Chapter 477

Upon seeing Zhou Wen actually burn the ant's corpse, Wang Lu was a little surprised and said, "You're really going to burn it? This is a Mythical creature, after all. Wouldn't it be a pity if there was something special inside and you burned it?"

Zhou Wen glanced at her and replied, "It's an ant, not a dragon."

Wang Lu was speechless for a moment. She knew what Zhou Wen meant: no matter how strong the mutated ant was, it was still just an ant. Just like a mutated pig, no matter how strong, it was still a pig, not a dragon.

Seeing her silence, Zhou Wen continued, "Besides companion pets, the value of Mythical creatures primarily lies in the companion eggs, essence skill crystals, and dimension crystals they drop. Their corpses are almost useless unless they are alive. Rather than carrying such a large object back, it's better to burn it. It also saves on dimension crystal consumption."

"Alive? Are there Mythical creatures that can be eaten?" Wang Lu's interest was piqued upon hearing "alive."

Zhou Wen said, "Of course there are edible ones, but not this one. Even dead, this ant's toxicity is too strong. If an ordinary person ate it, they would be poisoned to death instantly."

"Then what other creatures can be eaten raw?" Wang Lu hastily asked.

Zhou Wen thought for a moment and said, "Dragon Girl."

Wang Lu was stunned, looking at Zhou Wen in surprise.

Zhou Wen didn't explain. No matter how powerful the Dragon Girl was, she was still a dragon, the most powerful creature in legends. The flesh of a legendary dragon, as long as it wasn't fully evolved, was a supreme treasure medicine.

Wang Lu's expression was complex. She wondered if he had heard the legend of the Dragon Girl, and after a while, she asked, "The Dragon Girl can also be eaten raw?"

"Yes," Zhou Wen nodded slightly. The Dragon Girl he was referring to was the companion pet Dragon Girl, and she had to be alive.

Wang Lu fell silent, lost in thought. Zhou Wen paid her no mind and continued to use the ant corpses to start a fire.

The ant corpses indeed made excellent kindling; they quickly caught fire, producing extremely high-temperature flames.

Zhou Wen set up his pot and placed a piece of essence crystal meat inside to roast.

Wang Lu watched the ant's corpse burn to ash, with not even a speck of bone left, finally giving up hope completely.

Seeing the essence crystal meat Zhou Wen took out, she asked, "You carry this too?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Zhou Wen countered, puzzled.

"I thought experts like you could go without food," Wang Lu said.

Zhou Wen chuckled and replied, "Not at all. Eating and sleeping are among life's greatest pleasures. Even without strength, one should eat and sleep when possible. With strength, one should naturally eat and sleep well. That's what life is about."

Wang Lu nodded thoughtfully after hearing Zhou Wen's words.

Once the essence crystal meat was cooked, they ate. Zhou Wen said, "Tomorrow we'll enter Fissure Mountain. Tell me your strength and speed attributes."

Wang Lu immediately replied, "Strength 11, Speed 10."

Zhou Wen nodded slightly and instructed, "Tomorrow, after we enter Fissure Mountain, no matter what happens, do not use any of your companion pets. Only fight with essence skills. Unless I tell you to use a companion pet, do not summon them."

Wang Lu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why?"

"The situation inside Fissure Mountain is complex. Don't ask too many questions for now, just follow my instructions," Zhou Wen said, offering no explanation.

Seeing that Zhou Wen wouldn't elaborate, Wang Lu knew he had his reasons, so she nodded and said, "Okay."

The next day, after Wang Lu had breakfast, Zhou Wen took her from the villa and headed towards Fissure Mountain.

Fissure Mountain was a primeval forest with extremely tall trees. Looking at them, it seemed as if they would split the sky, which is how it got its name.

The first time Zhou Wen came to Fissure Mountain, he nearly died here, so he was well aware of its dangers.

The dimensional creatures here were special; they could directly absorb human essence energy through various means.

For example, the Essence-Eating Grass in Fissure Mountain emitted a colorless, odorless gas. Anyone who inhaled it would have their essence energy absorbed directly from their body. Ordinary people without essence skills or companion pets would quickly weaken and die after inhaling this gas.

The toxicity of Essence-Eating Grass was not too strong; if detected in time, there was still a chance of survival.

What was truly terrifying were the Essence-Eating Beasts, whose essence absorption abilities were even more frightening.

Besides direct absorption, there were also Fissure Mountain Apes that knew various martial arts. If struck by an ape in a certain spot, that body part would lose its essence energy in a short time, making it impossible to use essence skills. Even companion pets, once their essence was absorbed, were no different from ordinary pets.

Zhou Wen himself had once had his essence energy absorbed by an Essence-Eating Beast here. Fortunately, he had the Great Brahma Sutra, which allowed him to hide most of his essence, leaving only a small portion exposed, which enabled him to escape by sheer luck.

Otherwise, he too would have died in Fissure Mountain.

It was for this reason that Zhou Wen told Wang Lu not to use companion pets; no matter how strong her companion pets were, if their essence was absorbed by an Essence-Eating Beast, they would become useless.

