The teleportation array lit up with white light. Mo Tiange did not hesitate to slap a Defense Talisman onto herself.
This was not like Mist Valley. Mist Valley had been processed by the seniors of the three sects; although there were demon beasts, not many remained, and the valley contained some restrictions—disciples with tokens would not die. But in this mountain forest, it was hard to say. If one were truly teleported right in front of a demon beast and got bitten, it could be fatal. Moreover, undercurrents were surging among the disciples of the three sects now, and with some people forgetting righteousness for profit, one might really lose their life here.
Having anticipated that this journey would be dangerous, she had specifically traded some things with Qin Xi for talismans. Qin Xi had been practicing drawing talismans recently. Although many were wasted, he also had quite a few finished products. He himself looked down on them, claiming he had many left, so the other three had traded with him for a lot. Mo Tiange didn't have many Spirit Stones left, so she traded materials with him. He didn't mind, as he dabbled in both alchemy and artifact forging, so he accepted everything.
Preparing for this trial, Mo Tiange was somewhat troubled. She was not a cultivator with abundant wealth. The Spirit Stones she needed for cultivation came from rewards or trades. Unfortunately, her aptitude was poor, and her cultivation consumption was quite high. For the previous three-sect minor competition, it was her second uncle who sold his own belongings to prepare talismans and pills for her. She herself really didn't have much property. She only had about a hundred Spirit Stones left, kept for setting up formations. She also had some spiritual herbs and materials, but most had already been traded for Spirit Stones, and the remainder couldn't be sold for much. She still felt she had too few talismans and certainly couldn't trade them for Spirit Stones. Then there was a pile of items of unknown use. Some were recognized by Qin Xi, and she traded them with him for talismans; others even he didn't know. She remembered getting a bead from the An family man, as large as a child's fist, from which one could feel surging Spiritual Qi inside, but no one recognized what it was. Thus, only some spiritual artifacts were still valuable, mostly obtained from killing that An family man three years ago, and she still didn't dare to sell them. However, this wasn't something to worry about right now. At least for this trial, her preparations were already quite sufficient.
After teleporting into the forest, Mo Tiange immediately looked around. Fortunately, she hadn't encountered any demon beasts or the like. Letting out a sigh of relief, she took a step forward, only to step into empty air the next moment. She plummeted straight down, hurriedly activating her Light Body Technique, found a point to push off from, and leaped back up.
It was a steep slope. Because there were too many vines, what looked like solid ground ahead was actually just vines clinging to it. She patted her forehead—what a false alarm. She had observed her surroundings but forgot to check underfoot. It seemed she needed to be more careful in the future.
All around were dense trees, vines crawling everywhere, and underfoot was a thick layer of dry, withered leaves, making it difficult to find a path.
Mo Tiange took out a jade slip engraved with a map of this area from her bosom, but the map was too crude, and there were no reference points nearby, so she couldn't figure out her location at all. She could only give up, carefully restraining her aura, summon her Azure Wood Sword, and move through the forest. Here, there was one advantage for her: she cultivated a wood-attribute technique. In this forest, the wood energy was profound, making its power greater.
Suddenly, there was an abnormal fluctuation of Spiritual Qi behind her. Mo Tiange, who had been concentrating on observing her surroundings, immediately shifted her form. With the Azure Wood Sword raised to block, she turned and saw her opponent—it was actually a colorful, flat-headed demon snake!
In an instant, her hair stood on end. Even though she considered herself brave, facing such a snake head-on was really nauseating. But now was not the time to vomit. This demon snake's aura was not weak. If she didn't concentrate and died under its fangs, that would be even more disgusting.
The snake was over ten feet long, as thick as a bowl, with a flat head, a flickering thin tongue, and cold eyes fixed directly on her. The aura it emitted was that of a First-Rank demon beast. In an instant, the snake leaped up, spraying a stream of black venom at her.
At this moment, the Defense Talisman on her body took effect. The venom fell before it reached her. After this strike, the defensive shield on her body wavered, about to shatter. Not daring to be overconfident, Mo Tiange took out another Defense Talisman and slapped it onto herself. Then she summoned the Azure Wood Sword, aiming for the snake's vital spot.
But this demon snake was agile, moving like lightning, extending and retracting, entangling with the Azure Wood Sword.
Mo Tiange carefully controlled the Azure Wood Sword while taking out a handful of seeds from her Qiankun Bag. Seizing the moment the snake was entangled by the sword, she threw them out. The seeds landed on the snake's body, rapidly growing into Fire Thorns that tightly bound the demon snake. Her heart settled slightly, but the next moment she was so shocked she almost cried out.
She saw the demon snake extend and contract its body. The Fire Thorns wrapped around it couldn't pierce its skin at all. Instead, with a flick of its tail, they were all sent flying.
