Encounter

"Did they run into trouble?" Li Qi looked at A'Du, seeking his opinion.

"Let's go around them. Whatever it is, we shouldn't get involved!" A'Du said immediately. He had experience with these situations; jumping into things rashly was never a good idea.

Li Qi nodded. Since the other party seemed capable of handling it, they should just go around. It was better to avoid trouble than to seek it, and it would be best if they didn't encounter any unexpected complications.

The two companions made up their minds and decisively turned, darting from the mountain path directly into the forest.

They would walk through the forest for a stretch, then circle back to the mountain path, bypassing the situation. This way, the danger would be drawn away by the merchant caravan, and they would essentially be getting a free pass.

However, just as they were about to head into the forest, they heard a voice from among the merchants call out, "Hey, you two! Don't go into the mountains!"

Li Qi found the voice familiar. He looked up and saw a face he recognized.

It was the same burly man who had tried to teach him a lesson earlier that day.

After calling out, he stopped speaking and focused on swinging his woodcutting axe, striking it against others, all while shouting.

Li Qi clearly saw that after the man made this move, the progress bar of the barrier noticeably accelerated, meaning... its duration had been significantly shortened.

In this situation... it was obvious the man was warning him at great personal risk!

"A'Du! Stop! Don't go into the forest!" Li Qi immediately stopped himself and shouted loudly to A'Du!

But A'Du had already stepped halfway into the forest.

Li Qi's pupils contracted. He clearly saw a progress bar appear in the darkness, with the words "Attack" written on it.

Seeing that the progress bar was about to fill, he immediately accelerated, grabbed A'Du's backpack, and yanked him back!

But just as A'Du escaped danger, he saw a gaping, foul-smelling maw suddenly emerge from the darkness of the forest. It was just a mouth, with no head, as if the darkness itself had opened its mouth!

There wasn't enough time to sing, but Li Qi's mind raced. His body suddenly swelled, muscles rippling. He clenched his fist and threw a punch!

With a bang, the ground shook. Li Qi felt his fist go numb, as if he had hit stone.

However, the gaping maw was blasted apart, turning into black mist and dissipating into the air.

With this punch, the surrounding forest suddenly began to churn!

"Roar!" The sound of beasts roaring echoed faintly from the woods. The once silent and deep darkness flowed like water, swirling and dark. Rolling black mist drifted through the forest, giving Li Qi a direct understanding of what "demonic miasma" meant.

A'Du's face turned pale with fright. He immediately began to sing, shouting, "Shining Seven Luminaries, Bright Above."

This actually had some effect. Li Qi could see the enhancement progress bar on A'Du's body, and at the same time, the surrounding black mist was pushed back slightly.

As A'Du sang this song, his body began to glow faintly. Warm light emanated from him, dispelling the cold and pushing back the black mist.

Li Qi understood at a glance that the ballad the man had taught him was definitely meant to be used in conjunction with some cultivation technique. However, cultivation techniques couldn't be taught to outsiders, so only A'Du could unleash the song's full power.

The black mist was dispersed for a moment, but A'Du also turned and ran, heading towards the more populated area.

Seeing this, Li Qi immediately fled as well.

It was a joke to think otherwise; not running would be foolish. There was strength in numbers, and the way they were clanging their axes sounded effective!

Li Qi covered the distance in just a few strides. His strength and speed allowed him to quickly reach the merchant caravan.

The merchants didn't stop them; instead, they actively moved closer to them. The constant clanging of axes and the sound of weapons filled the air.

A'Du also scrambled over, his body emitting a faint glow and yang energy. Combined with the clanging of weapons, their momentum surged. The surrounding black mist and demonic miasma were forced back, unable to advance.

Seeing this, Li Qi also began to sing loudly, chanting in that peculiar rhythm: "Shining Seven Luminaries, Bright Above, Valiant warriors, mighty indeed!"

He possessed the Ox-Strength Technique, his vitality was abundant, and spurred on by the ballad, a steaming heat radiated from him like an air conditioner. His skin, already flushed red from the Ox-Strength Technique, now resembled red copper, not just red, but with a metallic sheen.

The yang energy Li Qi unleashed was even more robust than A'Du's, who had the accompanying cultivation technique!

With Li Qi and A'Du coming to their aid, the members of the merchant caravan showed joy on their faces. It seemed they might make it through the night safely.

The group acted with unspoken understanding. Although they couldn't communicate due to the constant singing and shouting, both sides knew what needed to be done. They knew that even if they tried to run now, they wouldn't get far. Their main objective was to hold out until dawn, when the sunlight would appear.

This black mist could be dispelled by yang energy, and the yang energy in sunlight was tens of thousands of times more potent. Once daylight arrived, the black mist would surely be completely scattered.

Therefore, the group formed a circle, not daring to rest. Their axes, their shouts, and their ballads continued without pause. Their hands ached, their mouths were sore, their throats hurt, and they didn't even have time to drink water.

Initially, Li Qi could still unleash a large amount of vital energy thanks to the Ox-Strength Technique. But after ten minutes, when the duration of the Ox-Strength Technique expired, he became the least useful. He could only rely on his strong physique and endurance to hold out when others were exhausted.

As a result, the group endured the entire night.

Looking at the moon phase, it was still the hour of Zi (11 PM to 1 AM). Dawn was still a long way off.

The clash of weapons and the surging yang energy prevented the black mist from advancing.

But the black mist seemed to have declared war on this group, refusing to leave. It swirled and howled around them, intent on waiting until they were all exhausted to death.

After singing for an hour, Li Qi frowned and simply stopped. He was the least useful anyway, so stopping wouldn't significantly impact the overall situation.

He stopped, but he didn't rest. Instead, he stood beside A'Du and said to everyone, "This isn't going to work. We won't last until morning. When we're all exhausted, it will be our end."

As he spoke, he scanned the crowd. In just an hour, A'Du was already sweating, and although his voice wasn't hoarse yet, it was becoming weak.

The act of clanging their axes was also physically demanding. Some of the weaker merchants were already drenched in sweat and panting. They might be able to hold on for another two hours, but if they continued, they would surely collapse from exhaustion.

When Li Qi spoke, everyone else looked at him, their actions with their weapons not stopping. Clearly, they understood the current situation but didn't know how to change it.

After all, stopping would mean facing mortal danger.

"Listen to me, I have an idea," Li Qi said to them.