The leading group, Zi Yuan, had a cold expression, as if covered in frost, and her eyes shone with a faint murderous aura. Behind her, the young woman dispersed the crowd as she walked.
The group's arrogant behavior was the cause of the commotion.
Seeing this, Ming Qi was momentarily surprised. How could this person be so different from the Zi Yuan he had met before? But he hadn't mistaken her; the leading girl was indeed Zi Yuan!
In a moment, the girls were already on the street in front of Ming Qi.
Unconsciously, Zi Yuan seemed to sense Ming Qi's gaze, and as she passed by, her beautiful eyes narrowed in Ming Qi's direction.
Ming Qi didn't avert his gaze. He knew Zi Yuan knew him and would definitely ask him for the Zi Yuan Feather again, so there was no way she wouldn't speak.
But then, Zi Yuan spoke, and her words inexplicably angered Ming Qi.
Zi Yuan said coldly, "Look again, or I'll gouge your dog's eyes out!"
What do you mean!
Ming Qi was instantly enraged, and he suddenly stood up.
"Miss Zi Yuan, what do you mean by this?"
For no apparent reason, Ming Qi suddenly realized that this wasn't the Zi Yuan he knew.
Although they had only met once, the stubborn and somewhat childish girl had left a lasting impression on him. Moreover, he hadn't returned her belongings. This encounter had been a chance encounter, and he had intended to return them after a brief greeting, but he hadn't expected such a rude response.
This truly inflamed Ming Qi's wrath.
"Zi Yuan? Humph! It seems you know that girl Zi Yuan. If that's the case, I can't let you go. Arrest her!"
As soon as they spoke, they attacked. Before he could finish his words, seven or eight girls had drawn their weapons, all short, double-edged blades, and were surrounding Ming Qi.
"If you're not Zi Yuan, then who are you? How come you look exactly like her!"
Ming Qi was now certain that the girl before him was definitely not Zi Yuan; otherwise, he wouldn't have said such a thing.
As he spoke, this 'Zi Yuan' suddenly appeared in his hands with a pair of short blades gleaming purple. The blades were as thin as cicada wings, and bore a resemblance to the short swords wielded by the real Zi Yuan that Ming Qi had seen before.
"What nonsense!"
The short blades were thrust out, creating a gust of wind!
Ninth level of the Acquired Realm!
From the moment this 'Zi Yuan' attacked, Ming Qi had already determined her strength. She was a powerful being halfway to the Innate Realm!
Seeing she showed no interest in explaining, Ming Qi stopped questioning. With a flick of his hand, he swung the Nifeng Sword, facing the twin blades before him, using the momentum to swerve to the side.
He was now inside the tavern, a cramped space that was not conducive to fighting. He had to break through the encirclement and reach a wider area.
Swish, swish, swish!
Ming Qi's body had barely swerved when, almost instantly, several swords approached. They were the very girls who had surrounded him earlier.
Seeing the swords approaching his waist, Ming Qi, without a second thought, abruptly flexed his body, tapping the tip of his longsword to the ground. With a sudden force, he saw the gleaming blade bend.
The blade curved like a clear pool, emitting a resounding sound.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Ming Qi leaped like a night owl, soaring over the heads of the surrounding girls amidst the exclamations of those around him, landing directly on the street.
Dangdang!
Ming Qi frowned as he swung his sword to deflect the incoming blades. Honestly, he didn't want to kill anyone, especially not a woman, but this wasn't Zi Yuan. Zi Yuan was clearly aggressive, not giving him any chance.
Since that's the case, don't blame me for being rude!
Ming Qi swung his sword, and a wolf-like aura erupted from his body. The profound power of the Wolf Fist surged from the blade's tip.
The sword swung like a dragon, its energy like a wolf's. In a single blow, he stabbed a girl to his right! Simultaneously, he clenched his left fist and launched a wolf-like punch.
Each sword strike, each punch radiated with unstoppable momentum!
The mysterious girl, who bore a striking resemblance to Zi Yuan, was at the peak of the Ninth Heaven, a formidable foe. As for the other girls, their strength ranged between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens, posing no threat to Ming Qi, let alone any harm.
With a single thrust of his sword, Ming Qi instantly knocked the short blade from the girl on his right away, and his left clashed directly with the blade.
The two men, one in front and one behind, cried out in surprise and retreated rapidly.
Ming Qi's strength was immense, far greater than they could imagine!
Instantly repelling the two, the rapidly closing encirclement quickly disintegrated, leaving each man to fight on his own. At this moment, the mysterious girl's twin blades had already struck, lightning-fast, striking directly at the vital point.
After breaking their encirclement, Ming Qi quickly retreated, fighting and retreating.
Seeing the mysterious girl's attack approaching, Ming Qi raised his hand and swung his sword. Swish, swish, seven streams of sword energy instantly shot out, forming the phantom of a blue wolf in the air. This was the star-god sword energy condensed by the Seven Constellations of the Eastern Azure Dragon.
The Azure Dragon Constellation sword formation roared, surging out like a tidal wave, the vast and surging sword energy instantly engulfing the area before it.
"What is this!"
The mysterious purple-clad girl cried out softly, her short blades dancing like a tide, attempting to block the oncoming sword energy array.
But as soon as her twin blades made contact with the sword energy, her body trembled. No longer able to resist, she quickly retreated.
She was a peak-Ninth Stage Acquired Realm expert, while the young man before her was only at the Ninth Stage at best. She couldn't understand why his power was so overwhelming, and why he could unleash such bizarre sword formations.
But time didn't allow her to dwell on this. She tumbled backward several steps before landing smoothly.
But this only widened the distance between her and Ming Qi.
"Pardon my apologies!"
Ming Qi pointed his sword at the air, then, with a swift movement of his feet, he unleashed the Taixu Nine Steps Technique and rushed out of the town like a gust of wind.
This trip had been truly frustrating. Not only had she missed her meal, but even her plans for rest had been completely disrupted.
However, Ming Qi was slightly surprised that the other party hadn't pursued her since she left Qinglong Town. This was rather odd; it seemed they had some ulterior motive for coming to Qinglong Town.
Regardless, since her plans for a night's rest had been dashed, Ming Qi set out without delay, heading straight for the entrance to the Valley of Despair. After a night of traveling, Ming Qi finally arrived at the entrance of the Valley of Despair in the early morning.
The Valley of Despair lies amidst rolling mountains, its depths unfathomable. Its vast expanse, underscored by the scorching heat, appears even more mysterious.
Upon entering the Valley of Despair, Ming Qi sensed a stark contrast between the atmosphere inside and outside. The outside was vibrant and lush, but once inside, he was struck by a desolate and desolate scene. Although crisscrossed with trees and overgrown grass, the landscape seemed gray and lifeless.
This Valley of Despair truly possesses some secrets.
A few days ago, Ouna had mentioned that some innate masters from the Biyou Sect had explored it but found nothing. Therefore, while this place is a relic of an ancient sect, it seems to hold little value.
Stepping on the dead branches and fallen leaves, he felt an indescribable sensation. The stillness of the early morning in this Valley of Despair seemed even more eerie.
Upon entering the valley, Ming Qi leaped from the dire wolf's back. The dire wolf was now vigilantly observing everything around him.
Knowing his own lack of strength, Ming Qi had no plans to delve into the Valley of Despair. He would simply linger on the outskirts for a few days to collect enough Black Viper Cores, then return to complete his quest.
Upon entering the valley, Ming Qi could see numerous poisonous insects and beasts lurking and moving stealthily around. After careful investigation, he discovered they were merely ordinary venomous insects, of little use, so he simply ignored them.
With the dire wolf by his side, some lower-level demonic beasts wouldn't even dare approach, saving Ming Qi considerable effort.
"Iron Claw Grass, Poison Orchid, Fire Brand Grass, Crystal Flower..."
Ming Qi counted the herbs as he walked, noting the immense number of both medicinal and poisonous plants.
"Dream Grass?"
Suddenly, Ming Qi's eyes fell upon a plant that looked translucent and crystal-clear. Its leaves were strangely slender, needle-thin. Even more peculiar, the plant itself was translucent and exuded a faint, sweet fragrance.
"It's Dream Grass indeed!"
Confirming that this plant was the ingredient needed to refine the unique potion, Invisibility Powder, Ming Qi picked it.
While the Invisibility Grass's effects weren't particularly effective against human cultivators in combat, it was still quite useful for deceiving demonic beasts, especially low-level ones.
However, Ming Qi had no knowledge of alchemy at the moment; he only had some information about Invisibility Powder in his memory.
"Fire Glaze! This is the main ingredient for refining fire talismans."
"Golden Throne Stone, the material for refining gold-attributed magical instruments."
As he delved deeper, Ming Qi discovered more and more medicinal materials and herbs, each of which became increasingly valuable. He didn't hesitate to collect any he found useful.
Fortunately, these were low-level medicinal herbs that didn't require any special storage. Otherwise, even if he encountered them, he wouldn't be able to collect them.
After walking a little further, Ming Qi noticed that the number of demonic beasts around him was increasing, and their levels and strength were increasing.
"Level 3 Demonic Green Water Spirit Toad!"
Just then, Ming Qi saw an enormous toad hop and hide in a bottomless pool a hundred meters in radius.
Boom!
Before Ming Qi could react, a dark force suddenly surged from the bottomless pool. Then, a massive black head emerged from the water. Covered in scales, it looked incredibly ferocious, and most notably, it bore a single, sharp horn. The one-horned monster emerged with a piercing hiss, then plunged back into the water with a thud, sending up countless splashes.
"This!" In a fleeting glimpse, Ming Qi clearly saw the Green Water Toad, which had just jumped into the pool, being held in the jaws of the massive head!
"Level 4 Demonic Beast! Shallow Water Black Dragon!"