Chapter 9

As Yuan An read out the names of the last group, Shen Fei already understood that this demon-hunting competition was likely orchestrated by Yuan An. After observing Shi Xin, Guan Song, and the others for over a month, Shen Fei was almost certain that they all followed Yuan An's lead.

However, Shen Fei then thought, this demon-hunting competition isn't like the usual disciple drills; there's a risk of death during the hunt. Yuan An alone probably couldn't pull off something this big, right? It seems there are some powerful figures within the Changning Sect who want to harm me.

Shen Fei's thoughts went far, but he had no way to deal with the situation. The demon-hunting competition was a regular event in the Changning Sect. Even if there was something fishy about the groupings, Shen Fei had no right to question or oppose it at this point.

Moreover, Shen Fei was not averse to such training. As the former top genius of the Lieryun Palace, he knew very well what such bloody battles meant for a cultivator. Back in the Lieryun Palace, he had participated in many such training sessions.

Seeing that Shen Fei showed no signs of panic, Yuan An was somewhat disappointed. But then he thought, you can pretend now, but once we enter the Yaoning Mountain, it will be your end.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, 179 young disciples of the Changning Sect, divided into 18 groups, gathered on the martial training square. Unlike the other 17 groups, which each had 10 members, Shen Fei's group had only 9. However, Shen Fei didn't mind. After all, everyone in this group, except for Er Hu and himself, was loyal to Yuan An. One less person might mean one less enemy.

"Set out!"

With Yuan An's loud command and a wave of his hand, the 179 young disciples, all at the初级丹气境 (初级 Dan Qi Jing, or初级 Dan Qi Realm), set off toward the northern gate of Ningcheng. Thirty miles beyond the northern gate was the entrance to Yaoning Mountain.

Watching the large group of Changning Sect disciples depart, Yuan An's lips curled into a faint sneer. That annoying Shen Fei would finally be out of sight. This trip to Yaoning Mountain would ensure he stayed there forever.

"Yuan An, I advise you not to play any tricks. Shen Fei is not someone to be underestimated."

Just as Yuan An was feeling smug, a somewhat cold voice suddenly rang out, startling him. Turning his head, he saw only a graceful green back. The speaker was none other than Lan Bing, the daughter of the Changning Sect's leader.

"That woman!"

Yuan An gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. In the Changning Sect, everyone treated him with respect, except for Lan Bing, who often mocked him. Due to their special relationship and her status as the leader's daughter, Yuan An had no way to deal with her.

However, could Lan Bing's words make Yuan An abandon his month-long plan? He had been very diligent in following the instructions of Tang Ning from the Lieryun Palace. He didn't plan to stay in this remote small city for life; returning to the Lieryun Palace was his ultimate goal.

Yaoning Mountain was the largest mountain in Ningcheng and was well-known throughout the Wuyue Empire. It was a mountain range that spanned the entire Wuyue Empire, and the section within Ningcheng was called Yaoning Mountain.

After leaving the northern gate, Shen Fei and the 179 others set out for Yaoning Mountain according to their groupings. People like Shi Xin didn't show any hostility on the surface and even showed concern for Shen Fei and Er Hu along the way. However, Guan Song, who had been defeated by Shen Fei, remained sullen and didn't speak to him.

Shen Fei didn't mind. He believed in dealing with problems as they came. If these people didn't cause trouble, that would be best. If they did, he would give them a lesson they would never forget.

In terms of surface strength, Shen Fei's group, though small in number, was the strongest. Besides Shen Fei and Er Hu, who were at the 2nd Dan Qi Realm, the other seven were all at the 3rd Dan Qi Realm. Shi Xin was at the peak of the 3rd Dan Qi Realm, just one step away from the Intermediate Dan Qi Realm.

Shen Fei secretly sensed the Dan Qi cultivation of these people and thought that Yuan An's plan was indeed thorough. He wondered what kind of backup Yuan An had arranged. Could it be that these people were supposed to assassinate him in Yaoning Mountain? Shen Fei shook his head. Such a plan would be too obvious, and Yuan An wouldn't be so reckless.

After a few hours, a towering mountain appeared ahead. The other Changning Sect disciples had already entered the mountain in batches, but Yuan An had instructed them to only hunt spirit beasts in the outer areas of Yaoning Mountain. The deeper parts of the mountain were home to 1st and even 2nd Tier spirit beasts.

As a former top genius of the Lieryun Palace, Shen Fei was well aware of the strength levels of spirit beasts. A 1st Tier spirit beast was equivalent to a 1st Dan Qi Realm cultivator, but spirit beasts had much stronger physical strength, making them generally more powerful than humans of the same tier.

