Several thousand li away from this dense forest, on a wide, open grassland, the red-robed Li Changting waved her fair, jade-like hand, and a dense Insect Cloud flew toward a pack of over a thousand Green Wind Wolves. The four young men behind her also waved their hands repeatedly, and dense swarms of small insects—some small, some long, some round, some fat—also flew out, covering the sky.
Li Changting clapped her hands and giggled. "Fall, fall, fall!" In an instant, the thousand Green Wind Wolves, which had been a raging tide of ferocity just moments ago, all tucked their tails and fled backward. But amidst a series of mournful cries, they fell one after another. Some raised their paws to frantically scratch at their furry faces, trying to drive away the colorful little insects that had swarmed their heads until they looked swollen. These little insects, however, burrowed into any opening they could find—eyes, mouths, noses—or directly bit through the fur and burrowed into the skin. For a time, the world was filled with nothing but the rising and falling howls of wolves. The four young men behind also watched the scene unfold with smiles on their faces.
However, not far behind them, there was another pack of a dozen or so wolves. A slender white figure was weaving through them, appearing somewhat out of place.
This slender white figure was a young woman with a long ponytail, holding a three-chi-long sword. This sword was not forged from metal; its entire body emanated a chilling aura. The blade was semi-transparent, reflecting a clear, radiant light. Every time it thrust out, an icy mist would rise around the blade. Any Green Wind Wolf struck by it would be covered in a layer of frost, its movements becoming sluggish. Dozens of Green Wind Wolves already lay dead on the ground. With only a dozen or so left, the ponytailed young woman sheathed her jade sword. With a soft cry, she leaped into the air. In her ascent, she bent a knee and crashed into a pouncing Green Wind Wolf. Seeing this, the wolf opened its mouth wide, revealing snow-white fangs, and bit fiercely at the young woman's thigh. Faced with this, the young woman's expression remained unchanged. Her spiritual power flared, and her body shot up even faster. The friction of her robes against the air as she rose created a sharp "whoosh" sound. She slammed her knee violently into that massive maw. With a crisp "crack," the Green Wind Wolf in mid-air, its mouth wide open, was already arcing backward toward the ground. Several blood-stained teeth shot out from its open mouth, streaking the air with dots of red. The Green Wind Wolf didn't even let out a whimper before it crashed heavily to the ground, motionless.
At this moment, the ponytailed young woman was still in mid-air when she heard a series of whooshing sounds from behind and to her side. Several green blades of light spun out from the mouths of a few other leaping Green Wind Wolves, flying rapidly toward her. The young woman sucked in her stomach in mid-air, and her other fair, jade-like hand slapped backward, striking the rotating face of one of the green light blades. Using the force, she slanted away, dodging the other blades of light, and appeared like lightning at the side of a giant wolf that had just finished spitting out a wind blade in mid-air. She bent her elbow and slammed it fiercely into the Green Wind Wolf's ribs. After a crisp crack, the Green Wind Wolf let out a mournful howl and also crashed heavily to the ground. The next moment, using the force of that blow, she changed direction again and shot toward another Green Wind Wolf, her fair hand forming a phoenix eye fist with her thumb and forefinger, whistling through the air as she struck at the base of the wolf's ear...
In this series of movements, the ponytailed young woman's powerful core and leg strength made her seem more like a domineering Body Refining Cultivator.
A dozen or so breaths later, leaving a field of wolf corpses behind, the ponytailed young woman flew over to Li Changting's group. Gazing at the pack of thousands of Green Wind Wolves that had once been a torrent of ferocity, and now the mere hundreds still struggling desperately amidst the swarm of insects, the white-robed young woman said nothing upon landing.
Li Changting watched her approach, looking at that face that was as if carved from white jade, yet with soft lines. She smiled and said, "Junior Sister Min, why must our Never-Parting Peak use those body refining methods? You're starting to act like Junior Sister Gong. If you just used Gu-insects, everything would be solved. A girl should have a girl's grace. Why be so violent?"
This white-robed young woman was Zhao Min. She looked at the Insect Cloud ahead and said faintly, "Senior Sister Li, if you want to practice with your insects, then just kill your way through."
Li Changting turned her head, her beautiful eyes blinking as she looked at that androgynous, jade-like face. "As long as you can solve the enemy quickly, why waste the effort? But, Junior Sister Min, with that aura of yours, even I feel like taking you in. Hehehe," she let out a string of bell-like laughter.
