The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Three days later, Moran and her companions finally emerged from the Giant Toe Meadow and saw the magnificent stone forest.

Huge, wind-eroded rock pillars stand in bizarre shapes, casting intricate shadows that shift and change with time.

The air was filled with the dry smell unique to earth and rocks, and a faint, wild, fishy odor.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. According to the information, this is likely an area where the leopard cat clan is active." Moran's gaze swept over the deep crevices and shadows.

Although she no longer intends to extract beast core skills, she still needs to collect beast cores to study the skill imprints within them.

Among the beast cores left behind by the original owner's parents, there was no beast core of the Phantom Leopard Cat.

"Look here!" Chen Xingye squatted down on a relatively soft patch of sand and pointed to several clear paw prints: "The paw prints are slender, with large strides and light movements, very similar to the paw prints of the leopard cat in the book!"

Almost simultaneously, under another rock in the shadows, Bai Wei also noticed something unusual: "There are some scratch marks here, were they left by a leopard cat?"

Moran walked over and gently stroked the scratch with his fingers. He noticed that the shadows around it were particularly dense and confirmed, "It's a Phantom Leopard Cat! It sharpened its claws here, and the residual faint shadow energy affected the light."

She looked up at Wang Jingnan, "It seems we can both gain something this time!"

Wang Jingnan's face lit up with excitement: "Leopard cats are very alert. Too many people will only alert them. We have to go find them ourselves and then meet up here later."

He took a deep breath and took out a pair of uniquely shaped boots with flowing, wind-like patterns from his storage equipment.

These 'Swift Boots' were specially prepared by him for hunting Phoenix Leopard Cats. The Phoenix Leopard Cats are fast, and these boots are a perfect counter to them.

"I'll go first!"

After saying that, Wang Jingnan left in the direction of the claw marks, moving extremely fast, and disappeared among the stone pillars in a short while.

Moran looked at the trail left by the phantom leopard cat and said to the others, "I'm leaving too."

She didn't change any equipment; she was still wearing her standard field combat uniform, gripping a fine iron longsword, and following the tracks left by the phantom leopard cat.

The further you go, the more complex the terrain becomes, and the light and shadow are fragmented.

After tracking for about fifteen minutes, she stopped in front of a narrow natural passage formed by three huge stone pillars.

The passageway was dimly lit, but at the end, a sliver of light fell, illuminating a small open space.

Right there where light and shadow met, a phantom leopard cat with graceful lines, a body entirely black except for its eyes that shimmered with emerald green light, was warily surveying its surroundings.

It seemed to sense something, and a low, threatening growl came from its throat.

Without hesitation, Moran raised her hand and pulled out the powerful flashlight she had prepared beforehand.

The blinding beam of light instantly pierced the darkness in the passage and precisely enveloped the phantom leopard cat.

"Awooo!" The Phantom Leopard Cat let out a painful and angry howl. The bright light weakened its strength and senses, and it instinctively leaped backward, trying to hide in the shadows.

The moment she leaped backward, her figure split in two in mid-air. Two identical phantom leopard cats landed lightly, one hiding in the shadows, while the other growled at her from the side.

It's the Phantom Ocelot's skill - Faint Illusion!
An ordinary person would hesitate for a moment at this moment, unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood, but this did not include Moran, who was proficient in shadow magic. She had already captured the energy fluctuation just now.

Moran's gaze didn't even linger on the lifelike clone for a moment. As she unleashed a blinding beam of light, she shot forward like an arrow, her target the retreating true form. The Phantom Leopard Cat clearly hadn't expected Moran to instantly recognize the clone. It had just fallen into the shadows and hadn't even had a chance to completely conceal itself before Moran's blade arrived.

The cold light of the blade tore through the air and slashed straight down!

The leopard cat shrieked and twisted to dodge, moving with incredible speed, but was still grazed on the hind leg by the blade, leaving a trail of blood.

It was completely enraged, and its claws, accompanied by a tearing sound, reached for Moran's throat.

Moran parried and retreated with steady steps, always keeping himself in a position where he could be illuminated by the faint light from behind, preventing the leopard cat from completely disappearing into the darkness.

Her attacks were concise and efficient; each swing of her knife aimed directly at the leopard cat's vital points, forcing it to constantly dodge.

The clanging and clashing sounds echoed between the stone pillars.

The leopard cat grew increasingly agitated, the constant interference of the bright light causing it immense discomfort. In the instant that Moran parried its fearless pounce with his knife, leaving it wide open, a cold glint flashed in Moran's eyes. His left hand, which had been poised to strike, gripped the dagger and swung it sharply, precisely slicing open its abdomen.

"Meow!" The leopard cat's body went limp and it fell heavily to the ground.

It tried to struggle to escape, but it was too late.

Moran leaped high into the air, gripping the fine iron longsword tightly in both hands, and brought it down fiercely.

With a muffled thud, the Phantom Ocelot's body convulsed violently, then its eyes glazed over, and it completely lost consciousness.

The still clone swayed slightly and then quietly dissipated into the air like a bubble.

Silence returned to the Stone Forest Passage, with only Moran's soft breathing remaining. Under the cover of the storage mirror ornament, she gave the Phantom Leopard Cat's corpse to the Book of Cards as material, then recreated a {Phantom Leopard Cat Corpse} card, materialized it, and placed it in the storage mirror ornament.

Moran quickly returned along the same route.

Under the stone pillar where the leopard cat tracks were first discovered, the other students were already setting up a makeshift campsite.

Bai Wei saw Mo Lan first and asked softly, "Mo Lan, you're back? Did everything go well?"

Moran nodded, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, then she frowned slightly: "Where's Wang Jingnan? Hasn't he returned yet?"

“No. The Wind-Striped Leopard Cat is faster, so its tracking range might be farther than yours! He’s wearing Swift Boots and is well-prepared, so even if he doesn’t manage to hunt the Wind-Striped Leopard Cat, he’ll be fine,” Bai Wei said.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried, chaotic footsteps echoed from the depths of the distant stone forest, interspersed with angry roars of beasts, and... Wang Jingnan's voice, though trying to remain calm, cried out: "Quick! Get ready to provide backup! I've brought back a 'gift' for everyone!"

Everyone in the camp tensed up instantly and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Wang Jingnan took the lead, his Swift Boots gleaming, making him so fast that he almost left a trail of afterimages.

But he was hardly dashing at the moment; his hair was disheveled and his clothes were covered in dust.

Behind him, billowing dust billowed!

First, five stone badgers, their bodies covered in grayish-brown stone armor, with sharp fangs, and emitting angry "hmphs," were relentlessly chasing after him, their heavy footsteps thumping the ground.

That's not all! Behind the stone badger followed two enormous, muscular, earth-shattering bulls, their breath steaming in the air. (End of Chapter)