Chapter 67: Successive Losses

Successive Losses

The morning glow welcomes the white sun, and the Qi of the elixir descends upon the Valley of Light. In the dense, lush forest of Huang Shoushan, one can vaguely see the morning sun casting down threads of sunlight. Threads of green Qi suddenly steam up between the trees, and every blade of grass and every tree appears so verdant it seems ready to drip with color. A small beast of unknown species darts through the grass, causing the forest to rustle. More than a dozen figures swiftly sweep through the woods. Someone seems to turn their head to glance, but is quickly stopped: "Everyone, do not be distracted. Do not strike at will in the forest, lest you disturb the spiritual energy."

After a cultivator reaches Foundation Establishment, observing the field of momentum becomes an instinct that functions at all times. There is no need to specifically activate one's spiritual sense; unless the spiritual energy is turbulent, everything around them is within their grasp. Some dangerous places look like they are filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, yet they are rarely visited by humans precisely because the spiritual energy in those areas is extremely chaotic. If a cultivator falls into such a place, it is as if they were blind and deaf, which is extremely uncomfortable. The spiritual energy of this Huang Shoushan is naturally somewhat unstable, which is why no sect resides in the mountain. There are only a few mountain folk, but they usually live deep in the mountains and one rarely sees signs of human habitation.

"The morning sun is rising; everyone, rest for two hours before moving on." Li Pingyan transmits his voice from far ahead. Everyone gathers toward his location. One can see a large tree there, its trunk wide enough for over a hundred people to join hands around it. Li Pingyan is standing on one of the branches. "All of you, come up here. The green jade miasma is particularly thick here. Everyone, be careful. Once the medicinal power of the anti-miasma pill wears off, you must take another. You must also carefully check the talismans you are holding."

It seems that in the area southeast of the Profound Heaven Sect, the green jade miasma is the primary miasma. This miasma grows close to the ground, so during the two hours in the morning when the miasma is at its thickest, the cultivators dare not stay on the ground. Before entering the mountain, they each prepared enough anti-miasma items. Ruan Ci learned the anti-miasma talisman from Meng Lingyue and had drawn hundreds of them long ago. She is very attentive to this type of talisman, likely due to a lingering regret from childhood of being unable to learn the "Pure and Quiet Dust-Avoiding Scripture."

As the group walks through the mountains, they do not walk shoulder-to-shoulder in a group of a dozen. The mountain paths are narrow, sometimes just a vague trail, with vegetation growing on both sides. Naturally, everyone walks one after another. Li Pingyan walks in the lead, and Ruan Ci and Meng Lingyue both have quite fast movement techniques, following not far behind. Chi Pengpeng is unwilling to be with them and falls to the middle of the team, surrounded by cultivators from small sects in front and behind. After a while, they arrive one after another. Meng Lingyue mutters to herself, counting the number of people, when suddenly her expression changes, and she calls out, "That's not right. One person is missing. We were originally sixteen people; why are there only fifteen?"

Everyone busily identifies each other. They are all cultivators, so their minds are sharp and their memories are good. As soon as Meng Lingyue finishes speaking, she remembers, "It's Senior Brother Wu from the Wind Sand Sect! Why didn't he follow?"

Chi Pengpeng says, "Senior Brother Wu's movement technique is not as good as ours to begin with. I'm afraid he will arrive in a while."

Meng Lingyue has a worried look on her face, but she does not suggest turning back to look for him. Ruan Ci sees the green Qi steaming on the ground, becoming increasingly lush, and cannot help but frown secretly, saying, "I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while."

At this time, they have entered the peak hours of the green jade miasma. It is not suitable to fly across the ground, and of course, it is not easy to walk in mid-air either. Who knows how many demonic beasts are hidden in the mountains? They might be hiding in the trees. If Senior Brother Wu is staying in the treetops, waiting for the miasma to fade before chasing after this group, I'm afraid it will take quite a bit of time. Chi Pengpeng says, "Waiting for this, waiting for that—so much time is wasted on waiting for people. We have only just entered the mountain; if Senior Brother Wu cannot find us, it would be better for him to turn back. You wait for him once today, but will you wait for him every time in the future?"

Her words are not without reason. The cultivators around them all say, "It is better not to do this useless waiting. If it were ordinary times, waiting for him would be nothing, but Huang Shoushan is a dangerous place and has its own rules."

