Green Silk Mountain.
It was a beautiful name, but one must not be deceived by it. Of all the mountains behind the Southern Spirit Sect, this was an exceptionally dangerous one.
Not only had a Demon Abyss Rift appeared on this mountain several decades ago, but some shapeshifting Demon Beasts also lurked within it.
A shapeshifting Demon Beast had at least Nascent Soul cultivation. Dealing with fledglings who had just joined the sect, some of whom had not even achieved Qi Induction, was as easy as crushing an ant.
Luo Sen thought so too. He had keenly noticed early on that Yun Li did not particularly like these newly admitted female disciples.
Yun Li was the sect master's niece, and the sect master had no children. Rumor had it that she was very likely to inherit his position someday and become the next master of the Southern Spirit Sect.
The Luo Household was only a small aristocratic clan from elsewhere. If they wanted to gain a firm foothold in the Southern Region, they would have to cling to a sturdy thigh.
And the Southern Spirit Sect, one of the Southern Region's top sects, was their best choice. As luck would have it, he had joined the Southern Spirit Sect and made contact with the sect master's niece. This was practically a heaven-sent opportunity!
So his chance to earn some credit had arrived! As long as he dealt with these female disciples for Yun Li, the sect master's niece would surely take notice of him. Wouldn't helping his lineage climb the ladder afterward be a piece of cake?
Besides, they were only a few newly admitted female disciples, not anyone important. A bunch of outer disciples with no backing could be dead for decades without anyone asking after them.
He happened to have a few connections with the outer sect steward, too. When the time came, he could send over a few gifts. Who would ever know what had really happened?
As for why Yun Li disliked these newly admitted female disciples, who knew? All he had to do was act!
Luo Sen's plan was wonderful, but reality had taken seven turns and eighteen bends, twisting off to who knew where.
He had originally intended to shove those female disciples into a Demon Beast's jaws and then escape himself. Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?
They would have died in a Demon Beast's belly, and no one could possibly connect their deaths to him.
Instead, he was now fleeing for his life alongside those female disciples, and in an utterly miserable state at that.
Rather than chasing the female disciples, that Middle Qi Refining Demon Beast was snapping madly at his backside and refusing to let up!
If he had not been quick-witted, it would have dragged him back and gnawed on him long ago!
Looking at those female disciples again, how could he fail to understand what had happened? They must have done something. Otherwise, why would that Demon Beast keep chasing him without so much as glancing at them?
"Aah, aaaah! Run! The Demon Beast is coming! Run, run!"
Beneath the towering ancient trees, several women in gray dresses lifted their skirts and sprinted. Terror had sent their features flying every which way, and their legs were swinging so fast they almost left afterimages. Somehow, they were even running a little faster than Luo Sen behind them, despite his spiritual power enhancement.
"We're going to die, we're going to die! The Demon Beast is coming to eat us!"
"How can we be this unlucky? We haven't even achieved Qi Induction yet!"
If they had not been running for their lives, those three women would have wanted to clutch their heads and sob. They were simply too unlucky!
Behind them, Luo Sen finally could not stand it anymore. Gritting his teeth, he secretly threw out four talismans, immobilizing all four people who were sprinting ahead.
Of course, he had used a fourth because one of the female disciples had brought along a menial disciple. Although that menial disciple had not spoken a word, she was no slower at running away.
How could Luo Sen save face after being outdone by four people who had only just joined the sect? So even if it cost him four Body-Binding Talismans, he was willing to go all out.
Thus, when the sect master arrived with a group of elders, they saw those female disciples on the verge of dying in a Demon Beast's jaws.
In that instant, everyone's eyes nearly split with fury.
The sect master, in particular, felt his heart almost stop. For that instant, he could not feel it beating at all.
In the blink of an eye, the black bear with its bloody maw wide open was torn apart, its head severed from its body.
