Falling Apart

"If you want to snatch food from a tiger's mouth, you'll have to see if our swords agree," Luo Yuan stepped forward, glaring at the Big Forehead Monster and its group.

Zhang Guang, having been ambushed by the other party once and nearly losing his life, already hated the Big Forehead Monster to the bone. "Exactly! We even have one extra person. If we really fight, we might not be afraid of you despicable scoundrels."

Wang Yuan and the others drew their weapons, their faces solemn as they stood ready. They had already consumed a lot of Origin Energy, and if they didn't stick together now, they would likely die even faster. Moreover, besides the Big Forehead Monster, who was at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, there were only two at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. Their overall cultivation was lower than their opponents', so they might not necessarily lose.

"Since that's the case, we'll have to fight. Big Forehead Monster, anything else to say? The Silver Winged Centipede is dead, and there might be Spirit Insect eggs in the cave. Let's kill these ungrateful fellows first, then explore the centipede cave."

The Brocade Clad Man behind the Big Forehead Monster let out a cackling laugh, holding a Wolf Tooth Club and patting his waist pouch. A Black Giant Ape, nearly ten feet tall, emerged from the white mist, its massive hands excitedly beating its thick chest with booming sounds.

"That's right, these people have been in the mountains for over a month. Their Storage Bags must be full of Spiritual Materials," others chimed in.

The Big Forehead Monster laughed heartily and stared at Fan Qing, saying, "Since that's the case, let's kill them! Blood Hand Daoist, it seems we have a battle today."

"You're going too far!" Wang Yuan, a mere woman, could no longer suppress her anger. She engaged the Brocade Clad Man wielding the Wolf Tooth Club and a Black Ape in a fierce battle, even holding her own against two opponents.

Wang Ping, Zhang Guang, and the others also found their opponents.

Luo Yuan and He Tuozi charged towards another pair of twin men with green birthmarks on their faces. However, just as Luo Yuan swung his sword at one of them, He Tuozi behind him suddenly showed a ferocious expression and thrust his Spirit Sword towards Luo Yuan's back.

Although Luo Yuan sensed a sharp energy approaching him, it was too close to dodge. In a hurry, he cast an "Earth Armor Technique!" at the fastest speed possible.

But the earth armor was far from formed when He Tuozi's sword was already about to touch Luo Yuan's skin.

"Idiot, you're the ones who are truly outnumbered. Die!" He Tuozi's aura suddenly erupted. He was also at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, having hidden his true cultivation through some unknown method.

"Brother Luo!" Zhang Guang and Zheng Shiqi were both shocked.

"Big Brother!" Luo Qing's face turned ashen, and she was so terrified that she didn't know what to do.

However, at this moment, no one noticed that Lu Xiaotian had disappeared at some point.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a person emerged from the ground. It was Lu Xiaotian, who had vanished for a moment.

Lu Xiaotian wore a cold smile. Under He Tuozi's shocked gaze, he swung his short sword. He Tuozi, having overextended his attack, also couldn't dodge in time. He merely shifted his body slightly, narrowly avoiding a vital spot.

"My arm!" With a scream from He Tuozi, the arm holding the sword flew through the air, accompanied by a large amount of blood.

He Tuozi retreated several yards in a panic, quickly took out a bottle of healing pills, swallowed one, and then stared at Lu Xiaotian with disbelief and malice. "How did you target me?"

The Big Forehead Monster and the others also stopped their attacks, looking at Lu Xiaotian with astonishment. They had used the same method to ambush two other adventuring teams, and Lu Xiaotian had seen through it.

"Back in Moon Gazing City, I already felt something was wrong. You, a cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, with not high cultivation, not only possessed the Pill Recipe for Origin Energy Pills but also had information about the Silver Winged Centipede and knew the mountain routes like the back of your hand. This wasn't something a cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining could achieve. However, at that time, I only had doubts."

"Later, when we were attacked by the Green Bamboo Bees, although I was suspicious, there were too many ill-intentioned teams in the Moon Gazing Mountain Range, so I didn't suspect you. But when we arrived here and encountered the Big Forehead Monster's team, I couldn't help but become suspicious. I think if a few more people from our team had been stung by the Green Bamboo Bees, you would have made your move there."

"It's just that the Big Forehead Monster saw that only one person from our team was injured and our strength wasn't severely compromised, so they didn't want to fight a battle where both sides lose. Thus, you changed your plan, waited for us to fight the Silver Winged Centipede to the death, and then came out to pick up the spoils, killing and robbing, isn't that right?"

