A gentle breeze blew by, and Jiang Ping, dressed in blue, suddenly strode forward, breaking away from the crowd.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and waved to Shu Mingxiao:
"Brother Shu, what are you dawdling for? Let's go."
Shu Mingxiao was taken aback at first, then replied, "Coming."
Then he ran off.
As he passed Qin Yun, he gave him a slightly complicated look, said nothing more, and then walked away side by side with Jiang Ping.
Although it was Yao Hong who initiated the idea of kicking him out of the team, her hesitation and silence revealed her true thoughts.
He and Fang Yong were ultimately not the ones who were firmly chosen.
Given this, he was willing to leave the group voluntarily so as not to put his former comrades in a difficult position.
A thick fog enveloped the area, and the crowd watched as two figures chatted and laughed, seemingly carefree, disappearing into the distance.
The night was dark and the wind was high; the dense forest was deep and secluded.
Shu Mingxiao shivered, his expression grave.
Just moments ago the sun was shining brightly, but suddenly the sky darkened, and he and Fang Yong had no idea where they had arrived. They only felt that the place was eerily quiet, even more chilling than the rainforest.
"I've seen through Qin Yun. Even when you and I left on our own initiative, he didn't try to stop us."
Shu Mingxiao suddenly sighed.
"What, Brother Shu, have you changed your mind?"
Jiang Ping chuckled softly.
Shu Mingxiao shook his head and said:
"No, I just felt that even if he had just pretended, I would have felt better. But he didn't say anything and let Yao Hong break up the team, which made me feel a little disheartened."
He was still resentful about Qin Yun's actions earlier. They had known each other for many years, yet they had Go in opposite directions this way.
"Don't you feel angry, Brother Fang?"
Shu Mingxiao looked at Jiang Ping, who remained calm and composed, and couldn't help but ask a question.
Jiang Ping also shook his head and replied:
"It doesn't matter, it's his choice; everyone has to make choices. Brother Qin chose what he considers important. If we hold a grudge because of this, wouldn't there be too many unforgivable things in this world?"
Brother Fang is truly generous.
"No, it's just that I've only known Qin Yun for a few days. He can choose whoever he wants."
"..." Shu Mingxiao.
After all that, it turns out he was the one who got hurt the most.
"But then again, now it's just the two of us left. Should we go after Zhong Shenxiu and the others?"
Jiang Ping looked at Shu Mingxiao and sighed inwardly.
His current strength is not great; he hasn't even passed the Four-Nine Tribulation yet. Even if he uses all his trump cards, he's probably still no match for someone like Zhong Shenxiu.
Therefore, if you try to compete for the Great Dao Tree, you'll likely end up with very little.
Upon hearing this, Shu Mingxiao hesitated.
He originally had a large force, and he thought he would dare to rebuke Ji Wushuang even if he were facing her directly.
But now, the two weakest alliances are no match for each other here. They can't even talk back to Ji Wushuang, let alone dare to face each other.
Only.
Shu Mingxiao pondered for a moment and said:
"Since we're already here, even if we don't get any soup, we can still watch the fun and have something to talk about when we get back."
He felt that although the two were not very strong, their individual Heavenly Art were quite unique, so even if they were to travel in Forbidden Land, they should not have any major problems.
"Okay, I'll lead the way."
Jiang Ping nodded; he wouldn't refuse if Brother Shu wanted to broaden his horizons.
Throughout the journey, Yao Hong repeatedly found fault with him, but this man always spoke up for him, for which he was very grateful.
Moreover, he hadn't collected enough of the Divine Medicine and wanted to gather more; the more resources, the better.
Afterwards, the two traveled through a deep, dense forest. Halfway through the journey, Jiang Ping suddenly stopped.
"Another Divine Medicine has been discovered, or is there a powerful demon involved?"
Shu Mingxiao stared at Jiang Ping's suddenly stopped back and couldn't help but shrink his neck.
To be honest, he felt very insecure being separated from the team right now, and he was most reluctant to see the team leader's sudden reaction.
