Chapter 21 (2/2)

They held their nerves immediately and got ready to fight.

In a short time of several breaths, a deafening roar came from afar, frightening the birds in the forest like thunder.

“That does not sound good. It must be a snow-spot leopard.”

Zhou Zhong’s face turned colorless. The conclusion he drew was not out of nowhere but based on his years of hunting experience.

The snow-spot leopard, as big as a buffalo, was snow-white with black dots on its fur. It was fierce and cunning.

Even Lian Rufeng, the Captain of the village guardians, had nearly died when he had once been attacked by a snow-spot leopard after he had already reached the level of Inner Strong.

Other villagers were sure enough frightened and all clenched their weapons.

Who would have known a snow-spot leopard would interrupt their peaceful herb harvest? Right now, any negligence would cost their lives.

Before anyone could figure out what to do next, a blurring white figure, coming across the woods like a powerful flash of light, made a violent sprang at Zhou Zhong.

The attack was so fast that no ordinary person could be able to escape no matter how well prepared he was. Zhou Zhong’s sword was still half way in the air before a bloody mouth wide opened right above his head.

Everyone there thought he was going to die, but to their surprise, the white figure cried abruptly paused in the air, giving out a painful cry, and then fell on the ground.

Not until now did the villagers see clearly it was indeed a snow-spot leopard, only that it had an arrow shot at one of the hind legs where blood was spilling out.

Obviously, the arrow had saved Zhou Zhong’s life!

Before they had hardly recovered from the shock, the snow-spot leopard bellowed and jumped to its feet, charging at the crowd like it was not hurt at all.

The bloody smell all over it, feeling like death, overwhelmed Zhou Zhong and other villagers, who tumbled backward in panic.

Almost at the same time, a grey blade dropped from the sky and accurately hacked at the neck of the snow-spot leopard with great strength that could shake a mountain.

Poof!

Blood spattered up to one meter high, and then its head flew into the sky. Without its head, the body lost control and crashed on the ground.

That was it?

Zhou Zhong and the others found it hard to believe a snow-spot leopard that could have killed Lian Rufeng when his cultivation was within the level of Inner Strong was slaughtered by an arrow and a dagger right in front of their eyes!

Then they saw that Lin Xun walked to the dead snow-spot leopard and stabbed the pale cyan dagger into its heart to let fresh blood gurgle out into his skin water bag.

Snow-spot leopard was no ordinary wild animal but a monster, and its heart blood was enriched with power that did not only have great medicinal value but could also vastly benefit the person who drank it.

After the water bag was full, Lin Xun stopped and turned to the others, “The blood is some good stuff, don’t waste it.”

As if awakening from a dream, Zhou Zhong and other villagers took out their water bags to fill it up with the blood.

“Little Brother Lin, it’s quite extraordinary to kill an adult snow-spot leopard. Its skin alone can sell for ten copper coins in Green-sun Tribe, and its meat is also popular.”

Zhou Zhong exclaimed.

The others nodded, looking at Lin Xun with admiration. It was beyond their imagination that a 13-year-old boy could behead an adult snow-spot leopard by himself.

Lin Xun grinned and said, “I think we should hurry up and collect all the valuable stuff left of the snow-spot leopard. I am afraid the smell of its blood will soon lure more monsters to come.”

The villagers agreed and in no time they dissected the snow-spot leopard and put all of its skin, meat, bones and tendons wrapped with the big leaves of the smell-blocking grass in their animal-skin bags.

The smell-blocking grass was pungent enough to cover the blood smell, leaving no track for other monsters to follow.

After this, they moved on.

The recent attack made them more cautious and focused, so they stopped picking spiritual ingredients.

However, Lin Xun kept searching except that he only selected the more valuable ingredients for he had become more captious.

The more important reason was that they had limited animal-skin bags, so he had to give up on the spiritual ingredients worth less.

After walking in silence for quite some time, Zhou Zhong frowned and murmured, “Something is not right. We should have encountered at least seven or eight beasts along the way here, according to past records. But this time, apart from a snow-spot leopard, nothing else has shown up. It’s damn weird.”

The rest villagers had also noticed this unusual situation and nodded their heads.

Just then, Lin Xun seemed to find something and stepped up to a tree dozens of meters away.

Soon he shouted, “Come and have a look. It appears someone else has been here before us.”

Zhou Zhong and the others hurried to join Lin Xun, and they saw a dead lizard-like monster with its whole body covered by dark green flakes lying behind the tree.