Pfft...

A swift slash, and a wolf was beheaded by Ye Qiu, collapsing instantly.

This was deep in the boundless mountains; to reach the Southern Wilderness, one must traverse this area.

Information about the Southern Wilderness was scarce amongst the villagers; they only knew that passing through this forest was necessary to reach it, and that the journey was fraught with danger, teeming with fierce beasts, and thus they dared not venture too far when hunting.

Ye Qiu, as a Martial Artist at the Returning Ruins Realm, wasn’t concerned much; with his prowess, as long as he didn’t encounter a Supreme Saint level of existence, he could ensure his safety.

Having roasted and consumed the wolf, Ye Qiu resumed his journey after a hearty meal.

Trekking through the vast wilderness, Ye Qiu recalled the time in the ancient lands, entering the territories of ancient beasts when he was far weaker.

Ordinary wolves, tigers, and leopards posed no threat to him; Ye Qiu walked with ease.

The fastest way to reach the Southern Wilderness was to fly over it directly, but Ye Qiu chose to travel by foot, one reason being the opportunity to consolidate his power at the peak of the late Returning Ruins Realm, and another to collect Spiritual Medicine and refine some elixirs.

In places like the Southern Wilderness, which hosted ancient beasts, human Martial Artists were rare; Ye Qiu, unfamiliar with the place, naturally needed ample preparation, as elixirs could come in handy at times.

In previous encounters with the disciple of Jiu Jue and Jiu Jue himself, Ye Qiu exhausted all the elixirs on him, leaving him with hardly any now, so he planned to replenish them.

He traveled through a hundred-mile forest, encountering only the lowest tier of beasts with none posing a threat.

Occasionally, just by releasing his aura, these beasts would scatter, afraid to approach.

Without even powerful ancient beasts, finding Spiritual Medicine proved challenging, so Ye Qiu began collecting some Spirit Grass.

Upon delving five hundred miles in, Ye Qiu started encountering ancient beasts; though their prowess lay in the Mythical Realm or Human King Realm, it was reassuring, signaling potential finds of Spiritual Medicine ahead.

Some ancient beasts initially hesitated upon his appearance but later actively attacked.

Ye Qiu withheld his aura, utilizing only physical strength without tapping into his Dantian or using powerful techniques, engaging in pure physical combat, which he found a good method to hone his skills.

All ancient beasts daring to strike him were annihilated; eventually, even those at the Emperor Realm dared not attack.

Perhaps due to the excessive slaughter of ancient beasts, Ye Qiu developed a unique killing aura, intimidating them.

Even ancient beasts dared not approach, Ye Qiu shrugged, losing interest.

He continued onward, soon discovering Spiritual Medicine of decent quality, about to bloom and bear fruit.

Nearby, a formidable ancient beast awaited, likely planning to consume the matured Spiritual Medicine to enhance its strength.

However, Ye Qiu’s arrival doomed the Spiritual Medicine to change ownership.

After such a long journey, finding Spiritual Medicine meant Ye Qiu wouldn’t pass up the chance; a lynx-like ancient beast eyed him warily but dared not attack.

As Ye Qiu neared the Spiritual Medicine, poised to pick it, the lynx finally took action, despite sensing Ye Qiu’s threat.

The outcome was clear: the lynx was effortlessly swatted away by Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu’s prowess rendered the lynx immobile, allowing him to pick the Spiritual Medicine, store it in his Xumi bag, and with a smile towards the lynx, continue onward, sparing its life despite taking its prize—killing it after robbing it would be excessive.

The lynx appeared feeble due to Ye Qiu’s overwhelming strength; against weaker foes, it could have easily maimed them.

As he pressed on, Ye Qiu encountered increasingly powerful ancient beasts, some having reached the Void-breaking Realm.

Initially, he heard playful noises, spotting a group of children; however, as he approached, they transformed into their true forms—menacing ancient beasts.

Ye Qiu chuckled, realizing his oversight: Void-breaking ancient beasts could morph, even adopting human form.

Though facing a group of Void-breaking ancient beasts, Ye Qiu remained unfazed, releasing a hint of his Returning Ruins aura, promptly suppressing them into submission. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Spare us, master, spare us," he heard human speech emanating from one ancient beast, surprising him.

Whether to kill these creatures mattered little to Ye Qiu, yet his interest piqued upon hearing the talking ancient beast, prompting him to inquire.

Gathering knowledge about the Southern Wilderness from the ancient beast.

Learning that an additional ten thousand miles lay between him and the true Southern Wilderness, Ye Qiu was momentarily stunned, realizing more time was required.

Nevertheless, Ye Qiu was in no rush, using this journey as an opportunity for self-improvement.

Ultimately, Ye Qiu departed following the direction the ancient beasts indicated.

Once Ye Qiu distanced himself, the ancient beasts collectively breathed a sigh of relief, overwhelmed by his intimidating presence.

"Yagu, why did you tell him the shortcut to the Saint Beast master’s domain leads to the Southern Wilderness?" one ancient beast queried Yagu, perplexed by his advice.

"How naive; Yagu intends for the Saint Beast master to eliminate him," another ancient beast elucidated the scheme.

Yagu nodded, confirming, "Indeed, this human took our Spiritual Medicine; we shouldn’t let him depart so easily, he ought to suffer a bit."

"But what if the Saint Beast master isn’t his match?"

"Um... seems unlikely," Yagu sheepishly scratched its head, having not considered this possibility.

Unbeknownst to the beasts, their conversation had reached Ye Qiu, who hadn’t actually left, his earlier departure merely a ruse to deceive them.

"These little creatures are indeed deceiving me," murmured Ye Qiu inside the Supreme Bell; if he hadn’t been cautious, he might have fallen for their trick.

These ancient beasts underestimated Ye Qiu; from Earth to the Ancestral Land, he endured countless dangers, making him not one to trust others easily, least of all the words of ancient beasts.

Thus, driven by suspicion, Ye Qiu covertly returned.

The fact proved his prudence correct; the beasts intended to lure him into the ’Saint Beast master’s domain’; though unaware of the Saint Beast master’s true power, the presence of ’Saint’ implied complexity.

Though he decided against pursuing their intended path, Ye Qiu was intrigued by the Saint Beast master.