Qin Xi was familiar with the terrain, and they reached their destination in just half a day.
"This is Woxia Ridge. Let's wait here for a while."
Mo Tiange swept her gaze over the scenery before her. The area was littered with rocks of various sizes, almost devoid of any vegetation. Yet, to the west, there grew a dense forest of red leaves. From a distance, it looked like fallen sunset clouds, which was likely why it was called Woxia Ridge.
Qin Xi had already found a spot to sit down, silently gazing at the Three Yang True Fire Sword resting on his knees, lost in thought.
Mo Tiange found a flat rock not far from him to sit on. Looking at the red-leaf forest, she asked, "Senior Brother Shoujing, is that forest dangerous?"
Qin Xi glanced up and replied, "Those are flying insects called Red Leaf Ants. They are extremely poisonous and gather together to mimic trees. Those who don't know are easily caught off guard."
"...I see." So that was it. Given that Madam Feng was in their group, she was presumably there to deal with these Red Leaf Ants.
Seeing Qin Xi put away his Three Yang True Fire Sword and close his eyes to meditate, seemingly unwilling to speak further, Mo Tiange also crossed her legs and began regulating her breathing. After killing the Wind-Born Beasts, collecting the carcasses, and immediately setting off again, followed by half a day's journey without recovering her Spiritual Qi, she was already exhausted. Now, with her Spiritual Qi mostly depleted, this was the perfect time to recover.
Another half-day passed as they waited.
Just as Mo Tiange had finished recovering her Spiritual Qi, Qin Xi suddenly opened his eyes in the silence, looking back the way they came. "They're here."
Mo Tiange also opened her eyes and looked in the direction he indicated. There was still no sign of anyone within sight, but at the edge of her spread-out spiritual sense, she could already feel the auras of other cultivators.
Sure enough, not long after, a group of black dots appeared in the distance, rushing towards them.
Mo Tiange's brow twitched slightly, and she glanced at Qin Xi with some surprise. She had still underestimated others. Core Formation Perfection was naturally much stronger than her current level. Even though she had cultivated the Refining Spirit Art, she still couldn't match him.
Turning her gaze back to the approaching figures, she was taken aback. These few people seemed to be injured, their flying postures somewhat unsteady. Soon, as they flew closer, it was clear that several of them bore traces of blood.
"Fellow Daoist Shoujing, Fellow Daoist Qingwei." Finally reaching the spot where they waited, Daoist Kumu let out a sigh of relief.
Qin Xi frowned. "Fellow Daoists, what happened?"
It was Tong Tianyun who answered. He seemed to move normally, likely only having minor injuries. "Sigh! We were preparing to break the restriction and retrieve the treasure when another group of cultivators arrived soon after, and we fought them. That in itself wasn't a big deal; our strength was superior to theirs. But just as we were fighting to a stalemate, two Nascent Soul Cultivators actually showed up, so..."
Since Nascent Soul Cultivators had intervened, they, as Core Formation cultivators, naturally had to obediently step back.
Mo Tiange couldn't help but glance at Qin Xi. Was it just a coincidence, or had he noticed something?
Apart from Tong Tianyun, the one with the lightest injuries was Jing Xingzhi. After all, as a sword cultivator, combat was his forte. He said, "Those two Nascent Soul Cultivators didn't have it easy either. That ship was hiding a swarm of peculiar flying insects. Just after we left, we saw them trigger a restriction, drawing the attack of the insects. Even if they got the Magical Treasure, they were bound to be injured."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a look, both somewhat astonished. So the multiple Spiritual Qi fluctuations she had sensed were actually a swarm of flying insects.
Madam Feng had already sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes, and begun meditating to heal her wounds. Without opening her eyes, she sneered coldly, "Those insects are a type of ancient flying insect with a strange poison. In my opinion, those two aren't just injured; they're seriously wounded."
Most poisonous creatures were insects. Madam Feng specialized in poisons, so naturally, she had a thorough understanding of insect types.
Hearing this, Daoist Kumu revealed a smile. "In that case, it seems our misfortune turned into a blessing."
"Indeed. With our strength, dealing with so many flying insects, we probably wouldn't have escaped unscathed."
Her words eased the resentment in the hearts of the group. They all sat down one after another to heal their wounds.
Mo Tiange had a bad feeling. When they entered Tianmo Mountain a day ago, all of them were brimming with Spiritual Qi. Yet, a day later, five were injured. Tong Tianyun and Jing Xingzhi were one thing; they seemed to have only minor injuries. But the others' wounds wouldn't heal anytime soon.
Their strength had already been diminished.
She glanced at Qin Xi and found him very calm. Just as she was pondering his thoughts, she heard his secret voice transmission: "Be prepared. We're going to separate from them ahead of schedule."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. She shot him a glance and replied via transmission as well, "Senior Brother, even if some among them are injured, they still provide some assistance, don't they?"
But Qin Xi said, "It's not because they're injured. It's because these people are clearly in an anxious state of mind. With that kind of mentality, trouble is bound to happen sooner or later."
"..." Mo Tiange didn't say anything more. She knew Qin Xi was right. Those five people all came to Tianmo Mountain with their own goals. Yet, they couldn't control themselves in the face of that Magical Treasure.
Another half-day passed as they waited. The first to finish healing was Daoist Kumu. After all, he was already a Core Formation late-stage cultivator. Once Lei Dongqing and Madam Feng both stopped regulating their breathing and indicated they were fine, the group continued forward.
Their target was the Red Leaf Ant swarm that looked no different from a forest.
"Protect yourselves with Spiritual Qi." Stopping before the Red Leaf Forest, Qin Xi gave a low command.
