Among the five of them, four were at the second level of Qi Condensation.
Only Senior Brother Yan, who led the group, was at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. His strength was relatively high, but he was far from being able to roam this mountain forest without caution.
With such a group, if they were ambushed by a Demon Beast, casualties were entirely possible.
“Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, when traveling outside, anything can happen. Everyone must be careful!”
Yan Xu clearly knew the risks of this journey and spoke up to remind the four of them.
At the same time, he took the lead in summoning a small shield shaped like a black tortoise. It circled his body, its power drawn but unreleased.
If they encountered an attack, it could protect his entire body at a moment’s notice.
Seeing this, Fang Ping and the other three followed suit.
Zhou Yang’s Magical Artifact was a silver longbow that faintly emanated a biting chill.
Su Lingyun’s Magical Artifact was a peach-pink handkerchief. Although it was also a Low Grade Magical Artifact, its spiritual light and might were extraordinary. It must have cost her a considerable amount of Spirit Stones.
Zhang Feihu and Fang Ping, on the other hand, appeared rather pitiful. They were still using the Three Yang Talisman Swords distributed for free upon becoming Novice disciples.
As for the power of this Talisman Sword…
Considering it was given away for free the moment one entered the sect, one could probably guess.
This sword only had simple restrictions placed upon it. In the mortal martial world, it might be hailed as a divine weapon, but to cultivators, it was only slightly stronger than mundane steel.
Only cultivators who could not even afford a Low Grade Magical Artifact would make do with such a Talisman Sword.
Zhang Feihu was in exactly this situation; his limited Spirit Stones had all been poured into cultivation.
Fang Ping had earned some Spirit Stones after figuring out the Prime Cauldron’s time-reversal ability and taking his first steps into the Dao of alchemy. However, the time had been too short, and his accumulation was limited. He had poured all his meager resources into charging at the third level of Qi Condensation, leaving him no time to focus on his combat strength.
Senior Brother Yan glanced at Zhou Yang and Su Lingyun, his expression relatively satisfied.
But when he saw the Three Yang Talisman Swords in Zhang Feihu and Fang Ping’s hands, he could not help but frown slightly. He felt a twinge of annoyance at himself for being drawn in by Su Lingyun and neglecting the rest of the team’s composition…
But it was too late for regrets now. He could only sigh inwardly and make arrangements. “Junior Brother Fang, Junior Brother Zhang, since you wield Talisman Swords, stand in the middle of the formation and act when an opening presents itself.”
High emotional intelligence: act when an opening presents itself.
Low emotional intelligence: hide well and don’t drag us down.
After making this arrangement, he continued, “Junior Brother Zhou, your duty is to guard the rear and provide supporting attacks.”
“Junior Sister Su, you and I both possess defensive Magical Artifacts. If we are attacked by Demon Beasts, we will need to exert more effort.”
This arrangement was quite sound.
Her delicate, charming features and alluring peach-blossom eyes made Senior Brother Yan lose his focus for a moment, a fire stirring in his heart.
After a brief daze, he gave a dry cough to cover his lapse in composure, slightly quickened his pace, and walked at the very front.
Following the scattered rocks and soft carpet of withered branches and fallen leaves, they paused intermittently, occasionally spreading out to search the sides.
During the first hour, apart from occasional wild beasts, insects, and snakes, they did not encounter any true Demon Beasts.
Instead, the faint sounds of battle would occasionally drift over from other directions. Some clashes were brief, while others raged on for a long time before gradually subsiding.
Clearly, the dangers hidden within this mountain forest were not few.
As for the White-Feathered Spirit Crane, let alone a shadow, they hadn’t even seen a single crane feather!
At this time, the terrain ahead began to slope upward. The small group was gradually approaching the foot of the mountain.
Unbeknownst to them, a faint mist and poisonous miasma had begun to seep through the nearby woods.
Just as the five were silently raising their guard, a subtle fluctuation rippled deep within the mist.
Immediately after, accompanied by a foul wind, a Demon Python wreathed in gray-green poisonous mist suddenly lunged out of the fog, its tongue flicking as it pounced toward the group.
This Demon Python was at least three to four zhang long and as thick as a water bucket. Its strength rivaled that of a fourth level Qi Condensation cultivator; it was not to be underestimated.
