Dongfang Xiaotian led Beichen Yue all the way toward the Sisheng Academy Outpost.
This open ruin with fixed resource outputs naturally had its own outpost belonging to the Sisheng Academy—one of the two major sects in Lingtian City—though it was a bit far from the ruin’s entrance, requiring quite some time to reach even on foot for cultivators.
“Why is there a Forbidden Flight Array here too?”
Chun’er complained as she followed Dongfang Xiaotian’s pace. When they first arrived, she had tried to summon the Immortal Boat, but it malfunctioned the moment it was taken out.
Without a doubt, this was a built-in Forbidden Flight Array in part of the ruin.
Forget about the Immortal Boat— even sword flight couldn’t reach five meters in height, not even clearing the forest canopy.
If someone tried to sword-fly recklessly inside this dense forest, they’d probably smash straight into a tree.
After all, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s physical durability was only a little better than a regular person trained in body-tempering; without Qi shielding, sword slashes still hurt, throat cuts still kill, and colliding with a tree would definitely crack open the head.
Dongfang Xiaotian ignored Chun’er’s complaints. She had been nagging for quite a while now—impossible to stay quiet.
Beichen Yue wasn’t much better.
As a high-profile Forgetting Path practitioner, she kept blinking at Dongfang Xiaotian in a way that seemed her curiosity was battling with the cultivation method, looking both interested and hesitant to ask.
At this moment, the talkative Chun’er became Beichen Yue’s mouthpiece.
“Hey, who’s that Xiang’er? How do you know her? Is she prettier than our Miss?”
Chun’er asked with an eager gossip tone.
“By the way, how did you knock down a Qi Refining Cultivator at level nine with just one punch when you’re only at seven?”
“Don’t want to say.”
“Hey, you!”
Chun’er was stunned. She hadn’t expected Dongfang Xiaotian to answer all the questions, but at least one or two, right? Why not answer a single one?
Plus, Dongfang Xiaotian had previously used his Miss as a human shield, and his Miss hadn’t said a word to her about it!
Before entering the ruin, Chun’er had definitely tattled on Dongfang Xiaotian’s last few words, but Beichen Yue, as a forgetful cultivator, barely reacted to most things.
She was here just to escort Dongfang Xiaotian, and as long as the family’s mission was completed and the favor repaid, what did a little reputation matter?
But Dongfang Xiaotian was really rude—he wouldn’t even say something to entertain them.
“My Miss already put up with your nonsense. What’s wrong with you saying something to cheer us up?”
“It’s just some cliché hero saving beauty stuff, what else could it be?”
Dongfang Xiaotian replied helplessly to Chun’er, then stopped at a canyon and asked, “You brought Poison-Avoiding Pills, right?”
Chun’er looked ahead once Dongfang Xiaotian halted, immediately understanding why he asked.
A thick layer of dark purple mist filled the canyon.
The fog was so dense that even with Chun’er’s Qi-enhanced vision, she could barely make out rocks or withered trees a hundred meters away at the edge.
If one entered it, the darkness of the purple miasma would be unimaginable.
Even the Foundation Establishment Cultivator Chun’er frowned. “Such heavy Poison Miasma!”
Poison Miasma was essentially the toxic gas formed by the lingering resentment of dead creatures, accumulated over years without dispersing.
Thick miasma visible to the naked eye and blocking sight like this was rare.
According to Dongfang Xiaotian, it was similar to swamp gas, except that since it involved Qi, it wouldn’t explode upon contact with fire but would instead continuously corrode the body when inhaled, something ordinary people couldn’t expel through their internal circulation.
Of course, ordinary cultivators were not afraid of such Poison Miasma—they could dispel or defend against it with Qi.
But Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Cultivators had limited Qi reserves; they could defend temporarily but couldn’t keep their Qi shield active constantly.
Any accident could harm their bodies and leave long-term ailments.
Thus, the cheapest Grade One Pill, the Poison-Avoiding Pill, was the best choice, ensuring six hours of protection against the miasma.
“You’ve built an outpost here in this kind of place?”
Chun’er pointed at the dense Poison Miasma with disbelief. How much resentment from Spirit Beasts and cultivators must have accumulated here?
Setting up a base here would require astronomical consumption of Poison-Avoiding Pills. Even if they were the cheapest Grade One Pills, the total would be considerable.
“The Miasma Forest produces the most miraculous pills in the ruin. Naturally, the outpost wants to be close to the source.”