Mo Tiange nodded. After forming her Core, her Hunyuan One Qi Art had achieved some minor success. Coupled with the White Silk Kerchief's defensive capabilities being much stronger than before, she was quite confident in protecting herself.
"Madam Feng." Daoist Kumu asked, "Are your injuries serious?"
Although Madam Feng's face was still somewhat pale, she insisted, "It's nothing major. Mere Red Leaf Ants, I can still handle them."
Mo Tiange could tell that Madam Feng's injuries were definitely not 'nothing major.' Her cultivation and spells were only average, and she hadn't seen her possess any top-tier Magical Treasures. She had likely joined this team precisely because her unique skills were extraordinary. Now it was her turn to act. If she couldn't perform, she would surely lose her standing. Without the protection of teammates, surviving in Tianmo Mountain would be very difficult. So, she had no choice but to tough it out.
The others certainly knew this? But they wouldn't say anything more. They were all sensible people. It was best if Madam Feng understood the situation.
Daoist Kumu nodded and said to the group, "In that case, let's go in."
This was the first time the seven of them were facing an enemy together. Mo Tiange felt calm. She wanted to see what skills the others possessed.
Step by step, they entered the Red Leaf Forest. If she hadn't known these trees were actually Red Leaf Ants in disguise, Mo Tiange probably wouldn't have been on guard at all. These Red Leaf Ants were disguised too perfectly! From the trunks to the branches to the leaves, everything was lifelike. Only by carefully focusing her spiritual sense would she discover that these trees had many, many tiny Spiritual Qi fluctuations.
As if sensing their Spiritual Qi, red leaves suddenly drifted down from above them. Mid-air, they disintegrated one after another, turning into red flying ants that pounced towards them.
The six of them surrounded Madam Feng in the center. Each protected themselves with Spiritual Qi and released their Magical Treasures.
Mo Tiange took out a jade bottle. This bottle was called the Water-Control Vase, a water-attribute treasure. It contained turbulent waves inside, making it perfect for countering these fire-attribute Red Leaf Ants. She also released Xiaohuo. When strength was lacking, a spirit beast was the best companion.
Seeing Xiaohuo, Daoist Kumu glanced over, his expression showing some surprise. Fifth-Rank spirit beasts were not common, especially when the owner was only a Core Formation early-stage cultivator. Spirit beasts rarely had pills to consume and often found it harder to advance in rank than cultivators. Generally, only cultivators like them, who had been stuck at the Core Formation stage for who knew how long, would have spirit beasts above the Fifth Rank.
Soon, Red Leaf Ants swarmed towards them. With no time to worry about anything else, everyone focused on the enemy.
The White Silk Kerchief swept out, transforming into a mist that enveloped her whole body. Mo Tiange raised her hand, and the Water-Control Vase rose into the air, pouring down a column of water.
Insects didn't belong to the category of spirit beasts. They weren't classified into First-Rank, Second-Rank, and so on. Individually, their Spiritual Qi was also very weak. Their strength was determined by the toughness of their bodies and the potency of their poison. For example, these Red Leaf Ants were good at camouflage, had hard shells, and potent poison. A single one was nothing to worry about, but so many of them? If there was any negligence, it could cause major trouble!
Therefore, this group of Core Formation cultivators, facing these Red Leaf Ants that, while weak in Spiritual Qi, were extremely poisonous and had hard shells, didn't dare relax in the slightest.
Qin Xi's Three Yang True Fire Sword rose into the air, spreading out a red glow. Wherever it passed, Red Leaf Ants fell one after another, all turning into charred black clumps.
Jing Xingzhi was no slouch either. Although he used a sword like Qin Xi, his technique was completely different. His sword was silver-white like snow, and sharp sword qi swept out, forming a silvery-white light screen before him.
Lei Dongqing still used his wine jar. Who knew what attribute this wine jar Magical Treasure was? Mo Tiange had marveled at seeing it release spells of any of the Five Elements! In theory, one needed to possess a spiritual root of a certain element to use spells of that element. Lei Dongqing naturally couldn't be a Five Spiritual Roots cultivator; it must be because this treasure was very special.
Daoist Kumu and Tong Tianyun had their own methods. Tong Tianyun fought bare-handed, using some unknown spell. Whenever these Red Leaf Ants got close, they would plummet headfirst. As for Daoist Kumu, he just murmured incantations and released his riding crane to fight the enemy.
Although the Red Leaf Ants were weak, they were astonishingly numerous. The six Core Formation cultivators couldn't exterminate them all at once. Instead, they had to carefully maintain their Spiritual Qi protection to avoid being bitten accidentally. As more and more Red Leaf Ants swarmed towards them, the pressure grew.
Meanwhile, Madam Feng, surrounded by them in the center, sat down cross-legged. She solemnly took out a small incense burner, lit a piece of incense, gathered Spiritual Qi in both palms, and pressed one palm onto the incense burner.
A fragrance, neither orchid nor musk, slowly spread. Mo Tiange frowned slightly. This fragrance... was truly somewhat strange. At first whiff, it was very pleasant, yet it carried a peculiar, very uncomfortable undertone.
She immediately held her breath. Then she saw that the sky-filling flying ants seemed to get drunk, slowing down and swaying left and right, almost falling with a single swat.
Seeing this, everyone's spirits lifted. They unleashed their Magical Treasures and techniques to their fullest, swiftly harvesting these flying ants.
With the help of Madam Feng's unique incense, the battle finally ended after an hour. This Red Leaf Forest had already mostly disappeared. The remaining Red Leaf Ants were scattered and no longer posed a threat. Madam Feng also put away her incense burner. The seven of them fought while retreating, passing through the Red Leaf Ant forest.