Ruan Ci says, "I have never spoken more than two sentences to Senior Brother Wu. He has been following behind Senior Sister Chi. Since Senior Sister Chi says so, what else can I say?"

She and Chi Pengpeng are at daggers drawn, and everyone feels a bit awkward, but it is not convenient to get involved. Li Pingyan says, "Senior Brother Wu seems to have arrived."

In the mountains, the range of spiritual sense is smaller than outside. A while after Li Pingyan's voice falls, everyone finally senses a familiar pulse of spiritual power in the forest rushing toward this place. They cannot help but look at Li Pingyan in surprise. A cultivator named Meng Zhixuan beside Chi Pengpeng smiles and says, "Senior Brother Li's cultivation is indeed profound. I'm afraid this spiritual sense far exceeds ours, even Senior Sister Chi is not as good."

Li Pingyan smiles slightly and does not answer. Chi Pengpeng says frankly, "That's right, I am not as good as Senior Brother Li."

The Golden Wave Sect is a flourishing sect attached to the Profound Heaven Sect, but Li Pingyan is lukewarm toward Chi Pengpeng, instead being quite close to Ni Ci. With Meng Zhixuan saying this, Chi Pengpeng's heart is somewhat narrow, so the two will leave a knot in their hearts. Ruan Ci glances at Meng Zhixuan and thinks to herself, "This is in the mountains; how can this person be so unwise? If it were me he offended, I would cut him down with one sword to see if his mouth is still so cheap."

She comes back to her senses and cannot help but frown secretly, feeling that she is influenced by the baleful Qi in the sword, and there is a hint of treating human life like grass. Meng Zhixuan's provocation of Li Pingyan and Chi Pengpeng is indeed annoying, but it has not reached the point of deserving death.

Meng Lingyue glares at Meng Zhixuan but does not scold him. Both of them are disciples of the Pinghai Sect. Ruan Ci guesses that they might even be relatives of the same clan, but she has no intention of asking in detail, only frowning and saying, "Senior Brother Wu should be careful. The green jade miasma has already risen. Since he is already within our sensing range, it would be better to rest on a tree and wait for the poisonous miasma to fade before catching up. A cup of tea's time is still worth waiting."

Just as she is speaking, one can see a cultivator sweeping in between the threads of green Qi. It is indeed Senior Brother Wu from the Wind Sand Sect. His face is tense, and he only beams with joy when he sees the group. While waving to greet them, he accelerates his flight. The green Qi lingers like a coil, hooking onto his wrists. A white light flickers on Senior Brother Wu's body; it is the anti-miasma talisman taking effect. However, the white light flickers and weakens, while the green Qi continues to strengthen. Ruan Ci shouts, "Senior Brother Wu, activate another anti-miasma talisman!"

This Senior Brother Wu does not know if he is holding a spell or a talisman. I'm afraid he was so happy to see them that he forgot the talisman's power was about to run out. Only after being reminded by Ruan Ci does he look down and see that the green Qi is about to swallow the white light. He hurriedly flips his hand to take out a talisman and mutters words. The talisman flashes with white light and is about to attach to his body when Senior Brother Wu's expression suddenly changes. One can see that the talisman's white light shines for a moment but then dims. It is clear that the talisman's operation has failed; it is a broken talisman.

At this time, Senior Brother Wu is still more than a hundred feet away from the group. The green light on the ground is flourishing, and the green jade miasma has reached its most vigorous hour. Everyone dares not go down the tree to meet him. Li Pingyan flies a talisman from his waist, shooting it toward Senior Brother Wu, shouting, "Senior Brother Wu, catch the talisman quickly!"

Senior Brother Wu has also just flipped out a large stack of talismans from his waist. Seeing that his own talisman power is about to run out, he panics and pours his magic power into the whole stack of talismans. As soon as the white light shines, seeing Li Pingyan's flying talisman arrive, he hurriedly dissipates his magic power and flies toward the talisman. But as soon as his figure moves, the white light around him flashes and completely shatters. The green Qi around him suddenly flourishes, wrapping him up.

Fear immediately appears on Senior Brother Wu's face, and he stretches his hands toward the group as if begging for help. But as soon as the green Qi falls on his skin, it turns into fine insects the size of gnats, surrounding him and gnawing. Before long, they gnaw away his flesh and blood. Amidst Senior Brother Wu's miserable screams, one hand has turned into white bones, and his robes bulge rapidly underneath. It is the green Qi drilling into his clothes, and before long, they have gnawed him clean, leaving only a skeleton on the ground.