It was better to just fight with essence skills, as human essence skills could not be absorbed.

Zhou Wen himself would not have any problems here, because his Great Brahma Sutra had reached the sixth stage. He could almost completely hide his essence, releasing only a tiny amount, less than a tenth of his total. Even if it were absorbed, he could quickly replenish it without any loss.

"That's Fissure Mountain ahead," Zhou Wen said, pointing to a tall forest shrouded in a thin mist.

"Are those Essence-Eating Grass?" Wang Lu asked, spotting the strange grass.

"Yes. From now on, shield yourself with an essence barrier. Keep it stable, and tell me if you feel you're consuming too much essence," Zhou Wen instructed.

A faint glow of essence immediately appeared around Wang Lu's body, forming a transparent shield that enveloped her.

Zhou Wen checked Wang Lu's essence barrier, then led her into Fissure Mountain.

Not far into the forest, Zhou Wen saw clumps of Essence-Eating Grass swaying in the woods. The grass resembled flytraps, with leaves like open pockets, appearing quite beautiful.

But knowing their ability to absorb essence energy made them seem far less beautiful.

The deeper they went, the more Essence-Eating Grass they encountered, soon covering the entire ground.

Wang Lu continuously kept herself enveloped in an essence barrier. Fortunately, her essence level was high enough to prevent excessive essence consumption.

In this primeval forest, besides Essence-Eating Grass, there were also various other dimensional creatures.

These dimensional creatures rarely attacked humans because human essence was the best food for them.

When they saw humans, the creatures' first thought was always how to absorb the humans' essence, not to attack them.

As long as their essence was not absorbed, they generally would not attack.

Zhou Wen led Wang Lu for a long time before they saw the first ape.

The ape resembled a gorilla, entirely black, squatting on a tree, its eyes glowing green as it stared at Zhou Wen and Wang Lu.

"That's an Essence-Eating Ape. Their bodies are very strong, and they know martial arts. Their attacks can dissipate our essence energy, and if a vital point is hit, it could even be fatal. Be careful," Zhou Wen warned.

Wang Lu nodded, indicating she understood.

Zhou Wen continued forward, ignoring the Essence-Eating Ape. There was no need to get entangled with it since they were just passing by.

However, the Essence-Eating Ape did not think so. Seeing Zhou Wen and Wang Lu both enveloped in essence barriers, it immediately realized that their essence would not be easy to absorb. It leaped from the tree and lunged towards Zhou Wen.

"Move!" Zhou Wen yelled in a low voice, pulling Wang Lu behind him.

The Essence-Eating Ape's body was agile; it twisted in mid-air and instead lunged at Wang Lu, who was behind Zhou Wen.

It had perceived Wang Lu as the weaker one, which was why it chose her.

Although panicked, Wang Lu had some combat experience. She reacted instantly, crossing her legs and delivering a side-kick towards the ape's waist.

The Essence-Eating Ape's body twisted bizarrely in mid-air again, dodging Wang Lu's side-kick. Simultaneously, its arm lashed out like a whip, aiming for her chest.

Zhou Wen had already anticipated the Essence-Eating Ape's attack. As Wang Lu delivered her kick, he had already made his move, striking the ape's wrist with his palm.

The Essence-Eating Ape was startled, not expecting Zhou Wen's speed to be so fast. Its claws immediately changed direction, trying to grab Zhou Wen's wrist.

But Zhou Wen was faster. His palm had already landed on the Essence-Eating Ape's wrist.

The ape's wrist felt a sharp pain, and it was uncontrollably sent flying backward, tumbling several times in mid-air before regaining its balance and landing on a tree.

Zhou Wen's palm strike, using the Great Strength Vajra Palm, contained its inherent power. Though it was a casual strike, the Essence-Eating Ape could not withstand it.

Zhou Wen had not held back his power with that strike. The Essence-Eating Ape's wrist bone was shattered, rendering it temporarily unable to move.

The Essence-Eating Ape did not immediately flee. Instead, its glowing green eyes fixated on Zhou Wen, then it let out a sharp, piercing cry that echoed far through the forest.

"Quick, let's go!" Zhou Wen's expression changed. He grabbed Wang Lu and ran quickly forward.

Wang Lu asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Zhou Wen explained, "This Essence-Eating Ape is calling its companions. We need to leave here quickly, or we'll be surrounded by a pack of them."

Zhou Wen had previously been trapped by a group of Essence-Eating Apes. If not for the Great Brahma Sutra, he would have died there.

Although he could now withstand the Essence-Eating Apes' attacks, being surrounded by a large number of them would still be dangerous.

Zhou Wen pulled Wang Lu, moving swiftly through the forest. He had pushed his speed to the limit. Wang Lu ran her hardest to keep up, but her speed level was only 10, so she was mainly able to follow because Zhou Wen was pulling her.

As expected, not long after they started running, ape cries echoed from all directions, growing closer.

"Essence-Eating Ape packs are excellent trackers; they follow the essence energy trails we leave behind," Zhou Wen explained while running.

