Chapter 162: Chapter 149: Mysterious Mantis

The valley with the Soul Nourishing Grass was to the right of Gray Stone Mountain.

It was an unnamed place, completely encircled by towering mountains. A persistent white mist drifted overhead, refusing to dissipate.

Han Ning gazed at the surrounding bare, grayish-white mountain slopes and bluntly dubbed the place Gray Stone Valley.

As they neared Gray Stone Valley, the two stopped and found a soft patch of grass to sit down and rest for a bit.

Egg Pancake had run for nearly 700 kilometers straight while carrying both of them, not to mention the heavy items in their waist pouches. The exertion had taken a considerable toll on its Physical Strength.

Han Ning pulled several cans of meat from his waist pouch, along with some Rock Viper carcasses he had collected on Gray Stone Mountain. He mixed them with a few chunks of Winged Demon Heart meat in a large iron basin, added some sesame oil and salt, stirred it all together, and placed it in front of Egg Pancake.

Egg Pancake loved the rich, savory smell of oily meat.

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

Seeing the raw, bloody meal, Egg Pancake let out a happy cry and began to noisily wolf it down.

Just then, Lü Xiuning handed some beef jerky to Han Ning. "I still haven’t decided on my second Soul Beast," he said, "and you’ve already contracted your third."

"Time waits for no one. Speaking of which, Teacher Lü, have you made a choice for your second Soul Beast? The Purple Star Snake, or the Copper-Feathered Falcon?"

The Purple Star Snake was the species name for that colony of large purple snakes in the Mist Deep Valley, a fact Han Ning had only learned after consulting the Yinsaike Race’s Soul Beast Atlas.

Lü Xiuning shared his thoughts. "I’m leaning toward the Purple Star Snake. The eggs are still incubating. According to the atlas, it’s a Soul Beast with E Talent and the Dark Attribute. Seems pretty good."

"Huh... Didn’t you say you were looking for a flying-type?"

Lü Xiuning smiled, speaking candidly. "The Purple Star Snake is more powerful. And with my Insect Master abilities, I can just use flying insects to compensate for the lack of flight."

"That’s a fair point."

While the two of them were eating and chatting, the nearby Egg Pancake had already devoured everything in the iron basin.

"Pancake, how can you eat so much?"

Han Ning said teasingly, patting Egg Pancake on the rump.

Squeak~

Egg Pancake looked deeply hurt, staring at its master with big, pitiful eyes.

"I was just kidding!"

Han Ning went over and gently rubbed its cheeks.

’A good appetite is a blessing. The more Egg Pancake can eat, the happier that makes me as a Beast Master.’

Compared to Yin Yi, Egg Pancake only ate the flesh and blood of Soul Beasts. So even though it ate a lot, it actually consumed fewer resources than Yin Yi did.

CHIRP CHIRP!!

Egg Pancake immediately perked up again.

After they packed their things and Egg Pancake’s Physical Strength had mostly recovered, the two climbed back onto its back and ventured deeper into Gray Stone Valley.

Passing through a thicket of dense branches, a secluded, tranquil valley appeared before their eyes.

In the middle of the valley was a small lake, shrouded in mist.

A small waterfall cascaded from above into the lake, and along its shore grew stalks of dark red flowers that emitted an eerie crimson glow in the light.

The blossoms had dozens of petals, each one threaded with black veins.

"So that’s the Soul Nourishing Grass?!"

Han Ning murmured, his eyes fixed on the red flowers growing sparsely by the lake—there were probably a hundred or so stalks.

Although they were beautiful, blooming flowers, it was the roots that provided Spiritual Power to an Insect Master.

The flowers of the Soul Nourishing Grass were also useful; they had a powerful hallucinogenic effect and were often used by Insect Masters as material for cultivating certain types of insects.

"Looks like these flowers are already spoken for..."

Lü Xiuning’s brow furrowed as he surveyed the dark figures prowling by the Soul Nourishing Flowers amidst the thick white mist.

"A beast-type... Are they Ink Wolves? They like to live in mountain forests." Han Ning identified the dark figures after flipping through his atlas.

Their bodies were covered in thick, jet-black fur, and each stood at least 1.8 meters tall at the shoulder. A pair of pale red eyes glimmered faintly in the dimly lit valley.

"Five of them. Their strength is somewhere between Entry Level and Awakened Level." Han Ning made a rough judgment of their power based on their size.

Awooo~

As expected of a beast with high intelligence and a keen sense of smell, one of the burliest Ink Wolves instinctively twitched its nose when it was still dozens of meters away from Egg Pancake. It glanced doubtfully in their direction.

But Egg Pancake’s Mimicry had completely concealed its form, so while the Ink Wolf was suspicious, it didn’t actually spot them.

’An Awakened Level Ink Wolf... A perfect way to give Egg Pancake some practice.’

He and Lü Xiuning jumped off Egg Pancake’s back. Lü Xiuning’s Wood Demon swayed and laid down a ring of mist around them, its color identical to the natural fog, helping to hide their presence.

Yin Yi stayed close by Han Ning’s side, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

"Egg Pancake, take care of them."

"CHIRP!"

Receiving the command, Egg Pancake moved silently toward the smallest Ink Wolf without deactivating its Mimicry.

FWIP~

A thick, long tongue, wreathed in a streak of fiery light, shot out from thin air.

With a soft squelch, it silently pierced through the nearest Ink Wolf.

The nearby Ink Wolves were startled and immediately tried to retreat.

But the tongue of an Awakened Level Egg Pancake was not so easily dodged.

FWIP! FWIP~

The tongue whipped around in mid-air, piercing through the skulls of the two adjacent Ink Wolves in quick succession.

Han Ning’s expression remained unchanged as he transmitted his thoughts via Spiritual Power, "Three Entry Level Ink Wolves are barely a snack for you... Continue!"

"AWOOO!!"

The last and largest Ink Wolf finally reacted. It let out a piercing howl and, in a series of flickers, suddenly appeared just a short distance in front of Egg Pancake.

Its sharp claws, wreathed in black mist, slashed forward, carrying a gust of foul, rank wind.