The deeper they pushed into the Wood Spirit Forest, the thicker the baleful aura became. What had begun as off-putting at the outer edges now clung to every leaf and root like a living rot. The once-vibrant canopy had darkened into a sickly, shadowed green, and the air carried a disgusting tang that coated the tongue.
Corrupted beasts met them at almost every turn.
Packs of Rank 2 Mutated Steel-Back Wolves gave way to larger, more dangerous threats—Rank 3 Shadow-Fanged Boars whose tusks dripped black ichor, and pairs of Rank 3 Venom-Spined Lynxes whose fur bristled with poisonous quills. Gabriel's formation flags flew out again and again, weaving restrictive arrays that slowed the beasts just long enough for Ivan's heavy strikes and Wren's precise cuts to finish them off. Eleanor's barriers cracked and reformed under repeated impacts. Jason darted between openings, his qi still raw but growing steadier with every kill.
By the time the last of the vicious group of Rank 3 corrupted beasts fell, the five of them were breathing hard and slightly wounded.
Ivan raised a hand. "We can rest here, recover as quickly as possible. And no fires."
They settled into a shallow depression between two massive roots, far enough from the area of their last fight to offer some concealment. Healing and qi replenishment pills from Liora dissolved on contact with his tongue and began being absorbed into his body, healing his wounds and refilling his Dantian. Gabriel sat cross-legged, drawing in the sparse, tainted spiritual energy of the tainted forest through his meridians, carefully filtering out what he could. His sword *Rootcleaver* rested across his lap, its earthen runes faintly glowing as it drank residual qi from the earth.
The quiet only lasted less than half an hour till they heard footsteps approaching in the distance.
The steps were soft at first, then grew clearer, multiple people moving with the careless confidence of men who genuinely believed they owned the woods. Gabriel's eyes snapped open. The others were already rising to their feet, weapons in hand, formation flags ready to deploy in his storage ring.
Five figures emerged from the undergrowth.
They wore mismatched leather and scavenged armor, faces rough with stubble and old scars. The lead man—a broad-shouldered cultivator at the early Foundation Building stage—stopped short when he saw the group. His gaze swept over Ivan and Jason first, then lingered far too long on Eleanor and Wren. A slow, lust-filled smile spread across his face.
"Well now," he said slowly, voice thick with mockery.
"Look what the forest dragged in. Sect disciples, and two pretty young things at that. You two girls look soft enough to keep me and my men company for a while."
His companions chuckled, eyes crawling over Eleanor and Wren with open lust. "Hand over your storage rings and the women, and maybe we'll let the boys crawl away."
Ivan's sword was already half-drawn. "Are you one of Mad Vipers' goons?"
The lead bandit's smile vanished. "So you *are* the ones looking for us." He spat to the side. "Kill those boys, then capture the girls."
Gabriel made his move first, seeing the situation deteriorate.
Gabriel summoned three formation flags; he weaved a series of hand signs. When he finished, they shot out and embedded themselves in the earth, forming a restraining array that covered about fifty yards around them. The nearest two bandits stumbled as invisible threads of force slowed their limbs.
At the same moment, Gabriel, with practiced speed, drew his sword from its sheath. Spiritual energy surged around the blade and transformed into a thin veil of clear water that integrated along the edge, shimmering like a living current.
Flowing River Sword — First Form: Gentle Stream.
The opening strike was almost soft. Water trailed behind the blade in a narrow ribbon as Gabriel stepped in and drew a precise horizontal cut across the lead bandit's guard.
The man blocked the attack, but the water clung to his sword, weighing it down for a critical half-second. Wren followed up with a forward thrust of her sword that pierced through the bandit's shoulder.
Second Form: River Current.
Gabriel's blade flowed without pause into a series of linked thrusts and sweeps. Every completed sword strike created a small amount of Water Sword Qi that remained suspended in the air for several breaths. Each of Gabriel's successful strikes slightly increased the strength of the next.
As he kept striking, an illusory river formed from the water qi, forcing two of the bandits to leap back or risk being split in half. Jason capitalized, driving one of them sideways into Eleanor's reforming barrier.
Ivan met the strongest of the remaining bandits head-on, Foundation Building pressure rolling off him in waves. The clash of their blades sent out shockwaves throughout the forest.
As Gabriel advanced, he poured large amounts of water qi into *Rootcleaver* before releasing a three-meter-long crescent of blue sword energy that charged forward.
Third Form: Rushing Tide.
The bandit tried to use a large boulder to block Gabriel's sword strike, but little did he know that the water qi of Rushing Tide is unlike ordinary sword Qi—the crescent doesn't travel in a straight line; it flows around all obstacles. This makes hiding and evading the technique a nightmare for opponents, and the current situation led to this bandit's untimely demise.
One of the lust-eyed bandits lunged for Eleanor. She met him with a palm strike laced with defensive qi to the chest, staggering him long enough for Wren to open his throat.
Fourth Form: Turning River.
A bandit circled behind Gabriel and launched an attack. Without breaking stride, Gabriel pivoted; the water on his blade reversed direction and in a sharp arc deflected the bandit's attack, followed by a counter-cut of high-pressure water qi that cut deeply through the bandit's torso—the water pressure piercing armor and flesh alike.
Only two enemies remained standing.
Fifth Form: Falling Waterfall.
Gabriel gathered a large amount of water qi around his sword. The surrounding spiritual energy began trembling. A phantom waterfall several meters tall appeared behind him.
He raised his sword.
Then brought it down.
BOOM!
The accumulated Water Qi descends with the sword like a massive waterfall. The attack doesn't merely cut; it crushes.
The last fully mobile bandit raised his weapon in desperation. *Rootcleaver* smashed through it; the accumulated water qi that descended with the sword crushed the bandit's organs, killing him instantly.
Silence returned, broken only by ragged breathing and the soft drip of water evaporating from Gabriel's sword.
One bandit still lived; he was slumped against a tree, eyes wide with pain and fear. Gabriel stepped forward and rested the tip of *Rootcleaver* against the man's throat. The residual water on the blade hissed softly.
"You're one of Mad Viper's men, right?" Gabriel said, voice calm. "Tell me where your base is?"
The bandit coughed blood and tried to sneer, but the look in Gabriel's eyes—and the steady presence of the other four disciples surrounding him—killed the bravado. After a long, tense moment, he spoke.
"Deeper… northwest of the old Spirit Spring. There's a hidden valley behind the black-stone cliffs. The entrance is marked by three dead ironwood trees. Mad Viper's there… with everybody else."
Gabriel withdrew the sword a fraction. "You're coming with us until we verify that."
The man swallowed hard and nodded once.
Wren wiped her blade clean, still watching the shadows. Eleanor's barrier remained half-formed, ready. Jason exhaled slowly, adrenaline still singing in his veins. Ivan met Gabriel's gaze across the clearing.
"Northwest," Ivan said. "Black-stone cliffs. We move before the rest of them realize these five are missing."
Gabriel recalled his formation flags and let the last of the water qi fade from *Rootcleaver*. The forest around them felt darker than before, as though it had been listening.
They bound the surviving bandit, shouldered their wounds, and continued deeper into the Wood Spirit Forest—toward the hidden valley, Mad Viper, and whatever corruption was responsible for the baleful aura.