The happiest thing is having mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival; then every day is happy—eating fish whenever I want, dogs eating meat, Ultraman fighting little monsters, Baili having subscriptions, and Purple Mansion having monthly passes.
o(_)o; Ye Qin breathed a sigh of relief, clutching the spirit stone, and stood on the spot to begin restoring his magic power.
To kill this Yellow Demon Bear, he had used twenty or thirty Wind Blades and Fireball spells, consuming nearly twenty percent of his magic power.
In a dangerous place like the Spirit Mist Grand Canyon, it was best to maintain full magic power.
He did not bother seizing the Yellow Demon Bear’s demon core.
That thing could fetch five or six hundred low-grade spirit stones in the market, but it was not an item the Green Elixir Sect required, making it practically useless to him.
As for spirit stones, he could exchange them for Dew-Receiving Pills; this demon core was superfluous.
After everyone helped Xu Qing slay the Yellow Demon Bear, they could spend the next month focused entirely on searching for spirit herbs, medicinal ingredients, and spiritual items.
Ye Qin glanced at the team members.
Elder Xia Hei and Fan Jiasheng’s dazed condition had slightly improved, and they were restoring their magic power.
Zhang Zhe was helping his sister, Zhang Qiao, using the cold stream water to wake her up; they rested by the bank.
Wu Qin Yi, however, was heartbroken over her Flame Sword; not long ago, the Yellow Demon Bear had struck it, leaving a small crack on the blade.
This battle, although resulting in no casualties, had cost the team at least half of their effective strength.
Ye Qin thought to himself, then suddenly, his heart tightened, and he sharply turned his head toward a large boulder not far away.
Swish-swish! Several azure ice cones shot out toward the area surrounding the demon core.
Xu Qing was just rejoicing and bending down to pick up the core when the ice cones struck, blocking his path to retrieving it.
Startled, Xu Qing quickly shifted his body, dodging the chilling ice cones, and looked up in the direction from which they came.
Three bizarre-looking male and female cultivators had somehow emerged from behind a massive rock dozens of feet away.
Standing on that boulder was a middle-aged man with green skin wielding a broad saber, glaring intensely at the demon core.
Beside him nestled a woman dressed in vibrant red and purple, possessing an extremely voluptuous figure but a face completely covered in scars.
Standing to the side was a short, fat, and bloated old man dressed in black.
All of them were at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage.
“Green-Skin Freak, Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress, the fight just now was quite spectacular.
It saved us quite a bit of effort!” the short, fat old man in black said to the other two cultivators.
Then he turned toward Xu Qing and cackled sinisterly, “Leave the demon core and you can scram! Otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite.” The voluptuous woman giggled, “Old Poison Worm, don't scare these little brats with your words!” “Hahaha!” The three roared with laughter.
Xu Qing’s gaze gradually turned cold.
He reached toward his waist but discovered his Golden Light Sword was already scrap metal and discarded.
His expression immediately became unsightly.
Without the Golden Light Sword, his strength was reduced by at least half.
He said forcefully, “I am a patrol captain for the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.
Flee immediately if you know what’s good for you.” “Pah! What is the Rogue Cultivator Alliance? We, the Three Poisons of West Ridge, have killed plenty of cultivators from Xian Yuan City.
What can they do to me! I want this demon core; you kid scram!” The green-skinned man sneered.
“Evil cultivators on the arrest list at the gate of Xian Yuan City—Green-Skin Freak, Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress, Old Poison Worm!” Hearing this, Xu Qing’s expression changed; he finally understood who the three people before him were.
In the vicinity of Xian Yuan City, the Three Poisons of West Ridge were quite infamous.
They had committed crimes in Xian Yuan City several times but were never caught.
Every October, they would appear in the Spirit Mist Grand Canyon, specifically targeting isolated and weaker cultivators.
Their strength was not exceptionally high, but they were masters at exploiting weaknesses and performing insidious sneak attacks on other cultivators.
The sudden appearance of the Three Poisons clearly indicated they intended to reap benefits now that the group’s strength was greatly diminished after hunting the Yellow Demon Bear.
The nine-person squad became vigilant upon the sudden appearance of outsiders and clustered together.
Feng Man and Wu Qin Yi, having spent much time in Xian Yuan City, had naturally heard of the Three Poisons.
They exchanged a look, feeling alarmed.
The presence of the Three Poisons here meant nothing good.
They then coldly observed Xu Qing, waiting to see what he would do.
Xu Qing was calculating rapidly.
The nine-person squad he led looked extremely threadbare.
His Golden Light Sword was destroyed.
Currently, only Wu Qin Yi possessed a Flame Sword, and while Feng Man’s jade flute was a spiritual artifact, it was not an offensive weapon.
Everyone else relied primarily on spell attacks and possessed no spiritual artifacts; all of them had consumed a significant amount of magic power.
He could, at best, hold off one of the Green-Skin Freaks.
