The corpse puppet was the Mystical Spirit that had been chasing Old Bird before being ambushed and killed by Rouge. However, that had been a mutated corpse puppet, and not just any ordinary mutated one at that.
Ordinary mutated corpse puppets were of rare quality at level six, but that particular one had been an uncommon quality specin, likely reaching level seven.
Without special treasure weapons, conventional arms would have struggled to inflict significant damage on it. Old Bird had simply been unlucky to encounter such a powerful mutated corpse puppet, which explained why he'd been chased so desperately.
Regular corpse puppets typically ranged between levels four to five. Rouge dispatched them effortlessly with single strikes despite being only level two itself.
But Chen Guan's team wasn't targeting these ordinary corpse puppets. They sought the rare-quality mutated variants whose blood could accelerate Rouge's leveling process dramatically.
High-quality Mystical Spirit blood functioned like nutrient-rich, highly concentrated, and easily absorbed supplents - vastly superior to ordinary spirit blood.
Elsewhere, rare spirits would require fierce competition to obtain. Yet on this island, they were so abundant that exterminating them all proved impossible - otherwise, opportunities like this wouldn't have fallen to Chen Guan's group.
Rouge's formidable combat prowess both shocked and delighted Old Bird. Despite being only level four, Rouge could now single-handedly slaughter mutated corpse puppets without requiring Old Bird's assistance.
"What's Rouge's growth rate? How can it be this powerful? Ji Nanhong's team also has unique pets, but none seem as formidable as Rouge," Old Bird finally voiced his burning question.
"1.89," Chen Guan answered, deliberately underreporting by 0.02 points.
That 0.02 difference mattered significantly. Only unique pets could potentially reach growth rates above 1.8, and even then, many fell short.
Pets hitting 1.9 essentially touched the threshold of legendary-grade specins. The absolute top-tier legendaries could reach 2.0, though Chen Guan had only heard rumors without witnessing one personally.
With Rouge's actual 1.91 growth rate, it already matched entry-level legendary pets. Such revelation would inevitably draw covetous attention from less scrupulous individuals.
By shaving off that 0.02, Chen Guan kept Rouge's status within plausible range for unique pets, avoiding unnecessary trouble. He also avoided exaggerating the underreporting, as excessive modesty might arouse suspicion.
"With such high growth rate, no wonder it's so powerful. You've got incredible luck - obtaining this premium pet right after entering the secret realm. This one could last you a lifeti," Old Bird marveled.
During their conversation, Rouge finished draining the mutated corpse puppet's essence blood, leveling up again to reach level five.
Unfortunately, the mutated corpse puppet proved stingy, dropping no loot - a common occurrence. Even rare spirits only had about one-tenth drop rate at best.
Over several days in the Corpse Puppet Forest, they'd slain over a hundred ordinary corpse puppets and six mutated ones, yet only obtained one ordinary corpse puppet pet and one normal-quality Secret Technique core.
Daring not venture too deep for fear of encountering the level ten Corpse Puppet Forest Lord, they'd confined themselves to peripheral areas where mutated specins were scarce.
The silver lining was Old Bird's Stealth Kill Art having absorbed substantial Primordial Energy from these kills, elevating him to level eight - now approaching level ten.
Flush with confidence, Old Bird believed their combined strength with Rouge could challenge the Forest Lord. He proposed venturing deeper for more mutated prey, even welcoming confrontation with the lord for faster leveling.
Chen Guan remained cautious, prioritizing safety given his own low level. Getting surrounded by hordes of corpse puppets could prove fatal.
As they debated whether to proceed deeper, approaching hoofbeats interrupted them. Soon, three practitioners riding distinctive spirit mounts ca into view.
Chen Guan's sharp eyes imdiately identified the leader as a woman astride an obsidian-black, elephantine ghost-headed bull. Clad in complete crimson armor blazing like flas, her fair complexion carried rosy cheeks that blood like peach blossoms, with piercingly determined eyes.
His gaze narrowed - undoubtedly, that armor set constituted rare treasures. Assembling a complete set in such environnts spoke volus about her capabilities, far surpassing riffraff like Old Bird.
"That woman is Ji Nanhong," Old Bird gritted through clenched teeth.
Chen Guan had already guessed as much. The two flanking riders also bore rare treasures, though their ghost-headed sheep and ghost-headed horse mounts clearly ranked below Ji Nanhong's.
From Old Bird's earlier accounts, Chen Guan knew the island's most nurous Mystical Spirits beyond Evil Cute Rabbits were the Five Ghost-Headed Spirits:
Ghost-Headed Sheep, Ghost-Headed Horse, Ghost-Headed Bull, Ghost-Headed Wolf, and Ghost-Headed Vulture. These surpassed ordinary Evil Cute Rabbits in both strength and level, making superior mounts.
However, their higher levels and tendency to appear in groups made solo hunting for spirit mounts challenging.
Their primary distinction from regular livestock lay in size and the ghastly black skull-like masks covering their faces, giving them a demonic skeletal appearance.
"Old Bird? What are you doing here?" One of the ghost-headed sheep riders addressed Old Bird with visible surprise upon spotting them.
That single question imdiately alerted Chen Guan to certain inconsistencies.
Old Bird had claid only about a hundred people had been teleported to the island that first day, with no subsequent arrivals.
Yet these newcors showed no curiosity about his unfamiliar face, asking neither his identity nor origins. This spoke volus.
"Clearly, many more have recently teleported here - enough that Ji Nanhong's group has grown accustod to newcors," Chen Guan deduced silently. Why would transmissions resu so suddenly after a year's hiatus, and in such numbers?
"Is this the Lu family's private property? If you can co, why can't I?" Old Bird retorted with newfound boldness, his confidence overflowing.
Chen Guan frowned slightly, studying Old Bird's puzzling behavior.
They remained outnumbered and outmatched against Ji Nanhong's group. Provoking them served no purpose, especially when the other party hadn't shown hostility.
Noticing the archery equipnt on the questioning rider nad Lu Kai - bow on back, quiver at waist - Chen Guan's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Old Bird, you've grown quite bold, speaking to like that?" Lu Kai's expression darkened as he glared coldly.
"Lu Kai, I'm no longer part of your elite team. Save your posturing - I'm not buying it," Old Bird sneered.
"You've got a death wish, old man?" Lu Kai's eyes turned venomous as he swiftly drew his bow and loosed an arrow directly at Old Bird.
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