Zhao Min just glanced at her, thinking, 'Senior Sister Li is always so random with her words. Speaking nonsense again for no reason. Senior Sister, if you can win over Senior Brother Wuyi, that would be a true display of your ability, not to mention you have Senior Sister Miao to contend with.'
"That boy, Li Wuyi, how could he escape from my grasp? As for Miao Wangqing, at worst, I'll be the main wife, and she'll be the concubine. We can serve that boy together. Two jade-like bodies for him to enjoy... hehehe."
Hearing this, Zhao Min's jade-like face turned pink. She couldn't help but spit softly and turn her head away.
The four young men behind them heard this clearly, and sweat beaded on their foreheads. They quickly looked away. They regarded this Eldest Senior Sister as a tiger or a scorpion. Originally, the four of them were a perfectly fine team, but who would have thought that in this vast mountain range where you might not run into anyone even if you scattered tens of thousands of people, they would run into their Eldest Senior Sister and her companion. This Eldest Senior Sister insisted on teaming up with them, and they didn't dare to utter a peep, so they could only follow behind. Besides, they could also see Junior Sister Zhao Min, which they were happy about.
Li Changting saw Zhao Min turn her head away and her eyes darted. "Junior Sister, last time I came out of the Mission Hall, I saw you walking down the mountain with that Junior Brother Li from Little Bamboo Peak. What were you two doing in the rear mountain?"
Zhao Min was stunned. She had indeed chatted with Li Yan on the platform a few times, and it seemed there was one time when she didn't fly away directly but walked down the mountain with him. They hadn't said much on the way; she just walked beside him. She really liked that peaceful feeling. She had no other thoughts and had unconsciously walked all the way to his bamboo courtyard before flying away. She never expected that this senior sister had seen them.
Her expression showed no fluctuation as she said calmly, "It was nothing. We just ran into each other and exchanged a few words. I assume Senior Sister wasn't going to the Mission Hall either, right?"
But she didn't know that although she felt she was calm, to others, her voice sounded a little strange. This made the four young men behind her exchange a glance. Hostility flashed in the eyes of two of them, but they didn't speak. However, the words "Junior Brother Li from Little Bamboo Peak" were now etched in their minds. Although Li Yan rarely came out, there were so few disciples on Little Bamboo Peak that he would be easy to identify with a single question.
Just as Li Changting was about to continue, she suddenly turned her head to look forward. At this point, all that was left was the buzzing of insects and the scalp-numbing, rustling sound of them devouring flesh. The mournful howls of the wolf pack were long gone. She couldn't help but sigh. "These little darlings are being greedy again. It seems it'll be difficult to collect the pelts, bones, and beast cores this time. They've basically eaten everything."
She turned her head to look behind her and then smiled brightly, as beautiful as a peach blossom. "Luckily, we have Junior Sister. There are still a few dozen spoils of war over there."
In another part of the endless forest, by a stream, Wei Chituo pulled his hands apart, and a Croc-Eater Fish was torn in two. The fish's mouth, still lined with fine, sharp teeth, continued to open and close. Beside him, Miao Wangqing's face was also a little pale. She was working with two other disciples from Spirit Insect Peak and their two Spirit Beasts to hunt the remaining four Croc-Eater Fish.
In a dense forest, a figure was darting through rapidly. Behind him, two Golden-Horned Demonic Beasts were in hot pursuit, letting out a series of angry roars. The figure turned around, revealing a pale face. Though covered in sweat, it wore a demonic smile. He laughed lowly, "Little Junior Brother, you're not the only one who can set traps. Poisoned traps are where the real fun is." A moment later, in that patch of dense forest, a flock of startled birds flew up amidst another series of roars, and then everything fell silent again.
Atop a cliff in this vast mountain forest, five young men and women in the dark green robes of the Malevolent Spirit Sect were commanding a Green Snake, a Centipede, a Purple Lightning Bear, a Black Wood Scorpion, and a Divine Fire Crow to fight against a dozen or so Thunder Rocs that were constantly circling and attacking from the sky. Below, jets of green gas, multicolored ice cones, and bolts of purple lightning shot up toward the Thunder Rocs. From the other side of the sky, a Divine Fire Crow appeared, spewing crimson flames that, along with the black snowflakes falling from the sky, enveloped the Thunder Rocs. The dozen or so Thunder Rocs also swooped down with the force of wind and thunder. The sky instantly lit up with flashes of various colors, and thunder rumbled.
