Chapter 115: The Sea of Monstrous Beasts

Qin County lies to the northeast of Lingyin City. To return there, she must cross the Sea of Demonic Beasts, which stretches between the central and northeastern regions of the Wukong Realm.

Back at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, she had heard mention of the Sea of Demonic Beasts more than once. It was said that the sea teemed with countless high-level demonic beasts, and even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage dared not traverse its central depths.

Gu Weiyu took a deep breath, pulling back her wandering thoughts. The Thunder-Hidden Sword materialized beneath her feet, and she stepped onto it, flying off toward the northeast of Lingyin City.

***

The Sea of Demonic Beasts was not, in fact, a sea in the literal sense. It was only named as such because this vast territory was filled with an innumerable quantity of demonic beasts, most of which lived in packs.

After flying out of Lingyin City, Gu Weiyu switched to riding on Qingtuan midway. This allowed her to cultivate while traveling, ensuring she would not become exhausted.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Riding on Qingtuan, Gu Weiyu slowly came to a halt before a vast sea of forest. She dismounted and gazed at the boundless expanse of trees ahead, her mind involuntarily conjuring the map of the Sea of Demonic Beasts she had purchased at the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

At the very edge of the Sea of Demonic Beasts lay just such a forest. Once past it, one would reach the abyss that spanned the north and south of the Wukong Realm, separating the central region from the northeast.

"Little Bud, wait for me!"

Gu Weiyu had only lingered at the edge of the forest for a moment when Little Bud darted inside, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, there was a spiritual connection between Gu Weiyu and Little Bud, and she could sense that the creature was not far off within the woods.

"So yummy..."
"This one is so yummy too..."
"..."

Every few seconds, Gu Weiyu could hear Little Bud’s joyful voice. She couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration; what a little glutton! However, Little Bud had always been remarkably adaptable, so Gu Weiyu was not overly worried. Besides, this distraction had caused the anxiety she felt toward the Sea of Demonic Beasts to dissipate for the most part.

This forest had endured the passage of time; every tree grew tall and straight, with giant timber so thick that several people would be needed to encircle it. Walking among these giants, Gu Weiyu looked like a tiny, insignificant speck; perhaps even a single leaf was as large as she was.

*Rustle—*

*Rustle—*

As Gu Weiyu stepped over the withered branches and fallen leaves, a strange rustling sound drifted into her ears from time to time. It sounded like leaves slipping from branches, or perhaps the friction of something crawling along... The sound made her skin crawl, and she instinctively kept scanning her surroundings.

After walking for only the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, Gu Weiyu could not help but stop. She used her spiritual sense to probe the giant tree beside her, inch by inch, with meticulous care.

What she saw made her scalp tingle: on the undersides of the massive leaves, in places hidden from her view, countless insects had quietly crawled right up to her. Each one possessed tiny, mung-bean-sized eyes that glowed with a pale green luminescence in the dim corners, and they were poised to swarm and attack her.

What terrified her even more was that, aside from these dense clusters of small insects, there were various other demonic beasts—snakes, rodents, and insects of all shapes and sizes—lurking nearby, watching her with predatory eyes! It was easy to imagine that if she were to stumble here even slightly, her remains would likely be torn apart and devoured by these ravenous beasts in a matter of moments!

No wonder the clerk at the shop in Ten Thousand Swords City had warned her that the Sea of Demonic Beasts was extremely dangerous and advised her not to venture there lightly when he saw her buying the map!

The Thunder-Hidden Sword appeared silently in her hand. Gu Weiyu let out a cold shout and unleashed a sequence of techniques: First Form of the Thunder Sword! Second Form of the Thunder Sword! Third Form of the Thunder Sword!

Arcs of pale purple lightning flashed through the dense forest, striking at the small insects she had spotted.

*Pitter-patter—pitter-patter—*

A "bug rain" suddenly began to fall from the giant trees. The small insects had no power to resist. Electrocuted by the power of the lightning, they went rigid and tumbled from the leaves like rain.

The various beasts hiding in the nearby giant trees were startled by this display of skill. This human could actually use lightning-based spells?! Most of the beasts that had been looking to join in the fray scattered in all directions.

Sensing that the majority of the beasts had retreated, Gu Weiyu breathed a sigh of relief. Although most of these were only first or second-tier beasts, their sheer numbers were overwhelming! Even though she had successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage, simply grinding down these small beasts would cost her significant time and energy. It was far better to have intimidated them with her first appearance! As it seemed, her first move had been successful.

Gu Weiyu unleashed her Thunder-Hidden Sword again, executing the fiercer Fourth Form of the Thunder Sword in one fluid motion, shooting toward every hidden corner of the dense forest. Watching as Gu Weiyu’s lightning sword seemed to have grown eyes, sweeping directly toward where they were hiding, the second-tier beasts that had been watching from the shadows could no longer hold their ground and scattered in panic.

Satisfied, Gu Weiyu sheathed her sword. With her spiritual sense closely monitoring all movement around her, she continued her journey forward. She was passing through the Sea of Demonic Beasts with no ulterior motive; she truly just wanted to "pass through," and nothing more.

Having successfully intimidated the "rabble" around her, Gu Weiyu’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally relaxed. She walked cautiously among the giant trees, but after a while, she realized something with a jolt: she could no longer sense Little Bud’s position!

Furthermore, it seemed she hadn't heard Little Bud’s joyful voice in her mind for quite some time!

Gu Weiyu stopped in her tracks, recalling the situation carefully. It seemed that as soon as she had sensed something was wrong, Little Bud had gone quiet! But at that time, her entire focus had been on the beasts suddenly emerging from the surroundings, and she had ignored this detail.

*Could something have happened to Little Bud?*

The tension that had just eased in Gu Weiyu’s heart tightened once more, beyond her control. She really shouldn't have let Little Bud run loose in the forest! Thinking of this, Gu Weiyu felt a headache coming on. Ever since Little Bud had followed her, this glutton had always been in a state of semi-starvation. Thus, she often went off to forage for food on her own, and out of a sense of guilt, Gu Weiyu had never had the heart to restrain such reckless behavior.

Previously, Little Bud had never encountered such a situation, so Gu Weiyu hadn't thought much of it. Now, with the sudden loss of contact, her heart began to ache. After weighing her options, Gu Weiyu made up her mind: once Little Bud returned, she would definitely give her a good scolding!

But for now, the most urgent priority was finding her!

"Master, the Pact of Great Virtue!" In her sea of consciousness, Little Shu sensed Gu Weiyu’s anxious state and couldn't help but offer a reminder.

*The Pact of Great Virtue?*