The stack of talismans Wei Yunxi took out this time were second-tier, low-grade ones she had set aside specifically for her own use. Among them were two or three mid-grade second-tier talismans.
She had drawn these talismans in a moment of exceptional clarity after breaking through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining. If their opponent hadn't been a full realm higher, she wouldn't have used them. Even so, she kept a backup plan, holding on to two of the mid-grade talismans just in case.
The eruption of talismans created a spectacular scene. Even though most were low-grade second-tier, they still packed enough punch to be effective.
The second-tier Sand Mouse probably hadn't expected these four little ants to still be capable of resistance. It was knocked onto its back by the barrage, its golden fur scorched and patchy, now marked with uneven patches of black, white, and gold. It looked ridiculous.
None of the three let down their guard. No matter how laughable it looked, a second-tier beast was still a second-tier beast. Spirit beasts were known for their thick hides and high resilience. Unless you hit a vital point, they could always strike back.
During the opening created by the blast, Senior Brother Zhao quickly stuffed two pills into his mouth, channeling his spiritual energy to absorb the medicinal effects and replenish his nearly dried-up dantian.
Zong Hao didn't falter either. He killed the last first-tier Sand Mouse, popped a pill while running, then gripped his spirit sword tightly as he reached Yun Xi's side, eyes locked on the toppled second-tier beast.
Hua Xuánzǐ also took advantage of the moment to swallow a Nourishing Spirit Pill. In the middle of a battle, the worst thing was to run out of spiritual power. That made you vulnerable to retaliation. As the pill dissolved in her system, she formed a hand seal, causing brown vines to rise from the earth and coil around the second-tier Sand Mouse. She knew the vines wouldn't be enough to subdue it, but stalling it was good enough.
Meanwhile, Yun Xi had already spread her spiritual sense over the second-tier Sand Mouse, searching for an opening. She quickly noticed it was faking its death. Although heavily injured, it was far from dead. It was waiting for them to drop their guard and approach.
"Tch. How cunning. It's even pretending to be dead!" Yun Xi cursed inwardly but kept quiet. She circled her spiritual sense around the prone beast again, and sure enough, she spotted a flaw.
She nudged Hua Xuánzǐ, then silently mouthed the words "playing dead."
Hua Xuánzǐ immediately understood and turned to relay the message to Senior Brother Zhao. The four were quickly brought up to speed.
Zong Hao then called out loudly, "Senior Brother, do you think that Sand Mouse is dead?"
Senior Brother Zhao responded with perfect timing, "Even if it isn't, it's seriously injured. Probably knocked out by the talismans. We'd better finish it off before it recovers."
"Agreed. Let's go."
The two of them spoke as they slowly approached the fallen beast with their swords drawn, acting extremely cautious.
With the help of a high-grade Yangling Pill, Yun Xi had already refilled her dantian. She quietly sealed a mid-grade second-tier Thunderblast Talisman into an Ice Needle and held it in her hand. Then she moved silently toward the Sand Mouse's backside.
Just as the four of them were closing in, the second-tier Sand Mouse suddenly broke free from the vines. In one smooth motion, it flipped onto its feet and lashed its tail, sending all four of them flying.
Almost at the same time, the transparent Ice Needle in Yun Xi's hand darted forward, piercing straight into the beast's rear.
As the tail swept toward her, she used its force to launch herself into the air and dodge, avoiding the brunt of the blow. Just the sound of impact made her flinch.
The other three weren't as lucky. They were all struck solidly and flung far into the distance.
Yun Xi saw that the others were safely out of the blast radius. She immediately spat out the word, "Break!"
The next second, the second-tier Sand Mouse convulsed violently. It collapsed to the ground, rolling and thrashing. This time, it wasn't acting.
Its screeches of agony—"Zhi zhi!"—were so sharp that the others clutched their heads and dropped to the ground. Only Yun Xi remained relatively unaffected, protected as she was by the wooden plaque floating in her sea of consciousness.
Still, Yun Xi didn't want the others to notice anything strange. She didn't want to draw attention to herself. So she pretended to be affected, curled up on the ground holding her head like the rest of them. Yet her spiritual sense remained alert, monitoring the Sand Mouse's condition.
The Thunderblast Talisman had reduced its internal organs to a pulp. Combined with its external wounds, the beast's rolling only grew more frenzied. It crushed nearby shrubs as it writhed. After a while, its breath began to weaken.
As the painful screeching faded, the others slowly regained clarity. Senior Brother Zhao recovered first. His battle experience was vast, and his voice rang out:
"Hua Xuánzǐ, Junior Sister Wei, collect the corpse. We need to leave now."
"Yes!"
Yun Xi and Hua Xuánzǐ exchanged a glance and immediately understood why Senior Brother Zhao was urging haste. Covering for each other, they moved in cautiously. After stabbing the beast once more in the eye to ensure it was truly dead, Hua Xuánzǐ finally stored the corpse away.
Though Zong Hao didn't approach, he quickly moved to Senior Brother Zhao's side. The two of them stayed alert, keeping watch as their teammates secured the kill. Once it was done, they wasted no time retreating from the battlefield.
Yun Xi was the first to retrieve the formation disk, relieved to find that the mid-grade spirit stones within hadn't been entirely depleted.
Zong Hao asked, "Where should we go now?"
Senior Brother Zhao's face was still pale. After a brief pause, he replied, "We'll hide in the Sand Mouse's lair. The beast may be dead, but its scent still lingers. As long as we don't get spotted by other disciples, we should be able to rest for a day."
"Alright. We'll follow Senior Brother Zhao."
No one disagreed. At this point, they were all running on fumes. If they returned now, there was a high chance they'd be robbed. No one wanted to hand over their hard-earned gains.
All four of them knew the location of the lair. They picked up the pace, and Hua Xuánzǐ even took the time to erase their tracks so no one could follow them.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the second-tier Sand Mouse's cave. Once inside, Hua Xuánzǐ threw down a formation disk, sealing the entrance. Only then did they finally let themselves relax.
Zong Hao dropped to the ground with a heavy sigh, looking like he'd only just returned to his senses.
"That was way too close!"
"Yeah! If it weren't for Senior Brother Zhao's talisman treasure, we'd all be done for," Yun Xi added as she rubbed her face.
Senior Brother Zhao smiled faintly and shook his head.
"If not for Junior Sister Wei's talismans and Junior Brother Wei taking out the first-tier Sand Mice, I couldn't have held on that long. Taking down that second-tier Sand Mouse was a team effort."
With that, he sat down cross-legged.
Hua Xuánzǐ also sat down beside him and asked, "Junior Sister Wei, what exactly did you hit that Sand Mouse with at the end?"
She had been knocked away and only caught a glimpse of Yun Xi forming a seal and a cold flash of light before everything went dark.
Yun Xi scratched her cheek and chuckled sheepishly.
"I took one of my best mid-grade second-tier talismans and sealed it into an Ice Needle. Then… I shot it up the Sand Mouse's butt, hehe."