Encountering Danger

The few people not far away were surprised to see the white mist within the formation suddenly recede. Only when they saw Song Qingming emerge did they finally relax.

The Middle-aged Scholar who had arranged to wait here with Song Qingming yesterday stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"When we arrived just now, we did not see you anywhere from afar. I thought you had already left this place alone. I did not expect you to be hiding within this formation. My Junior Sister knows nothing of formations and offended you by accident. Please do not take offense."

Only after the mist dispersed did the woman in green realize that she had fallen into the formation Song Qingming had set up. Hearing the Middle-aged Scholar speak to Song Qingming so politely, and recalling how this man had just made her lose so much face, she immediately began voicing her complaints:

"Why would he set up a formation at this crossroads for no reason? It got me trapped for nothing—I thought I had fallen into some Restriction trap. And now it is somehow my fault instead."

"My apologies. My apologies."

Seeing that she was rather angry, Song Qingming merely smiled and offered no explanation. He sincerely lowered his head and apologized repeatedly, finally soothing her anger.

"My Junior Sister has had a stubborn temper since childhood. Please be understanding. Seeing how exquisitely you arranged this formation, could you be a Formation Master?" Seeing that Song Qingming's formation had some real skill behind it, the Middle-aged Scholar continued asking.

"I am indeed a Low-grade Array Master, but I have only just begun. What I have learned are merely crude, shallow formations. Please do not laugh at me." After speaking, Song Qingming humbly cupped his hands.

"I can see that your Formation Skill is indeed quite shallow. If you had taken any longer to undo it, I would have torn apart this lousy formation of yours."

The woman in green still seemed unwilling to let the matter go, drawing a burst of laughter from everyone present.

"My name is Shi Chun. This is my Junior Sister, Yu Niang. May I ask how to address you?"

"Song San."

After that, the others also stepped forward to introduce themselves. Song Qingming gradually became familiar with the group.

It was already late autumn, and fallen leaves drifted everywhere throughout the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

Song Qingming followed this group of cultivators east for a day before turning southeast and traveling for another two days. Along the way, they encountered several other groups of cultivators on the road. They were drawing ever closer to Guiyun Marketplace in the southern part of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

After obtaining Liu Tianlong's Storage Bag, Song Qingming changed his original plans and decided not to rush back to Qinghe County just yet. He could follow these Rogue Cultivators to Guiyuan Workshop and take the opportunity to dispose of some magical artifacts, pills, and other items along the way.

Guiyun Marketplace was considered the largest marketplace in northern Wei State and was also a gathering place for countless Rogue Cultivators of Wei State. After asking around, he learned that no fewer than ten thousand Rogue Cultivators entered the Floating Cloud Mountain Range from Guiyun Marketplace every year. In a place where hundreds or thousands of cultivators came and went each day, it would be difficult for anyone to trace the origins of an unfamiliar Qi Refining Cultivator selling a few low-grade magical artifacts or spiritual items. For his current situation, it could not have been more suitable.

As they traveled, Song Qingming gradually became acquainted with the others. The Middle-aged Scholar leading the group was named Shi Chun. Though his cultivation was not high, he had abundant Demon Hunting experience and served as the backbone of the group, often organizing fellow Rogue Cultivators to enter the Floating Cloud Mountain Range and hunt Demonic Beasts.

The woman in green was named Qin Yu Niang. She and Shi Chun were fellow disciples. By a twist of fate, both had become disciples of an old Rogue Cultivator Daoist and thus embarked upon the path of cultivation. However, only a few years after taking Qin Yu Niang as his disciple, their master had reached the end of his lifespan and passed away. In recent years, the one guiding Qin Yu Niang's cultivation had been her Senior Brother, Shi Chun.

The brawny man with the highest cultivation was named Zhang Tieshan. He had originally been a cultivator from a Foundation Establishment Family in Zheng State, born into a prominent clan. He had broken through to the Late Qi Refining Stage at the mere age of thirty and had once possessed limitless prospects, with every hope of achieving Foundation Establishment.

Yet more than ten years ago, Zhang Tieshan's family became involved in a conflict between Zheng State's two great sects, and their mountain gate was destroyed. Of the entire clan's hundred-plus cultivators, fewer than a dozen survived. Zhang Tieshan happened to be traveling abroad at the time. Upon receiving the news, he fled directly to Wei State and became a Rogue Cultivator. Without the cultivation resources his family had once supplied, his cultivation had remained stuck in place for more than a decade.

Several years earlier, Zhang Tieshan had drifted to Guiyun Marketplace, where he met the Rogue Cultivator fellow disciples Shi Chun and Qin Yu Niang. The three got along well and had looked after one another ever since, often entering the Floating Cloud Mountain Range together to hunt Demonic Beasts.

