Night fell.
Lu Yuanding led the group to rest out in the wilderness.
There was no denying it: these Spirit Steeds were far beyond ordinary horses.
Lu Changsheng did not know how to ride, but even after a full day of travel, he did not feel particularly tired.
"May I ask, Patriarch Lu, how long will it take to reach Green Bamboo Mountain?"
One of the youths asked.
"These Spirit Steeds can travel a thousand li a day. At this pace, we'll reach Green Bamboo Mountain in just over half a month."
That was Lu Yuanding's answer.
A thousand li a day?
Just over half a month?
At those words, everyone exchanged looks, their expressions turning rather grim.
Lu Changsheng was somewhat speechless too.
Wasn't that ridiculously far?
Lu Yuanding seemed not to notice their sour expressions.
He took out a porcelain bottle and said, "Half a month will pass in no time."
"These are Fasting Pills. Once you eat one, you won't feel hungry for a month. Here, one each."
As he spoke, he handed each person a Fasting Pill.
Lu Changsheng examined the soybean-sized brown pill in his hand, then swallowed it without thinking too much.
He was already aboard now. Even if the pill really was poisonous, he would have to eat it.
Besides, the Lu Lineage had no reason to harm them.
After eating their Fasting Pills, several youths sat cross-legged and began cultivating during the rest, clearly already possessing cultivation methods.
Li Feiyu, meanwhile, went off to one side to practice martial arts alone.
From their earlier conversation, Lu Changsheng knew that Li Feiyu, the young master of the Red Whale Gang, was highly skilled in martial arts.
At only eighteen, he was already a first-rate expert in the martial world.
After resting for six to eight hours, the group continued on their way.
And so it went.
Half a month passed amid the monotony of travel.
"Stay alert. Green Bamboo Mountain is just ahead."
Riding his Spirit Steed along the main road, Lu Yuanding called back to the listless youths behind him.
After half a month of tedious travel, everyone had grown numb, exhausted in both body and mind.
Lu Changsheng looked equally drained.
In his previous life, even a single day spent riding in a vehicle had left his whole body aching.
Let alone half a month on horseback.
Hearing Lu Yuanding say that they were almost at Green Bamboo Mountain, everyone perked up considerably.
At last, these days of suffering were coming to an end.
The five accompanying Lu Lineage cultivators also breathed sighs of relief.
Escorting the group was a Lineage assignment; they had to bring these Immortal Seedlings home safely.
Yet just then, without warning-
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Dozens of glittering, razor-sharp ice spikes suddenly burst from the nearby ground and shot toward Lu Changsheng and the others.
"Watch out! Enemy attack!"
Lu Yuanding's expression changed drastically, and he roared.
At the same time, he thrust out his hand, spreading his fingers. Fireballs radiating scorching heat flew forth to intercept the ice spikes.
"Protect the Immortal Seedlings!"
The other five Lu Lineage cultivators also unleashed their abilities. Earthen walls and curtains of water appeared, shielding Lu Changsheng and the other Immortal Seedlings.
But with so many ice spikes, three Immortal Seedlings were still struck through the chest. They toppled from their Spirit Steeds with heavy thuds, their lives extinguished.
So this was the world of cultivation.
Watching the horrifying scene, Lu Changsheng swallowed, his face turning slightly pale.
Although he had transmigrated, he had never witnessed such slaughter, either in his previous life or this one.
This was his first time.
At that moment, he gained a clear understanding of the cultivation world's cruelty.
"Hahaha! Lu Yuanding, you want to bring these Immortal Seedlings back? Have you asked the Chen Lineage's permission?"
Cultivators burst out of the ground one after another.
Leading them was a tall, middle-aged man in crimson robes.
"Chen Shuisheng, you dare run wild here on my Green Bamboo Mountain's territory!"
Lu Yuanding stared at the crimson-robed man and snapped coldly.
Naturally, he recognized him.
He was the patriarch of the Chen Lineage of Red Leaf Valley, the sworn enemy of their Lu Lineage of Green Bamboo Mountain!
But Lu Yuanding had never expected him to dare launch an ambush right on his doorstep.
Still, this was indeed the best moment for the enemy to ambush them.
Not only was everyone exhausted, but their vigilance had slackened as well.
As he spoke, a yellow talisman appeared in his hand and swiftly burned.
It was a Message-T transmitting Talisman!
He was calling the Lineage for reinforcements!
"Finish this quickly! Kill!"