"Someone's here."
Jiang Ping turned around, looked behind him, and his eyes showed surprise.
Who is it?
Shu Mingxiao was on high alert.
He recalled his earlier reprimand of the White-robed Woman and her companions. Could it be that they harbored resentment and wanted to settle scores with him now?
But soon, he froze, looking at the three people rapidly approaching, and said in surprise:
It's you!
The visitors were none other than the three companions who had traveled with them earlier: Hao Jun, Yan Liang, and Wu Qingqing.
"I finally made it."
Wu Qingqing slowed her pace and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"You two are walking very fast. Aren't you afraid of the danger? This is Black Mountain Ridge. There's a Demon King here who's almost transformed into a true saint."
Hao Jun looked at him strangely.
This place was even more dangerous than the True Saint Graveyard. He thought Fang Yong and his companion wouldn't dare to set foot here, but not only did they enter, they also traveled at an astonishing speed. They caught up with the two of them shortly after they entered, but it still took them some effort to catch up.
"Is it that dangerous?"
Shu Mingxiao's body visibly trembled. Was there Unrivaled demon here?
"Didn't you smell a strong demonic Demon Qi?"
Wu Qingqing looked puzzled.
"I can smell it, but isn't this Forbidden Land? It's normal to have Demon Qi here."
Shu Mingxiao raised an eyebrow.
"This is abnormal. Even the True Saint Graveyard doesn't have this strong Demon Qi. That Demon King is becoming quite powerful; he'll probably step into the True Saint Realm soon."
Yan Liang spoke slowly, his eyes also somewhat solemn.
This place is very dangerous!
They almost startled a powerful demon.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Shu Mingxiao was surprised and suspicious.
Why didn't he run into Fang Yong?
"Brother Fang Understand Good and Bad Fortunes, you are able to discern good and bad fortune; you have likely avoided danger."
Hao Jun sighed.
"Um?"
Shu Mingxiao was somewhat puzzled and said, "Doesn't your team also have someone who cultivates the Three Talents Technique? They should be even more skilled than Brother Fang."
"Isn't our group you and Brother Fang? You two left way too fast, you didn't even wait for us."
Wu Qingqing, with her bright eyes and white teeth, smiled radiantly.
Upon hearing this, Shu Mingxiao was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you choose to travel with me and Brother Fang instead of Qin Yun and the others?"
"I feel safer following Brother Fang."
Yan Liang nodded and smiled at Jiang Ping.
"Having formed an alliance and made Gentleman's Promise, how can one go back on one's word halfway through?"
Hao Jun also spoke up.
Although he pursued the Dao Tree, he did not yearn to abandon his companions halfway and choose to ally with someone stronger.
This is not in line with his usual style.
Wu Qingqing stated frankly that she disliked Yao Hong and was ashamed to associate with her.
"You..."
Shu Mingxiao was so moved that he almost burst into tears.
There are still people who don't mind his relationship with Brother Fang.
Ta-da!
Just then, footsteps came from behind.
Wu Qingqing glanced at them indifferently and said, "It's Yao Hong and the others."
"Brother Fang, Brother Shu, although we are acting independently, we share the same goal. Why don't we travel together through Black Mountain Ridge?"
Yao Hong's laughter rang out.
She no longer felt the same disdain as before; instead, she hoped for a temporary alliance.
"Let's go together. This place is very dangerous, and we still have a long way to go. If we travel together, we can help each other out."
A crisp sound rang out as well.
Looking over, Jiang Ping saw the tall White-robed Woman who had pushed Shu Mingxiao out of the line.
The other party has high talent, comes from the same region as Ji Wushuang, and is Second Seat on the Close to the Dao Seed Ranking in that sea region. She is beautiful and powerful.
"Gentlemen, we really need manpower right now. Black Mountain Ridge is vast, and several powerful demons are entrenched there, including a leader of a demon who is close to a True Saint. It would be safer if we joined forces."
Qin Yun also spoke, looking at Yan Liang Hao Jun, and the others.