Ye Ling showed his ID card, and the guards let him through without any obstruction. It was a smooth process.
Students like Ye Ling leaving the city were a common sight for these guards. However, it was unusual for someone to venture out alone; Ye Ling was an exception.
***
Finally, Ye Ling stepped out of Skyshine City.
Leaving through the South Gate meant he was officially entering the territory of Magic Beasts.
In the wilderness, survival depended solely on oneself; there was no one else to rely on for rescue.
Near the city, the Magic Beasts were generally of a lower rank. The higher-ranked ones were usually found farther away.
Originally, there were high-ranked Magic Beasts near the city, but they had all been hunted down.
Unfortunately, Ye Ling didn't have a mount-type Spiritual Pet, so he had to travel on foot.
For his safety, Ye Ling summoned Blood Phantom immediately after leaving the South Gate.
In the wild, one could never be too cautious. A single misstep could lead to a disastrous fall into an abyss.
Better safe than sorry, so Blood Phantom had to stay by Ye Ling's side.
Before leaving, Ye Ling had prepared some supplies, including a map of the area around Skyshine City.
The map showed the distribution of monsters. Near the South Gate, there were several gathering spots for demons.
This time, Ye Ling's target was one of those spots.
Naturally, he chose an easier target for his safety. The place was called Bone Burial Mound.
As the name suggests, it was a place where Skeleton-type undead creatures lived.
Ye Ling chose this place to collect materials for Blood Phantom's next evolution.
Each of Blood Phantom's evolutions required certain materials.
The first evolution was a free gift from the system, but subsequent materials had to be gathered by Ye Ling himself.
To evolve Blood Phantom to the next stage, the Gray-eyed Zombie, four materials were needed.
The reason there were only four was due to the current low growth power.
Later on, more materials would be required for further evolutions.
The four materials were: Immaculate Bone, Heart of Darkness, 10 Lesser Dark Crystals, and 10 Dark Essences.
In Bone Burial Mound, there was a chance to obtain two of these materials: Immaculate Bone and Lesser Dark Crystals.
***
After walking for about half an hour and passing through several forests, Ye Ling finally reached his destination, Bone Burial Mound.
The forest had been lush and green, full of life. But now, the scene before him was desolate, devoid of any vegetation.
The area around Bone Burial Mound was completely lifeless.
Even the trees were bare, with only dead branches and leaves.
Perhaps due to the abundance of bones, the stones on the ground appeared white.
From a distance, Bone Burial Mound was shrouded in a thick aura of death.
An ordinary person would likely flee at the sight of Bone Burial Mound without a second thought.
Blood Phantom followed Ye Ling expressionlessly, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Bone Burial Mound.
Clearly, Blood Phantom didn't know what Bone Burial Mound was.
With her current limited intelligence, Blood Phantom wasn't particularly interested in understanding it either.
"Blood Phantom, let's go. We've reached our destination."
Ye Ling headed straight for Bone Burial Mound, not wanting to waste any more time.
Bone Burial Mound was filled with Skeletons, all of them undead-type demons.
Most of the low-level Skeletons were weaker than other demons, their bodies just white bone frames that looked like they could be kicked apart easily.
However, their large numbers and tenacious vitality made up for their individual weakness.
Even if their heads were severed, as long as the Soul Fire inside wasn't completely destroyed, they weren't truly dead.
Scattered among the white stones, piles of bones could be seen here and there.
Ye Ling's expression remained unchanged; it was just a pile of bones, nothing to be concerned about.
On the outskirts of Bone Burial Mound were Skeleton Soldiers, their strength only around First Rank, Third Level.
Among Magic Beasts, they were just cannon fodder, not particularly strong.
As long as Ye Ling was careful, there wouldn't be much danger.
As he ventured deeper, Ye Ling suddenly stopped. He heard something up ahead.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Looking around, Ye Ling found a relatively hidden, elevated spot and pulled Blood Phantom to hide there.
From the high ground, Ye Ling saw several Skeletons with pale white bone frames below.
These Skeletons were the lowest level of demons in Bone Burial Mound.
Seeing these demons, a smile appeared on Ye Ling's face.
He saw an opportunity for experience points.
"Blood Phantom, go ahead. With your current strength, dealing with these bone frames shouldn't be difficult."
Ye Ling gave Blood Phantom his first command.
Blood Phantom nodded slightly.
Then she leaped from the high ground, directly towards the Skeleton Soldiers below.
Having undergone one evolution, Blood Phantom's intelligence had increased significantly.
Given some more time, once she evolved to the next stage, Blood Phantom might even be able to speak.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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