If It Weren't for You, I'd Be Soaking in a Hot Spring

Several senior disciples at the Observation Divine Realm couldn't help but look into the distance.

Not far away, trees were toppling one after another.

Various exotic beasts, each with unique appearances and formidable auras, had all lost their rationality, their eyes glowing crimson.

Judging by their auras, most were at the eighth rank, with over a dozen at the seventh rank.

Among them, one stood out—a white-horned steel-feathered eagle at the peak of the seventh rank, equivalent to the Nine Apertures stage of the Observation Divine Realm.

Strange.

When they had first arrived at Rare Beast Peak, they had patrolled the area, and at that time, these beasts had been docile.

Why had they suddenly gone berserk?

Unless...

Whoosh—

A signal arrow shot into the sky by Xu Zhiqing exploded into a dazzling firework.

Then she shouted,

"Junior brothers, split up and intercept them!"

As soon as she spoke, the group retreated in unison.

Xu Zhiqing had intended to tell Li Mo to stay put, but when she glanced over, all she saw was a blur.

Swish.

Something had just zipped past.

Oh... it was Junior Brother Li.

Wait... Junior Brother Li?!

In the rush, Li Mo had no time to activate his Divine Eye of Fate and could only do his best to intercept the rampaging beasts.

The first one he confronted was a seventh-rank beast—a massive boulder-armored bear, towering like a small mountain, its massive paw swiping down at him.

Xu Zhiqing was about to step in when Ouyang pulled her back:

"We should focus on intercepting the others."

"But—"

"If you can't hold on later, just shout, 'Junior Brother Li, save me!'"

"???"

Boom—

A deafening crash echoed nearby.

Li Mo's fist, infused with alternating waves of extreme cold and scorching heat, shot forth like a coiling dragon, smashing into the bear.

The colossal beast was sent flying, its rocky chest armor shattered, crashing into several eighth-rank beasts in its path.

A flying bear—devastating collateral damage.

Xu Zhiqing: "..."

Miao Jinyin: "..."

Ouyang: "Told you. Let's just handle the eighth-rank ones."

Junior Li glanced at his fist.

He hadn’t used any martial techniques—just the power of his two Profound Cores.

Even among seventh-rank beasts, the boulder bear was among the strongest in raw strength, barring those with unique bloodlines. Yet against his power, it was like a child.

And this was just with two Profinct Cores.

If he ever refined all 365... would he become a walking nuclear bomb?

"Bear paws are supposed to be pretty tasty."

"If we take these beasts down, we won’t need to buy groceries for a long time."

Junior Li began collecting free ingredients.

Of course, he didn’t forget his duty.

His Divine Eye of Fate remained active, scanning for any trace of Yin Huaxuan.

Suddenly—

The white-horned steel-feathered eagle, its aura at the peak of the seventh rank, flapped its wings, stirring a fierce gale as its presence surged to its limit.

Its crimson eyes locked onto Li Mo, as if gathering strength for a charge.

Li Mo instinctively braced himself.

After all, a peak seventh-rank beast deserved some respect.

Then—

The eagle moved like lightning.

But not toward him.

Li Mo: "..."

So you were just trying to flee?

After confirming that Ouyang and the others had the eighth-rank beasts under control and that he’d already cleared most of the seventh-rank ones, he shot after the eagle like an arrow.

---

Meanwhile, at Divine Arms Peak.

Seeing the firework explosion over Rare Beast Peak, several core disciples immediately stood.

"Rare Beast Peak?"

"Wasn’t that area already cleared? Is Yin Huaxuan still there?"

"Elder Fu Tu, guard this place. We’ll investigate."

With those words, the core disciples swiftly departed for Rare Beast Peak.

"Take care."

Fu Tu slowly rose, his gaze drifting toward the distance.

From the forging pavilion, a figure shrouded in the aura of Divine Arms Peak vanished into the horizon.

His eyes flickered as he suppressed his own presence.

Soon, he arrived at his residence and opened a hidden door.

"Are they distracted?" A hoarse voice came from within.

Inside was none other than Yin Huaxuan, his aura significantly weaker than before.

"Yes. Han He has left too."

Fu Tu casually tossed him a bottle of pills and a lifelike mask.

Yin Huaxuan sniffed the pills—Blood Spirit Pills—and immediately swallowed one.

"If this succeeds, the 'Dragon Playing in the Tides' painting will be yours," he said through gritted teeth.

"Without eliminating Shang Wu and Li Mo and taking control of Jade Cluster Peak, our sect’s grand plan will never come to fruition!"

As he spoke, his aura and appearance shifted slightly.

"This isn’t the place to talk," Fu Tu said flatly.

"Fine. Just get me near the Streamstone Forest. I’ll handle the rest," Yin Huaxuan replied.

---

Before long, Fu Tu and a disguised "Murong Xiao" appeared on Divine Arms Peak.

As a senior steward of the peak and a favored disciple of Elder Han He, they passed without hindrance.

By the time they reached the Streamstone Forest...

Yin Huaxuan took out a peculiar whistle and blew a sound inaudible to human ears.

Whoosh—

The white-horned eagle descended, but its gaze turned toward something behind him.

Yin Huaxuan felt a wave of relief.

The white-horned eagle he had raised possessed an exceptionally faint trace of roc bloodline, granting it speed as swift as lightning. Even those in the Observation Divine Realm would struggle to catch up during a long pursuit.

Yet, just as he was about to mount the eagle and make his escape—

Boom!

A deafening crash resounded through the sky!

A figure plummeted like a meteor, slamming into the ground with earth-shaking force.

Yin Huaxuan: "?"

Fu Tu: "?"

Both men stared at the white-horned eagle, confusion in their eyes.

What the hell did you bring with you?

This didn’t seem like an Observation Divine Realm expert—there was no fluctuation of domain-controlled flight.

Exchanging a wary glance, neither dared to act rashly.

As the dust settled, they finally saw the figure brushing off the dirt.

"Another crash landing, huh?"

Li Mo dusted himself off while popping a pill into his mouth.

Damn, this eagle was fast!

Even with two Mystic Pills replenishing his energy at an extreme rate, he had barely managed to keep up.

Luckily—

Hm?

Li Mo suddenly noticed something off.

"Murong Xiao?"

Seeing 'Murong Xiao' standing beside Fu Tu not far away, Li Mo blinked in surprise.

"Senior Brother Li, what are you doing here?"

'Murong Xiao' shot Fu Tu a meaningful look before stepping forward.

"I was chasing this eagle," Li Mo replied, raising an eyebrow with a faint smile.

"By the way, about that copy of The Moonlit Affections you borrowed from me the other day—mind returning it?"

"Ah, as it happens, I have it with me."

'Murong Xiao' rummaged in his robes as he approached. Meanwhile, Fu Tu quietly circled to the side, preparing to strike when the moment came.

Last time, Li Mo had relied on a secret technique—one that surely came at a steep cost.

There was no way he could still have that kind of trick up his sleeve, right?

Three against one, plus the element of surprise. The odds were in their favor.

However—

"Here, is this the one—"

Before 'Murong Xiao' could finish, the dagger hidden in his sleeve shot forward.

Clang!

The dagger shattered into pieces against the edge of Li Mo’s Crimson Sky Sword.

"You—"

"Murong Xiao looks at me with light in his eyes. You don’t."

Li Mo’s hammer slid smoothly into his palm as he offered a polite smile.

"And now my energy is fully restored."

Boom—!

"Forty strikes, coming right up!"

The hammer tore through the air as Li Mo bellowed:

"If it weren’t for you, I’d be soaking in a hot spring right now!"