Chapter 341: Chapter 310 Strike West When The Noise Comes from East_1

“One! Two! Three… Has this man gone mad?!”

Seeing Xu Mu throw pill after pill into the array as if money meant nothing, everyone thought he had lost his mind.

Because at this moment, there were already several tier-three Mist Birds caught in the array trap.

If a regular cultivator caught one, they would become rich overnight, yet he seemed to not care.

Moreover, considering that so many tier-three Mist Birds were attracted, the cost of the pills must be substantial. It was as if he was burning money.

“It seems this man is determined to catch a mutated Mist Bird!”

“Humph! Catching a mutated Mist Bird is no easy task. It might take a decade or two to catch one. I bet he will end up empty-handed despite his efforts!” someone sneered.

Regardless, Xu Mu’s actions had attracted a large crowd’s attention.

There was no way he could avoid the attention given the commotion he was creating with the swarm of Mist Birds surrounding him.

Whether it was because he had fed them high-quality pills or because he showed no signs of aggression, some lower level Mist Birds had become affectionate towards Xu Mu, audaciously flocking to his side, leaving the onlookers astonished.

In all their years, they had never seen anything like this.

What they didn’t know was that the Mist Birds were drawn to Xu Mu not only because of the pills, but also because his avatar was made from gourd vines, closely connected to nature, which naturally won the affection of birds and beasts.

However, this very reason also made how attractive Xu Mu seemed to those who were already watching him with ulterior motives.

If I could get my hands on these pills, wouldn’t catching Mist Birds be a piece of cake later on?

With such thoughts, someone secretly reported the situation with Xu Mu to their superiors.

This news immediately stirred quite a commotion.

The other party was too far away for Xu Mu, only an avatar at the Qi Cultivation stage, to sense. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have the time to bother for now. He was vigilantly watching the sky, as a pure white Mist Bird was flying in his direction.

It finally came!

Not only Xu Mu noticed the mutated Mist Bird, so had others. Everyone held their breaths and focused their minds, as they were also curious whether Xu Mu could catch it.

If he managed to catch it, it would be quite a spectacle, enough for them to talk about it for a long time.

However, the mutated Mist Bird didn’t fly straight towards Xu Mu, but rather towards a trap set up by a cultivator nearby.

It circled around in the air before diving straight into the trap.

Nobody anticipated this sudden turn of events. The cultivator who set up the trap was so excited that his hands shook uncontrollably. The moment the Mist Bird entered the trap, he couldn’t help but activate the array.

Woosh!

Unexpectedly, the mutated Mist Bird flew out of the trap just as quickly as it had entered, easily escaping the covering array.

It seemed as if it had intentionally lured the cultivator to act.

The cultivator watched as the mutated Mist Bird flew away, looking as if he was seeing a heap of Spirit Stones flying away. His face twisted in disappointment, and he was nearly driven mad with anger.

The mutated Mist Bird, as if taunting everyone, repeated the same trick several times, driving the crowd mad. Those with a little more patience experienced even worse luck; they had planned to act after the mutated Mist Bird descended, but in the end, not only did they lose the mutated Mist Bird, but their pills used as bait were also eaten.

It was only after everyone failed to catch anything that the mutated Mist Bird turned its attention to Xu Mu.

“Such incredible speed, no wonder it only gets caught once every decade or so!”

Xu Mu had been watching it carefully and had noticed early on that the mutated Mist Bird’s speed far exceeded that of a regular Mist Bird. Normal traps set by cultivators wouldn’t be able to catch it, the bird was merely toying with them.

However, Xu Mu was confident. Let’s not forget, he was an Array Master. Even though the speed of this mutated Mist Bird was close to that of tier four, it was still far from matching his.

The mutated Mist Bird seemed to realize that Xu Mu was extraordinary. It flew around the trap but didn’t land.

It only came close, hopping around nearby with its two little feet, darting close to the array and then quickly backing away. It was as if it was teasing Xu Mu.

Gu dong, Gu dong!

Everyone was looking at the scene, some even couldn’t resist swallowing their saliva.

Though catching it had nothing to do with them, they had involuntarily invested themselves in the dramatic tension of the scene.

It was unknown whether they were putting themselves in Xu Mu’s shoes or in place of the mutated Mist Fog bird. Perhaps they were considering both perspectives.

The temptation of a tier six pill was irresistible, as could be seen by the reluctance of the mutated Mist Fog bird to leave.

It was clear that it knew this was a trap from its earlier behaviors; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to toy with a group of cultivators so easily.

Even if it did know, and its intelligence was higher than that of a regular Mist Fog bird, it was still a monster beast, and its instincts were not easily restrained.

If it could truly overcome its instincts, no one would have been able to capture it.

Then, it seemed that the mutated Mist Fog bird had made up its mind. It flew in a circle and surprisingly turned to fly outwards, clearly preparing to leave.

“Such a shame!”

“Ha! I told you he was fetching water with a bamboo basket – all of his efforts will be in vain!”

Some felt regretful, while others gloated at his misfortune.

“Hurry up and make your move! Otherwise, you really will end up empty-handed!”

At this moment, there were a few tier three Mist Fog birds still in the trap. If he activated the formation, he could at least recoup some of his losses.

Yet, in the face of all this, Xu Mu remained indifferent, watching as the mutated Mist Fog bird flew away.

He still had patience, and as for the investment, although it was considerable for an ordinary cultivator, it meant little to him.

As for the tier three Mist Fog birds, he had already purchased several at high prices. A few more would make no difference.

The mutated Mist Fog bird was the only thing that truly attracted him now.

This was the reason he had sent his clone. If it were just tier three Mist Fog birds, he could just buy them directly. There would be no need for all this hassle.

Because his goal was clear, he could remain so calm.

On the contrary, the people nearby were more concerned than he was.

As everyone discussed, expressing their regrets for Xu Mu, or mocking him, the enigmatic bird that flew away surprisingly returned with another mutated Mist Fog bird.

“…”

Everyone was taken aback. What the hell was going on? Did it have a dual cultivation partner or something?

Xu Mu was also shocked. He didn’t understand why the mutated Mist Fog bird would bring its companion knowing that it was a trap. Was it trying to use its companion as a scapegoat before death?

Or could it be ‘better you than me’?

However, he soon understood what was going on. The two mutated Mist Fog birds stood on opposite sides, bobbing back and forth to test Xu Mu. Then, seizing the moment when Xu Mu was distracted, one of them jumped in, took a bite, and quickly fled.

These two mutated Mist Fog birds were very sharp, able to sense Xu Mu’s gaze. If Xu Mu’s gaze was fixed on one, it would just bob around and not enter while the other would dare to enter frenziedly.

The birds were dashing back and forth along the line of death.

This decoy move left the people nearby dumbfounded. Its speed was so fast that ordinary Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators couldn’t react to it, causing them great discomfort.

Under circumstances like this they had no idea how to respond; they could only hope to get lucky.

As for Xu Mu –

Simple!

Heh heh!

Activate the formation!

A bolt of purple lightning burst forth, instantly knocking out all present, including the two mutated Mist Fog birds.

“…”

Shit!

It can really play out like this!