Mo Tiange flicked her sleeve. Several objects flew out and buried themselves in the soil. Immediately after, she grabbed a handful of Spirit-Replenishing Pills and stuffed them into her mouth.
By the time she finished these two actions, several figures had already emerged from within the poisonous mist.
Purple robes.
Mo Tiange immediately tightened her grip on the Azure Wood Sword. Murong Zi, meanwhile, gritted his teeth against the pain and stood up.
There were three of them in total, all Qi Refining Level 10 cultivators. The leader was a middle-aged cultivator, accompanied by a youth around twenty and an elder in his fifties or sixties—a perfect trio representing the old, middle-aged, and young. None of the three looked easy to deal with. Since the middle-aged cultivator was the leader, he was likely the highest in status or the most formidable. The youth, having reached Qi Refining Level 10 at such a young age, surely had some skills. As for the elder, his rich experience undoubtedly made him the most cunning.
Exchanging a glance with Murong Zi, both of them wore bitter smiles. Having just endured a fierce battle, they had now run into such a combination.
The three halted not far away, scrutinizing them cautiously.
Mo Tiange and Murong Zi secretly pretended to look unconcerned, each tightening their grip on their flying swords.
After a good while, the youth was the first to lose patience. He asked, "Senior Brothers, what are we waiting for?"
The elder frowned and said slowly, "Prudence and caution."
They had all seen the corpse of the Iron-Toothed Crocodile on the ground. Though dead, it still exuded a powerful pressure, clearly not a First-Rank Demon Beast. This made them hesitate. Two people being able to kill a Second-Rank Demon Beast indicated that these two were certainly not ordinary. Yet, they themselves were no pushovers either. Letting them go just like that felt too much of a waste. After all, a single Second-Rank Demon Beast corpse could definitely be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill!
Caution, calculation, and fervor took turns appearing on the faces of the three. They worried their opponents were too strong and they might lose their lives, yet they couldn't bear to let go of such a huge benefit. A Second-Rank Demon Beast corpse could not only be made into spiritual tools but also into magic weapons usable by Foundation Establishment cultivators—another immense fortune.
The youth could no longer restrain himself and shouted, "Senior Brothers, what's there to hesitate about! Are we just going to let them go for nothing?"
The elder said, "These two are not easy to handle. Don't act rashly."
Finally, both of them turned their gazes toward the middle-aged cultivator standing between them.
The middle-aged cultivator was also indecisive for a moment. To kill—he wasn't confident. To let go—he couldn't accept it. And to make matters worse, the two opponents were looking at them with such an unconcerned expression, as if they didn't care at all what decision they made.
In reality, Mo Tiange and Murong Zi were anything but relaxed. Although Murong Zi had taken a Small Restoration Pill, healing wasn't something that could be done in a short time. Repeatedly acting while severely injured had already caused serious damage to his meridians. His unchanged expression now was purely due to his resilient character. Mo Tiange was in a similar situation. Knowing full well that their side had just been through a tough fight and both were utterly exhausted, how could she not be nervous inside? However, she was no longer a child who had never seen the world. Having traveled north and south with her Second Uncle and experienced several Dharma Combats over the years, she knew she couldn't show weakness now.
Their act truly fooled their opponents. The middle-aged cultivator struggled for a long time before reluctantly saying, "Let's go check somewhere else."
The three turned to leave. Mo Tiange and Murong Zi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If a fight broke out, they really had no confidence.
Unexpectedly, the three suddenly stopped again. The middle-aged cultivator let out a cold laugh. "Almost fooled by them. Having killed a Second-Rank Demon Beast, even if they aren't injured, how much Spiritual Qi could they have left?!"
With these words, the three turned back and immediately fanned out to surround them from three directions.
Mo Tiange instantly slapped a defense talisman onto herself and sent the Azure Wood Sword flying out. Murong Zi's reaction was just as swift. Though he had no talismans left, he still had spiritual tools. That flying sword mixed with refined iron shot out with extreme speed.
