Chapter 120: Deliberate Feint

"This strange bird is peculiar. The series of attacks just now were neither painful nor itchy; it seemed more like probing rather than a life-or-death struggle."

"Furthermore, its appearance felt premeditated. The creature's intent seemed more focused on preventing me from moving forward."

Yi An frowned slightly, his mind wavering. If this strange bird was indeed acting with specific intent, then he was in trouble. There is no such thing as groundless enmity in this world; there must be hidden reasons behind the bird's actions, or perhaps... it was acting under someone else's direction.

Of course, this was merely Yi An's speculation. Without concrete evidence, he could not jump to conclusions. However, his guess was not without basis. Since there was likely a hidden agenda, it boiled down to two possibilities: either there was something ahead that the bird did not want him to see, or it was being manipulated by another party.

Regardless of the motive, Yi An had no intention of wasting more time entangled with this damned bird. It was agile, and even if he stayed to fight, he might not be able to subdue it quickly. Once the two-hour mark passed, he would have to return empty-handed.

Seeing him move on, the bird paused, displaying a strangely human-like hesitation. It seemed to realize something, then quickly gave chase, continuing to provoke him along the way in an attempt to disrupt his progress. It dared not get too close, maintaining a safe distance; had it dared to advance any further, Yi An would undoubtedly have crushed it without mercy.

Throughout the journey, Yi An found the interference incredibly annoying. It was a good thing he hadn't managed to catch the bird, or he would have certainly boiled it into soup—though, looking at its massive frame, he doubted a single pot would suffice.

Suddenly, Yi An heard a cry filled with frustration. After a screeching outburst, the bird that had been pestering him so relentlessly turned and flew away, seemingly abandoning the pursuit.

Yi An’s gaze sharpened, his expression turning solemn. The bird’s departure did not make him let his guard down. Who knew if it would return, or if it had gone to fetch reinforcements? In any case, this strange, fog-shrouded forest required constant vigilance; he could not afford to be careless.

"Although this forest is not vast, its terrain is complex. Combined with the toxic miasma and the cover of night, it adds significant difficulty to the search." Yi An’s expression was grave. His gaze, piercing through the dense woods, caught a curious sight not far away. In the bottomless depths of the forest sat a raised area; from a distance, it looked like a square platform. It appeared quite abrupt, and because of the distance, his view was not entirely clear.

Still, he could not be mistaken about the general outline. Such an anomaly appearing in the middle of the woods was surely suspicious.

Yi An approached the platform cautiously. After observing that there were no immediate threats, he began to examine the stone structure, which looked ancient and weathered. It was covered in moss, and one would struggle to see the strange runes carved beneath if they didn't look closely.

"Could it be that the wisp of Primordial Yin-Yang Energy has already been snatched by someone else?" Yi An’s brow furrowed, a sense of unease rising in his heart. If not, how else could this stone platform be explained? It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air.

He felt a sudden surge of irritability. To see the treasure he had long coveted suddenly disappear was naturally frustrating.

Yi An shifted his focus to the characters on the platform. Perhaps due to the passage of time and the thick moss, they were somewhat blurred, but with careful scrutiny, he could distinguish their general meaning.

The message stated that a man surnamed Liu had, by chance, obtained a supreme treasure here. To express gratitude for this heavenly gift, he had separated a small wisp from the treasure and left it behind for a future fated person to find. That was the entirety of the text.

Following the instructions, Yi An shattered the platform and soon saw a wisp of drifting Primordial Yin-Yang Energy emerge. However, it was incredibly faint; even if he were to absorb it entirely, the effect would be negligible.

"No, it isn't that simple. I fear this stone platform is just another ruse." Yi An thought back to the strange bird and felt this matter couldn't be so straightforward.

The bird clearly wouldn't have gone to such lengths to obstruct him just for this meager wisp of energy. Based on the creature's own level of power, it must have consumed far more than this tiny amount of Primordial Yin-Yang Energy. If not for the earlier encounter with the bird, he might have believed the inscription.

Connecting the events, there were simply too many contradictions. He felt an invisible hand was manipulating everything, though the methods were riddled with flaws, making them easy to see through. As for the purpose of this platform, Yi An surmised that the culprit simply wanted him to stop searching, hoping that a tiny wisp of energy would be enough to satisfy him and send him on his way.

With this thought, a subtle, cunning glint appeared in Yi An's eyes. If his deductions were correct, the location of the complete Primordial Yin-Yang Energy lay just ahead.

As for the mastermind, they were merely a coward hiding in the shadows, not worth mentioning. The obstacles they had placed in his path only proved they were afraid of him. If the person behind the scenes truly had any ability, they would have long since jumped out to challenge him to a duel.

Having realized this, the gloom in his heart was swept away. Moreover, he was certain the mastermind must be nearby; otherwise, they would not have had the time to set up this stone platform in such a short period.

He absorbed the wisp of Primordial Yin-Yang Energy and continued forward. After all, even a mosquito's leg has meat—he wouldn't let anything go to waste.

Yi An did not go far; he began to search the immediate vicinity. Though the terrain was complex, there were few places to hide. Even if the culprit had burrowed underground, he would dig them out.

Soon, Yi An found a trace of evidence. Although he still hadn't found the mastermind, he once again encountered the strange bird that had blocked his path earlier.

"Just as I thought. This bird was indeed acting under someone's orders."