Lu Xiaotian said coldly. He didn't want to waste so many words, but Luo Yuan, Wang Yuan, and the other team members had already consumed a lot of Origin Energy. Now, with He Tuozi, the traitor, in their midst, their morale was unstable. What he needed to do first was to stabilize the minds of the other team members. Otherwise, if their hearts were scattered, there would be no point in fighting; they might as well flee for their lives.

"I knew I should have just killed this traitor with one blow," Zhang Guang said angrily, swinging his Spirit Blade.

Luo Yuan said solemnly, "Brother Lu, I owe you my life."

"You startled me just now. I thought this mountain expedition would be in vain, but it turns out Fellow Daoist Lu already had everything under control."

Wang Yuan chuckled. Although they had lost He Tuozi, Lu Xiaotian's composure infected them.

"After all that talk, you're now one person short. Although He Tuozi lost an arm, which has some impact on combat, he stopped the bleeding, so the effect isn't significant," the Brocade Clad Man said sinisterly, waving his Wolf Tooth Club.

"Is that so?"

Lu Xiaotian sneered. For an ordinary mortal warrior, such a severe injury would greatly reduce their combat power. Cultivators were relatively less affected. He Tuozi had previously concealed his cultivation, being at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. Just by casting spells from the side, he could contend with Luo Qing or Wang Ping, and maintain an advantage. The situation was still unfavorable to their side, but how could he have no backup?

"Ah!" He Tuozi had just stopped the bleeding with a Spirit Pill when a sharp pain suddenly exploded in his chest, and his entire face turned greenish.

"The sword... the sword is poisoned! You're truly despicable!"

He Tuozi's face was extremely ugly. He glared at Lu Xiaotian, his eyes almost spitting fire. If looks could kill, Lu Xiaotian would have been killed countless times over. After his anger subsided, He Tuozi frantically took out all the antidote pills he had from his Storage Bag and poured them into his mouth. But it was useless. Lu Xiaotian had coated his sword with several potent poisons. In just a moment, He Tuozi's eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Compared to you trying to kill our entire team, are we not allowed to fight back?" Wang Ping said with a grin, swinging his large club. "Fellow Daoist Lu did a great job. I, Wang, am truly impressed."

"Big Forehead Monster, this young man is a very skilled Alchemist. He seems to have a lot of Qi Gathering Pills. He traded them for a large amount of Spiritual Grass and Spirit Stones. In the team, he has the most Spirit Stones. I estimate that the Spirit Stones, Spiritual Grass, and Qi Gathering Pills he possesses are worth at least over two hundred Spirit Stones."

He Tuozi, filled with resentment, uttered words that were extremely disadvantageous to Lu Xiaotian. As expected, as soon as He Tuozi finished speaking, the Brocade Clad Man and the others looked at Lu Xiaotian with greedy eyes.

The Big Forehead Monster nodded and took two steps forward, saying grimly, "Now that the numbers are even, you're a decent young man, but do you think I can't see through your delaying tactics? It seems you haven't seen my true abilities yet."

Lu Xiaotian's face turned grim. He should have killed He Tuozi with one sword strike earlier. He had kept He Tuozi alive only to use his injuries and their conversation to buy some time for Luo Yuan and the others to recover their Origin Energy. He had truly tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice.

The Big Forehead Monster patted the black gourd at its waist, and a buzzing sound filled the air as a large swarm of green flying ants poured out. There were over a hundred of them. Due to the close distance, as these little green ants flew out, they gave people a feeling of overwhelming numbers.

"Shadow Ants!" Wang Yuan and the others exclaimed, their faces turning pale. Even cultivators in the Late Qi Refining Stage would have to deal with such a large number of Shadow Ants cautiously. Insect Cultivators often had an advantage over cultivators of the same level.

"Heh heh, glad you recognize them." The Big Forehead Monster cackled sinisterly and directed the Shadow Ants into several teams, each with about ten ants, and the leading Shadow Ant was noticeably larger.

The Big Forehead Monster seemed to be able to control only seven teams of Shadow Ants, while the other dozens flew around like locusts.

Lu Xiaotian hadn't expected to encounter a fellow Insect Cultivator who raised Shadow Ants. However, the Big Forehead Monster's control over the Shadow Ants was clearly superior to his. The seven teams of Shadow Ants split into several directions to surround him. Lu Xiaotian cast a Fireball Technique, but it was blocked by the leading ant. Although the leading ant let out a pained cry and wobbled in the air, injured, it did not die. Meanwhile, the other teams of Shadow Ants were closing in from other directions.