The other two were Rogue Cultivators who had spent years roaming the Floating Cloud Mountain Range. One was named Wu Tianmu and had cultivation at the Fifth Level of Qi Refining. The other was named Zhang Baiyun. He always had a wine gourd hanging from his waist and was also the oldest among them, already over seventy years old, with cultivation at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.

Among the group, Shi Chun and his Junior Sister were the most talkative, chatting endlessly with Song Qingming along the way. Perhaps because he had lived through his family's calamity, Zhang Tieshan was usually rather taciturn. Wu Tianmu also spoke little, only occasionally urging everyone to pick up the pace, as though he wanted to return to Guiyun Marketplace sooner and sell the Demonic Beast Materials they had acquired.

That Old Drunkard, Zhang Bai Shan, never let wine leave his side. He was always muttering strange things to himself, often putting on an unfathomable air. His drunken ramblings repeatedly drew laughter from the others.

That afternoon, as the group passed through a forest, the usually silent Zhang Tieshan suddenly shouted, "Everyone, be careful! There seems to be some Demonic Beast following us from behind."

Song Qingming was greatly surprised when he heard this. He himself had sensed nothing at all. But then he considered that Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivators could generally project their divine sense outward. It was perfectly reasonable that Zhang Tieshan could detect movement from Demonic Beasts farther away.

Sure enough, before long, a High-level Wind Wolf Beast led seven or eight low- and mid-level demonic wolves toward them, surrounding the group. Seeing this, everyone hurriedly brought out their magical artifacts and skillfully formed a circle.

"These are Wind Wolf Beasts. They can use the Wind Blade Spell. There is no need to fear them—their numbers are not great, and we can hold them off. Iron Mountain, hold back that High-level one first. Leave the other wind wolves to us. These demonic wolves are incredibly swift, so stay close together and do not let yourselves be isolated and attacked. Fire and earth spells will yield twice the result with half the effort against them."

Shi Chun truly deserved to be someone who had spent years roaming the Floating Cloud Mountain Range. He instantly recognized the origins of these Demonic Beasts and told everyone how to deal with them, quickly restoring confidence to the group that had just been somewhat flustered.

Zhang Tieshan was the first to act. With a great shout, he brought out a massive sword and blocked the leading High-level demonic wolf. Man and beast quickly began fighting.

Then Song Qingming and Wu Tianmu attacked first, each casting an Earth Wall Technique to block the remaining low- and mid-level demonic wolves before the group. The several earthen walls they created also greatly slowed the pack of Wind Wolf Beasts' charge.

Of the remaining eight Wind Wolf Beasts, only three were mid-level, while the other five were low-level. Wu Tianmu, Zhang Bai Shan, and Song Qingming each chose one Mid-level Wind Wolf Beast, leaving the other five Low-level Demonic Wolves to Shi Chun and Qin Yu Niang. Each person faced a Demonic Beast, and the battlefield immediately split into five separate fights.

The most powerful creature among this pack was the High-level Wind Wolf Beast facing Zhang Tieshan. Its cultivation had nearly reached the peak of the Qi Refining Stage. Of those present, not one was confident of defeating this Demonic Beast alone.

The High-level Wind Wolf Beast surpassed Zhang Tieshan somewhat in both Mana and divine abilities, and it had already gained the upper hand. The Wind Blades it unleashed from time to time also left Zhang Tieshan scrambling. Still, it would not be easy for the demonic wolf to defeat him in a short time. Though Zhang Tieshan was looking somewhat battered at the moment, he could still hold back the High-level demonic wolf with all his strength.

The Mid-level Wind Wolf Beasts facing Wu Tianmu and Zhang Bai Shan were no weaklings either. Though neither of them held back at the start of the battle and both used their signature techniques, these two demonic wolves were not easy to handle. For the moment, their fights could only remain evenly matched.

Only the Mid-level Wind Wolf Beast Song Qingming faced was somewhat weaker. It seemed to have only recently broken through to the mid-level. Song Qingming's cultivation and Mana far exceeded its own. So long as he fought steadily and securely, defeating it was only a matter of time.

Shi Chun and his Junior Sister also held a slight advantage. As soon as the wind wolves began their attack, the two of them joined forces and killed one. The remaining wolves then clustered together but were still unable to do anything to the pair. Instead, they were driven back again and again by the two's flawless cooperation.

Compared to Song Qingming's side, Shi Chun and Qin Yu Niang held the greater advantage and were more likely to open up the situation first.

In this life-or-death struggle, the two sides were not far apart in strength. Everything depended on whether Zhang Tieshan could hold back that High-level Wind Wolf Beast until Song Qingming or Shi Chun and Qin Yu Niang defeated their opponents first and broke the deadlock.