“Kill!”
Senior Brother Yan reacted swiftly. With a loud shout, he drove his Magical Artifact shield forward to block the Demon Python’s attack.
Only a third level Qi Condensation cultivator could master the Object-Controlling Technique to manipulate a Magical Artifact from afar.
This was also one of the reasons why the Luoyang Sect’s outer sect mandated that disciples had to reach the third level of Qi Condensation within five years.
Fang Ping and Zhang Feihu were both at the second level of Qi Condensation, meaning their Spiritual Power was not robust enough. They could only circulate the Light Body Technique to circle to the Demon Python’s flanks, simultaneously driving their Talisman Swords with the Kaiyang Sword Incantation—the most common technique in the Luoyang Sect’s outer sect—and slashing at the beast.
Clang! Clang!
Sounding like metal striking stone, the two Talisman Swords chopped against the Demon Python’s scales but completely failed to break its defense, leaving behind only visible white marks!
Zhou Yang was a step slower. He drew his silver longbow, gathered his Spiritual Power, and loosed an arrow of ice.
This longbow was a genuine Low Grade Magical Artifact, its power an entire tier above the other two’s Talisman Swords.
The sharp ice arrow successfully pierced the Demon Python’s scales.
However, after being impeded by the scales, its remaining force was no longer enough to inflict a lethal wound.
Instead, the stinging pain from the wound enraged the Demon Python.
It opened its maw and spewed a massive cloud of gray-green poisonous miasma at the five of them!
“Careful!”
Senior Brother Yan immediately directed his Magical Artifact shield to guard his front, simultaneously pulling an Antidote Pill from his Storage Bag and swallowing it. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
As he continuously poured Spiritual Power into it, the shield’s surface flared with a dense spiritual light, steadily blocking the brunt of the poisonous miasma.
But under the miasma’s corrosion, the shield’s spiritual light visibly dimmed, causing a pained expression to flash across Senior Brother Yan’s face.
At the same time, Su Lingyun also activated her peach-pink Magical Artifact handkerchief, transforming it into a soft barrier before her that intercepted the residual waves of the miasma.
Even so, a tiny trace of the poisonous miasma still drifted out.
Fang Ping, Zhou Yang, and the others hurriedly retreated, taking out their prepared Antidote Pills to stave off the miasma’s corrosion.
Having successfully repelled a wave of the Demon Python’s attacks, Senior Brother Yan decisively launched a counteroffensive.
While maintaining the Magical Artifact shield, he formed a hand seal, chanted silently, and condensed a massive earth-yellow hand that swatted down directly at the Demon Python’s head.
Boom!
With a thunderous, muffled slam, the giant earth-yellow hand viciously struck the Demon Python’s tail, which it hadn’t managed to pull away in time. The beast’s flesh instantly split open, leaving it severely wounded.
He was, after all, the only mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator among the five. Having been in the sect for ten years, possessing such strength was not surprising.
Fang Ping seized the opening Yan Xu created, driving his Talisman Sword in for a precise thrust into the Demon Python’s wound.
His timing for this strike was remarkably well-judged.
The Three Yang Talisman Sword erupted with a burst of scorching flames, causing the Demon Python to violently thrash its tail and let out an agonized shriek.
“Well done!”
Senior Brother Yan’s spirits lifted, and he seized the chance to press the fierce assault.
Zhang Feihu and Zhou Yang also struck in succession, doing their utmost to draw the Demon Python’s attention while slipping in whatever damage they could.
In a one-on-one fight, despite also being at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, Senior Brother Yan would not have been a match for this thick-skinned, miasma-spewing Demon Python.
But with the assistance of four second level Qi Condensation disciples, the battle was distinctly easier.
Finally, after Senior Brother Yan condensed that giant earth-yellow hand of Spiritual Power a second time, the heavily wounded Demon Python could no longer withstand the group’s siege.
With a final hiss, it collapsed to the ground, dead.
Having expended a considerable amount of energy, Senior Brother Yan focused his senses for a moment before finally letting out a breath of relief and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
To say the preceding battle had been perilous would be an overstatement.
But leading four second level Qi Condensation cultivators who lacked any refined, tacit coordination made the fighting process rather strenuous.
Fortunately, they had managed to take it down without sustaining any injuries.