After a moment of dizziness, Lu Xiaotian sneered inwardly. The lethality of the Shadow Ants was secondary; the key was that these small flying ants were more resilient than the Green Bamboo Bees, and just a few bites would disrupt the flow of Origin Energy, which was fatal in combat. Perhaps the Shadow Ants posed a great threat to others, but to him, they were just a bigger nuisance.

As Lu Xiaotian drew his Spirit Sword, he reached for an antidote pill with his left hand, preparing to put it in his mouth. However, at this moment, something unexpected happened. Fan Qing, the team leader and main combatant, actually abandoned them and turned to flee.

Fan Qing's desertion in the face of battle was well-considered. He had fought the Big Forehead Monster several times before and had never gained an advantage. He knew how formidable the Big Forehead Monster was, and now, with several of his Spiritual Artifacts destroyed and his Dantian containing less than three parts of Origin Energy, he was no match for the Big Forehead Monster. Although Lu Xiaotian was cunning, he was ultimately too young and might not be able to defeat the Big Forehead Monster. Even if he could barely hold his own, their side's winning probability would not exceed fifty percent.

More importantly, he had now collected the last second-tier Yao Core required by the Savage Beast Sect. As long as he returned to Moon Gazing City, he could join the sect. He no longer needed to risk his life in the Moon Gazing Mountain Range.

"Shameless!" Lu Xiaotian, Luo Yuan, and the others cursed in unison. They were already at a disadvantage, and now, with the loss of Fan Qing, their main combatant, it was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

"Our strength has already greatly decreased, and now with two fewer people, we can't win. I'm leaving first!"

Wang Yuan had originally planned to fight it out, but now that the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse, after weighing her options, she felt that her chances of winning were practically nil. Making a swift decision, she forced back the Brocade Clad Man who was charging at her with a single strike, then slapped a Wood Escape Talisman onto herself. She leaped towards a large tree nearby, and her figure instantly vanished. In the blink of an eye, she was near another tree before disappearing into the weeds.

Immediately after, Wang Ping's expression shifted, and he also used the Wind Riding Technique to flee into the distance at full speed.

"Where do you think you're going?" An old man on the opposing side, wielding twin swords, pursued them at no slow pace.

"Brother Lu, what do you think we should do?" Wu Guang, Luo Yuan, and the others looked anxious. The situation had deteriorated to an unbearable degree for them. The remaining few all placed great trust in Lu Xiaotian. Those who, like Wang Yuan and Wang Ping, had their own selfish plans had already vanished without a trace.

"With only a few of us left, what can we do? We should each escape and let fate decide our survival."

Lu Xiaotian said coldly and turned to flee. He was not an unfeeling person; within his capabilities, he would lend a hand to Luo Yuan and the others.

However, after Fan Qing and Wang Yuan had fled separately, the Big Forehead Monster and the others had each set their sights on him. This was naturally due to He Tuozi's words before the poison took effect: an alchemist who was well-supplied with Spirit Stones and elixirs. He was already struggling to save himself, so how could he worry about others?

"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Zou, let's you and I go after this kid surnamed Lu. The others can split into two groups to guard the Silver Winged Centipede's corpse, and the rest will continue the pursuit!"

The Big Forehead Monster's mind raced. He Tuozi had already succumbed to the poison and lay on the ground, unconscious and his fate unknown. No one had the time to bother with him now. The Silver Winged Centipede was already a done deal, a cooked duck that couldn't escape. But Lu Xiaotian, as an alchemist, might indeed possess wealth comparable to the Artifact Refining Materials on the Silver Winged Centipede's body.

If he went after Lu Xiaotian alone, firstly, judging from the previous situation, Lu Xiaotian was cunning and might have some hidden trump cards. Secondly, the other members of his team might be displeased. It would be better to bring along the Brocade Clad Man surnamed Zou, whose Strength was second only to his, and split the spoils between the two of them rather than seven or eight people. Even if the others were unhappy, they would have to swallow their pride and accept the loss.

"Haha, alright. The two of us will join forces to kill this kid and avenge He Tuozi!" Zou Xin was very pleased with the Big Forehead Monster's arrangement and immediately agreed. The two of them, one after the other, madly pursued Lu Xiaotian.

Luo Yuan, Wu Guang, and the others exchanged glances of dismay before also quickly fleeing in other directions. At this point, it wasn't just about having worked for nothing; escaping with their lives would be considered fortunate.

"Little lass, don't run, stay here and have some fun with this grandpa!" A scruffy, disheveled monk and a young man in green pursued the Luo siblings. Zhang Guang and Zheng Shiqi also had two tails following them. In the span of a moment, the previous team had completely disintegrated.