Chen Shuisheng sneered. His lips moved slightly as he thrust both palms forward, sending out a biting chill that condensed into sharp ice spikes hurtling toward Lu Yuanding.
The ten cultivators behind him also attacked, charging at Lu Changsheng and the other Immortal Seedlings.
Their targets were not the Lu Lineage cultivators, but the Immortal Seedlings!
Boom, boom, boom!
The two sides clashed.
The Chen Lineage already held the advantage in numbers. With the Lu Lineage also forced to protect the Immortal Seedlings, they were badly constrained and immediately fell into a losing position.
Splat!
Just then, a green Wind Blade shot through the Lu Lineage's defenses and sliced an Immortal Seedling beside Lu Changsheng in two.
Blood sprayed over Lu Changsheng, leaving his mind blank.
"Watch out!"
Another Wind Blade broke through the defenses and shot toward Lu Changsheng.
But Li Feiyu, standing nearby, had sharp eyes and quick hands. He sprang up nimbly and tackled Lu Changsheng to the ground, dodging the attack.
"Thank you, Brother Li."
Lu Changsheng came back to his senses, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
Had Li Feiyu not tackled him, that Wind Blade would have struck him, and he would undoubtedly have died.
As a transmigrator who even had a system, dying like this would have been truly galling.
After witnessing this world's cruelty, Lu Changsheng was frightened, but his resolve to cultivate only grew stronger.
In this world where the strong devoured the weak and the law of the jungle ruled, anyone without strength was nothing but an ant, their life as worthless as a blade of grass!
"Waaah! Cultivation is too dangerous! I want to go home!"
"Please, spare me! This has nothing to do with me!"
"Run! Staying here is just waiting to die!"
Seeing the Lu Lineage losing ground and several Immortal Seedlings slaughtered, some Immortal Seedlings wept and begged for mercy, while others simply chose to flee.
However-
The moment two of them ran beyond the Lu Lineage's protection, fireballs, Wind Blades, and ice spikes killed them, frightening anyone else who wanted to flee into staying put.
At that moment, Lu Changsheng and the others were lambs awaiting slaughter. All they could do was pray that the Lu Lineage held out.
Fortunately, before long, a series of sounds cut through the air.
Figures flew toward them from Green Bamboo Mountain ahead.
"Retreat!"
Seeing that the Lu Lineage's reinforcements had arrived, Chen Shuisheng did not hesitate. He made the decision immediately and led his people away.
"Father, are you all right?"
Just then, a woman in a snow-white dress swiftly floated down beside Lu Yuanding. Her voice was like the flowing waters of a clear spring, her face full of concern.
Her features were exquisite, her figure slender, tall, and graceful. Her white skirts fluttered, revealing a small stretch of smooth, jade-like, snow-white calf. Like a celestial maiden descending to earth, she left the Immortal Seedlings who had just escaped the gates of death staring in a daze.
Lu Changsheng was no better.
After the deluge of beautiful women he had seen online in his previous life, he had thought nothing could truly dazzle him.
But this woman in white did.
A lovely face framed by delicate brows, eyes like autumn waters, a fine, straight nose, lips like crimson clouds, and skin as fair as jade-she embodied bright eyes and pearly teeth, skin of ice and bones of jade.
Most captivating of all was her bearing.
Pure and otherworldly, refined as an immortal, she was like a snow lotus atop a heavenly mountain, standing apart from the mortal world.
If not for the concern on her face, she would have seemed a fairy untouched by the smoke and dust of mortal life.
If marrying into the Lu Lineage meant marrying a woman like her and having children, forget fifty-I'd have no problem with a hundred.
The thought surfaced in Lu Changsheng's mind.
But a moment's reflection told him that this was plainly impossible.
As the patriarch's daughter, how could she possibly marry one of these live-in sons-in-law brought in for "breeding"?
That could only happen in a dream.
"Miaoge, I'm fine. I just used up too much spiritual power."
Lu Yuanding waved a hand at his daughter.
Lu Miaoge.
The youths all committed the name of this otherworldly, breathtaking woman to memory.
Lu Changsheng remembered the name as well.
The other arriving members of the Lu Lineage landed one after another. Seeing that Lu Yuanding and his people were unharmed and only eight Immortal Seedlings had died, they did not take it too much to heart.
Losing eight Immortal Seedlings was a pity, but not enough to cause them much anguish.
After all, they had yet to invest any resources in these Immortal Seedlings.
Afterward, the group reached Green Bamboo Mountain safely.
Before you continue