Aril was happily eating her favorite food, her face full of satisfaction. Ever since her breakthrough, Li Xuan had been giving her plenty of food, almost like he was trying to win her over. He didn't know whether Aril would leave in the future, but deep down, he hoped she would stay with him a little longer.
Using his ability, Li Xuan carefully observed Aril's status. He noticed that she had gained two new skills after her breakthrough. "So she really became stronger…" he muttered softly, focusing his attention.
The first skill was Holy Blessing, a buff-type ability that could increase strength, speed, defense, stamina recovery, and spiritual energy recovery by twenty percent. The second was Light Stealth, which allowed her to bend light using her attribute and turn invisible, with the duration depending on her energy.
Apart from these, her previous abilities had also improved significantly. Looking at her now, Aril was almost like an all-round powerhouse. Li Xuan nodded slightly. "With this… she might actually be able to handle that snake for a while," he thought.
By evening, he had already decided that they would return the egg. Although living inside the barrier felt safe and peaceful, he knew it wouldn't last forever. The resources outside were either depleting or rotting, and sooner or later, they would have to find a way to produce food themselves.
"We can't depend on luck forever," Li Xuan murmured. "We need farming… and strength."
He was also worried about unknown dangers. If a level 3 or even level 4 creature or ghost appeared, they wouldn't be able to survive easily. Compared to others, his growth would be slower unless he obtained rare treasures like soul crystals or spirit fruits.
After informing Aril about returning the egg, she simply nodded. "If it's dangerous, we run first," she said calmly.
Li Xuan gave a faint smile. "That's exactly the plan."
Thinking about communication, he decided to bring Bai Lingling along. Her ability might help them interact with the snake. However, remembering her fear, he hesitated slightly.
He soon found Bai Lingling chatting happily with Xu Ling. The two were similar in nature, timid but gentle, and had become close. Xu Ling no longer cried as much as before.
"Boss, I'm here… is there any work?" Bai Lingling asked with a small smile.
Li Xuan nodded. "Yes. I need you to come with me… we're going to meet the snake. I want you to help communicate with it."
The moment she heard that, Bai Lingling's face turned pale. Her body stiffened, and she shook her head immediately. "B-Boss… please… anything but that… please don't make me go," she said, her voice trembling.
"I'll be there," Li Xuan said calmly. "Aril has already broken through to level 3. You'll be safe."
But Bai Lingling didn't listen. She suddenly knelt down, tears falling from her eyes. "Please… I'm begging you… I can't… I really can't…" Her entire body trembled in fear.
Li Xuan sighed helplessly. "Alright… calm down. I won't force you."
He realized that although she was capable, her timid nature made it impossible for her to face such danger. "Looks like she can only stay at the camp for now," he thought.
After calming her down, he called Xu Ling.
Xu Ling walked over nervously, her head lowered. She didn't even dare to look at him. "Y-Yes… boss… what should I do?" she asked softly.
Li Xuan felt slightly confused seeing her reaction. "Did I really scare her that much?" he wondered.
"Take Bai Lingling and stay with her," he said simply.
Xu Ling nodded quickly. "O-Okay…"
After that, Li Xuan went back to prepare.
More than an hour later, he stood at the edge of the barrier with Aril sitting on his shoulder. Others watched from a distance as he stepped outside the transparent barrier.
Taking out the SUV from his space, he got inside and started driving toward the snake's direction.
Within five minutes, he had already traveled more than 1.5 kilometers. Soon, he saw the black snake slowly moving toward him.
He stopped the vehicle and took out the egg.
The moment the snake sensed the egg's aura, it became restless and began moving faster. Li Xuan's eyes narrowed. "So it really is after this egg…"
He turned slightly. "Aril, take it and place it near the snake. Don't get too close. Come back immediately."
Aril nodded without hesitation. "Got it."
Holding the egg with both hands, she flew forward. When she was about fifty meters away, she carefully placed the egg on the ground and quickly retreated.
