Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Tier Two Demon Beast

Above the dense forest.

A dozen or so bizarre, winged serpents swarmed the five of them, attacking frantically.

These strange serpents were skilled at commanding a sharp, piercing demonic wind. They soared amidst swirling mist, their movements unpredictable.

From a distance, their paper kite was enveloped by over a dozen clouds of mist. An endless stream of pale green wind blades surged out from the fog, sweeping toward the five Cultivators.

Among the dozen or so strange serpents, seven or eight were at the Tier One Late Stage and possessed considerable strength. The five Cultivators used their own techniques to defend, watching for opportunities to strike back.

Among the five, Senior Sister Yang was the first to pull in the paper kite. She then took cover behind Senior Brother Liu and began playing her Jade Flute.

The flute’s melody was mellow and deep, echoing through the sky. It sowed chaos among the strange serpents’ attacks, causing a few Tier One Mid Stage serpents to strike their own kind instead.

Senior Brother Liu wielded his Silver Giant Axe, sometimes shattering the wind blades that came at him and other times charging into the mist. He would strike the strange serpents with thunderous force before retreating to the kite’s surface, just before they could launch a coordinated assault.

He focused his attacks on the same serpent each time, and after a few assaults, he slew the Tier One Late Stage serpent in mid-air.

Chen Yu Yan, meanwhile, summoned a sapphire-blue Silk Ribbon. It danced through the air like a wisp of frosty mist, blocking many of the incoming wind blades.

A Tier One Mid Stage serpent was ensnared by the frosty, silken mist and instantly frozen solid!

With a twist and a shudder from the ribbon, the serpent within the ice shattered into several pieces and fell into the forest below.

Among the five, the one stealing the show was undoubtedly Ye Yan.

Her Magical Power was far more profound than others at her level. In a single breath, she unleashed over twenty Profound Light Cold Blades that spiraled through the air. Half of them blocked the incoming wind blades, while the other half plunged into the mist, slaying several strange serpents in an instant.

Even the Tier One Late Stage serpents could not withstand her sharp and domineering attacks.

Having learned from last time, she didn’t rush to use her Netherworld Heavy Water.

If she turned all the serpents into a mist of blood and gore, all her effort would be for nothing.

Seeing his darling wife show off her might, Fang Cheng couldn’t bear to steal her thunder. He simply summoned his Cold Wave Radiance Sword, which transformed into a streak of clear, cold light. It roamed the air, intercepting and neutralizing the surrounding wind blades one by one.

He did not, however, slay any of the serpents.

His unhurried attitude did not go unnoticed by Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Yang, who began to mutter to each other.

The two of them, a Daoist couple, had a tacit understanding. They communicated with Divine Sense while fighting, completely unnoticed by Fang Cheng and the other two.

Senior Brother Liu transmitted, "Rumors have always been prone to exaggeration, and it seems Cyan Profound Sword Fang Cheng is no exception."

As Senior Sister Yang played her flute, her Divine Sense rippled, and her faint voice appeared in Senior Brother Liu’s sea of consciousness:

"I agree. From what I can see of Junior Brother Fang’s Sword Technique, it seems quite ordinary. Perhaps a little stronger than a common Sword Cultivator, but not by much."

Senior Brother Liu transmitted, "He probably gained his reputation by relying on some trick given to him by a Life Talisman Cultivator from the Ye Family. A major clan like the Ye Family is always concerned with appearances."

"Then again," Senior Sister Yang replied, "Junior Brother Fang’s looks and bearing are truly top-notch... It’s easy for Female Cultivators to take a liking to him."

Senior Brother Liu let out a grunt and charged back into the mist. With a sweep of his giant axe, he slew another Tier One Late Stage serpent.

He transmitted, "About that matter of ours... should we approach Junior Brother Fang, or Ye Yan?"

Senior Sister Yang replied, "We should approach Junior Brother Fang. Ye Yan wants for nothing, but he’s a different story. Given his relationship with her, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to persuade her to help us borrow a Second-Order Magical Artifact..."

Senior Brother Liu transmitted, "I just wonder if that thing we have will be enough to move him."