Striking first gave them the advantage, catching their opponents off guard. The youth, seeing two flying swords coming straight at him, panicked momentarily. The swords were so fast, clearly not ordinary items. He had no choice but to dodge hastily.
Mo Tiange subtly shifted her position and flung out a large handful of Fire Thorn seeds, temporarily trapping the youth.
She was just about to tell Murong Zi to focus on taking out the elder first when she heard a muffled groan. Turning her head, she saw Murong Zi clutching his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The flying sword he controlled also wobbled unsteadily in mid-air.
Mo Tiange was shocked. "Senior Brother Murong!"
The three opponents, however, were overjoyed. The youth was trapped and couldn't break free for the moment. The middle-aged cultivator and the elder exchanged a glance, then both attacked simultaneously. The middle-aged cultivator summoned the most common spiritual tool in the cultivation world—a flying sword. The elder, however, threw out a mirror.
Mo Tiange hurriedly recalled the Azure Wood Sword, but it only managed to block the mirror. The flying sword stabbed toward Murong Zi with extreme speed. Murong Zi barely managed to dodge, the sword grazing past his shoulder and drawing a spray of blood.
The middle-aged cultivator wouldn't let this opportunity slip. He swiftly closed in, retrieved his flying sword, and thrust it toward Murong Zi.
Mo Tiange wanted to lend a hand, but the elder's mirror was truly formidable. Blocked once, it flew back into the elder's hand. He immediately flipped the mirror's surface, and a beam of golden light instantly shot toward her. Although she had a defensive shield, she didn't dare to take it head-on. She had no choice but to retrieve the Azure Wood Sword to block the golden light.
At that moment, the middle-aged cultivator had already closed in on Murong Zi. Seeing that Murong Zi had no strength left to fight back, a ferocious smile appeared on the middle-aged cultivator's face as he thrust his flying sword forward.
With a *thud*, the flying sword plunged deep into Murong Zi's body. Blood gushed out along the blade. But at the same time, the middle-aged cultivator let out a loud "Ah!" and released the sword to clutch his abdomen.
A flying sword was embedded in his back, piercing through his abdomen. It was precisely Murong Zi's incredibly sharp flying sword mixed with refined iron.
Mo Tiange's expression changed drastically. Then she heard the other side shout, "Senior Brother Zhang!"
Murong Zi and the middle-aged cultivator had perished together. The remaining two opponents showed not anger but panic. In just moments, one was trapped and one was dead.
The elder acted decisively. He retrieved his mirror and immediately fled into the distance. Perhaps the reason he had survived this long was precisely because of his cowardice.
Mo Tiange did not give chase. Instead, she flicked her flying sword, finishing off the middle-aged cultivator instantly, then turned toward the remaining youth.
Seeing the elder flee, the youth's face immediately turned ugly. He swung the large blade in his hand, cutting through the Fire Thorns, and attacked Mo Tiange directly.
Mo Tiange had never encountered an opponent who wielded a spiritual tool like a blade to hack and slash like a mundane martial artist. For a moment, she was caught off guard. Fortunately, she had a defense talisman active. While parrying with the Azure Wood Sword, she retreated, wanting to counterattack. But her Spiritual Qi was already running low, forcing her to retreat slowly.
Seeing her unwilling to engage, a look of triumph appeared on the opponent's face as he pressed forward step by step.
Mo Tiange, however, suddenly revealed a smile. A formation flag appeared in her hand. With a light wave, a *snap* sounded around the youth as the hidden formation flags and disks instantly erected themselves.
The youth was greatly alarmed, but he was already ensnared by the illusion before him. Swirling yellow sand filled the sky as if he were in the deserts of the far west, with nothing else in sight.
This was the formation she had hastily set up earlier, unsure if it would be of use. Fortunately, this youth was impulsive and had been lured step by step into the formation. Now that he was inside her formation, he was naturally at her mercy.
Waving the formation flag again, the scene changed once more. A continuous stream of Five Elements spells rained down upon the youth. The youth swung his blade to block, only to find that the spells vanished upon contact—they were mere illusions. Enraged, he began cursing loudly.
