"Oakwood Forest?"
Inside the Dragon Slayer Guildhall.
The One-Eyed Owl was questioning an outsider.
This man claimed to be a wandering merchant, roaming across the continent, and had specifically come to provide information about a ferocious monster he had discovered.
The Dragon Slayer Guild had announced that anyone who could provide information on monsters of the 11th tier would be rewarded with 200 gold coins, and for a 12th tier, 500 gold coins.
One gold coin was equivalent to a hundred silver coins.
A cup of tree milk cost one silver coin, which meant the info was worth fifty thousand cups of tree milk.
This showed it was an astronomical amount.
The wandering merchant, full of greed, nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes, I happened to see the big bugs there eating people when I passed by Oakwood Forest!"
"Bullshit!"
Beside him, Grugia said irritably, grabbing the merchant by the collar.
He felt his intelligence was being insulted.
They had heard of Oakwood Forest, home to many Ironhorn Tribe members, a sub-race of rhinoceros beetles.
Each one was incredibly powerful.
They had iron-like shells and highly aggressive iron horns.
They could easily snap a towering tree, showcasing their strength.
Furthermore, the leader of the Ironhorn Tribe was a 12th-tier monster, dominating the area.
Even the War Empire didn't dare to conquer them.
They had to leave them space to reproduce in Oakwood Forest.
The main reason was that they fed on tree sap, making it impossible for them to eat people.
Osius played with a small knife nearby, scraping it across the dirty, dust-covered face of the wandering merchant.
He threatened, "We also said if anyone dares to lie here, we'll cut out his tongue…"
"By heaven and earth, we merchants value honesty the most!" The wandering merchant shivered in fear.
The One-Eyed Owl gestured to release him, "Tell me more specifically."
"I saw with my own eyes, they kidnapped and killed passersby, sucking their bodily fluids! There were many human remains there, you can see for yourselves. I'll wait right here for your return, I definitely won't run!"
The wandering merchant spoke with firm conviction.
His expression still showed some lingering fear from witnessing it.
Since monsters were categorized as good or bad, the Dragon Slayer Guild didn't kill indiscriminately.
Their targets were usually those that had killed or posed a threat to humans.
Such monsters were often very powerful.
Perfect for their taste.
Hearing this.
The One-Eyed Owl stood up, very pleased, "Good, I've been wanting to see if the Ironhorn Tribe is as formidable as the rumors say! Kid, today you're coming to experience real combat, watch and learn well!"
Lin Tian, seeing her confidence, didn't refuse.
At the very least, he could learn this breathing technique and combat skills, greatly enhancing his strength.
Skills and such could be exchanged from the system later.
But combat skills were very rare.
Alice mainly taught swordsmanship, and Lin Tian had learned almost everything.
At this moment, the One-Eyed Owl instructed, "You guys keep a close eye on this fellow. If the Ironhorn Tribe is honest and upright, I'll personally cut out his tongue when I return!"
"No problem!"
Then, Lin Tian followed the One-Eyed Owl.
Each riding a carnivorous horse, they sped along the road.
Oakwood Forest was only a hundred kilometers away, not too far.
In less than two hours, they saw the dense oaks ahead.
Each tree was at least fifteen meters tall.
The trunks were straight, with many branches at the top, very disorderly.
In this season, there were no leaves, but there were many large, plump acorns.
Children from nearby villages often picked acorns along the roadside to eat.
They were aware of the Ironhorn Tribe living there, but life's pressures left them no choice.
Fortunately, the Ironhorn Tribe was known for their peaceful and kind nature, so they had never harmed humans.
"There seems to be a monster's presence in the Boiling Marsh over there too."
Standing beside Oakwood Forest, the One-Eyed Owl turned to look at the distant marsh.
A thousand meters ahead lay a marshy area.
Bubbles constantly rose from the pits in the water, the entire area steaming with heat.
It looked as if the water was boiling.
Lin Tian, seeing such a peculiar landscape for the first time, speculated, "Is there a volcano around here? Why is the marsh boiling?"
"There's no volcano, but there's a fire-breathing newt living below. It's said to be a descendant of Salamander."
The One-Eyed Owl slowly approached the Boiling Marsh, hoping to encounter the legendary Salamander, which was a fire elemental spirit, one of the four great elemental spirits.
Lin Tian followed, approaching the Boiling Marsh, feeling as if he were in a sauna.
Very refreshing.
"Boss, I haven't bathed in days, I'll take a soak first!" Lin Tian couldn't resist, testing the water temperature.
The temperature around the pits was just right, around forty degrees, not scalding.
The central area was boiling.
The One-Eyed Owl smirked coldly, "Kid, are you trying to seduce me? What if I can't hold back and take you right here?"
Of course, it was just a joke.
"You go ahead and soak, I'll scout around and see if there are any traces of humans being attacked by the Ironhorn Tribe."
With that, the One-Eyed Owl left first.
She ventured into Oakwood Forest.
Lin Tian felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, almost euphoric.