After the time it took for a cup of tea, the cliff fell silent. The dozen or so Thunder Rocs were scattered about. A young man with a grim face looked at the other four. "These are already peak-stage second-tier demonic beasts. Even with so many of them, they were nothing special. My senior brothers, sisters, and I will definitely be among the top forty-nine this time. I, Wang Tian, will have a place in the top ten." The other four also nodded gravely. The golden snakes on their cuffs were lifelike.
At the foot of another mountain peak, a young cultivator was sitting cross-legged at the entrance of a cave. He was stoutly built, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. As he waved his sleeves, the faint image of a ferocious beast's head roaring at the sky and spitting out a tripod would occasionally appear, clearly a cultivator from the Malevolent Spirit Sect's Lord Lao Peak. With each wave of his hand, a cloud of pale white gas drifted into the cave. A few breaths later, several heavy thuds echoed from within. The thick-browed, large-eyed young man stood up with a wooden expression and walked in without the slightest hesitation or worry.
Gazing at the two Rampaging Apes in the cave, foaming at the mouth and completely lifeless, he stared for a moment and muttered to himself, "Top forty-nine? What's so difficult about that?" He then bent down and began to butcher the carcasses.
Seven two-zhang-long Jade-Horned Serpents, their heads raised and tongues flicking, slithered restlessly, but they could not leave the banks of this small, five-zhang-wide stream. They began to hiss loudly, their movements becoming more and more frantic. But after two or three circles, their flesh began to rot away. They seemed not to notice and continued to move rapidly. As they moved, their scales and flesh scraped against the small pebbles on the riverbank, leaving a trail of minced meat and internal organs. But the seven massive Jade-Horned Serpents were still oblivious, their bodies erect and heads held high, hissing even more rapidly, their pace accelerating, until only their skeletons and the white-glowing sharp horns on their heads remained. They then died silently. From beginning to end, only the gentle flow of the stream could be heard.
The space distorted, and the stream vanished. The grassy bank and pebbles disappeared, revealing a patch of yellow sandy ground. Not far away, a beautiful young woman who had been sitting with her eyes closed now opened a pair of wondrous eyes, which sparkled with a spiritual light. She looked at the seven giant snakes in the sand, now just skeletons and jade horns, and the corners of her mouth curled up. Then she looked back in the direction of the sect, and a sweet smile bloomed on her face like a peach blossom in March. "Then I shall play along as well. I suppose those senior brothers and sisters will still like my formations." She then stood up, and with a sway of her slender waist and full hips, walked toward the sandy patch.
Such events were constantly occurring in this vast, boundless forest and mountain range. Whether alone or in groups of several, the thousand or so Foundation Establishment cultivators scattered throughout were but a drop in the ocean.
And in the extreme north of another continent, tens of billions of li away from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, was a world of ice and snow. Tens of thousands of sky-piercing snow-capped mountains stood tall, the ground was covered with ten-thousand-zhang-deep ice ravines and chasms, and fist-sized snowflakes fell endlessly from the sky. Even more bizarrely, thick, bright red arcs of lightning were mixed in with the falling snow, striking down everywhere, causing tiny red arcs of electricity to jump and flash in the thick white snow and crystal-clear ice on the ground.
In this land of ice mountains, a ten-thousand-zhang-deep ice chasm was wedged between two ice mountains. The fierce winds, giant snowflakes, and lightning also relentlessly battered it from above. But several thousand zhang down this chasm, on a certain cliff face, there was a cave. Most of the giant snowflakes and lightning bolts grazed past the cave's edge, roaring as they continued their endless descent.
At this moment, at the entrance of this small cave stood a gray-robed old man, staring blankly at the giant snowflakes and lightning bolts that managed to strike toward the cave. As these snowflakes and lightning bolts touched the mouth of the cave, they would burst forth with a dazzling light before falling limply into the endless abyss below, as if they had crashed into a transparent barrier.
The gray-robed old man stared at these brilliant colors for a while, then let out a long sigh. "It's been almost two million years. By my calculations, I should be leaving this region soon. I wonder how that boy Li Yan is doing now? Perhaps he managed to escape safely? Whether we can meet again will depend on fate. Even if I get through this place now, if I want to go back and find him, I don't know if there is another path. Otherwise..."
After thinking for a while, the gray-robed old man waved his hand. A black light flashed at the mouth of the cave, and instantly, a furious snowstorm, mixed with several thick, demonic red bolts of lightning, shot in. But the old man charged out of the cave, meeting them head-on.