They still had Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress and Old Poison Worm remaining.
Although his side still had eight people, half of them were newcomers who had never experienced combat between cultivators.
They could barely handle one Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress.
The remaining Feng Man, Wu Qin Yi, and Elder Bi Guo could contend with the other, Old Poison Worm.
By this calculation, the chance of victory was only fifty-fifty.
However, what he needed was not a fifty-fifty chance, but an absolute certainty.
No matter what, he had to obtain the demon core; otherwise, a year would pass, and how could he ever join the Great Luo Cultivation Sect? Xu Qing’s expression shifted, and he made a hand signal to the squad—prepare for battle! The squad members understood immediately.
They moved up from the surroundings, positioning themselves to Xu Qing’s left and right, forming hand seals and taking out their strongest means to confront the Three Poisons.
Ye Qin sized up the Three Poisons, matching them against the wanted evil cultivators in his memory.
He quietly cupped a small stack of talisman papers in his hand, standing behind the group.
He was no longer a novice stepping onto the battlefield.
Combat between cultivators was not just about superior weapons or spells; it was about whose magic power could last longer, holding out until the final moment.
Fighting with talismans was the best way to conserve magic power.
However, a single low-tier talisman cost at least one low-grade spirit stone, and a slightly better mid-tier talisman could cost ten spirit stones.
This method of fighting boiled down to two words: "burning money." Only the wealthy dared to fight this way; the poor could not afford to burn that much.
In Xian Yuan City, very few people dared to burn money like that.
The situation seemed precarious now, but he could not afford to worry about burning money if his life was on the line—if he died, there would be no place left to spend money.
The Three Poisons also showed solemn expressions, each producing a spiritual artifact: the Green-Skin Freak had a Flame Saber, Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress wielded Scorpion Shears, and Old Poison Worm held a black gourd.
Although they had come to pick up leftovers, this nine-person squad, despite being weak, had the advantage of numbers; this easy gain might not be so easy after all.
If not for snatching this extremely valuable demon core, they likely wouldn't have made a move so readily.
Just as both sides formed their ranks, maintaining vigilance, the atmosphere thick with tension, poised for bloodshed, Xu Qing suddenly did something that stunned everyone.
He lunged forward violently, snatched the Sitting Demon Core from the ground, turned, and fled.
With several rapid leaps, he shot over a hundred feet away.
Looking at the resolute momentum of his departure, showing no sign of turning back, he was clearly set on leaving for good.
All eleven people present were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Shameless! The same thought crossed everyone’s mind.
No one expected that Xu Qing, the captain, would do something so shameless as abandoning his teammates and deserting the fight for the sake of that demon core.
Not only were Ye Qin and the other squad members shocked on the spot, even the Three Poisons were momentarily stunned, not expecting their leader to act in such a manner.
By the time they reacted, Xu Qing had already fled two to three hundred feet away.
“Damn it, he’s more shameless than I am! Third Mistress, Old Poison Worm, you deal with these brats—I’ll chase that guy!” Green-Skin Freak roared in anger, leaping up and flying over the heads of the eight remaining squad members, chasing after Xu Qing.
Not a single one of the remaining eight squad members made a move to stop the Green-Skin Freak.
Xu Qing had sold them all out; naturally, they had no reason to help him block the enemy.
Xu Qing and the Green-Skin Freak quickly fled far into the Grand Canyon and disappeared.
At the location of the bear carcass, only the members of both sides remained in confrontation: eight on one side, their strength somewhat depleted, and two on the other, both seasoned cultivators at the fifth level of Qi Refining.
Whether or not to fight became the question.
The expressions of the group gradually turned strange.
Feng Man and Wu Qin Yi, acting in tacit understanding, fixed their gazes on the bear carcass.
This second-tier Yellow Demon Bear was valuable not just for its core; its hide, gall, flesh, and paws combined were likely worth at least three hundred low-grade spirit stones—no small fortune, enough to trade for three spiritual artifacts.
If they secured this bear carcass, their trip to the Grand Canyon would not have been in vain.
Zhang Zhe, Elder Xia Hei, and Fan Jiasheng exchanged glances and secretly nodded; naturally, they did not want this bear carcass to fall into others' hands.
In the face of such wealth, there was no reason to back down.
Elder Bi Guo stared greedily at the bear carcass, glancing around at the others, though he seemed somewhat intimidated; among this group, he was the lone wolf.
Ye Qin’s expression was cold as he watched the others.
He had long known that this nine-person squad lacked unity, but he hadn't expected them to disintegrate so quickly.
With the leader fleeing first, the remaining newcomers and veterans could not form a cohesive unit.
Perhaps it was time to consider how to ensure his own survival in this Grand Canyon.
Feng Man, Wu Qin Yi, and Elder Bi Guo could no longer hold back and finally attacked, engaging Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress in a brawl.