Spirit beasts below the 1st Tier were called young spirit beasts, which were divided into low, medium, and high tiers. The main target of this demon-hunting competition was low-tier young spirit beasts.

The outer areas of Yaoning Mountain were where low-tier young spirit beasts roamed, and the outermost areas were where the lowest-tier young spirit beasts were found. Therefore, after entering Yaoning Mountain, Shen Fei and his group became extremely cautious. Even the 3rd Dan Qi Realm cultivators like Shi Xin had serious expressions.

Although the outermost areas of Yaoning Mountain were generally inhabited by low-tier young spirit beasts, medium-tier young spirit beasts occasionally appeared. Encountering a medium-tier young spirit beast would be a significant problem.

Perhaps with the combined strength of the nine of them, dealing with a medium-tier young spirit beast wouldn't be too difficult, but spirit beasts also included those that moved in groups. If they encountered such a group, they would be in serious trouble.

"Bang!"

A black shadow was thrown back, and a glowing long sword slashed down behind it. The black shadow spurted blood and fell to the ground.

A group of people appeared, and it was Shen Fei's group of nine. The two 3rd Dan Qi Realm youths who had attacked were the ones who had killed the black shadow, which was a dog-like low-tier young spirit beast.

"Er Hu, go cut off the spirit beast's ears."

Shi Xin glanced at the expressionless Shen Fei and spoke. Er Hu, excited, ran forward, drew his dagger, and cut off the spirit beast's ears.

This demon-hunting competition was about which group killed the most spirit beasts, and the number of ears obtained was the sole criterion for judgment. Er Hu, carefree, didn't notice the subtle tensions within the group and was thrilled to have the chance to cut off the ears.

Since entering Yaoning Mountain, they had encountered several low-tier young spirit beasts. However, low-tier young spirit beasts varied in strength, and the ones they had encountered were not too strong. With Shi Xin's coordination, no one had been injured.

Shi Xin had wanted to observe Shen Fei in action but found that he was always watching from the sidelines. The others, upon entering Yaoning Mountain, became tense and attacked the young spirit beasts without waiting for Shi Xin's command.

Shi Xin could only smile bitterly. Although low-tier young spirit beasts were weak, in a one-on-one fight, they were likely to defeat anyone except Shi Xin. Spirit beasts didn't care if you were a Changning Sect disciple; if they attacked, it could mean death or injury. In a life-or-death situation, reacting instinctively was natural.

The group continued deeper into Yaoning Mountain, and the young spirit beasts they encountered became stronger. Once, it took five 3rd Dan Qi Realm youths to defeat a pig-like young spirit beast. When they finally brought it down, everyone cheered.

As night fell, Yaoning Mountain became eerily quiet, but this silence hid numerous dangers. Shen Fei and his group became even more cautious, knowing that many powerful spirit beasts were active at night, and the darkness brought a natural fear to humans.

Snap!

In the silent night, the sound of a broken branch made Shi Xin and the others turn their heads, glaring at Er Hu, who had stepped on the branch.

"Watch out!"

Just as Shi Xin and the others were about to scold Er Hu, Shen Fei suddenly shouted and pounced, knocking Er Hu to the ground.

Swish!

As Shen Fei knocked Er Hu down, a black shadow darted past where Er Hu had been standing. The stench of the spirit beast was so strong that even Shen Fei, who was on the ground, could smell it. Er Hu's face turned pale; he knew that if Shen Fei hadn't reacted in time, he would have been killed by the spirit beast's ambush.

Shen Fei quickly stood up, and the black shadow, missing its target, landed on all fours. When it stopped, everyone could see the spirit beast clearly.

"Damn, it's a Blue-Tailed Wolf!"

When Shi Xin saw the blue tail of the wolf-like spirit beast, his face changed, and the others also showed fear. A Blue-Tailed Wolf was a medium-tier young spirit beast.

Shen Fei also recognized the Blue-Tailed Wolf. Wolf-like spirit beasts were among the most aggressive, and this Blue-Tailed Wolf, judging by its aura, was a medium-tier young spirit beast.

A medium-tier young spirit beast was equivalent to a 4th to 6th Dan Qi Realm cultivator. However, a human of the same level would be no match for a spirit beast, and none of the nine in their group had reached the 4th Dan Qi Realm.

They hadn't expected to encounter such a powerful spirit beast on their first night in Yaoning Mountain. Shi Xin and the others' faces turned grim. They knew this Blue-Tailed Wolf was not part of Yuan An's plan, and in a life-or-death situation, all plans and schemes were irrelevant.