Senior Sister Yang explained her analysis in a gentle tone, "Judging by his strength, his life as a live-in son-in-law in the Ye Family probably isn’t easy. As long as we make him realize that his own strength is his greatest support, he shouldn’t refuse us. Besides, he’s a Sword Cultivator, and no Sword Cultivator could resist the temptation of that item."

While the two were conversing, Ye Yan’s momentum was unstoppable. She slew another four Tier One Late Stage serpents. Combined with the two Senior Brother Liu had killed earlier, only one Tier One Late Stage serpent remained in the sky.

All the other Tier One Mid Stage serpents had been slain.

Seeing this, Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Yang stopped fighting and watched as Ye Yan delivered the final blow. Over twenty Profound Light Cold Blades engulfed the serpent, instantly shattering its Protective Demon Aura and dicing it into several pieces.

The mist in the sky dissipated, and the demonic aura vanished, leaving the air clear and crisp.

The five collected the serpents’ corpses and Beast Souls and were just about to set off again.

Suddenly, a blindingly brilliant stream of light shot into the sky in the distance. It exploded abruptly, forming a complex and arcane sigil that hung across the heavens, impossible to miss.

"That’s a distress sigil from the sect!"

Senior Brother Liu’s expression changed as he saw the sigil in the sky, and he said in a low voice.

He glanced at Fang Cheng and explained, as if casually, "Only the rich or noble within the sect possess those distress sigils. They cost a huge amount of Merit Points to redeem. And any sect member, whether an Elder or a Disciple, who sees the sigil can go to their aid and earn a substantial reward of Merit Points."

Fang Cheng asked, "And if you see it but don’t help?"

Senior Brother Liu gave a dry laugh. "Then you don’t help. What can they do to me?"

Fang Cheng asked again, "How many Merit Points is one distress sigil worth?"

"Ten thousand Merit Points." Senior Brother Liu’s gaze was fixed on the distant distress sigil, a flicker of temptation on his face.

Ten thousand Merit Points... that was comparable to one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. If he could obtain it... how many pills and Magical Artifacts could he exchange for at the Merit Pavilion?

Or perhaps he could go to the Scripture Pavilion and trade for some of the high-level Secret Divine Techniques he had been coveting for so long?

Senior Brother Liu hesitated.

The person carrying that distress sigil had to be a person of wealth and status within the Yinluo Sect. Could a mere Outer Disciple like him possibly handle the kind of danger they were in?

But to give up just like that... it was too great a pity.

He turned his head toward Senior Sister Yang, seeking her opinion with his eyes.

The senior sister slowly shook her head, remaining silent.

At that moment, Fang Cheng spoke up with great interest. "Senior Brother, why don’t we go take a look? We don’t have to get too close. We can observe from a distance first, assess the level of danger, and then decide what to do. How about it?"

Now that he possessed three Tier Two Gu Insects and the Vertical Earth Golden Light Talisman, he could advance to attack or retreat to defend. His courage and confidence had grown considerably.

Hearing this, Senior Brother Liu clenched his jaw and nodded. "You’re right. There’s no harm in looking from a distance."

Senior Sister Yang opened her mouth to speak, but then hesitated.

Senior Brother Liu added, "The rest of you don’t need to come. Junior Brother Fang and I will go check it out first."

Senior Sister Yang said, displeased, "Don’t be reckless. I’m going with you to keep an eye on you."

Ye Yan also chimed in, "Wherever Fang Cheng goes, I go."

Chen Yu Yan gave a wry smile and said, "I suppose I’ll go with you all, then."

With no more words, the five of them immediately suppressed their auras and moved stealthily through the jungle, approaching the location of the distress sigil.

The journey of a hundred li was covered quickly at their speed.

From a safe distance, the group stopped. They concealed themselves within the massive canopy of a towering ancient tree and gazed toward a distant mountain peak.

They could see a dense demonic aura churning like a tide over there, accompanied by a continuous series of deafening booms.

With Fang Cheng’s current Cultivation, he couldn’t sense the level or realm of the demonic aura at all.

’It must be a Tier Two Demon Beast,’ he mused.