Looking Down from Above

And so, the cultivators from the Moon Embracing Sect continued to wander aimlessly through the Wuxian Mountain Range.

They found nothing.

Nie Yu grew increasingly bored. He had also noticed how passive Senior Brother Zhou was. Zhou Wu wanted nothing more than to wait until everyone ran out of patience, then return to the sect.

But Nie Yu could hardly fault him for it. He could guess what Zhou Wu was thinking.

"Let's go back, Senior Brother Zhou."

At last, Nie Yu spoke to Zhou Wu.

Zhou Wu looked at Nie Yu calmly, but deep down, he was anything but calm. Every breath and every moment he spent walking through the Wuxian Mountain Range kept him on tenterhooks, afraid something might go wrong.

Nie Yu's suggestion brought him immense relief. He nodded.

"All right—"

"Look!"

A young woman traveling with them suddenly shouted.

"There's someone over there!"

Everyone looked where she pointed. Sure enough, roughly a hundred zhang away, a blurry figure seemed to be parting the grass and bushes, making his way slowly through the forest.

"What do we do?"

Gao Tai, the Qi Condensation Realm disciple who had nearly argued with Zhou Wu not long ago, asked the question. His gaze darted between Nie Yu and Zhou Wu.

"He might be a resident of one of the settlements deep in the Wuxian Mountain Range. I've heard the people there drink beast blood and feast on demon flesh. Their bodies are exceptionally strong—comparable to Body Tempering Realm cultivators, or even Qi Condensation Realm cultivators... Senior Brother Zhou, have you ever dealt with them?"

Nie Yu turned to Zhou Wu as he asked.

"No."

Zhou Wu shook his head.

"There are indeed dozens of settlements scattered throughout the Wuxian Mountain Range, but they're all much deeper in the mountains. Not