Meng Lin stood in the center of the carnage, her body still transformed into the half-human, half-beast creature. She looked around, her eyes scanning the bodies of the men she had just killed. Her face was emotionless, her gaze cold.

She slowly retracted her tail, the snake head hissing softly before disappearing. The black scales covering her body started to retract as well, revealing her human skin underneath. In less than a minute, Meng Lin had returned to her human form.

She looked at her hands, now back to their delicate and fair state. Her purple eyes returned to a softer shade, reflecting a hint of sadness. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as if to calm herself.

Opening her eyes, she looked at the leader's lifeless body. She walked over to him, her steps slow and measured. She bent down, picking up the rusted dagger the man had dropped. The dagger was still giving off a demonic aura, but it seemed weaker now.

She examined the dagger, her eyes narrowing at the ancient runes etched on it. She couldn't understand them, but she could feel the powerful energy contained within.

Wrapping the dagger in a piece of cloth, she carefully put it into her storage ring. She then looked around, her gaze falling upon the lifeless bodies of the men. She didn't feel any remorse for killing them. They had attacked her, and she had only defended herself.

But she couldn't help but wonder who they were and why they had targeted her. Their robes suggested that they were from a powerful hidden organization and their talismans suggested sky grade talisman masters, but there are no sects around that have such a large number of them.

She sighed before closely searching the bodies, a few minutes later she found roughly 30 different golden talisman that shimmer with a mystical glow.

She decided to leave the bodies as they were. There was no point in burying them, and if her guess was correct then there should be more of them out there.

And so with one last look at the battlefield Meng Lin turned to fly towards the large tree that reached for the sky.

As she flew, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. She had defeated the men, but at what cost? Her transformation had drained her of almost all brute qi, and she was now more vulnerable than ever.

She decided to tread carefully as she doesn't know when an attack such as this one would occur. Flying a couple of minutes Meng Lin reached the massive tree and felt a gaze upon her, one of the griffins who had fled from her.

Kree-Aaar!

The blood-curdling screech echoed in her ears, Meng Lin turned her head sharply, her gaze meeting the fiery eyes of the griffin preached inside a wood cavern on the massive tree.

It was one of the two that had fled during the battle, its body was still glowing orange, the aura of the late stage griffin was still visible a bit dim.

Its wings were stretched out wide, its claws dug deep into the bark of the tree as it roared at her, a clear challenge in its eyes which were filled with unwillingness.

Meng Lin watched the griffin, her eyes narrowing slightly. She was exhausted, her energy was running low, but she still wasn't worried, spreading her spiritual consciousness towards the whole tree she was surprised to feel a threatening aura behind the griffin.

Within her spiritual consciousness was not the peak stage beast, however in its place was a cocoon that was giving off powerful aura, and the more time that passes by the more threatening the aura felt.

"It knows it can't defeat me but it still wants to fight me, so it's buying time... I'd better finish this fast" Meng Lin concluded as she raised her left hand along with the only finger with a nail.

With a deep breath, she gathered her remaining energy, her hand faintly gaining features of a claw as her nail grew a few inches longer.

Then as if on command the spiky nail launched at a fast rate with Meng Lin uttering the words "Heaven's Punishment".

The griffin’s body blinked and disappeared from its position, however it didn't matter to Meng Lin as a second later, blood spurted and the griffin fell to the floor of the wooden caven.

Puchi!!

A large hole opened up on the cocoon as the spiky nail tore through it and emerged from the other side, disintegrating into dust before it hit the walls of the wooden cavern.

The cocoon bust apart with the lifeless body of the peak stage griffin falling from to the wooden floor.

Meng Lin knelt down to examine the beast. Its body was still warm and blood was seeping out from the hole in its chest. She reached out with her hand, touching the creature's soft feathers.

She could still feel a faint pulse of demonic aura emanating from the griffin, but it was quickly fading. It was obvious that the creature was planning something, most likely an attempt to breakthrough to the next stage, but it had died before it had the chance.

But what caused the attempt, Meng Lin wondered when suddenly, Meng Lin's hand brushed against something hard. She looked down and saw a small orb nestled among the griffin's feathers. It was about the size of a fist and was giving off a faint demonic aura.

She picked it up and examined it carefully. It was a demonic core, a condensed form of a demon beast's energy, just like a beast core. Only a few beast are able to naturally develop it within their bodies.

But something was off. The demonic core was giving off a faint trace of the same aura that she had sensed from the dagger she had taken from the men she killed, not just that. Both the fruits and pill from the couldron were both the same.

It made her realize that perhaps the reason they were coming after her was because of the treasures she had been seeking.

Taking out the Qiankun Treasure Map Meng Lin was proven correctly as she noticed that the map indicated that the treasure was within her hand.

"Which means the next locations for the treasures are most likely going to have these guys waiting for me there"

Meng Lin's mind raced as she contemplated her next move. She knows that she will likely have to deal with stronger foes if she continues to search for these blue spot treasures.

They do have use for her but she doesn't value them enough to risk her life for them, “if they are coming after me based on the treasures near me then I should go for the red spot on the map, the furthest away and the only one which might significantly benefit me.”

“Hmm”

Feeling the weight of exhaustion settle upon her, Meng Lin knew that she needed to find a safe place to replenish her energy before continuing her journey. She couldn't afford to face any more dangers in her weakened state.

Leaving the griffin's lifeless body behind, Meng Lin took off into the sky with the wind rushing through her hair as she flew out of the barren landscape.

Flying into a mountain range she searched for a secluded spot, away from prying eyes. After some time, she stumbled upon a hidden cave nestled between two towering cliffs. The entrance was partially covered by vines and moss, making it almost invisible to the naked eye.

With caution, Meng Lin made her way into the cave. Inside, she found a spacious chamber with a high ceiling and walls that seemed to glow with a gentle, natural light. The air was cool and refreshing, rejuvenating her weary body.

She sat down on a soft patch of moss, her back against the cave wall. Closing her eyes, she focused her mind on replenishing her qi as she ate more pills. She allowed her breathing to steady and her body to relax, circulating her cultivation method to restore her energy.

As time passed, Meng Lin felt the familiar flow of qi returning to her Gold Core. Her exhaustion began to fade, replaced by a renewed sense of strength and clarity.

While she replenished her energy, Meng Lin took the opportunity to reflect on her recent encounters. The mysterious men who had attacked her and the connection between the treasures and the demonic aura intrigued her. It was as if a puzzle waiting to be solved, and she found slight joy in the mystery of the secret.