The scene was so bloody that even the female disciples who had nearly died in a Demon Beast's jaws were stunned senseless. They stood there blankly, motionless.
"Why is it in pieces? Didn't I only strike once with my blade?" the Sixth Elder asked in puzzlement.
Although he had only struck once, that blow had been utterly lethal, cleaving straight into the Demon Beast's forehead.
And the Sixth Elder could guarantee that there was absolutely no way the Demon Beast could have survived that strike.
"Exactly. I only used one move too. Why did it die so horribly? We can't have it frightening my niece." The peak master of Jade Snow Peak lightly knitted her slender brows.
Of course, she did not call the girl her niece because they were related by blood.
It was because she, the sect master, and some of the elders had all been adopted by the former sect master in their younger years.
They got along quite well and addressed one another as eldest brother, second brother, and so on in private. There was therefore nothing wrong with treating the sect master's daughter as their niece.
At the thought that their niece might have been frightened by such a bloody scene,
the peak masters and elders frowned, feeling rather vexed.
If one person chops it once and another uses a move, wouldn't it end up sliced into pieces like pork belly? How could everyone possibly strike the exact same spot?
As they fell silent, a girl's puzzled inner voice suddenly rang out.
As though confirming her own thoughts, Lan Yue even scratched her head in confusion, looking utterly baffled.
The Sixth Elder: "..."
The Jade Snow Peak Master: "..."
How had they forgotten about this little one whose thoughts could be broadcast aloud? They must have embarrassed themselves in front of their niece this time!
As expected of the heroine. Even if we hadn't suddenly arrived, my Nü E must have already prepared a way to turn danger into safety.
Lan Yue's inner voice brimmed with confidence. Yes, this was a doting mother's pride!
How could the heroine's repeated escapes from danger all have been the author giving her a free pass?
The reason Road to Immortality had captivated her so thoroughly was the heroine's clever mind, unfazed in the face of danger, using one scheme after another to lead her team out of death's grasp!
Although the author had been utterly inhuman in giving the heroine such a tragic background, she had to admit that the other iconic scenes, along with some of the fight scenes, were very well written.
The heroine and her team improved little by little, eventually setting foot on that road to immortality.
It was not like those other cultivation novels with their "you love me, I don't love you; you don't love me, I love her," or their "he runs, she flies, but even with wings she can't escape" routines.
In short, it was incredibly moving!
Beside a towering ancient tree, a woman in a short grayish-brown tunic froze. She instinctively looked down at the sprig of grass in her hand.
This grass was a second-tier spirit herb, an irresistibly fatal temptation to Qi Refining Demon Beasts.
What was more, it was fish-scale grass, the very thing bear-type Demon Beasts loved to chew on most.
If these people had not descended out of nowhere, she would probably have already tossed the grass away in secret.
Still, she was not sure whether that voice was talking about her, so she quietly took a step backward.
Over the past dozen or so years, she had learned not to charge to the front when something happened, but to find a way to protect herself.
After all, she had only herself to rely on.
Not far away, the elders were still aching with distress. Whatever means she had at her disposal, she was still their little niece! The little one who should have been cradled in everyone's palms had actually endured such things. It truly wrung their hearts!
The Sixth Elder at their head even sent Luo Sen and several others flying with a kick. Then, after looking around for a moment, he ran up to one of the female disciples, clutched the front of her robes, and burst into tears.
"Boohoo, my poor niece! As if your miserable childhood weren't enough, you're still being bullied even after coming to the sect!"
"If we hadn't happened to find our way here, my niece would probably have ended up in that Demon Beast's belly. That wretched thing!"
"Boohoo, boohoohoo..."
Even the sect master's eyes reddened. He was just about to walk over and comfort his daughter when a second inner thought rang out.
But, well, hear me out-is there any chance the person you're crying over isn't your niece?
As that inner voice rang out, the entire Green Silk Mountain fell silent.
Only the occasional harsh caw of a few black bird-beasts could be heard.
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