearing, devouring.

In the end, only one piece went to Tang Rao; the rest was taken care of by the Dark Demon Leopard.

"The taste is quite good, do this again later," the Dark Demon Leopard directly issued an order to Tang Rao.

Tang Rao nodded in agreement, a barely visible ferocity flashing in the corner of his eye.

He didn't believe he could become friends with this Dark Demon Leopard. The beast spared him because firstly, it felt he was no threat, and secondly, it was curious about him being human.

Once it lost interest in him, it would certainly kill him without hesitation.

Thus, there were only two possible outcomes: first, he would be killed by the Dark Demon Leopard; second, he would deal with the Dark Demon Leopard.

But killing a Golden Core Stage Spiritual Beast was very difficult indeed.

Tang Rao didn't know if he would be successful; he could only take it one step at a time.

Even if he resorted to poison, it was doubtful it would have much effect; after all, it was a Golden Core Stage Spiritual Beast, and ordinary poisons would have no effect on it.

Unless he could find the poison sack of a Poisonous Golden Core Stage Spiritual Beast.

If so, with a bit of refining, even this Dark Demon Leopard wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Unfortunately, Poisonous Spiritual Beasts were rare to begin with, and to find one at the Golden Core Stage was even harder.

"I'm going to rest for a while. Don't leave a five hundred meter perimeter around me. If you do, you surely know the consequences," the Dark Demon Leopard laid down its body and issued another command to Tang Rao.

"Alright," Tang Rao nodded in agreement.

After the Dark Demon Leopard closed its eyes, Tang Rao packed up the grill and headed in a direction.

Walking slowly, Tang Rao was very aware that his every move was within the perception of the Dark Demon Leopard.

An hour later, Tang Rao found a cave.

The cave looked deep, and a foul odor seeped from within — it smelled very similar to the Dark Demon Leopard.

Could this be the lair of the Dark Demon Leopard?

Tang Rao hesitated for two seconds, then stepped into the cave.

He wasn't beyond the five hundred meter limit of the Dark Demon Leopard; presumably, it had no reason to kill him.

Entering the cave, the stench grew even stronger.

Along the way, Tang Rao saw many animal skeletons and some rotting flesh, emitting an unpleasant odor.

"Is this? The scent of a Golden Core?" Suddenly, Tang Rao's step faltered, his expression turning interesting.

The reason the Golden Core Stage was entirely beyond the Fusion Stage was because of that single Golden Core.

Golden Cores contained Heaven and Earth Rules, not something that Fusion Stage Cultivators could contend against.

If one had a Golden Core, with the right methods, the Heaven and Earth Rules on it could be stripped away.

Once the Heaven and Earth Rules were stripped, the Golden Core would become ownerless, directly increasing a Cultivator's Spiritual Energy; and the stripped rules could enable a Fusion Peak Cultivator to comprehend the Heaven and Earth Rules, with a chance to step directly into the Golden Core Stage.

Tang Rao sensed that the Golden Core was just over fifty meters away from him.

But he dared not take it, knowing the Dark Demon Leopard would not hesitate to kill him once he did.

After his eyes twitched a few times, Tang Rao continued to walk forward, getting closer and closer to the Golden Core.

At the same time, Tang Rao also felt a trace of coldness on his back; surely, the Dark Demon Leopard had already come over.

The moment he reached out his hand, it would pounce on him, and tear him into pieces.

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