But this is not the end. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there is an inner landscape within the physical body. Senior Brother Wu is no longer able to hold the spell. Once the Purification Spell is released, the phantom transformed by the inner landscape appears above his head. The green Qi wraps around the six layers of Dao foundation, turning into small insects to eat the Dao foundation, and then drills into the Jade Pool to drink the spiritual liquid. In just a moment, they have eaten Senior Brother Wu thoroughly from the inside out. Only then does it make a buzzing sound and disperse into green Qi again, drifting and dancing on the forest floor, occasionally following the wind up to the branches. But fortunately, it is only a thread or a wisp, and with the cultivator's talisman power protecting the body, it is not enough to kill upon contact.

Ruan Ci had heard of the power of poisonous miasma in South Zhuzhou, but this is the first time she has seen a cultivator swallowed by poisonous miasma, and just a moment ago, he was a traveling companion. She cannot help but be horrified, and Chi Pengpeng also exclaims. Li Pingyan's face is as heavy as water. Meng Lingyue has no feelings and says to Ruan Ci, "Don't look... Senior Brother Wu was too arrogant. How can the green jade miasma be underestimated? But if we fell into the miasma, we wouldn't be like him. He didn't cultivate the Imperishable Golden Body, and there is the scent of a living person on his skin. As soon as the green jade miasma encounters human scent, it immediately turns into small insects."

She stretches out a hand, dissipates the talisman power on her hand, and probes under the branches, weaving in and out of the green Qi. The green Qi is misty and winding, but it is still just gas. Meng Lingyue says, "Look, cultivating the Imperishable Golden Body, although you cannot stay in the green jade miasma for long, it is not that dangerous."

Junior Sister Lian sighs and says, "He was too overconfident. Without cultivating the Imperishable Body, how dare he trespass into Huang Shoushan? And he was so careless, drawing a broken talisman, and finally threw away his life in vain."

According to the customs of the Central Continent, Senior Brother Wu's death was entirely due to his lack of consideration, and it is not worth being sad for too long. However, losing one person just after entering Huang Shoushan is ultimately a disappointment. Everyone's mood is low. They rest on the treetops for two hours. When the green jade miasma completely fades, Li Pingyan jumps into the forest, first taking back his talisman, and then putting Senior Brother Wu's remains and belongings into a Qiankun bag, saying, "Does he have any relatives or friends?"

Everyone looks at each other. Meng Zhixuan says, "He is a disciple of the En Sect, and all his friends are left in the Golden Wave market. He thought there would be more people, so he took the large boat over. Only he followed our team."

This is wanting to cling to the high-gate cultivators but being overconfident, and not inquiring clearly about the situation in Huang Shoushan, throwing away his life in vain. Chi Pengpeng sighs and says, "Forget it, I will keep it for him. After I return from Wan Diegu, I will ask the sect members to send him home."

With Chi Pengpeng's status, naturally no one suspects her motives. Meng Zhixuan says, "Senior Sister Chi is truly responsible."

While speaking, he keeps his eyes on Li Pingyan. Neither Li Pingyan nor Chi Pengpeng says anything, just pretending not to hear. Ruan Ci frowns slightly, feeling that this person is yin and yang and annoying. Meng Lingyue says, "Let's go. The speed of flying in the forest is limited, and we cannot delay."

Everyone sets off again, this time being several times more careful than before. After a few hours, Li Pingyan suddenly stops his movement and transmits his voice to everyone, "Everyone, there is a snake path ahead!"

Probably because of the green jade miasma, the ecology in this area is very similar to the Green Jade Bright Hall. Near the ground, there are many snakes, insects, rats, and ants, while in the treetops of the forest, there are many bird-type demonic beasts. However, the ground of the Green Jade Bright Hall is covered with thick bamboo leaves, while the ground of Huang Shoushan can still see soil, which is relatively safer. Sweeping with spiritual sense, it is easy to find the traces left by the demonic snakes moving forward.

"The snake path is round and narrow, and there are two snake paths side by side at the same time. This must be the Mandarin Duck Golden Ring Snake. This snake has always been in pairs, and there is a wonderful connection between the male and female. The snake gall can be used as medicine. Senior Brother Li, we have many people and great power, why not..."

