Chapter 116: The Donkey


    "Ahh!"


    A blood-curdling scream echoed as a burly War Maniac was pounced on by a giant toad half a meter tall. Its long tongue lashed out, wrapping around the man''s neck and leaving a fiery mark. The man''s head rolled to the ground.


    *Croak... croak...*


    A chorus of croaks erupted as countless toads leaped out of a fiery pool.


    "Mom! Run!"


    The five companions of the fallen War Maniac panicked, abandoning their comrade''s body and fleeing. The toads, however, bounded after them, each leap covering dozens of meters. In just a few jumps, they caught up to the fleeing group.


    Screams filled the air.


    Han Ming, meanwhile, had climbed up a narrow path on a small hill, reaching the cliff where the Blazing Grass grew. Grinning, he reached out to pluck the herb.


    But as his hand closed in, the Blazing Grass shimmered and vanished. His hand passed through empty air, and the herb dissolved into an illusion.


    Han Ming froze. The seemingly empty cliff face rippled unnaturally, revealing a massive cave. Inside, countless red dots flickered in the darkness.


    "An illusion!" Han Ming''s heart sank.


    From the cave, a dozen fiery bats emerged, screeching as they surrounded Han Ming.


    This is bad!


    Han Ming cursed his luck. The Blazing Grass was likely a lure for other magical beasts, but instead of attracting prey, it had drawn him in. Now, faced with a dozen fourth-tier low-level bats, Han Ming was at a loss.


    The bats circled him but didn''t attack immediately. Instead, they flitted around, seemingly confused.


    Han Ming realized why. Bats relied on echolocation to hunt, and his silence and stillness had made him invisible to them. However, the temperature difference caused by his ice shield had drawn their attention, keeping them circling as they searched for him.


    "Demon soul, I beg you, please distract them!" Han Ming pleaded internally. Only the demon soul could help him now. Xiao Jian was too slow, and Han Ming couldn''t afford to stop even for a moment in this hellish place. If he sent Xiao Jian out, there was no telling when it would return.


    The demon soul snorted and emerged from Han Ming''s body. With a wave of her hands, she wove a massive silver net.


    The bats, sensing her presence, swarmed toward her, only to be ensnared in the net. Seizing the opportunity, Han Ming turned and fled, retracing his steps down the hill.


    The bats struggled in the net, eventually breaking free. The demon soul, busy dealing with the swarm, missed two bats that latched onto her neck.


    "Tasty, huh?" The demon soul smirked, her slender fingers suddenly sprouting long claws. She grabbed the two bats, crushing them and tossing their bodies aside. As a demon soul, she could temporarily materialize using Han Ming''s magic energy, but she was ultimately just a spirit. As long as Han Ming''s magic energy held, she wouldn''t perish.


    "Thanks!" Han Ming, passing by, grabbed the two bat corpses. He pulled out a small dagger from his storage bag, gutting the bats in hopes of finding something valuable. Disappointingly, they were empty.


    Seeing Han Ming run off, the demon soul stopped engaging the bats and transformed into a streak of light, chasing after him.


    "Since those bats used an illusion of Blazing Grass as bait, it means this area is likely a habitat for the herb. If you need it, you might want to search around here. You might find something."


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    The demon soul''s suggestion lit up Han Ming''s eyes.


    "Right! Why didn''t I think of that?" Han Ming smacked his forehead, scanning the area as he circled around.


    "Ahh..."


    In the distance, a human scream echoed. Han Ming shook his head sympathetically. Some poor soul had likely fallen for the same illusion he had, and unlike him, they probably didn''t know how to deal with the bats. Tough luck.


    This also meant that pursuers had reached this area. Han Ming sighed. He couldn''t stay here much longer.


    Looking up through the flames and smoke, he used the sun to orient himself and headed west.


    Days of relentless running had taken Han Ming deep into the heart of the Desolate Flame Prison.


    "If I keep going, I''ll cross the Desolate Flame Prison and reach the Ghost Domain. But I still haven''t found the Blazing Grass or the Crimson Flame Eagle."


    Han Ming checked his storage bag. He only had about a thousand small water crystals left. Refining the Profound Sky Ice Silkworm''s core would require at least five hundred grams of crystals. This meant he had to leave the Desolate Flame Prison before running out of crystals. The ice shield was melting faster, and without the crystals, he''d never escape this hellhole.