Mo Tiange swallowed another Spirit-Replenishing Pill, grabbed a handful of talismans, and, manipulating the Azure Wood Sword, launched a combined attack toward the youth within the formation.
The youth, thinking it was another illusion, didn't bother to block. He was struck solidly, dying instantly.
Mo Tiange let out a sigh of relief, retrieved the Azure Wood Sword, and, remembering Murong Zi, hurriedly ran back.
"Senior Brother Murong!" Once again helping Murong Zi up from the ground, Mo Tiange found his breath was already very faint. He had been severely injured to begin with. After the two of them encountered the Iron-Toothed Crocodile and barely managed to kill it after a perilous struggle, they then ran into these three opponents. With his abdomen pierced through, he had relied on sheer willpower to kill the middle-aged cultivator before finally collapsing, unable to hold on any longer. Now, his Spiritual Qi was exhausted, his meridians damaged, and his dantian pierced. There was simply no saving him.
Murong Zi slightly opened his eyes and spoke with difficulty. "Ye... Junior Brother."
Mo Tiange nodded. "I'm here."
Murong Zi spat out another mouthful of blood. Mo Tiange quickly supported him, pressed against his palm, and channeled Spiritual Qi into his body.
This made Murong Zi feel slightly better. He managed a faint smile and said, his voice as thin as a thread, "I know... I... won't make it. Please... do me a favor."
Mo Tiange hurriedly nodded. "Please speak, Senior Brother Murong."
Murong Zi struggled to pull out his Qiankun Bag, took a ragged breath, and said, "In our family... the one with the most... hope... is Little Yan. Please... give her... the demon beasts I killed... and the flying sword." He closed his eyes for a moment, then added, "As for the rest... let it be a memento... for you, Junior Brother." As he spoke, blood kept bubbling from his mouth, and he clutched Mo Tiange's sleeve tightly.
Hearing these final words, Mo Tiange sighed inwardly. "Senior Brother, rest assured. I will deliver the items."
A smile appeared on Murong Zi's face, his eyes filled with unwillingness and sorrow. Finally, his hand went slack, his head tilted to the side, and his breath ceased.
Mo Tiange sat in a daze for a long moment before coming back to her senses. Although she had no deep friendship with Murong Zi, she still felt a wave of sadness. This was the ever-present death in the world of cultivation. Not long ago, Senior Brother Murong, despite his severe injuries, had still been talking and laughing, full of confidence. Yet in the blink of an eye, he had become a corpse.
She wiped her face, brushing away the sadness, and stood up to tidy the scene. No matter what, she still had to live on, achieve Foundation Establishment, form her Core, form her Nascent Soul, and live freely and happily.
First, she took the Qiankun Bags and weapons from the three corpses, then burned the bodies to ashes with a fire spell. She specifically collected Murong Zi's ashes into a jade box.
Next, she cleaned the bloodstains from her own body and sorted through the contents of the three Qiankun Bags.
She had used up a lot of her own pills and talismans. Fortunately, the two Zixia Sect disciples had some on them. All three had demon beast corpses, though the other two only had three to five each, while Murong Zi had over ten. After some thought, she took a Qiankun Bag and put all the demon beasts hunted by the three of them inside. Then she placed the few spiritual tools from Murong Zi's body into it as well. After all, she had shared hardships with Murong Zi and had a past connection with Murong Yan. Since she had no use for these spiritual tools, she might as well return them all to Murong Yan—if Murong Yan was still alive.
Afterward, she went to deal with the Iron-Toothed Crocodile corpse. This corpse was excellent material for artifact forging and was quite valuable. While handling it, she discovered the flying needles Murong Zi had left behind. These needles were crystal clear and nearly invisible, perfect for sneak attacks. She stored them all in her own Qiankun Bag.
After finishing everything, she replenished her Spiritual Qi to the fullest within the formation. Mo Tiange still decided to leave the Poison Spring. That Zixia Sect elder had escaped. Who knew if more people would come? It was better to find another place to hide.
Looking back at the Poison Spring, Mo Tiange couldn't help but sigh. A person who had been talking and laughing not long ago was now merely a pile of ashes.