After the first round of the Golden Autumn Festival, there were two days of rest, but a round trip to the Valley of Despair was clearly not enough.
But Ming Qi didn't care. Meng Ling was now very important to him. As long as he hurried, he could still compete in the second round.
"What? You're going out?"
During breakfast, when Ming Qi announced that he was going out during the break, everyone was surprised.
Everyone at Tianqi Academy knew that Ming Qi was undoubtedly the main force of the Academy at the Golden Autumn Festival. Without Ming Qi, they had no confidence to continue.
And yet, at this very moment, Ming Qi was going out!
"Is it urgent?"
Ouna wasn't overly surprised, but asked with a look of concern.
In her opinion, Ming Qi always acted cautiously, never making a haphazard move under any circumstances. Since he'd said he was going out, there must be a compelling reason.
"I'll be back soon, don't worry."
Ming Qi smiled, reassuring everyone.
Indeed, once they reached the Valley of Despair, relying on Meng Ling's methods, they could gather a considerable number of blood pills in no time. It wouldn't take too long, the only slight inconvenience being the long distance.
Hearing Ming Qi's reply, the others stopped asking further questions.
After breakfast, Ming Qi immediately activated the Divine Tree leaf, taking off and slowly flying towards the Valley of Despair.
This was the second Divine Tree leaf Ming Qi had exchanged for. The one he'd been given upon initiation had already exhausted all its spiritual energy and was no longer able to fly.
Thankfully, having a means of transportation was a basic benefit for Biyou Sect disciples, and Ming Qi had no trouble obtaining the new Divine Tree leaf.
In the golden autumn season, the sky and earth were refreshing. After leaving the confines of Azure Sky City, Meng Ling transformed into a humanoid form.
Though her complexion was indeed pale, she looked a bit frightening.
"Are you okay?"
Ming Qi asked worriedly.
Meng Ling didn't respond. Instead, a blood-red mist rose from her body. With a flick of her wrist, she grabbed Ming Qi and flew off on a rainbow-like flight.
"Can you make it back in time at this speed?"
Meng Ling was incredibly fast, but Ming Qi knew she couldn't hold out for much longer. Without the support of her blood, her combat effectiveness would quickly drop to zero.
However, the thought that Meng Ling was rushing so quickly, precisely to give Ming Qi ample time to return, warmed his heart.
Soon, Ming Qi saw Meng Ling's once delicate skin begin to change. First, it turned a pale white, then the flesh and blood vanished, transforming into crimson bones.
But Meng Ling, unfazed, increased her speed to the limit, streaking across the sky like a streak of blood-red light.
Ming Qi watched helplessly as the hands clutching his own flesh turned from soft flesh to cold bone.
Just like that, a journey that had once taken nearly a day was slashed to three hours!
When they saw the Valley of Despair from afar, Meng Ling's strength completely gave way. Her body, reduced to bones, collapsed completely, and finally transformed back into the form of a guqin.
"I can't hold on any longer."
Hearing Meng Ling's weak voice, Ming Qi didn't dare to delay, and flew almost straight towards the Valley of Despair with the Divine Tree Leaf.
There's still time!
Thinking this, Ming Qi descended rapidly as he saw the outer edge of the Valley of Despair. He didn't even wait to reach a safe altitude before he impatiently retracted the Divine Tree Leaf and leaped.
Puff!
As Ming Qi leaped, he grasped the Windward Sword and pierced the frightened demon beast.
Watching the boiling hot blood condense into a line and rapidly merge into the Mengling Guqin, Ming Qi's heart finally settled.
The Valley of Despair remained much the same as before, with little change. However, with the arrival of autumn, a desolate scene spread across the landscape.
Ming Qi had no time to observe. After slaying a demonic beast, he kept on moving, his sword darting left and right, slaying any demonic beast he came across with lightning speed.
One, two, ten, twenty!
…
Time ticked by, as Ming Qi slew frantically and relentlessly.
The demonic beasts outside the Valley of Despair were low-level, and Ming Qi, armed with a mid-grade spiritual weapon, killed most of them with a single blow, leaving them no chance to flee.
Half an hour, an hour.
Two hours.
Three hours!
Ming Qi slew for a full three hours, leaving over a hundred demonic beasts dead at his feet.
His sweat-soaked clothes were stained an eerie crimson with blood, giving the impression from afar that he was wearing a blood-red robe.
Whew!
Ming Qi felt his wrist go numb, and his right hand, now balancing the longsword, trembled uncontrollably.
Leaning his sword against the ground, Ming Qi gasped for breath.
Perhaps only he could manage such a high-intensity, sustained attack. If it weren't for Ming Qi's incredible foundation, he would have collapsed from exhaustion in less than an hour.
"Meng Ling, how are you? Have you recovered?"
Ming Qi asked, panting heavily, wiping the sweat and blood from his face.
"Yes, I'll do it myself next."
After receiving a positive response, Ming Qi completely relaxed and fell flat on the ground.
Meng Ling looked much better. While not in perfect shape, she was at least less frightening.
