A stream of two or three dozen varied flying swords and magical implements flashed across the sky, hundreds of feet above the Lingwu Mountain Range, slicing through the air at incredible speed. Leading the charge was a blinding, radiant crimson flame sword light, pursued relentlessly by several dozen other lights. They darted erratically, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, flanking the leading red beam, and the sky occasionally erupted with multicolored spells, punctuated by shouts of alarm and enraged roars.

Ye Qin, driving his fire sword, flew desperately, constantly dodging spells and artifacts shot from behind him, unable to shake these cultivators. He felt a growing anxiety. Stopping to fight this group of more than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Lingquan Sect was utterly impossible; he wasn't audacious enough to challenge them all alone.

But this endless flight wasn't a solution either. It would take him a full two days of sword flight to return to Lingwu City. If his mana faltered midway, or if something went wrong, he would inevitably be caught, leading to certain doom.

Sword flight was too slow. Ye Qin considered his options, pressed his storage pouch, and a cloud mass the size of a palm flew out, swiftly enveloping him. In an instant, his speed surged, and he rapidly pulled distance between himself and the pursuing Lingquan Sect cultivators.

"Is that a Cloud Barrier artifact?"

The cultivators desperately chasing him were momentarily stunned. The top-tier artifacts Ye Qin possessed were dazzlingly numerous. Such items were usually only owned by Core Formation cultivators, and their flying swords simply couldn't keep up. Watching the gap widen from dozens of feet to over a hundred, even the strongest late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator among them could no longer attack effectively from such a distance. Li Xi, the Young Sect Master, did possess a decent flying artifact, but he dared not rush ahead alone at the risk of his life. His face was flushed crimson. He was unwilling to give up the Water Shell Spirit Pearl, a water-attributed magic treasure, that Ye Qin had snatched. Knowing they couldn't catch up, he still held a sliver of hope and ordered the cultivators to chase with all their might.

Ye Qin glanced back, saw that the distance had been established, and a faint smile of relief touched his lips. He completely ignored the Lingquan cultivators cursing behind him. He only needed another half an hour to completely break free from his pursuers.

He turned his attention back, surveying the surrounding environment.

After the recent chase, he had already left the Hanhu Forest far behind. Nearby, several chains of treacherous mountains and towering peaks had appeared. These mountains soared into the clouds like sharp swords piercing the heavens, shrouded in hazy mist and swirling vapors at their midsection, resembling a realm of immortals.

Ye Qin gazed at these peaks, suddenly frowning.

He had never been to this place and didn't know his current location.

The Lingwu Mountain Range was vast and immense, spanning millions of li. Even flying on a sword for a year might not cover its breadth. Although he had spent many years at the Green Pill Sect, he had never ventured far beyond the safe patrol perimeter of the mountain gate. His only excursion was to the Wanku Ridge for trials. Therefore, his knowledge of the interior of the Lingwu Mountains was extremely limited.

However, Ye Qin knew one thing: the Lingwu Mountains were teeming with demonic beasts and contained many perilous areas. Take the Hanhu Forest, for instance—few cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage dared to enter lightly.

These peaks looked like an immortal realm, but who knew if they housed demonic beasts? Even if they were clear of beasts, if this were the mountain gate of some cultivation sect, he, a Green Pill disciple, could not simply trespass without invitation, lest he invite hostility. It was best to make a detour.

Ye Qin immediately took out a terrain map scroll he carried, infused it with a bit of mana, and examined the displayed map of the Lingwu Mountain Range. He needed to know precisely where he was and which direction to fly to return to Lingwu City.

The Green Pill cultivators who came to Hanhu Forest for the ambush mission were all equipped with such a simple terrain map scroll to help locate their objectives. He naturally had one as well.

"This is... Cangmang Ridge?"

Ye Qin surveyed the continuous mountain peaks, comparing them against the scroll. Just tens of li west of the "Hanhu Forest" marked on the map, he found a place named "Cangmang Ridge," which depicted a formation strikingly similar to the mountains before him.

Ye Qin’s gaze paused.

The map showed no sectarian markings on "Cangmang Ridge," indicating it did not belong to any cultivation sect. But it had a place name, which suggested only one possibility: this area was likely inhabited by demonic beasts—a dangerous locale.

Ye Qin quickly scanned the edge of the map. Indeed, there were small annotations along the margin: Cangmang Ridge was about twenty li from Hanhu Forest. This area was infested with groups of Tier Five or Six demonic beasts, with occasional sightings of Tier Seven or higher Core Formation beasts. Cangmang Ridge was one of the most perilous places in the Lingwu Mountain Range, far more terrifying than Hanhu Forest, a place rarely trod by cultivators. Foundation Establishment cultivators were strongly advised to avoid approaching this area.

Seeing this, Ye Qin looked up again at the continuous peaks ahead. The sheer cliffs were now clearly visible.

He was slightly startled, inwardly exclaiming, Not good. He had barely left Hanhu Forest, still unable to shake off the pursuing Lingquan Sect cultivators, and now he had blundered into Cangmang Ridge.

"Chirp—!"

A cry echoed through the peaks, and a flock of one or two dozen colorful-winged giant birds burst forth from the misty vapors floating between the summits. With their wings spread, each bird was at least ten zhang long. They had yellow, pointed beaks, several plumes of feathers on their foreheads, and their wings were predominantly vermilion and other bright colors, with only the tail featuring three long azure feathers—magnificent to behold. The leader was even over twenty zhang long, its gaze sharp and its body terrifyingly massive.