From a distance, Li Xuan observed the snake clearly. It was completely black, its body over twenty meters long and nearly eighty centimeters wide.
Even he felt a chill run down his spine. "If Bai Lingling came here… she would've fainted," he muttered.
Although most of its injuries had healed, some wounds near its head were still visible. It looked like it had gone through a fierce battle.
"I just hope I never meet whatever fought this thing…" he thought.
The snake reached the egg and inspected it carefully. After confirming it was unharmed, it looked toward the barrier and then at Li Xuan and Aril.
Seeing no hostility, it gently picked up the egg in its mouth and began moving south toward the forest.
Li Xuan finally relaxed. "So it really only wanted the egg…"
After thinking for a moment, he drove the vehicle slowly toward the snake.
The snake sensed him and immediately stopped, hissing loudly.
Li Xuan stopped the car about thirty meters away and put it back into his space. He slowly walked forward.
"I'm not here to harm you!" he shouted. "The one who stole your egg is already dead. I just want to go to the forest!"
The snake continued hissing, watching him closely.
He moved closer, step by step, stopping within three meters. His body was tense, ready to use Space Leap at any moment.
The snake seemed wary, especially of Aril sitting on his shoulder.
After a few moments, it turned and began moving again.
Li Xuan followed at a distance of five meters.
Whenever he got too close, the snake would turn and hiss. "Alright, alright… I'll keep my distance," he said quietly.
After more than two hours, they finally reached the forest.
The atmosphere there felt completely different. The trees were massive, dense, and strangely shaped, giving the place an eerie feeling.
The snake entered a cave, and Li Xuan followed.
The cave was wide enough for several people to walk through. After walking for more than five minutes, he frowned. "Did it dig this itself…?"
Using his Sage ability, he tried to analyze it, but only limited information appeared.
"Mutated Black Mamba… that's it?" he muttered. "Looks like my level is still too low."
After another five minutes, the snake finally stopped.
Looking around, Li Xuan saw piles of bones and bodies. Two level 2 mutated boars and several level 1 creatures lay in a corner.
He also noticed another black egg.
His eyes widened slightly. "Another one…"
There were also several plants—level 1 and level 2 healing and detoxification types.
Nearby, he saw seven level 1 spirit fruits and three level 2 ones, their color deep violet.
Then his gaze landed on an iron chain emitting a strange aura.
Using his ability, he analyzed it.
"Strange Artifact… rank 6078…" he whispered, his eyes lighting up.
It could capture any creature level 3 and below, sealing their spiritual energy. But the cost was heavy—it required five liters of blood for each use.
"Worth it," he said without hesitation.
As he looked at everything, the snake suddenly moved its tail, pushing the chain, plants, and fruits toward him.
Li Xuan froze for a moment. "…You're giving this to me?"
The snake simply watched him.
He didn't hesitate and stored everything in his space.
It also gave him strange crystals, soul crystals, and various materials.
"These can be used for sequence artifacts…" he muttered.
He also took out food and water as an offering, but the snake showed no interest.
After a while, Li Xuan spoke, "I'll come back in the future… with something better."
The snake only hissed softly.
He turned and left the cave.
Outside, he and Aril began searching the forest outskirts. Using his ability, he marked paths and scanned the surroundings.
After four hours, they found several spirit fruits, healing plants, detox plants, and some that increased physique and spirit.
"These are useful… especially for early levels," he said.
They also encountered some mutated animals, but most avoided them.
At one point, he found an injured level 1 fox being hunted by a tiger.
He killed the tiger easily.
Looking at the fox, he paused. "Bai Lingling…"
Checking its status, he saw it had a wind attribute.
"This might work as a contract beast for her," he thought.
Carefully picking up the unconscious fox, he nodded. "Let's go back."
Aril flew beside him as they left the forest.
After reaching outside, he took out the vehicle and drove back toward the village.