Her snow-white arms and enchanting face—every part not covered by her clothes had fully recovered. However, Ming Qi knew that a significant portion of her body was still devoid of flesh and blood, though Meng Ling hadn't wanted him to see it.
Ming Qi lay on the ground, gasping for breath, while Meng Ling waved her hands, and a black guqin appeared before her.
The familiar melody echoed, and the subtle sounds of demonic beasts moving around immediately filled the air.
Meng Ling's blood energy collection speed was naturally ten or even a hundred times faster than Ming Qi's. In just an hour, just as Ming Qi had almost rested, Meng Ling had already begun to mobilize her magical powers to condense a blood pill.
It was clear that she had fully recovered.
It was still early, mid-afternoon, so Ming Qi wasn't in a hurry. After Meng Ling recovered, she could perform at her full strength, and they estimated they could return to the Biyou Sect in two or three hours, leaving plenty of time.
Thinking of this, Ming Qi decided to make full use of this time to gather some usable materials.
"Oh, what a pity! If only I had an alchemy furnace."
After a long period of hard work, Ming Qi began to feel melancholy. He had quite a few materials, but what?
He couldn't use them at all, which was a bit frustrating.
His ring was completely full, and the pile of materials piled inside was making him feel dizzy.
Hmm?
As Ming Qi was struggling, he faintly heard a few muffled sounds coming from deep within the Valley of Despair.
"What's that?"
Startled, Ming Qi turned to look at Meng Ling, who was still concentrating on refining a blood pill not far away.
Ming Qi had long suspected that even more powerful demonic beasts might exist in the depths of the valley. Hearing the sudden muffled sounds, he immediately connected them to a powerful innate demonic beast.
Could it be that an innate demonic beast had fled to the outskirts of the valley?
Meng Ling condensed a blood pill, then stood up, gazing deep into the valley.
Apparently, she had also noticed the commotion deep in the valley.
The two of them simultaneously focused their attention on the source of the sound.
Soon after, Ming Qi felt the ground tremble slightly. A strong wind seemed to pick up in the distance, and the shadows of beasts could be seen swaying beneath the swaying trees.
As the wind passed, Ming Qi could clearly see the ferocious beasts approaching one after another.
A demonic leopard shimmering with a faint light, a demonic tiger with wings on its back, a flying snake over ten meters long...
All sorts of bizarre and bizarre beasts scurried across the desolate valley.
The roars shook the earth, mingling with countless billowing clouds of dust, instantly stirring the silent and despairing valley.
Before Ming Qi could even react with surprise, a bright flash of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, farther into the valley. An arc of lightning as thick as a bucket struck down from the sky, plunging into the vast mountains.
"The demon beast is undergoing a tribulation. That's heavenly thunder. Let's go."
After seeing the massive arc of lightning flashing in the sky, Meng Ling immediately determined that a terrifying demon beast in the Valley of Despair was inducing a heavenly thunder tribulation.
"Go through the tribulation!"
Meng Ling left without hesitation, grabbing Ming Qi and transforming into a blood-red rainbow, soaring into the sky.
The strength of a demon beast can be measured by the realm of a human cultivator. Before level five, demon beasts are at a level comparable to that of human cultivators.
The level of a demon beast is divided into three stages. A level one demon beast corresponds to the first three levels of a human cultivator's acquired realm. The peak of a level one demon beast is equivalent to the third level of the acquired realm, reaching the heart-clearing realm. This continues all the way up to level six demon beasts.
When a demon beast reaches level six, it undergoes a monumental transformation, transforming from a demon beast into a celestial spirit beast. Therefore, at this stage, its correspondence with cultivators undergoes a slight change.
Level six demon beasts are divided into two stages: early and late. Their power levels correspond to those of the Innate Seventh Level Spirit Severing Realm and the Innate Eighth Level Martial Soul Realm. After all, after a cultivator reaches perfection in the Innate Eighth Level Martial Soul Realm, they must attempt to transcend the human tribulation. Once they succeed, their strength in all aspects will soar, reaching a whole new level.
Like cultivators, demon beasts, after reaching a certain level of strength, naturally cannot escape the heavenly tribulation. Therefore, at this stage, the demon beast undergoes a complete transformation, transforming from a demon beast into a celestial spirit beast.
In short, a demon beast capable of summoning heavenly thunder to transcend the tribulation can almost certainly defeat a human cultivator of the Innate Eighth Level Martial Soul Realm in a one-on-one fight.
"What exactly happens when a demon beast transcends the tribulation and becomes a celestial spirit beast?"
Ming Qi knew a great deal about demon beasts. A demon beast that successfully transcends the tribulation will ascend to a celestial spirit beast, but he wasn't quite sure how profound the transformation would be.
"Once you successfully transcend the tribulation, you'll be able to fully transform into a human form, appearing flawless from the outside."
Meng Ling replied.
"Human form? Then, Meng Ling, you..."
Ming Qi's voice unconsciously dropped considerably when he asked this.
"I'm not a demon!"
...
Okay, sensing Meng Ling's sudden change in tone, Ming Qi decisively fell silent.