Mo Tiange's expression turned grave. The scales on this snake's skin were actually so hard that even the thorns of the Fire Thorns couldn't pierce them.
The demon snake dodged the Azure Wood Sword, suddenly turned its head toward her, and flicked out its tongue tip. But it wasn't venom; it was a mist.
Mo Tiange felt her head spin and was greatly alarmed—this must be poisonous mist! Not daring to be careless, she held her breath while taking out a pill from her Qiankun Bag and tossing it into her mouth. The medicinal power of the Ice Clarity Pill spread, immediately clearing her mind. Not daring to continue the entanglement, she took out a talisman and hurled it at the snake.
A towering water column poured onto the snake's body, then condensed into ice. The demon snake's movements immediately slowed. The Azure Wood Sword stabbed down with a solid "thud," finally piercing its scales and firmly nailing its vital spot.
The demon snake twisted a few times, unable to break free from the ice or the Azure Wood Sword, and finally lost its breath, becoming still.
Mo Tiange let out a sigh of relief, retrieved the Azure Wood Sword, and carefully wiped it clean. She looked regretfully at the ice on the snake's body—this Ice Condensation Talisman was not cheap. This forest was truly dangerous everywhere. It was just a snake, yet it had put her in such peril and cost her an Ice Condensation Talisman.
Facing the snake corpse on the ground, Mo Tiange was at a loss. For this trial, the sect elders had clearly stated that they needed to bring back demon beast corpses. But this snake looked truly disgusting; she simply couldn't bring herself to touch it.
After hesitating for a while, she took a leather bag from her Qiankun Bag, used the Azure Wood Sword to flick the snake corpse into it, tied the bag securely, and threw it back into the Qiankun Bag.
After finishing all this, she restrained her aura again, carefully determined her direction, and made her way out of this patch of mountain forest.
Amid the dense mountain forest, a clear stream flowed through a clearing between the woods, winding its way down. Nourished by this stream, the grasslands on both banks were lush, and wildflowers bloomed brilliantly, truly a great beauty of the wilderness.
But within this beautiful scenery, two people ruined the aesthetic.
One wore purple clothes, the other yellow, but the cuffs of both were embroidered with the same emblem. They glared fiercely at each other.
The purple-clad youth snorted angrily, "Golden Blade Sect, you dare to ambush me?!"
The middle-aged cultivator in yellow remained expressionless, his tone indifferent, "Young punk, so what if I ambush you?"
Infuriated by his unflappable attitude, the youth's face twisted, "You—I am a core disciple of the Zixia Sect! You, from a destroyed sect, aren't you afraid of being punished by the sect?"
The middle-aged cultivator smiled lightly, "If I do it cleanly, who can trace it to me?"
"You..." The youth was so angry he was fuming. It seemed his experience was insufficient, and he hadn't faced setbacks during his cultivation, easily provoked. He immediately manipulated his spiritual artifact and lunged at the middle-aged cultivator.
The middle-aged cultivator cautiously retreated a step, manipulating his spiritual artifact while secretly pulling out a talisman.
Both were at the tenth level of cultivation, and for a moment, they fought back and forth, evenly matched.
At that moment, another person emerged from the woods, wearing blue-green clothes.
Upon seeing the two in combat, his expression changed several times. After a long while, he finally took something from his Qiankun Bag and threw it at one of them.
Following the sound of the stream, several fluctuations of Spiritual Qi attracted Mo Tiange's attention. She carefully concealed her traces and moved toward the site of the Dharma Combat.
On the grassland by the stream, two disciples belonging to the Zixia Sect and the Golden Blade Sect were engaged in Dharma Combat. In a corner of the woods, a Yunwu Sect disciple with a fierce expression threw his spiritual artifact.
"Ah—" A scream. That Zixia Sect disciple lay in a pool of blood, lifeless.
Both the Golden Blade Sect and Yunwu Sect disciples let out sighs of relief. They didn't fight or speak, divided the Zixia Sect disciple's belongings, burned the corpse clean with a fire, and then went their separate ways.
Hidden in the woods, Mo Tiange broke out in a cold sweat. What Xu Jingzhi had worried about had finally happened. Disciples from the Golden Blade Sect and Yunwu Sect, bearing grudges, had killed a lone Zixia Sect disciple to vent their hatred. She could imagine what would happen next. Those who had killed Zixia Sect disciples would be unable to resist striking again. After many such incidents, Zixia Sect disciples would discover their fellow disciples had been killed and, enraged, take revenge on the other two sects. The disciples of the three sects would descend into chaotic warfare, with countless casualties.
This trial was indeed fraught with danger. Not only did one have to guard against demon beasts in the forest, but also worry about other cultivators.
It took a long time to calm her mood. Mo Tiange set out on the road again. Worrying was useless. She could only carefully avoid trouble because the exit formation would only open one day later, and she was determined to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill!