The Lesser Venom Wyrm ruminated as she slithered towards the strong scent.

  Sun Yuying now had a better idea of her surroundings with the inherited memories from the Lesser Wyrm core.

  She did not know if it was due to the Lesser Wyrm Spirit Core being utilised during her evolution, since the Giant Forest Spider Matriarch offered her nothing but Spirit Energy, yet the knowledge was priceless.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm discovered she was in Lingshou Forest, which was located on the outskirts of a Human Kingdom named The Iron Willow Dynasty.

  Lingshou Forest, her home, was considered to have a low saturation of Spirit Energy for Spirit Beasts and Cultivators, yet for the majority of the Kingdom, who are mortals, it was immensely valuable, and as Sun Yuying observed, it made the native mortal animals of the Forest large and strong for their species.

  She now knew many humans ventured into the Forest, herb gatherers and the like, yet since she was born deeper into the Forest, more so than most mortal humans dared to venture, she had avoided them for now.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm knew there were five Spirit Beasts that ruled Lingshou Forest, and they made a pact to keep it that way since the Forest could not sustain more unless they wanted their progression to slow even further.

  Sun Yuying knew these Spirit Beasts were now the Lesser Wyrm, Giant Forest Spider Matriarch, Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile, Razorwind Chlorohawk, and Void-Striped Emerald Tiger.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm knew that the five local hegemonds, the Spirit Beasts, were now the only sustenance that could meet her enhanced need for Spirit Energy.

  And with two deep in her gullet, she was eager to consume the remaining three.

  However, Sun Yuying was no fool; she knew it would not be easy. She was far behind them in cultivation, despite having substantially improved her bloodline.

  Though similar to when she was a Common krait, her exceedingly potent venom as a Lesser Venom Wyrm was something even the Spirit Beasts would fear.

  The Lesser Wyrm was considered among the strongest of the five, and though she was weaker in cultivation, a Lesser Venom Wyrm was a stronger variant of the Lesser Wyrm.

  From my memories, though incomplete, the Wyrm seemed to view only the Void-Striped Emerald Tiger as a real threat.

  The rest? It did not fear. The Razorwind Chlorohawk had strong manoeuvrability and was swift, yet was a glass cannon, which was vulnerable if it could not kill its target instantly.

  She did not know much about the Void-Striped Emerald Tiger, only that it was a humongous Tiger that not only retained its cat-like agility, but was also far swifter than something that large and strong should be. The feat about it that the Lesser Wyrm feared, though, was its Spirit Qi affinity; it has a minor attunement to the Void, yet even that was enough to allow its claws to phase through flesh and tough armour like nothing, and to the Lesser Wyrm that prided itself on its tough scales, even it was not arrogant enough to overlook the Void-Striped Emerald Tiger lethality.

  Like most Spirit Beasts, the Lesser Wyrm had a neutral affinity. Spirit Beasts, unlike humans, had no structure when it came to techniques; unless it was one of the stronger Spirit Beast races, it meant most utilised their Spiritual Energy to enhance themselves physically in a crude manner, yet despite this, their overwhelming physical bodies and strong natural traits gave them the edge over humans in a one-on-one confrontation.

  Neither will be her target, though; instead, she was eyeing the Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile, which was armoured and had a crushing bite, yet was the least mobile, with it being cumbersome and large, giving her the best opportunity to utilise her poison.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm slithered through the Forest undaunted as she moved closer to the murky stream, where she encountered the crocodilian before.

  Unexpectedly, she encountered another familiar foe as a loud buzzing neared her.

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  A Large Forest Hornet?

  The almost foot-long insect was once a threat to her, yet now it was an annoyance, and for some odd reason, her need to consume it felt absent.

  It was as if a once-tasty snack had become tasteless and unappetizing.

  Sun Yuying decided it was not worth the energy, even to consume; however, the overly aggressive Hornet dared to charge at a Spirit Beast.

  Seeing the pesky insect try to sting her, she instinctively released her potent aura, causing it to freeze, drop to the ground, and then begin swallowing it whole, triggered by the Insect.

