Intimidated by his presence, these wild boar exotic beasts, each at least possessing half-step Fourth Realm strength, slowly retreated.
But just then, a low roar echoed through the forest.
Hearing the roar, these wild boar exotic beasts, which were already gripped by fear, suddenly erupted with unimaginable frenzy and charged at Lu Dingtai again.
Lu Dingtai was not alarmed but rather delighted.
"I suspected something was off with you all along. Let me see what you truly are, daring to stir up trouble from behind the scenes."
As the words fell, Lu Dingtai shattered the head of the leading wild boar with a single palm strike, then soared into the air, using the backs of the boars as stepping stones to rush into the forest.
Watching this scene from atop the city wall, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but be caught between tears and laughter.
Lu Dingtai’s cautious words to himself about handling affairs carefully still echoed in his ears, yet in the blink of an eye, it was Lu Dingtai who had become the most impulsive one.
However, jokes aside, seeing his master personally venture into danger, as a disciple, Zhao Ya naturally couldn’t stand idly by.
"Senior Brother Jiao, stay here and keep watch. I’m going to assist my master."
Without waiting for Jiao Yousong’s response, Zhao Ya had already leapt down from the city wall and vanished in a few strides.
To this, Jiao Yousong could only shake his head helplessly, "Truly a master-disciple pair, even their temperaments are alike."
Not mentioning Jiao Yousong leading the martial artists in defending the city wall, let’s speak of Zhao Ya who, after a few leaps, entered the mountain forest.
As soon as he entered, several venomous snakes lurking in the trees launched an attack on Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya didn’t even glance at them. With a spin of his blade around his form, these venomous snakes were sliced in half.
Some snakes spat venom at Zhao Ya mid-air.
Possessing the talent of being immune to a hundred poisons, and with the protective armor acquired from the Ning Family, Zhao Ya didn’t even bother to dodge, charging directly through.
The forest was quite dark, with the rain much diminished due to the leaves’ blockage.
Zhao Ya had no idea where his master, Lu Dingtai, had gone, so he could only rush deeper.
But after just a few steps, Zhao Ya sensed something amiss and quickly sidestepped.
The next moment, a shadow darted past where Zhao Ya had just stood, then paused on a tree branch, crouching to look at Zhao Ya.
It was a gigantic lynx with a body covered in spots, commonly known as a wildcat, a fiercely aggressive beast particularly known for its stealth and ambush abilities, earning it the name ’forest assassin.’
This giant lynx measured over a meter in length, its presence unmistakably declaring it as a genuine Fourth Realm exotic beast.
Staring into the lynx’s emotionless, murder-filled eyes, Zhao Ya understood that this was going to be a tough fight, so he took a deep breath, raised the Meteorite Iron Saber to his chest, and lightly beckoned at the lynx.
In the next instant, the lynx let out a shriek, transforming into a black streak, pouncing on Zhao Ya with unimaginable speed.
Clang.
A sharp metallic clash sounded as the Meteorite Iron Saber blocked the lynx’s claws in a flash, the sparks it generated particularly vibrant in the darkness.
Immediately, Zhao Ya’s other hand shot out, aiming directly for the lynx’s shoulder.
The lynx swiftly evaded, retreating back into the darkness.
In terms of speed, even Zhao Ya, with his Light as a Feather Body Technique, couldn’t match it.
However, Zhao Ya didn’t pursue but instead continued moving forward.
He knew since the lynx guarded this spot, it was definitely trying to prevent anyone from advancing further.
As expected.
After moving forward a few dozen meters, the lynx emerged again to engage Zhao Ya in battle.
Clang.
Another metallic clash, and the lynx tried to flee again, intending to continue its hit-and-run tactic.
But this time, not long after it darted away, its body faltered and its speed noticeably slowed.
Then Zhao Ya’s blade reached it.
With a crisp sound, the Meteorite Iron Saber landed on the lynx’s back, leaving a long gash.
The lynx roared in pain and, ignoring all else, fled into the darkness.
Zhao Ya didn’t pursue.
In fact, the reason he succeeded with that strike was due to the numbing medicine he secretly used earlier.
Though he wasn’t sure if the numbing agent would affect a Fourth Realm exotic beast, Zhao Ya decided to give it a try.
It worked out well, as the lynx’s speed was evidently hindered by the numbing agent.
Which is why Zhao Ya succeeded.
But that was it; after being slashed, under the stimulus of pain, the lynx’s speed returned to normal, making further pursuit improbable.
With this encounter, the lynx likely wouldn’t dare obstruct him again.
Zhao Ya quickly traversed the mountain forest with his saber, occasionally pausing to listen to the surroundings.
This time, perhaps due to Zhao Ya’s blade wounding the lynx, there were no more exotic beasts blocking his path.
Soon, Zhao Ya faintly heard sounds of combat, prompting him to quicken his pace towards it.
Upon reaching closer, Zhao Ya parted the forest and witnessed a terrifying scene.
In a clearing amidst the forest stood a Mountain Demon.
This Mountain Demon had a face remarkably similar to a human’s, standing roughly two meters tall. If not for its body covered in white fur, it would almost be indistinguishable from a person.
Moreover, a deformed monster clung to the back of the Mountain Demon.
This beast had an enormously large head, yet its facial features were all crammed into a small area at the lower left, leaving large expanses blank.