"Danqing Birds..., wild Danqing Birds!"

Ye Qin was horrified, his expression changing drastically. Without a second thought, he cut the speed of his Cloud Barrier artifact, plunging downwards like a massive stone. Although his cloud artifact was fast, he dared not match the flying speed of the Azure Feather Birds.

An adult Azure Feather Bird was a Tier Six wind-attribute demonic beast, a powerful, fast-flying raptor.

These raptors were highly intelligent. If captured by beast tamers when young and raised and tamed from infancy, they became docile upon maturity and could be ridden. They were often used to guard the gates of cultivation sects or serve as mounts for Sect Masters and Elders.

Danqing Birds, Black Plume Vultures, and similar raptors were all top-tier rare birds among mid-tier demonic beasts, extremely difficult to raise. They were frequently used to enhance a sect's prestige and served as a symbol of its strength.

The Green Pill Sect also maintained several birds that often soared near the main peak, so Ye Qin had seen them before.

But those were Danqing Birds tamed from youth, hence their docility.

Wild Danqing Birds, like other wild demonic beasts, were ferocious and violent. Moreover, due to their high intelligence, they were far more troublesome than ordinary beasts. These Danqing Birds were highly territorial and would never allow other flying creatures to invade the vicinity of their nests.

When Ye Qin saw this flock swooping towards him, he knew he had trespassed into their territory. Attempting to match the flight speed of adult Tier Six Danqing Birds was tantamount to suicide. Furthermore, the leading bird likely possessed power exceeding Tier Six.

He unhesitatingly dove towards the dense forests nestled among the peaks, intending to evade the flock of raptors.

"What kind of demonic fowl are those?"

Li Xi, still pressing the pursuit with his men, landed several li behind. He saw the flock of giant birds rush out of the mist, forcing Ye Qin down to the ground, and was filled with surprise.

The demonic beasts and rare birds of the Wanyue Lake cultivation world were different from those in the Lingwu world. Li Xi did not recognize many of the beasts and rare birds of the Lingwu world and was certainly unaware of the danger posed by these Danqing Birds.

Seeing Ye Qin plummet toward the ground, Li Xi felt a surge of joy. He hadn't expected Ye Qin to land at such a critical moment, retreating to the mountains below. He immediately urged his cultivators to speed up.

He would not let such a perfect opportunity slip by.

"Young Sect Master, there seem to be quite a few of these demonic birds. Should we perhaps yield a little ground?" Several Elders following Li Xi visibly changed color when they saw the flock of more than ten massive raptors.

"A mere dozen or so demonic birds frighten you? All of you, charge!"

Li Xi scoffed dismissively and led the twenty-plus Foundation Establishment cultivators in a sudden surge on their swords.

He disdained the demonic fowl, wondering how they could compare in combat strength to cultivators. Moreover, they had over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators; being afraid of a mere dozen or so demonic birds would be a joke. Recovering the Water Shell Spirit Pearl quickly was what mattered most to him.

The Danqing Bird flock spotted Li Xi and his group, then split into two.

Two birds continued to dive towards Ye Qin, who was descending to the ground, while the remaining eight or nine, led by the vanguard, circled once in the air and changed course, attacking the Lingquan Sect cultivators.

The two groups rapidly closed the distance.

This time, Li Xi and the Elders clearly saw the appearance of the giant birds. Before they could marvel at their vibrant coloring, in the blink of an eye, they violently collided with the flock. Artifacts and flesh clashed fiercely. The impossibly large leader bird plunged into the ranks of the cultivators, piercing the protective shields and flesh of one Foundation Establishment cultivator with a single claw, tearing him to shreds.

"Ah, disaster! It's—it's Tier Seven demonic fowl, scatter!"

The Lingquan Sect cultivators were instantly terrified and plunged into panic. Two Foundation Establishment cultivators who couldn't dodge quickly enough were shredded into bloody foam by the lead Danqing Bird in mere moments. The rest fled frantically toward the outskirts of Cangmang Ridge.

After flying for over ten li, until they were far from the peaks of Cangmang Ridge, the ferocious flock ceased its pursuit and returned to the mountains.

Only then did they stop in sheer terror. Counting their numbers, four Foundation Establishment cultivators had died en route, and nearly half the remaining group was injured.

They stared at each other, hearts trembling with lingering fear.

With the combined strength of their twenty-plus Foundation Establishment cultivators, they had collapsed upon the first encounter, suffering such a crushing defeat. That leader bird was absolutely a Core Formation-level raptor. Charging it all together would have been a suicide mission.

Besides, who knew how many such giant birds or nests existed near these peaks? If they had angered the entire mountain range, they probably wouldn't have even a bone left.

They had no choice but to stay outside the mountain range.

"It is rumored that the Lingwu Mountains harbor numerous fierce beasts, and that rumor is well-founded. Young Sect Master, we must still proceed with utmost caution. While life remains..." One Elder cautiously advised, eyeing the Young Sect Master's expression. He wouldn't dare step foot in those mountains again for all the world. Dying under the talons of a demonic fowl whose very name they didn't know was truly unjust.

"Guard this vicinity; we absolutely cannot let that Green Pill cultivator escape. I refuse to believe he can stay inside forever! The Water Shell Spirit Pearl in his possession must be recovered." Li Xi glared darkly at the towering peaks in the distance, his fury unquenched.