He continued his descent. As his feet touched the ground at the bottom of the last flight of stairs, he felt the soil was sandy and rather soft.
Not far away, a strange tree grew. Its leaves were palm-sized and pale blue, thick and fleshy like succulents. The tree bore many fruits, most of which had fallen after ripening, leaving only two bunches hanging. These bunches resembled grapes, with a jade-white color, and a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted from them when he drew near.
The monkey's mouth watered, and it scratched its ears, eager to pluck the fruit and eat it.
Ye Tian found it amusing. He plucked one bunch and tasted a single fruit. It was sweet, sour, and refreshing, incredibly delicious. Moreover, the fruit contained two beneficial medicinal properties that were good for the body.
Afterward, he picked the other bunch, sharing one with the monkey. They walked on, eating as they went.
There were many plants along the path, and on the ground grew grasses of various colors that emitted light.
After walking a few dozen meters, Ye Tian suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on a rock not far ahead. The rock was purplish-red, and perched on it was a palm-sized mantis. Its camouflage was also purplish-red, allowing it to blend perfectly with its surroundings, making it difficult for predators to spot it immediately.
Ye Tian was wary because this mantis was special. The edges of its large scythe-like forelegs emitted a purple crystalline glow, indicating exceptional sharpness. Furthermore, the mantis's hind legs were remarkably strong and powerful; it was by no means comparable to ordinary mantises found elsewhere.
Ye Tian remained still, and the monkey did too, both staring at the palm-sized mantis.
After a full three minutes, something nearby moved. It was a greenish snake, about two fingers thick, coiled around a dark green tree, camouflaged as a branch. If it hadn't moved, the monkey wouldn't have even noticed its presence.
The snake slithered along the branch towards the rock. When it was only half a meter away, its tail suddenly flicked, and it lunged at the mantis with lightning speed.
"Swish!"
A cold glint flashed. As the green snake approached, the mantis's scythes moved. Its speed was so extreme that Ye Tian could barely track it with his eyes.
A snake's head fell to the ground, bearing five blade marks, each sufficient to kill the green snake. Though the head was gone, the snake's body continued to writhe. The large mantis immediately hopped over, its scythes flashing, quickly slicing the green snake into more than a dozen pieces before feeding on its flesh and blood.
The monkey had been terrified, its fur standing on end. If it had rashly approached just moments ago, it would have lost several fingers to the mantis.
After the mantis finished feeding, Ye Tian skirted around its territory to avoid disturbing the predator.
About a hundred meters away from the mantis's territory, Ye Tian stopped again. He frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on a patch of sandy ground ahead. This patch of sand was dark green, and from a distance, he could smell a toxic gas.
He stood there for half an hour, completely still.
Finally, a watermelon-sized frog passed by. Suddenly, a stream of sand shot out from the dark green sandy patch, hitting the giant frog. The sand moved faster than bullets, turning the giant frog into a sieve, killing it instantly. Even more terrifying was that the splashing sand was highly poisonous; contact with blood meant death.
Only then did Ye Tian understand how the creature hunted. He picked up a stone from the side and hurled it with all his might towards the spot where the sand had erupted.
"Puff!"
This strike, infused with inner energy, caused the ground to tremble slightly, directly stunning the creature beneath the sand.
Ye Tian darted forward, using his bronze short sword to dig away the sand. He then saw a creature about the size of a rabbit, but it had no legs or ears, and its body was covered in fine scales. It was currently stunned, its eyes wide open.
After observing for a while, Ye Tian discovered that the creature had a venom sac in its mouth. It swallowed some sand, soaked it in venom, and then sprayed it out at high speed.
"This thing's destructive power is exceptionally strong," he remarked. He then grabbed the creature, controlling its head, and scooped up some sand from the ground into a bag, instructing the monkey to carry it.
He shook it a few times, and the sand-spraying creature woke up, immediately struggling. However, its strength was no match for Ye Tian's. Soon, it was unable to break free.