He had never taken a hot bath, let alone soaked in a hot spring.
It was indeed very refreshing.
He thought about bringing Gobu Yue and the others back to soak as well.
That little guy had helped him handle a lot of matters; he should let her relax too.
Of course, there were others as well.
While he was lost in thought.
A piece of turf in the middle of the marsh was pushed up by something.
A pair of enormous eyes appeared.
The eyes were golden-yellow with black spots around the pupils, resembling those of a reptile, extremely cold and terrifying.
Just one of these eyes was dozens of centimeters in size.
The fire-breathing newt's body was over ten meters long, and its temperament was unfriendly.
Since it was a descendant of Salamander and had always lurked in this uninhabited marsh, never harming humans, it hadn't been hunted.
However, monsters had a sense of territory!
It sensed the strong, threatening demonic aura from Lin Tian.
So it prepared to attack.
The enormous body swam through the muddy marsh, quickly arriving beneath Lin Tian.
"This feels so good. Why is it getting hotter?"
Lin Tian was leaning against the shore, enjoying the hot spring.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, not realizing something was wrong until he saw a bubble rise from the water.
His drowsy mind snapped to alertness, feeling something was amiss!
The water was boiling!
He quickly jumped ashore, his entire body red and scalded, "Damn, what's going on?"
"Sss!"
Suddenly, a jet of boiling water shot from the pit towards Lin Tian!
The range was too wide to dodge!
Though not very aggressive, this was real boiling water, and if it scalded him, his entire body would be disfigured.
Lin Tian, not caring about exposing himself, used a powerful shout to disperse the steam.
After all, the One-Eyed Owl wasn't nearby.
He saw a red, salamander-like six-legged newt lying on the marsh.
Its mucus constantly dripped, evaporating large amounts of steam.
Its soft horns were aflame.
It made hissing noises, full of threatening aggression.
"This guy is a fire-breathing newt? Is it crazy, why is it attacking me?"
Lin Tian cursed, irritated that he couldn't even take a bath in peace.
But, its combat power was surprisingly 9000.
It wouldn't be easy to deal with.
He decided to settle it quickly before the One-Eyed Owl returned.
He pulled out the Spear of Zeus and swiftly leaped onto its back, stabbing down!
"What?!"
Lin Tian frowned as the spearhead slipped aside, nearly stabbing his own foot.
He hadn't expected the mucus to be so slippery.
Moreover, it was very hot!
He couldn't bear it and retreated to the side.
Suddenly, he saw a huge mouth aimed at him, gathering flames!
"Boom!"
Flames burst out, scorching the area where Lin Tian had just stood, and the marsh grass outside was charred black for tens of meters!
The key difference from a wyvern was that this creature could continuously breathe fire without a break!
Lin Tian was forced to dodge rapidly, using his elemental crossbow to aim at its throat, absorbing its fire element.
Preparing to return fire.
As it opened its mouth to breathe fire again, a large mass of flames was blasted into the fire-breathing newt's throat.
"Cough, cough!"
Immediately, the flames backfired inside its body, causing its belly to glow red.
The fire-breathing newt choked, coughing out black smoke.
It turned to escape.
From the sky, the One-Eyed Owl's shout grew louder and louder!
"Get! Out! Of! My! Way!!!"
Whoosh!
Boom!
She descended like a meteor!
Crashing onto the fire-breathing newt's head!
The impact sent mud and water flying everywhere, reaching dozens of meters high!
Lin Tian, covered in mud, stood dazed.
But when he saw the scene before him, he was shocked.
The marsh was empty, the water blasted away.
The fire-breathing newt lay there, its head smashed to pieces.
The scene was extremely gruesome!
The One-Eyed Owl stood atop the huge head, very proud, "Too easy. I wonder if Salamander can put up a fight."
"Defeated, just like that?!"
Lin Tian was stunned, barely able to speak.
After all, it had a combat power of 9000.
But its head was smashed in one punch.
Even if it didn't die, it was as good as dead.
This woman was truly terrifying!
The One-Eyed Owl boasted, "You have a lot to learn, kid. Let's go. I found traces of corpses. The Ironhorn Tribe—not a single one will be spared!"
Lin Tian followed behind.
This time, he was just a spectator, no need to lift a finger.
Just to learn combat skills.
As long as he didn't expose himself prematurely.
The One-Eyed Owl swaggered in.
Shouting continuously, "Hey! Little bugs inside! Get out here! How dare you kill passersby at will? Just right, the museum needs specimens! Get out here!"
Her voice echoed through Oakwood Forest.
Lin Tian was on high alert, "Boss, isn't this reckless? What if they ambush us?"
He eyed the thick fallen leaves.
Afraid a giant beetle man might jump out.
The Ironhorn Tribe was said to be insanely strong, meaning they were inherently powerful.
Lin Tian dared not be careless.
Suddenly, he saw a little boy running towards them from afar.
Crying in terror, "Waa! Can anyone save me?"
He tripped and fell, spilling acorns from the wicker basket he was carrying.