Although Chi Pengpeng has the most supporters around her, this is their first time going out, and there is no idea about such things. Everyone still unconsciously takes Li Pingyan as the leader. Meng Zhixuan, Junior Sister Lian, and Li Pingyan do not get along well, but at this time they are also very cooperative. Li Pingyan says, "Junior Sister Ci, Senior Sister Chi, what do you say? Looking at the size of the snake body, these two snakes are about at the Foundation Establishment late-stage cultivation. It is not completely impossible to deal with. The Mandarin Duck Golden Ring Snake is highly poisonous, but its body is not large, and its speed is not very fast. With so many of us, we can indeed deal with it."

Chi Pengpeng says, "Senior Brother Li, just arrange it."

Her expression is relaxed, and she clearly has means to save her life. The people present are also eager to try. Although most of them are in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, they are after all the proud sons of heaven, and killing enemies across small realms is a common occurrence. Li Pingyan is not polite and immediately sends one of his junior brothers to spy on the traces of the demonic snakes and lure them here. Meng Lingyue takes out the array disk and orders everyone to set it up in various places in the forest, each guarding an eye of the array. Chi Pengpeng leads Meng Zhixuan to guard the Yin gate, while Ruan Ci and the other two guard the Yang gate. The rest of the people ambush in the array, all restraining their breath. Ruan Ci releases her spiritual sense, and among the dozen people, she can vaguely find only seven or eight.

She did not suffer any hardships in the Qi Condensation stage, and it can be said that her combat power is invincible among her peers. But this time, traveling abroad after Foundation Establishment, she does not dare to be so confident. After all, Ruan Ci has not even stepped firmly on the first layer of Foundation Establishment, and which of the people traveling with her does not have the cultivation of the third or fifth layer? At this time, her heart is also slightly cold, and she thinks secretly, "You just wanted to kill Meng Zhixuan with one sword, but you don't know that after Meng Zhixuan hides his tracks, you cannot detect his whereabouts. Even if he can't beat you, it's not difficult for him to escape."

It is precisely because she is thinking about how to play against Meng Zhixuan if she wants to hunt him down that Li Pingyan's voice comes into her ears, "Junior Sister Ci, be careful. When I collected Senior Brother Wu's remains just now, I checked. Senior Brother Wu made more than four hundred anti-miasma talismans, but they were all secretly erased by someone in one stroke. He was not unlucky, but was picked out long ago, wanting him to die in the green jade miasma in these few days."

Ruan Ci's expression does not change, and she secretly transmits her voice, "Senior Brother Li, who do you suspect?"

Li Pingyan has not yet answered when a miserable cry is heard from afar. His expression changes drastically, and he shouts, "Not good, something happened to Junior Brother Xiao!"

Just as he is about to rush to check, Meng Lingyue pulls him back. Ruan Ci also tries her best to restrain her breath, lying on the array disk, and transmits her voice, "Senior Brother Li, the snake is coming!"

Sure enough, a golden light flashes in the mountains in the distance, and only the rustling of the grass is heard. Before long, two large snakes have quickly swum from the grass into the forest. These two snakes are several people high, colorful, and have four rings on their snake heads. As soon as they enter the array, they notice something is wrong. But this snake is fierce by nature, and instead of turning around and running away, it coils and stands up, opening its mouth and screaming, turning the golden rings on its head from virtual to real, shooting them out, rolling around in the forest, testing the surrounding environment. A great battle is imminent!

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Updated, sorry for the long wait, everyone. I will send out red packets for this chapter~

Sigh, I have to start going to the hospital again recently. Although it's not a big problem, I still feel that going to the hospital wastes a lot of time. Everyone should also pay attention to their health! I consider myself quite careful, but in fact, sometimes this is also a matter of luck...

Because I went to the hospital yesterday, I didn't read much. Today for lunch, I had meat pie steamed with eggs and hot and sour soup~

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me during 2020-08-21 11:57:00~2020-08-22 11:57:52~

Thanks to the little angel who cast a rocket launcher: Ziye 2002 1;

Thanks to the little angel who cast a grenade: Dongyi 1;

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Litchi who had their account stolen, Time's Delusion, Yu Yu Wan Yao 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: 17804320 50 bottles; Rou Rou Ni Ni 20 bottles; Mu Liu Feng Piao, Xi Nian, Xiao Kui 10 bottles; Wa Wang Wang 6 bottles; Qian Mian Mo Fang, Ye Mu 5 bottles; Jiu Wo 3 bottles; Jiu Pin Lian Hua, Chao Sheng Wu Gu You 1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard! ===== CHAPTER 68 =====