novelraw Chapter 104 : Suspicious Moving Target Detected
Chapter 104 : Suspicious Moving Target Detected
Chapter 104: Suspicious Moving Target Detected
The corpse of the Iron-Arm Ape was charred black and collapsed with a loud thud.
Xu Zhengyang looked on with regret and said, “Using the Spirit-Devouring Wild Flame to activate the Seven Kills of Departing Flame Formation can indeed unleash formidable power.
But doing so...
This beast’s fur, tendons, bones, and even its blood have all been scorched.
With such damage...
Not to mention using its body as materials for refining artifacts, even refining it into a Blood Pill would drastically reduce its potency.”
Immediately after—
Xu Zhengyang reflected aloud, “I really should develop more diverse offensive techniques in the future.
That way...
When slaying Demonic Beasts, I can preserve their physical bodies to the greatest extent and maintain the value of the spoils.”
As he spoke—
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand, and the Dragon-Scale Blacksteel Staff in the Iron-Arm Ape’s hand flew into his grasp.
It had to be said—
This Dragon-Scale Blacksteel Staff was indeed extraordinary!
Even after burning under the Seven Kills of Departing Flame Formation for so long, the staff's surface remained icy to the touch, and the dark golden dragon patterns on it were completely unharmed.
It even faintly emanated a trace of Flood Dragon baleful aura—clear proof of its remarkable nature!
“Good staff.”
Xu Zhengyang spoke as he stored the staff away.
At the same time, he poured out over a hundred puppets of various designs and functions from his Jade Gourd.
Right after that—
As his 5090 White-Gold Cloak billowed behind him, providing him with additional computational power—
All the puppets rushed into the Spiritual Field in unison!
Under Xu Zhengyang’s precise coordination, the puppets either dug into the soil or wielded blades...
Their cooperation was as smooth as flowing water, precise to the smallest detail.
With astonishing efficiency—
They swiftly harvested all the spiritual herbs in the Spiritual Field!
“This...”
Yang Hong was dumbfounded at the sight.
Just controlling a single Paper Crane Talisman often left him fumbling when faced with a complex situation.
Yet Xu Zhengyang was not only controlling over a hundred puppets at once—those puppets even coordinated perfectly...
Yang Hong couldn’t help but admire Xu Zhengyang aloud: “Senior Brother Xu, your skills are truly awe-inspiring.
Even if you taught me, I probably couldn’t learn it...”
Xu Zhengyang smiled modestly and replied, “These low-grade puppets have limited use and can’t be employed in combat.
At present, they can only handle these simple farming tasks.”
As he spoke—
A thought struck Xu Zhengyang, and he added to Yang Hong, “If Uncle-Master Chen were here in this small world,
He could kill that Iron-Arm Ape with just a few punches and kicks without damaging its body, then refine its blood and flesh into a Blood Pill.
While I may have defeated the Iron-Arm Ape, I couldn’t hold back and ended up burning it like this.
In comparison...
I still have a long road ahead.”
At that moment—
Xu Zhengyang deliberately raised his voice slightly as he continued, “And Junior Brother Yang, since you’ve inherited Uncle-Master Chen’s legacy,
If you cultivate diligently,
Your future achievements will surely surpass mine. Why worry about falling behind for the moment?”
“Hehe...”
Yang Hong chuckled sheepishly and said, “Then I’ll take Senior Brother Xu’s kind words to heart.”
At the same time, outside the small world—
As soon as Xu Zhengyang finished speaking,
Not only was Yang Hong overjoyed, but even Chen Qiang couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth upon hearing Xu Zhengyang’s words.
With his hands behind his back, Chen Qiang commented lightly, “If nothing else...
This Nephew Xu certainly has good judgment—much better than his master.”
Inside the small world—
Unaware of what was happening outside, Xu Zhengyang continued operating the puppet swarm to harvest the spiritual herbs from the field.
At the same time, taking advantage of the lingering spiritual energy released from the Reverse Pulse Point, he quickly activated the Piercing-Delusion Golden Eyes to scan the entire small world!
He wanted to see if he could dig up any hidden treasures from this place.
Sure enough!
As he swept inch by inch, Xu Zhengyang discovered something unusual inside a cave near the Herb Field!
“Junior Brother Yang, come with me!”
Calling out, Xu Zhengyang led Yang Hong straight toward the cave.
...
Moments later—
Judging from the grass nest piled deep in the cave and the monkey fur nearby, this must have been the Iron-Arm Ape’s dwelling.
Logically—
Even if a Demonic Beast had only just awakened intelligence, it wouldn’t pay attention to hygiene. A den like this should reek with a pungent stench.
But as Xu Zhengyang and Yang Hong approached the grass nest—
They not only didn’t smell anything foul, but instead caught a faint, refreshing floral fragrance.
It was as if they had stepped into a young maiden’s boudoir rather than a beast’s lair.
Xu Zhengyang and Yang Hong immediately sensed something odd and activated the Piercing-Delusion Golden Eyes to investigate.
“Senior Brother Xu, look here!”
Just then—
Yang Hong pointed to a vibrant cluster of mushrooms growing beneath the grass nest and said, “Those are Fragrant Mushrooms!
That scent must be coming from them!”
Xu Zhengyang nodded, puzzled. “But earlier, when I was fighting the Iron-Arm Ape...
It seemed dull and unintelligent—like it hadn’t yet developed true consciousness.
It doesn’t seem like the kind of beast that would carefully tend its lair...”
As he spoke—
A warning popup suddenly appeared at the bottom right corner of Xu Zhengyang’s retinal interface from the Security Manager:
【Suspicious Moving Target Detected】
(Click to view details)
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment upon seeing the notification, then quickly clicked to open the details.
There were two comparison images in the detail view.
Based on the red circles marked in the comparison images, Xu Zhengyang finally noticed that beside Yang Hong’s foot was a “withered branch” about a foot long—
Which was silently and slowly inching away!
Xu Zhengyang immediately called out, “Junior Brother Yang, step back one pace!”
“Huh?”
Though confused, Yang Hong instinctively followed Xu Zhengyang’s order and stepped right on that “withered branch.”
Judging by how decayed it looked, Yang Hong thought his foot would snap it in two.
But when he stepped down, not only did it not break—judging by the feel underfoot—
It felt as if he had stepped on a rubber rope.
“Hm?”
Yang Hong immediately sensed something was off and picked up the “withered branch” to examine it.
Moments later—
When he saw that one end of the branch had a nose and eyes, he exclaimed and brought it before Xu Zhengyang.
He said, “Senior Brother Xu, look! It’s actually a snake!”
“Mm.”
Xu Zhengyang nodded and immediately used his Divine Sense to probe this snake-like dry branch, trying to figure out what it was.
But then—
Xu Zhengyang was shocked to find that under the perception of his Divine Sense, the object in Yang Hong’s hand was completely void—there was nothing there!
“??”
For once, a rare look of shock appeared on Xu Zhengyang’s face.
His eyes flared with golden light as he attempted to analyze the small snake using the Piercing-Delusion Golden Eyes.
But after a few breaths, Xu Zhengyang could only shake his head in disappointment.
Because the snake seemed to possess an extremely mysterious property—despite being held right in Yang Hong’s hand—
No matter what probing method Xu Zhengyang used, he simply couldn’t discern its nature!