Chapter 89

Six second-stage spirit beasts are equivalent to six martial artists at the Kaiyuan realm. This force alone is not something they can handle.

Moreover, many first-stage spirit beasts also have astonishing combat power, and with their large numbers, they could likely tear them all to death.

On their side, apart from Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian reaching the early Kaiyuan realm, the rest are only at the Body Tempering realm.

Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, who were injured in the battle with Yan Ziqian earlier, have not yet recovered...

How can they fight?

"No! If we rush in and fight to the death, we will all be wiped out, and none of us will survive!" Kang Zhi shook his head repeatedly, a bitter smile on his chubby face. "Why don't we take a break? Wait until Brother Tu and Sister Qian recover, then we can proceed slowly, what do you think?"

"The people from the Senluo Hall's Patrol Department are not easy to deal with. If they see us being消极怠工 (slacking off) and not fighting for them, we won't be able to explain ourselves. They... can directly punish us, even kill us on the spot."

Zhuo Qian's face was solemn. "Avoiding it definitely won't work; we can only think of another way. Oh, right, they said earlier that we can also lead the spirit beasts away. They just want to enter the interior, and the presence of the spirit beasts is blocking their way. As long as we can lead this group of spirit beasts away, it will count as completing the task."

"Right, what Zhuo Qian said is correct," Tu Ze interjected. "Directly engaging the spirit beasts in battle is seeking death. We should use our familiarity with the stone forest outside to anger the spirit beasts and lead them away."

Qin Lie also nodded in agreement.

Soon, everyone decided on a plan. With the goal of angering and leading the spirit beasts, they moved toward the area where the spirit beasts were gathered.

Half an hour later, the group came to a large rock and quietly poked their heads out.

A relatively open stone area was crowded with dozens of spirit beasts, most of which were first-stage spirit beasts. Among them were an Ice Soul Python, two Gold Rock Beasts, two Dragon Horn Rhinos, and a Golden Mane Ape mixed in with the first-stage spirit beasts. These six second-stage spirit beasts were at the entrance to a fork in the path deeper into the stone forest.

The six second-stage spirit beasts were all sitting obediently, as if they were absorbing spiritual energy in their unique way.

Strands of white mist entered and exited their mouths and noses, and the area where they were located was rich in spiritual energy.

These six second-stage spirit beasts dominated the best positions, which were also the closest to the deeper parts of the stone forest.

The dozens of other first-stage spirit beasts were scattered at a considerable distance, seemingly not allowed to approach.

"Such a rich concentration of spiritual energy," Qin Lie said after just a sniff. His expression changed slightly, his eyes flickering with a strange light. He thought to himself, "Spirit Gathering Talisman! The spiritual energy is gathered due to the Spirit Gathering Talisman! In the strange array that Xie Jingxuan set up to refine the Soul Devouring Beast, there must be a hidden Spirit Gathering Talisman. Because of the Spirit Gathering Talisman, a lot of spiritual energy has been attracted here."

He immediately understood.

"Let's move!" Tu Ze whispered.

"Let's move!" Everyone shouted in unison.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Whistling! Hissing!"

Suddenly, from this direction, bright rainbow-like lights shot out.

Crimson fire, green lightning, cold gray mist, fierce wind blades, bright silver star clouds, and earth-yellow rainbow lights...

All of these were released from the spirit artifacts in everyone's hands, forming bright and colorful light beams that shot toward the center of the spirit beast group.

"Ao!"

The howls of the spirit beasts erupted, and all the spirit beasts that were cultivating with the help of the spiritual energy went wild in pain.

Their bloodthirsty and cruel eyes searched around and immediately locked onto Tu Ze, Qin Lie, and the others, who were shouting loudly. The spirit beasts then roared in anger and moved.

The six second-stage spirit beasts were also attacked by the fierce assault. The star cloud light balls and wind blades formed by Tu Ze's long knife and Zhuo Qian's dragon bone whip were particularly powerful, leaving bloody wounds on three of the spirit beasts, thoroughly enraging them.

The spirit beasts charged out in a frenzy, chasing after the group, their fierce and murderous aura pressing down like dark clouds.

"Run quickly!"

Kang Zhi screamed, his chubby body moving swiftly as he was the first to run.

Han Feng, Chu Peng, and the others were already ready to go. Seeing him take the lead, they quickly followed, afraid of falling behind.

"Go!"

Tu Ze shouted, urging Qin Lie and Gao Yu to run quickly. He and Zhuo Qian held their spirit artifacts, staying at the back to cover the retreat.

Seeing dozens of spirit beasts charging over, Qin Lie was also frightened, his face changing. He quickly called to Gao Yu, "Let's go!"

Gao Yu nodded and walked back with Qin Lie, choosing a rugged and uneven path.

After they started moving, Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian also dared not stay long. They released more wind blades and star cloud beams, causing chaos among the spirit beasts behind them, then ran away.