    Han Ming grew increasingly anxious. Leaving the Desolate Flame Prison would leave him with only two options: the Ghost Domain or the Desolate Storm. Neither was likely to provide magic crystals, and the Desolate Storm might still be teeming with enemies.


    As he fretted, a strange creature appeared in a small grove ahead. It looked like some kind of donkey.


    "What the...? A donkey? Seriously? What kind of magical beast is this?" Han Ming''s eyes nearly popped out of his head.


    To his surprise, the donkey was sniffing something.


    Curious, Han Ming slowed down and saw it—a Blazing Grass with eight leaves, each glowing like a snow lotus. Its quality far surpassed the two five-leaf Blazing Grass in his storage bag.


    The donkey seemed to adore the herb, sniffing it, neighing happily, and even licking the leaves. It pranced around the grass, clearly thrilled by its discovery.


    "A donkey... should be easy to deal with, right?" Han Ming hesitated. He''d heard of all sorts of magical beasts, but a donkey wasn''t one of them.


    The donkey circled the grass a few more times, drooling sparks onto the leaves. Finally, unable to resist, it bent down to take a bite.


    "Hey! Don''t eat that!" Han Ming, desperate to save the rare Blazing Grass, charged forward without a second thought.


    His blood-stained Cyan Rainbow Sword slashed out, sending a crimson arc toward the donkey.


    The donkey''s long ears twitched, but it stood dumbly, not even trying to dodge. The arc cleaved it in two. As it died, its body rapidly expanded into a massive monster over ten meters long.


    "That''s it?" Han Ming was stunned. It was too easy. How could something so clueless survive in the Desolate Flame Prison?


    Not wanting to waste time, Han Ming rushed forward, carefully plucking the Blazing Grass and storing it in his bag.


    "Finally, three Blazing Grass!" Han Ming grinned, about to leave when he glanced back at the donkey''s corpse.


    "Hmm... I wonder if this thing has a core. Probably not. It had no survival instincts. Must be low-tier."


    Hesitating, Han Ming decided to check. He flipped the donkey''s body over.


    *Clink...*


    A round, fiery-red core rolled out.


    "No way! Seriously!?" Han Ming''s eyes lit up. Luck was on his side, and it felt almost overwhelming.


    He stood there, holding the core, his heart racing.


    "All the materials... finally gathered." Han Ming was ecstatic.


    *Rustle... rustle...*


    A sound from the nearby bushes snapped Han Ming back to reality. Someone was coming! Thankfully, the grove and the flames hid him. He quickly pocketed the core and slipped away.


    With all the materials collected, all he needed now was the Crimson Flame Eagle. Smiling to himself, Han Ming disappeared into the flames.


    Two figures darted through the trees.


    "A donkey? In the Desolate Flame Prison? And it''s dead? Someone was here. Could it be that kid?" One of them, the city lord, bent down to examine the donkey''s corpse.


    Beside him stood the fire-attributed middle-aged man.


    The middle-aged man stared at the donkey, deep in thought.


    "This thing... I feel like I''ve heard of it before."


    The city lord hesitated.


    After a moment, the middle-aged man''s expression changed. He exchanged a horrified look with the city lord, both realizing the donkey''s origin.


    "The Desolate Flame Prison''s ruler, Vajra! Vajra the old monster''s mount!!"


    The city lord broke into a cold sweat. Vajra! The most powerful entity in the Desolate Forest—a fifth-tier fire-attributed War King!


    "Who''s the idiot who killed Vajra''s mount?" the city lord exclaimed.


    "Don''t think about it! Run! If Vajra finds us here, he''ll think we killed his mount!"


    The middle-aged man grabbed the city lord, ready to flee. But at that moment, a massive figure stomped into view.


    "Well, well! It''s been a while since I''ve seen visitors. You two are rare guests. It''s fate that we meet. Why don''t you come back to my place..."


    The four-meter-tall, shirtless, pitch-black giant, holding a seven-leaf Blazing Grass, was about to invite them for a visit when he noticed the massive corpse behind them.


    *Gulp.* The city lord swallowed hard, his face turning pale.


    *Thud.*


    The giant dropped the Blazing Grass. His expression shifted from joy to shock, then disbelief, and finally, unbridled rage.