The seventh day arrived. Although all sides had suffered losses, it was entirely within expectations.
Although Azure Cloud Peak lacked a Peak Master, they had Zhou Qingyu, making their momentum far more ferocious than the other mountain peaks.
He wielded his sword, cutting down Demon Beasts one after another with great relish. Even his sword qi grew increasingly sharp, carrying an unstoppable momentum.
The crowd clicked their tongues in amazement. Even cultivators from other peaks had heard of the battle here and were full of smiles.
Having produced a single Zhou Qingyu in this generation would allow the Sect to remain prosperous for at least a thousand years.
Even Lu Changsheng sighed in admiration.
“This is how a young man should be!”
This discordant remark suddenly shattered the harmonious atmosphere.
Anyone else saying this would have been fine, but coming from his mouth, it immediately drew sighs and furrowed brows.
How did he have the nerve to say such a thing?
The group stared at Lu Changsheng. He was sitting on a piece of bluestone, a massive bonfire set up before him. Roasting over the flames were two avian beasts that Zhou Qingyu had killed.
Their skin had already been roasted a crispy golden, sizzling with fat.
He reached out and tore off a wing, eating it as oil dripped down his chin, all while waving the others over.
“It’s cooked! Come on over, don’t just stand there!”
Hearing this, the crowd raised their eyebrows.
The disciples who usually got along well with him naturally gathered around, each tearing off a piece of meat to eat.
An Elder sighed softly, shaking his head as he spoke. “Changsheng!”
“What is it?”
“Sprinkle a little more chili. This old man likes it spicy!”
“Coming right up!”
Ye Tianyi was momentarily at a loss for words, but he had to admit-his Junior Brother really did roast good meat!
Zhou Qingyu, however, did not stop. Standing on a solitary peak, he held his sword and gazed into the distance. Closing his eyes to meditate on his gains over the past few days, his heart felt greatly enriched.
He was one step closer to Core Formation, but his sword path had stagnated. He pondered on how to advance.
While the crowd ate and drank, the two massive Demon Beasts, each several zhang long, were quickly picked clean.
Lu Changsheng lay comfortably to the side. His life was quite pleasant. Gathering fallen Demon Beasts, roasting meat, and managing provisions-he wasn’t entirely idle, either.
But just as everyone was about to relax, a disturbance arose in the distant Tian Qiong.
A massive cyan bird swooped down from the sky, its piercing cry trembling the hearts of everyone present. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Its wingspan stretched a full three zhang, its sharp talons curved like blades, and a brutal killing intent gleamed in its piercing eyes.
“A Cyan Wind Bird!”
Lu Changsheng stared up. It was an extremely ferocious Demon Beast that loved to feed on humans. It was as fast as lightning, possessed astonishing combat strength, and had already reached Core Formation.
As it flapped its wings, a fierce gale swept through the mountains.
Its arrival roused Zhou Qingyu. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and a cold light flickered from his long sword as he leaped into the air, charging straight for it.
As the two sides clashed, the onlookers were surprised. The Cyan Wind Bird’s feathers seemed forged from metal, perfectly blocking the slashes of the long sword.
The sword edge scraped across its plumage, sending showers of sparks flying.
spiritual power surged, shattering the rocks on the surrounding peaks.
An Elder moved to intervene, afraid that Zhou Qingyu might be in danger.
But another Elder stopped him.
“Let us watch for now. Qingyu is already at the ninth layer of Essence Condensation, right at the critical moment for a breakthrough. It is good to let him temper himself. Besides, he cultivates the sword path. That beast cannot do anything to him!”
Hearing this, the others halted. It was true; if the situation turned sour, they would still have time to step in.
Lu Changsheng cast a brief glance but didn’t pay it much mind. He knew the Cyan Wind Bird was no match.
The Senior Brother was someone he had personally guided. Dealing with a first-layer Core Formation little bird was no big problem.
Although they appeared evenly matched for now, the moment Zhou Qingyu unleashed his Sword Intent, a victor would naturally be decided.
