"Do you think their things will be that easy to snatch? We need to work out a plan," Yun Mo whispered to Wu Yingying.
"Then what's your plan?" Wen Qingxuan asked coolly.
Yun Mo looked at the two of them and took out his Black Cloth again. This time, however, it had become a black cloak that could easily cover his entire body and conceal his aura.
"Those three aren't pushovers. They seem like the cautious type. We'd better trail them from a distance and let them lead us to the spirit beast first. Besides, a Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast placed here by the Spirit Road surely won't be easy to handle. Strong as they are, they'll still need some time to deal with it."
Yun Mo handed the other two cloaks to them as he spoke.
"Hmph, a petty thief sneaking around to steal chickens and dogs." Listening to his explanation, Wen Qingxuan remembered their first encounter, when Yun Mo had secretly picked every last Nine-Leaf Fruit.
Wu Yingying looked between Yun Mo and Wen Qingxuan, rather confused. "A thief?"
Yun Mo rolled his eyes. There were so many professions in this world; being a thief was hardly something shameful. If the Heavenly Sovereign Ruins appeared, Yun Mo was certain that even those Earthly Sovereigns would instantly cast aside their supposed pride and turn into tomb raiders.
"Let's go. It's about time we followed them. Remember to stay light on your feet," Yun Mo said, singling out Wu Yingying in particular.
"Hmph."
"Ji Xuan, are you sure that place has what you mentioned?" Qiu Beihai's gaze was dark. He had originally wanted to find Luo Li first and take revenge. Their last attempt to surround and kill her had instead cost them dearly.
Ji Xuan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Of course it does. There's not just a Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast there, but several pieces of Spirit Jade as well."
The Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast could raise their Tokens to level nine, while the Spirit Jade...
At that thought, a sharp gleam flashed in both Qiu Beihai's and Liu Qingyun's eyes. They made no attempt to hide their greed.
Spirit Jade was a special kind of treasure.
It was useless to ordinary people, but for Spirit Road trial participants about to receive empowerment, it was exceedingly precious.
To a certain extent, it could envelop its user, forming a sealed space around them.
This property meant that if a participant refined the Spirit Jade while receiving empowerment, none of the spiritual energy would dissipate. Put simply, it ensured that none of the empowerment's spiritual energy went to waste; every strand could be used to break through to a higher realm.
With that, combined with the Spiritual Energy Empowerment from a Level-Nine Token, I can guarantee a breakthrough to the Heaven Fusion Realm, perhaps even its pinnacle, Ji Xuan thought, tightly gripping the message in his hand.
"Let's go. Pick up the pace, and remember to watch for movement behind us. Be careful not to let anyone follow," Ji Xuan told the other two as he quickened his steps.
Yet even as the three of them sped along, three ghostlike figures remained hot on their heels.
"They actually managed to find somewhere this remote? I'm almost certain they have some information. Could they have picked up a map somewhere earlier?" Wu Yingying's eyes gradually brightened.
They had been following for a long time, yet those three showed no intention of stopping. Instead, as they ventured farther along the route, they had almost reached the edge of the Spirit Road.
"Maybe. Otherwise, this route wouldn't make any sense." Yun Mo nodded in agreement with Wu Yingying. Indeed, following those three might bring unexpected rewards.
"They seem to be slowing down a little." Wen Qingxuan's eyes narrowed, and she slowed her pace as well.
"Are they about to reach their destination?"
"There's a canyon ahead. There seems to be a terrifying aura inside. It should be the Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast. Let's take the mountain path and check things out first."
Beneath his cloak, Yun Mo's eyes flickered as he led the two women into the dense forest.
The canyon was indeed extremely remote, but once they entered, they discovered another world hidden within. At the very least, it covered a vast expanse, much like the valley where the Netherglow Night Nether Beast had lived.
There also seemed to be plenty of natural treasures here. Unfortunately, they were no longer particularly useful to the three of them; they could only add flowers to an already splendid brocade.
Consuming too many similar treasures would become a burden instead. It would be best to refine them into pills.
"Too bad Weak Water isn't here, or we could have her refine pills on the spot. Still, that's fine. We should at least loot this place before we leave," Yun Mo murmured.
They might not need to use them, but that was no reason not to have them.
Wen Qingxuan's ears twitched, and she gave him an expressionless look.
Just then, a tremendous rumble erupted from within the canyon. The expressions of Yun Mo and his companions changed, and they quickened their steps.
Rumble!
"What's this?"
They reached the depths of the canyon and saw Ji Xuan and the other two wielding their Battle Weapons, attacking an enormous ape-like spirit beast in the center.
"A Mountain Ghost," Yun Mo said softly.
He had seen this kind of spirit beast before, though not on the Spirit Road, but at the Azure Wood Academy.
This kind of spirit beast was not particularly powerful at the Azure Wood Academy. He had never expected to encounter one here, much less as a Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast on the Spirit Road.
It was unusual, one of the few types of spirit beasts with an affinity for space. Yun Mo had previously tried to study it more than once, hoping to learn something about manipulating space from it.
"If there's a Mountain Ghost, there must be Spirit Jade." Clearly, Wen Qingxuan also knew this kind of spirit beast.
"The Spirit Jade should be over there, in its lair," Yun Mo said, pointing at a distant cluster of enormous trees.
Seeing Wen Qingxuan press her lips together, Yun Mo smiled. "Heh, if you relied solely on the final empowerment from the Spirit Road, how far could your cultivation advance?"
After spending so much time with the Blood-Colored Token, Yun Mo and the others had gained a rough understanding of the effects of Spiritual Energy Empowerment.
"Breaking through to the Heaven Fusion Realm wouldn't be a problem," Wen Qingxuan said after a moment of silence.
"But with Spirit Jade, you could try to reach the pinnacle of the Heaven Fusion Realm, right? Conversely, if Ji Xuan got his hands on Spirit Jade, would you be absolutely confident you could beat him?"
"He certainly wouldn't gain the upper hand," Wen Qingxuan said coolly.
Looking at Wen Qingxuan's icy expression, Wu Yingying said, "It's fine. We'll just snatch that Spirit Jade. I'm guessing Captain Yun Mo has already worked out how, right?"
Yun Mo rolled his eyes at her irritably. "I'm waiting for you to steal the Spirit Jade when the time comes."
"That could work." Wu Yingying smiled brightly.
"Once they've dealt with that Mountain Ghost, your Sister Qingxuan and I will go straight over and stop those three. You'll use that chance to sneak past and take all the Spirit Jade. No, you can get moving right now. Remember to keep your cloak on properly. Don't let your aura leak out."
Yun Mo wasted no more words. Seeing the Mountain Ghost's situation grow increasingly perilous under the trio's attacks, he quickly gave his instructions.
"Got it!"
Before you continue