Chapter 548: Chapter 251: Found the Big Bug

As he walked, he pushed his Earth Listening Technique to its absolute limit, his ears capturing every rustle of leaves, insect chirp, and beast roar within a radius of several miles.

At the same time, he kept his Divine Sense extended, blanketing an area of several hundred meters around him to guard against any potential threats.

’If Qi Zai finds the target, he’ll circle above it and cry out three times in a row. With my current hearing, enhanced by the Earth Listening Technique, I should be able to hear him as long as he’s within a few dozen miles.’

Yang Qi mused.

This was one of the sources of his confidence to venture deep into the wilderness alone.

A combination of aerial reconnaissance and ultra-long-range communication.

However, the mountainous region of Hanxi Province was vast and the terrain complex.

The old South China Tiger’s survival instincts were beyond question. It would surely choose the most secluded, secure region with a relative abundance of food and water as its core territory, and its range was vast.

For three days straight, Yang Qi and Xiaojiu trekked through the mountain forests, crossing mountains and fording streams.

High above, Qi Zai patrolled tirelessly, investigating the suspicious points that Yang Qi continuously updated using the Spirit-Exploring Ball’s passive scan.

They found wild boars, wary river deer, and the occasional passing leopard cat...

On one cliff face, Qi Zai even spotted a pair of resting falcons from afar.

But there was still no sign of the tiger.

Yang Qi wasn’t discouraged.

Searching for such a legendary, endangered species was like finding a needle in a haystack; it was never going to be easy.

Each day at a fixed time, he used a satellite phone to send a brief "all’s well" signal to a secure number arranged by his Eldest Senior Brother. The rest of his time was spent completely focused on the search.

During the day, he coordinated with Qi Zai, using the Spirit-Exploring Ball and aerial reconnaissance to screen a wide area.

When the Spirit-Exploring Ball showed a strong light spot from a "Spirit Beast" that was relatively close, Yang Qi would personally sneak over and switch the ball to its active mode for a close-range confirmation.

Anything far away was left entirely to Qi Zai.

At night, he would take a Qi Condensing Pill and cultivate the Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique to restore his Magical Power.

Xiaojiu served as the most vigilant sentinel.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Their search area had already extended more than two hundred kilometers to the northwest.

「That afternoon.」

Yang Qi stood on a hillside with a relatively open view, his back against a massive boulder.

With his eyes closed, he pushed his hearing and his Earth Listening Technique to their utmost limits.

The whistle of the wind, the rustle of leaves, the babbling of a distant stream, the buzzing of insects, the chirping of birds...

Countless sounds wove together into a vast web of acoustics, which his keen hearing captured, distinguished, and filtered.

Yang Qi was like a great, unmoving stone, silently "listening" to the heartbeat of the ancient mountain forest.

Suddenly—

"SCREEE!"

An eagle’s cry, faint and distorted by the vast distance but still clear, pierced through the mountain barriers, drifting over from the west.

Yang Qi’s tightly shut eyes snapped open.

It was Qi Zai’s cry!

And the rhythm and pitch of this cry...

He focused, listening with all his might.

One second, two seconds...

"SCREEE!"

"SCREEE!"

Two more cries followed.

They were evenly spaced and extremely piercing.

It was the signal—three consecutive cries!

’He found it!’

Yang Qi was overjoyed.

After a week of searching, he had finally received the clearest possible answer.

Immediately, Yang Qi scooped up Xiaojiu, who had also looked up alertly from his feet.

From his Hundred Pouches Belt, he took out a pale yellow Talisman inscribed with profound runes.

A Divine Movement Talisman!

He held the Talisman in his hand and instantly infused it with Magical Power.

"VMMMM!"

The Talisman dissolved into a streak of light and entered his body.

In that instant, Yang Qi felt his body go light, as if a colossal weight had been lifted. An irresistible, invisible power enveloped and buoyed him, creating the sensation that he was as light as a swallow, able to ride the wind.

Holding Xiaojiu, he tapped his toes lightly on the rock.

"WHOOSH—"

Yang Qi’s figure instantly blurred into an afterimage. Like a gale skimming the ground or a low-gliding swift, he shot off at an incredible speed toward the west, the direction from which the three eagle cries had come.

Rugged mountain paths?

Dense forests?

Intersecting ravines?

Under the power of the Divine Movement Talisman, none of it mattered.

Yang Qi’s movements were incredibly agile. He skimmed over the tips of grass, rebounded off tree branches, and vaulted from steep cliff faces like a nimble ape, his speed never faltering in the slightest.

In fact, he was getting faster!

The wind howled past his ears as the scenery on either side flew backward, blurring into a smear of color.

Thirty kilometers.

At the astonishing speed granted by the Divine Movement Talisman, it took just over a quarter of an hour.

By the time Yang Qi felt the uplifting force begin to fade and the Divine Movement Talisman’s power run out, he had already arrived at the edge of a deep, secluded valley encircled by towering mountains.

He slowed down, landing silently on the thick branch of a large tree, where he held his breath and focused.

Looking up, he saw a black dot circling slowly in the sky. It was Qi Zai.

Master, it’s right below.

Qi Zai communicated via his thoughts, maintaining his circling flight as his sharp gaze remained locked on a specific spot in the valley below.

Yang Qi followed Qi Zai’s line of sight, focusing his gaze.

The valley floor was lush with dense vegetation, overgrown with ferns and shrubs taller than a man.

Near the edge of a particularly dense patch of grass, in the shadow of a cliff wall...

Yang Qi’s gaze froze.

He saw it!

Amidst the tall grass, a yellow-and-black shape was slowly shifting, like a huge, lazy "worm."

The massive, powerful outline of its body, the distinct aura of an apex predator that could be felt even from this distance...

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