The Elders of Azure Cloud Peak also saw through this, feeling deep delight in their hearts.
As the number one prodigy of the Cangyun Sect, he was indeed astonishingly brilliant.
Soon, another disturbance arose in the distance. The earth shook, gravel trembled, and a low roar echoed out.
From afar, they spotted a massive snail approaching at incredible speed.
Wherever it passed, the mountain forests toppled.
The group was startled. The snail was six or seven zhang large and terrifyingly fast as it charged forward. Though not as swift as the Cyan Wind Bird, it wasn’t far behind.
Where it crawled, its mucus corroded everything it touched. Grass and trees withered, and mountain stones melted into toxic sludge.
An Elder immediately took action, blocking its path to prevent it from reaching Zhou Qingyu.
The others had just breathed a sigh of relief when a giant black tiger trampled through the forest, crashing through the mountain ridges as it drew near. It, too, had reached Core Formation.
Before they could react, several more Demon Beasts arrived. Unlike the previous waves, every single one of them was at Core Formation.
“What is going on?!”
All the Elders moved out to intercept, yet they could still sense more Demon Beasts approaching from afar.
“Quickly, notify the others for support!”
Someone shouted.
Ye Tianyi turned to Lu Changsheng. “The situation has changed. Take the other disciples and retreat!”
Lu Changsheng nodded. He felt that something was off. As he fell back, he caught the scent of that strange fragrance once more. Glancing down, he saw clusters of blooming crimson flowers.
They were bright and eerie, constantly emitting a peculiar scent.
“Phantom God Flowers!”
Lu Changsheng frowned slightly. These flowers had not been here when they first arrived.
Moreover, this type of flower required blood to nourish its growth. Once it bloomed, it produced a strange fragrance that held a fatal allure for unintelligent Demon Beasts below the Nascent Soul realm.
They would fall into hallucinations, driven mad with the urge to approach, even if it meant dying on the spot!
With these flowers present, Demon Beasts would be drawn here in an endless stream.
“Those bastards from the Profound Heaven Sect are truly vicious!”
This method of killing with a borrowed knife left no evidence behind. Sweeping his Divine Sense outward, he found no Phantom God Flowers anywhere but here. This was clearly aimed at Zhou Qingyu.
They only had to scatter the seeds and sit back. As Zhou Qingyu and the others slaughtered Demon Beasts, the spilled blood allowed the seeds to take root and sprout, drawing in even more Demon Beasts.
Originally, Azure Cloud Peak had handled the attacks with ease. But with the arrival of Core Formation Demon Beasts, they were thrust into a desperate situation. The Elders were forced to face the beasts alone, and Zhou Qingyu was locked in mortal combat with the Cyan Wind Bird, completely unable to split his attention.
Although reinforcements from other peaks would arrive, these flowers were still blooming, continuously multiplying. If their numbers reached a certain threshold, the incoming Demon Beasts would fall into absolute frenzy.
“The scheme is vicious enough, but do they take everyone for fools?”
Lu Changsheng muttered to himself. Breaking this trap was simple. He formed a fire seal with his fingers. Sparks fell to the earth, instantly igniting the mountain forest. Flames spread across the ground, burning a path forward.
The eerie crimson flowers were engulfed in the blaze and reduced to ashes.
The moment anyone noticed, a single fire technique would ruin their entire plan. If this was the extent of their scheme, its actual lethality wasn’t that great.
As the flames spread, the surrounding Demon Beasts seemed to regain some clarity. The auras of the beasts charging from afar also ground to a halt.
No one knew where this sea of fire had come from, but they knew that it had sharply reduced the crisis.
Lu Changsheng, however, did not let his guard down. He felt there was still something else hidden in the shadows.
In a flash, a black shadow darted through the flames. While everyone’s attention was diverted, it scaled a mountain peak, its eyes fixing dead upon Zhou Qingyu in the sky.
Yet, what surprised Lu Changsheng was that he could not sense a single trace of life force coming from the shadow. Furthermore, the entity possessed a cultivation at the third layer of Core Formation.