  The Hornet was far less tasty than she recalled, and the warm feeling it gave was so fleeting that it only triggered her desire for Spiritual Energy, leaving her feeling unsatisfied.

  You have consumed Large Forest Hornet, gaining +0.1 Spiritual Energy.

  Isn't that far lower than before?

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm began to realise that the value of Spiritual Energy had changed with her evolution, or that the quality of Spiritual Energy had changed. Her energy was now purer, and she required more to gain a whole unit.

  I would need to consume ten Giant Hornets to gain a single unit of Spiritual Energy.

  No wonder the Spirit Beasts here cultivate slowly, though the advantages for the Spirit Beasts are that there is less competition for resources.

  The Lesser Wyrm remained as a scheme to consume the other Spirit Beasts; in the end, it died to the one it viewed as the weakest of the five before it could even consume one.

  It is why I cannot underestimate the Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile, or I will end up like the Lesser Wyrm.

  Sun Yuying was closing in further; the surrounding vegetation was highly saturated as she neared the riparian zone.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm was far more cautious in her approach this time; she slithered closer until she utilised her camouflage and the dense vegetation to stay hidden.

  Sun Yuying saw the murky water and giant lily-like plants, which, though her attraction towards them had noticeably lessened, were still luring enough to fill her with desire.

  Be careful; that is what almost got you eaten last time.

  After all, she knew the beautiful Lily Plants were not the only thing there.

  Since the Spirit Plants were far from defenceless, whilst surrounding them were partially submerged giant Crocodiles, the biggest of which was the Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile, a nearly forty-foot crocodile-like beast that would rival the estimated size of a Sarcosuchus; it had piercing steel-metallic teeth and was a robust beast with dark brown, greyish scales that made it difficult to spot in the cloudy waters even with its immense size.

  Fortunately for her, the ginormous crocodile does not spend all of its time in the water's depths.

  It must spend some of its time lounging on the muddy banks, that is where I will strike.

  Sun Yuying knew the beast was at the peak of the First Realm, making it physically stronger and larger, yet it would fall victim to her venom if she could strike first.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm and other variants were known for being prideful and vain, brought on mainly by their Dragonic heritage; the Lesser Wyrm was a great example of this, overlooking anything beneath it, yet Sun Yuying was born a Common krait, an extremely patient species, though her blood boiled at the prospect of challenging the crocodile that slighted her, she knew it would be both foolish and disadvantageous, so instead, she observed the crocodiles habits, sneaking around the bank silently.

  Sun Yuying found that the crocodiles would resurface at specific times of day and rest near the edge, utilising the muddy riverbanks among the long grass and mud.

  The Lesser Venom Wyrm waited for hours, something highly irregular for her species, which usually tended to jump into battles, no matter how disadvantageous, due to their prideful nature.

  Sun Yuying found that the Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile was no different from other crocodiles, eventually emerging from the water and casually relaxing on the riverbank.

  The Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile felt assured that it had no predators in its natural habitat; even the other Spirit Beasts were not suited to challenging it here.

  Only the Lesser Wyrm would, yet even then, it was not a sneaky beast, and the crocodile would see it coming, not to mention the other Spirit Beasts were not unaware of the happenings of the Forest.

  Sun Yuying had no idea her earlier actions had set many things into motion, because at that time she prepared to ambush the Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile.

  Being in the Low First Realm Refinement had brought many things; her attunement to Spiritual Energy meant she could supplement, strengthen, and instinctively manipulate her venom in ways akin to human techniques.

  She also no longer used Spiritual Energy passively; she had her own core and pool, and she did not need to consume beasts for a fleeting enhancement. Now she was ready to bear down on the lumbering crocodile that overlooked her camouflage.

  Coiling herself like a spring, she eyed the Crushing Steel-Bone Crocodile and knew she had to ensure her first lunge was perfect, otherwise the giant crocodilian would be real trouble.

  With eyes full of determination, she thought, ‘You will fall to my Venom.’