At the stone peaks like a forest of swords, Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong were on the top of the tallest peak, having left the Xuanming Beast behind.

This stone peak was dozens of meters high, allowing them to see the commotion from a distance. With their high realms, their vision was excellent. They saw Qin Lie, Tu Ze, and the others causing a big commotion, fleeing with their heads down, while the spirit beasts were chasing them madly, gradually leaving the gathering point.

"These kids are smart," Liang Zhong smiled and nodded. "If they had fought the spirit beasts head-on, none of them would have survived. Now, by leading the spirit beasts away, they have met our requirements. Hmm, not bad, I underestimated them."

"Look over there," Xie Jingxuan pointed in another direction. "The guys from the Chiyuan Association are really stubborn. They probably won't move unless they suffer a loss."

Liang Zhong looked in the direction she pointed and his face became strange, saying with a bitter smile, "This Xiong Ba is just like his grandfather and father!"

From this vantage point, they could faintly see Xiong Ba and his group from the Chiyuan Association directly charging into the spirit beast gathering point, fighting with the spirit beasts.

The spirit beasts there, though not as powerful as those Qin Lie and the others encountered, still included four second-stage and over fifty first-stage spirit beasts.

Xiong Ba and his group from the Chiyuan Association, dealing with such a group of fierce beasts, were clearly at a disadvantage. If they didn't retreat soon, the Chiyuan Association would soon suffer casualties.

"They're not very smart," Xie Jingxuan frowned.

Liang Zhong nodded and sighed, "These guys are definitely going to suffer a big loss. Having Xiong Ba lead the Chiyuan Association was a mistake."

"The people from the Shuibing Manor and the Shuice House, like the Xingyun Pavilion, are very smart and don't engage the spirit beasts head-on." After a while, seeing Yan Ziqian and Nuo Na also take action, Xie Jingxuan nodded slightly. "Nuo Na is very good. Among the four, she is the strongest, and she also takes good care of her sisters below..."

Her vision could see far. She saw that although Yan Ziqian and Nuo Na had the same strategy of leading the spirit beasts away, there were still slight differences in their execution.

After angering the spirit beasts, Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai were the first to flee, completely ignoring the others, clearly selfish and self-centered.

Nuo Na, on the other hand, was different. Like Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, she stayed at the back, waiting for the sisters with slightly lower realms to leave first before she fled.

Liang Zhong and Xie Jingxuan clearly saw the actions of the Xingyun Pavilion, Chiyuan Association, Shuibing Manor, and Shuice House, and had a general understanding of the personalities and character of the leaders of these groups.

After watching for a while, they focused their attention on Qin Lie and Tu Ze, particularly on Qin Lie and Gao Yu.

"Gao Yu's cultivation technique is special, and he is also extremely ruthless, with a venomous nature," Liang Zhong carefully chose his words. "However, this guy doesn't get along well with others, preferring to act alone and not being good at communication, which makes him poor at teamwork."

Seeing that Xie Jingxuan was not speaking, Liang Zhong frowned slightly and thought, "As for Qin Lie, I can't quite figure him out..."

"Hmm?" Xie Jingxuan turned her head, seemingly encouraging him to continue.

"Throughout this journey, Qin Lie has been very quiet, like a very gentle boy. We met him a few times at Li's shop, and he always behaved normally, speaking and acting appropriately, like a neighbor's boy, not particularly outstanding at first glance..."

Pausing for a moment, Liang Zhong continued, "However, when he fights, he suddenly becomes wildly aggressive, like a savage beast that has been suppressed for a long time and is suddenly released. He shows no mercy, launching fierce and violent attacks. Once in battle, he seems to completely transform, becoming a fierce and cruel beast, which is very strange."

"Perhaps the Qin Lie in battle is the real him, showing his true nature. The Qin Lie we usually see might just be a facade..."

Xie Jingxuan suddenly spoke, her words surprising and confusing Liang Zhong. Before he could ask, she continued, "I talked to Tu Mo, and according to him, Qin Lie comes from the Ling family, a subordinate force of the Xingyun Pavilion. He and his grandfather went to the Ling family, and it is said that he doesn't remember anything from ten years ago, as if that part of his memory is completely missing."

At this point, she frowned and said, "People often show their true selves in battle. Therefore, the Qin Lie who is wild, savage, and cruel in battle might be the real Qin Lie, reflecting his character from the past ten years."

Liang Zhong was taken aback, "So, Qin Lie is not a simple guy. I dare say that a person with such a wild and savage nature must come from an extraordinary family."

"Right," Xie Jingxuan nodded. "Unfortunately, he doesn't remember the past. Otherwise, we could ask him clearly. Now, I only hope that when we need him, he can summon a bolt of Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning like he did last time, so he can help us. If he can't, no matter his background, he will be of no value to us."

"True."

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