"What should we do?" Wang Lu asked.

Zhou Wen spotted a stone mountain not far ahead, with a cave halfway up its side. Unnamed plants concealed most of the cave, leaving only a small gap.

"That place should be safe," Zhou Wen said, pulling Wang Lu towards the stone mountain.

Wang Lu also saw the cave. Disregarding caution, she ran with Zhou Wen.

Upon reaching it, Zhou Wen saw a stone tablet in front of the cave with three blood-red characters carved on it.

"Pansi Cave?" Zhou Wen thought, startled.

Zhou Wen pulled Wang Lu through the crevice and into the cave.

The Essence-Eating Apes chased them to the base of the stone mountain but did not directly rush up. Instead, they howled angrily at the cave from below.

Zhou Wen sensed a faint, almost imperceptible special fluctuation within the cave.

"Looks like the Essence-Eating Apes dare not enter here," Zhou Wen sighed in relief.

Wang Lu also relaxed and asked, "What is this place?"

Zhou Wen replied, "I don't know, but the stone tablet outside says 'Pansi Cave,' so it's probably a famous historical dimensional zone."

"Pansi Cave? Is it the Pansi Cave where the seven spider demons live?" Wang Lu asked in surprise.

"Who knows if the legends are true or false," Zhou Wen said, raising his phone and shining its light into the cave.

The cave was dark, and the light didn't penetrate clearly.

Wang Lu was also curious. The fact that Zhou Wen attracted the Essence-Eating Apes here suggested the cave had a deterrent effect on them.

"Oh!" Zhou Wen exclaimed suddenly, a look of surprise on his face.

"What's wrong?" Wang Lu asked anxiously.

Zhou Wen didn't answer, instead walking directly into the cave.

Wang Lu followed closely.

The cave was spacious, but nothing was visible. Zhou Wen shone his phone light around, still unable to see clearly.

Yet, his eyes remained filled with surprise and doubt.

Finally, Zhou Wen turned off his flashlight and walked boldly forward, not even looking where he was going.

Wang Lu felt confused, but seeing Zhou Wen walk steadily, as if familiar with the place, she said nothing, simply following carefully behind him.

Zhou Wen's behavior was due to the white light displayed on his phone. This white light represented the phone's radar function, and the entire cave was covered in it, indicating there was no danger and no living creatures inside.

However, this white light was very strange, something Zhou Wen hadn't encountered in a long time.

Normally, when the radar function was active and nothing was detected, it displayed darkness.

White light only appeared when a dimensional zone was scanned, and these zones usually contained dimensional creatures or companion eggs.

Now the entire cave was filled with white light, yet there were no creatures or companion eggs, which was extremely strange.

Zhou Wen walked on and on, for a long time, but nothing appeared ahead, and the white light on his phone persisted.

After walking about one or two hundred meters, Zhou Wen suddenly saw a layer of white mist ahead. The mist was dense, thicker than the fog covering Fissure Mountain outside, and very pure, looking more like strands of silk than mist.

Zhou Wen tried to reach into the white mist but felt nothing, not even a breath of wind.

"What is that?" Wang Lu asked, also seeing the white mist.

Zhou Wen didn't answer her, instead staring at the map on his phone.

The white mist obscured the white light on the phone's map, preventing him from seeing anything inside the mist, as if it were a boundary.

Tentatively extending one foot into the white mist, Zhou Wen quickly disappeared into it.

Wang Lu was startled and quickly called out, "Zhou Wen!"

But the white mist gave no response. Like water, Zhou Wen had completely submerged into it.

Wang Lu hesitated, but remembering the Essence-Eating Ape pack outside, she gritted her teeth and followed Zhou Wen into the white mist.

As soon as she entered the white mist, Wang Lu was stunned.

The white mist wasn't white inside, nor was it a cave. Instead, it was a colossal natural grotto.

The grotto emitted a faint luminescence, illuminating it transparently. Thousands of white threads, finer than hair but extending endlessly, hung from the grotto's ceiling all the way to the floor.

The entire grotto was enveloped by these threads, like a colossal white curtain.

Zhou Wen stood in the center of the grotto, looking up at the threads. He reached out to touch them. They were icy cold but had no physical form, seeming to not exist at all.

Yet, when he scanned them with his phone, the threads appeared as individual white lines, indicating their real existence.

Just as Zhou Wen found this strange, the threads in the grotto suddenly began to twitch. Then, one by one, they started moving, slowly wrapping themselves around Zhou Wen.

Zhou Wen initially paid no mind, but as the threads coiled around him, he immediately felt his essence energy rapidly draining, like a punctured ball, losing most of its essence in an instant.

This startles Zhou Wen. Although his essence energy is hidden, he doesn't dare to be complacent and immediately strikes a palm into the threads.

The Great Strength Vajra Palm strikes the threads, but finds no purchase. His palm passes directly through them, as if striking thin air.

Yet, the threads don't pause at all, continuing to coil around his body.

Zhou Wen feels his essence energy draining even faster. He realizes that at this rate, his essence will likely be completely absorbed very soon.