Dongfang Xiaotian took a Poison-Avoiding Pill from his spatial ring, popped two into his mouth, then continued explaining, “Besides, since it’s called an outpost, there’s naturally a barrier array to isolate the miasma, so the actual consumption is much less than you think.”
Beichen Yue nodded, took out two jade bottles clearly containing higher-grade pills, tossed one to Chun’er, and took one herself, swallowing a pill of similar quality.
Dongfang Xiaotian then led them into the canyon.
The Miasma Forest was surrounded by mountains on all sides, trapping the Poison Miasma inside and preventing fresh air from coming in, which caused the miasma to accumulate more and more, resulting in the thick haze visible now.
Because of the mountains surrounding it, the only way on foot into the Miasma Forest was through this single canyon.
***
After walking a short distance, Dongfang Xiaotian spotted several corpses and signs of battle.
Chun’er pinched her nose as she passed by, noticing most of the bodies wore black cloaks, and several wore Sisheng Academy disciple robes.
She instantly understood why so many people had recently died in the ruin—it was clear a group of Evil God Cult followers had broken in.
“Isn’t the Xiao Sect guarding the entrance to this ruin? How could so many Evil God Cult members get in?”
Chun’er frowned. The corpses were mostly Qi Refining Cultivators, but there were more than a dozen, and the footprints on the ground were chaotic and crammed together.
If this many bodies had been found, how many more might still be alive?
Chun’er silently gave the Xiao Sect’s security a poor rating.
Dongfang Xiaotian and Beichen Yue each approached the nearest Evil God Cult corpse to inspect it.
Flipping the corpse over, they saw the Black Dragon Claw Insignia on the black hood, causing both to frown.
“Evil God Cult… there are even Evil God Cult people here?”
Beichen Yue whispered in shock, a flash of resentment briefly passing through her eyes.
The Evil God Cult had risen five years ago, spreading across the continent at a speed far surpassing most sects.
A few years ago, they had attacked the Beichen family, nearly destroying its foundation, but Dongfang Xiaotian had single-handedly repelled them with his sword.
Who would have thought they’d be here on the remote edges of Lingtian City as well!
Dongfang Xiaotian focused on the wounds on the Evil God Cult members. After just a glance, he immediately said, “Search around! Be careful if you see anyone alive!”
Then Dongfang Xiaotian drew a Long Spear and stabbed it into the chest of one of the Evil God Cult corpses.
Chun’er’s curiosity got the better of her. “What are you doing? Did you find something?”
“Just habitually finishing off the kill, don’t mind me.”
Dongfang Xiaotian moved to the next corpse and stabbed it as well.
“Most of these sword wounds were made by my Junior Apprentice Brother. There should be clues nearby, maybe even something to help me find him directly!”
“Your Junior Apprentice Brother did this?”
Chun’er looked at the corpses. Many showed battle signs from late Qi Refining to early Foundation Establishment stages.
Judging by Dongfang Xiaotian’s words, his Junior Apprentice Brother was probably very young. Could someone so young really have this kind of strength in such a remote place?
“You’re not making this up, are you?”
“Why would I?”
“To get my Miss’s attention.”
Chun’er retorted confidently, “You think you’re the only one who wants to show off in front of my Miss?”
“Use your brain.”
Dongfang Xiaotian pointed at the bodies, the footprints on the ground, and the sword marks on the rocky wall.
“Judging from the direction of the corpses and the sword scars, I’d say my Junior Apprentice Brother came here with others but was blocked by the Evil God Cult.”
Dongfang Xiaotian moved to another corpse and stabbed it with the spear again, then looked at the footprints.
“My Junior Apprentice Brother probably tried to lead his brothers out of the encirclement, but the enemy was too numerous, so they retreated, only to be chased down and killed. That’s why the bodies fell one way but the footprints went the opposite direction.”
“The number of pursuers is estimated to be over ten, which is a bit dangerous.”
“Just this few? With a temporary breakthrough, wouldn’t your Junior Apprentice Brother have killed them all?”
Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help but silently cheer for the Evil God Cult: “Keep it up, Evil God Cult! I’m coming soon!”
But before going further, Dongfang Xiaotian had to find the right direction.
After listening, Chun’er re-examined the footprints. Initially, she thought they were just from a chaotic battle, but now she realized that was indeed the case.
Beichen Yue, meanwhile, mimicked Dongfang Xiaotian by finishing off the Evil God Cult corpses with weapons and glanced at the corpses and sword scars with growing interest.
“You can distinguish these sword marks?”
