"Captain Yun Mo, do you actually have a plan? We've already wasted far too much time on this last route. Now there isn't even a soul in sight, never mind a Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast."
At the edge of an ancient forest, Yun Mo walked along with the two women while Wu Yingying complained incessantly.
"It's not as if you've never led a team. When we let you lead before, didn't you buzz around like a headless fly? We never found a Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast, but we did stumble into a whole nest of eighth-rank Spirit Beasts. Thank goodness we ran fast, or we'd have become their rations long ago.
"Besides, I found one not long ago, didn't I? That gave us two Spirit Cores, so now we only need one more. What are you complaining about? Learn something from your Sister Qingxuan. With that temper, you wouldn't even qualify as a maid."
Yun Mo watched night descend and found a spot beside a pool, planning to rest there for the night.
"You're the maid! Hah, you've shown your true colors. I knew all along you had improper designs on Sister Qingxuan," Wu Yingying said through gritted teeth, seething.
"What nonsense. Now you're trying to drag your Sister Qingxuan into it, too. You're just making trouble for no reason. Hurry up and find some rabbits, fish, shrimp, or whatever. It's your turn to keep watch and cook tonight."
"Tch, as if you'd dare eat anything I made." Wu Yingying curled her lip, picked up her longbow, and headed off.
The three of them had agreed to this arrangement. Whenever they had time, they would find something to treat themselves to, counting it as one of the pleasures of training on the Spirit Road.
"Uh..."
Remembering how she had tossed in the seasonings he provided at random, Yun Mo shuddered. And it wasn't just Wu Yingying-Wen Qingxuan was much the same. Their methods made it look as though they were refining medicine.
In the end, he almost always had to handle it himself.
"What are you thinking about?" Wen Qingxuan glanced up at him.
"I'm wondering whether we really should do what that girl suggested and ambush people around the Central Divine Temple. Given how much time has passed, someone should have a ninth-rank Token by now."
Yun Mo lit a small fire, illuminating the gloom around them. In the distance, the pool shimmered beneath the moonlight.
He lay down with his hands behind his head and gazed at the glimmering lights in the sky. Wen Qingxuan sat beside him, her red skirt spreading around her.
"A ninth-rank Token? I don't believe you care that much about it."
Wen Qingxuan had traveled with him the longest, after all, and understood him somewhat. He probably didn't care much about this supposed ninth-rank Token. At the very least, that certainly wasn't what he was thinking about now.
"All right. Actually, I'm still thinking about the mark between my brows. It seems to have started affecting my mind. It's as though something sinister keeps rising in my heart, forcing me to divert some of my attention to suppress it," Yun Mo said.
Wen Qingxuan spent a while recalling what she knew before saying, "...According to the ancient texts, Evil Clan marks can indeed affect the mind. Quite a few people became no different from members of the Extraterritorial Evil Clan after having such marks planted on them.
"But there are ways to deal with them. Usually, you raise your Divine Soul to the Sovereign level to reduce the effect, or have a mighty expert destroy the mark outright. Still, this is the first time a Demon Emperor's mark has appeared. No one knows exactly what makes it different."
"Forget it. The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge. Besides, as you said, raising my Divine Soul to the Sovereign level might bring a turn for the better." Yun Mo looked at her and smiled.
"What about your Supreme Dharma Body, then? Even if you get desolate ancient gold and flowing flame, where are you supposed to find heavenly demon grass? That Dharma Body would give you the foundation to travel the Great Thousand World," Wen Qingxuan said evenly.
"Actually, the old man at home started preparing Supreme Dharma Bodies for me ages ago. None of them were quite suitable, though. The Wu Clan's Primordial Heavenly Demon Body is truly formidable. Paired with the Wu Clan's body-tempering scripture, it becomes stronger by several whole levels. But heavenly demon grass really is an obstacle. Perhaps..."
Yun Mo thought that the Mirror of Judgment overhead might offer a solution.
Watching him sink into thought, Wen Qingxuan said nothing more. She merely turned her Phoenix Eyes toward the pool, her gaze deep and distant.
The next day.
The three of them had spent the night beside the pool and were just preparing to leave when they encountered three figures. The sight made their eyes widen slightly.
These people actually had a ninth-rank Token, and they had delivered it right to their door.
"Hand over the Token, or all of you will be left lying here." Lou Ying and his companions pointed their long swords at Yun Mo.
They had just seen him take a Spirit Core from inside his clothes and merge it into his Token, raising it straight to the ninth rank.
A ninth-rank Token-its appearance nearly drove them out of their minds.
Their own ninth-rank Token had only been snatched from someone while that person was injured. They had never expected to find another now.
Yun Mo looked at him with an indescribably strange expression.
Although he had sensed people approaching, he hadn't paid them any mind. He had never expected this man to take out his own ninth-rank Token and try to use it as proof of his strength, forcing them to surrender theirs.
This was an outcome none of the three had anticipated.
"..."
"Hah, so our luck was saving itself up to burst forth now." Yun Mo smiled.
"Let's finish them quickly. I bet Wu Ling is already at the Central Divine Temple." Wu Yingying's scarlet Crescent Blade appeared, and without another word, she shot toward Lou Ying and his two companions.
From what they could sense, Lou Ying's group was fairly strong. Still, defeating a Ninth-Rank Spirit Beast was no easy feat. They had no idea how these three had obtained a ninth-rank Token.
Could they have some hidden trump card? With that thought, Wu Yingying unleashed her full strength from the outset, unwilling to give them any chance.
Yun Mo and Wen Qingxuan did the same.
They would never let their boat capsize in a gutter.
As Lou Ying and his companions watched Wu Yingying rush toward them with her Crescent Blade in hand, radiating a terrifying aura, their expressions changed drastically. In that instant, they felt an overwhelming pressure.
They had obtained the Spirit Cores in their possession by killing Ninth-Rank Spirit Beasts themselves, but why weren't they injured?
Lou Ying's scalp prickled. "Retreat! Retreat, now!"
He reacted immediately, turning and shooting into the distance without looking back. He didn't even spare a thought for his companions.
If there had only been the girl before him, he might have tried a desperate fight, but the two behind her were clearly
even more frightening than she was. Never before on the Spirit Road had he felt such suffocating terror.
"Hmph. If I let you escape, Wu Ling would laugh himself to death at me." Wu Yingying snorted, put away her Crescent Blade, and raised her longbow, ready to gather her essence, qi, and spirit and fire.
But before she could attack, Yun Mo and Wen Qingxuan also hurled out dozens of steel needles, just to be safe.
The steel needles crossed dozens of yards in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, they sealed off Lou Ying's escape routes. Some even struck acupoints on his body, forcing him to slow down and dodge.
Whoosh!
Yet the moment his steps slowed, Wu Yingying's arrow reached him from behind. It pierced his shoulder blade and pinned him to an ancient tree.
"Cough, cough..."
Lou Ying smiled bitterly. With every cough, a little blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He could have had a chance at receiving the highest level of empowerment, but the sight of a ninth-rank Token had driven all reason from his mind. If only he had known, he would have ditched his partners sooner and headed straight for the Central Divine Temple.
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