They had to defeat the Three Poisons first before they could seize the bear carcass.
“Cackle, let you all see my Old Poison Worm’s treasure!” The stout, bloated Old Poison Worm grinned sinisterly, slapping the black gourd at his waist.
A strange black mist drilled out, condensed yet unscattered.
Within the mist seemed to hide some monstrous insects or beasts, ferocious and violent, surging toward Zhang Zhe, Fan Jiasheng, and Elder Xia Hei.
“There are poisons in the mist, be careful!” Zhang Zhe’s face changed, and he exclaimed in alarm.
He hastily cast a Fireball spell, throwing out a fierce ball of fire that shot into the black mist, causing the demonic insects inside to shriek as they burned.
But the black mist was nearly seven or eight feet wide and rolled forward relentlessly.
This single small fireball only struck it, and in the blink of an eye, it was extinguished.
The poisonous mist released by the black gourd was a large-area demonic technique; one or two minor spells could not break through it at all.
Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Zhang Zhe turned and pulled Zhang Qiao to flee.
Fan Jiasheng and Elder Xia Hei dared not hold firm and followed suit, running away.
But Elder Xia Hei was not fast enough; in a flash, he was overtaken by the rolling black mist.
“Old Hei, watch out!” Fan Jiasheng shouted in horror, stopping his steps.
Elder Xia Hei looked back at the black mist behind him in alarm.
Seeing the mist almost upon him, he frantically cast an Earth Armor spell on himself.
Instantly, he was completely submerged by the black mist, and the sounds of insects gnawing could be heard from within.
“Old Hei!” Fan Jiasheng cried out mournfully, forming a hand seal and shooting a fireball into the black mist.
But in a blink, he too was swallowed by the mist, barely causing a ripple.
The black mist seemed to mock his overestimation of his own strength.
Ye Qin, who had always stayed at the rear of the group, naturally ran the fastest.
Hearing the cries behind him, he stopped, gritted his teeth, and threw a stack of over twenty talismans out of his hand without regard for cost, showering the black mist.
Continuous roaring sounded from within the black mist.
As soon as one spell exploded, the next one followed.
The demonic insects inside the mist could not bear it, squeaking incessantly, and the black mist rapidly shrank by a good half.
Old Poison Worm had not seen what was happening.
Hearing the squeals, his face turned horrified, his heart aching—these insects were treasures he had painstakingly raised, and they could not withstand such torment.
With a wave of his hand, he instantly rolled the black mist back, drawing it into his black gourd.
Elder Xia Hei lay on the rubble, barely breathing.
His Earth Armor protective shield was long gone.
One of his legs had been gnawed down to the bone by the insects, and considerable flesh had been stripped from his body.
Even if he survived, he would be severely crippled.
“Old Hei, hang on, I’ll take you back to the city! I’ll find the best medicine for your wounds!” Fan Jiasheng, tears streaming down his face, rushed over, hauled Elder Xia Hei onto his back, and sped toward the ancient path where they had come from.
Ye Qin stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
He had not traveled in a clique with the Zhangs and Fan/Xia group for long; they had only gotten acquainted over the past six months, so he did not fully grasp the brotherly bond between Fan Jiasheng and Elder Xia Hei.
He felt a pang of sadness; if he had acted a little sooner, perhaps Elder Xia Hei would not have ended up in this state.
Old Poison Worm recalled the black gourd and pursued them.
Seeing Ye Qin still standing in place, his bloated face lit up with delight.
“Ha, there’s a stupid bird still standing here! You’ve been caught by Old Poison Worm!” Ye Qin turned his head, his expression blank.
He raised a hand, and a thick stack of low-tier and mid-tier talismans flew out like snowflakes: “Fireball Talisman,” “Ice Cone Talisman,” “Water Arrow Talisman,” “Earth Thorn Talisman,” “Lightning Strike Talisman,” “Wind Blade Talisman”—and mid-tier “Azure Arc Slash” and “Chain Lightning.” The low and mid-tier talismans transformed into streams of fireballs, ice cones, wind blades, and earth spikes.
Old Poison Worm was momentarily stunned and instinctively slapped his black gourd, spraying mist to defend himself.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!! After forty or fifty low-tier talismans exploded, the black mist vanished, leaving behind insect corpses everywhere.
After more than ten mid-tier talismans, the Old Poison Worm’s protective barrier was directly breached.
He and his black gourd were incinerated into ashes by the fierce flames, leaving a large crater in the ground.
About twenty or thirty low-grade spirit stones fell out, along with an unknown manual.
Ye Qin glanced coldly at the large pit, swept his sleeve, collected all the spirit stones and the manual, and soared away without looking back.
Not far away, Feng Man, Wu Qin Yi, Elder Bi Guo, and Snake-Scorpion Third Mistress, who had been fighting over the bear carcass, had stopped.
Witnessing the scene just moments ago, they were aghast, their mouths wide open.