“Yes. My Junior Apprentice Brother’s Sword Qi is sharp, without any elemental Qi attribute. My Junior Apprentice Sister’s sword style is more auxiliary; her main cultivation is in techniques, so her Sword Qi is chilling.”
Dongfang Xiaotian pointed at a corpse of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
“That one was killed by my Junior Apprentice Brother. The chill on the rocky wall hasn’t fully dissipated.”
“The temperature is a bit lower than the surroundings, so it probably happened only a few hours ago. Maybe we can catch up.”
“Your insight is impressive.”
Beichen Yue didn’t expect Dongfang Xiaotian to distinguish Sword Qi so easily and even draw more conclusions from it.
“I was a sword cultivator once, after all.”
Dongfang Xiaotian shrugged, continuing to stab the Evil God Cult corpses.
Chun’er, seeing Dongfang Xiaotian act so convincingly, couldn’t help but ask, “Then why are you still investigating? Why don’t you hurry up and go?”
She was thinking that after saving someone, Dongfang Xiaotian would shut up, take out the marriage contract for her, and let her and Miss return home to report.
“I want to, but it doesn’t take long to check if there are any survivors.”
Although Dongfang Xiaotian wanted to latch onto the main character’s luck, he wasn’t crazy enough to be stingy about spending a little time rescuing someone.
“Besides, who knows if my Junior Apprentice Brother left any secret signs?”
Saying that, Dongfang Xiaotian squatted and glanced at the bodies of his Junior Apprentice Brother and Sister, then raised his hand as several jade tags and small-capacity spatial artifacts floated into his palm.
Chun’er frowned. “You want all this?”
She didn’t oppose rifling through corpses. After all, wandering cultivators were poor, and scavenging Evil God Cult items to improve oneself was common.
But taking items from the bodies of dead junior brothers and sisters… that was strictly forbidden in most sects because it could cause many terrible incidents.
Chun’er didn’t know if the Sisheng Academy branch in this remote corner of Lingtian City had such rules, but she couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
“These will be taken back to the sect and eventually returned to their families.”
Dongfang Xiaotian answered calmly. Of course, this also meant earning some spirit stones from the sect.
After all, to encourage disciples to willingly return lost relics, the sect had incentive policies. Each item could earn five spirit stones, about half a month’s stipend for a typical outer disciple.
Chun’er and Beichen Yue were slightly surprised and, seeing Dongfang Xiaotian hadn’t touched the Evil God Cult items, realized he was telling the truth, changing their opinion of him somewhat.
Chun’er even felt like pinching herself—maybe someone here was a friend of theirs? How could she think so badly of people?
She no longer rushed Dongfang Xiaotian, wearing a conscience-stricken look.
“Let’s go. No one’s alive.”
Dongfang Xiaotian said to Chun’er and Beichen Yue, but then he suddenly froze, followed by Beichen Yue, and finally the highest cultivator, Chun’er, noticing something strange.
Dongfang Xiaotian saw several glimmers of light within the mist—colors of Qi!
Unlike Dongfang Xiaotian’s perspective, Beichen Yue and Chun’er saw a blurry human figure through the haze and, using Qi to enhance hearing, could make out a weak female voice.
“Help… someone… save me…”
A survivor!
At the instant of discovery, Chun’er and Beichen Yue immediately rushed toward the survivor, their speed so fast that Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t stop them in time.
“Wait! You…”
Dongfang Xiaotian tried to stop them, but they had already surged forward, propelled by Qi, covering eighty meters in two seconds.
Chun’er and Dongfang Xiaotian were understandable, but Beichen Yue, a Forgetting Path practitioner, was rushing like this?
Didn’t she know how female leads on the Forgetting Path usually lose their cultivation?
Before Dongfang Xiaotian could say more, Chun’er had already reached the woman’s side.
Judging by her attire, she was also a Sisheng Academy disciple, but she had a gruesome wound on her chest, blood slowly flowing, barely clinging to life.
Beichen Yue immediately took out a Healing Pill and shoved it into the girl’s mouth.
The girl’s consciousness slightly revived, her mouth opening and closing as if urgently trying to say something.
Dongfang Xiaotian leisurely approached the three.
“Don’t rush, speak slowly.”
Chun’er looked at the girl clutching her sleeve, ignoring Dongfang Xiaotian’s lifeless expression as he observed the surroundings and listened attentively.
The girl croaked out a few words with a dry throat, “Qu-Qu… trap…”
Just as Dongfang Xiaotian took the final step and approached within five meters, the ground suddenly lit up with a beam of light, quickly forming a semicircular light barrier that enclosed the four inside!
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