In the next section of the road, the terrain in the forest became more rugged. Li Yun was still walking in front and responsible for identifying the direction, Nangong Yao was responsible for large-scale warning, and Qin Tiexin was behind.
After walking for about half an hour, Nangong Yao raised his hand again to signal that the four Devil Soldier ahead were moving in their direction.
This time, Qin Tiexin still chose to take action.
Four javelins were shot out in sequence. Parent-Child Spear opened the way and blocked the movement, followed closely by Armor-Piercing Spear.
The four high-level Devil Soldier were all killed in less than ten breaths. When the last Devil Soldier fell to the ground, Qin Tiexin had already rushed forward with Edgeless. Sha Qi was absorbed again, but Blood Bead was still not condensed.
He didn't say much, squatted down, skillfully pried open the skull, and took out four Devil Core.
Qin Tiexin spread Devil Core in the palm of his hand and walked towards Nangong Yao and Li Yun.
"These four are yours."
Nangong Yao raised an eyebrow. "You killed it yourself, just keep it yourself. Didn't you say that before?"
Qin Tiexin shook his head. "Forget about the three before, but these four were found by everyone working together and should be divided."
Nangong Yao wanted to say something else, but Li Yun spoke softly from the side, "Senior Sister Nangong, take it. Otherwise Junior Brother Qin will feel bad."
She glanced at Qin Tiexin and said calmly, "You take two, and each of us gets one."
Qin Tiexin frowned. "You will lose too much this way--"
"Junior brother." Nangong Yao interrupted him, stepped forward, took two Devil Core from his palm, and stuffed another one into Li Yun. "That's it, it will get dark if we continue to fight."
Qin Tiexin opened his mouth, but in the end he said nothing more and put the two Devil Core into the storage ring.
After walking for about an hour, the sun began to turn westward. The light in the forest became even dimmer, and the sparse light beams gradually disappeared, leaving only the last afterglow shining through the gaps in the tree crowns.
Li Yun stopped in front of a huge dead tree, took out the map and compared it, then looked up at the sky.
She put away the map without much disappointment in her tone. "The location is wrong, we can't get there today. We can only come back next time."
Without any further delay, the three of them immediately turned around and returned in the direction they came from. Spending the night in Devil Domain Forest was not a wise choice, not to mention those Devil Races that were more active at night. Just the kind of environment that was so dark that you couldn't see your fingers was enough to reduce the operational efficiency of any team to the minimum. Unless there were special means or tasks that had to be completed, no one would choose to spend the night in the forest.
On the way back, Qin Tiexin was not closed [Spirit Material Sense].
After walking about three or four miles, another faint metallic aura appeared in his field of vision - very similar to the aura of the broken sword before. It was the remnant of the artificially forged Law Artifact. It was located about fifteen feet behind them and was also buried underground, less than two feet deep.
He stopped and glanced in that direction.
Nangong Yao noticed his pause. "Are there?"
"Hmm."
The three of them turned in that direction. Qin Tiexin dug through the shallow frozen soil and soon found a skeleton - even worse preserved than the previous one. The bones were scattered, with a few signs of being dragged by wild beasts. The skull rolled aside and the lower body was completely missing.
The identification mark has been completely lost. There is no token, no fragments of clothing, and nothing to prove the identity. There are only a few broken bones and a short knife that has been rusted into scrap metal. The blade and handle have been rusted together. With a little force, the blade is separated from the handle, and there is no value for purification.
Qin Tiexin was silent for a while, then put away the skeleton and the fragments of the dagger.
On the way back, he sensed a third place - but there were only scattered bone fragments and a broken identity token left there. The writing on the token had been completely worn away and nothing could be seen. He also collected it.
When they finally crossed the edge of the forest and set foot on the unobstructed white frozen soil again, it was already approaching dusk. The city wall of Wind and Snow Pass stretched across the horizon, showing a deep silhouette under the last ray of the setting sun.
The three people arrived before the door closed. The Golden Core monk checked the marks on the backs of his hands and confirmed that the vouchers for returning to the city within three days were valid. The three people were not Devil Race pretending to be Devil Race, so he let the three people in without asking any questions.
After entering the inner city, Qin Tiexin did not go back to the refining room and went straight to the north corner of the inner city.
Nangong Yao called him, "Where are you going?"
"Heroic Spirit Shrine."
She was stunned for a moment, and when she saw the bulging Storage Bag on his waist, she didn't ask any more questions and just said, "Then we'll wait for you over there in Fangshi, and we'll have dinner together later."
Qin Tiexin nodded.
Heroic Spirit Shrine In the north corner of the inner city is a small stone palace. There is no plaque at the door, only two words - "heroic spirit" - are engraved on the lintel. The font is correct and the writing is vigorous. It has been eroded by wind and snow for many years, and some of the corners have fallen off.
Qin Tiexin Pushed the door and walked in. The light in the hall was dim, with only a few long lamps on the altar table dancing with weak firelight. In front of the three walls, hundreds of tablets were placed in layers, densely packed, extending from the corners to nearly the height of the ceiling. Some tablets were painted in new colors and the handwriting was clear; some were old and black, with incomplete corners.
An old monk was sitting on the futon next to the altar table. He had white hair and beard, and was wearing a gray cloth robe. He was not from the Ice and Snow Pavilion, nor was he in the standard clothing of any sect. When he saw someone coming in, he slowly raised his head, glanced at Qin Tiexin, and saw the packages he was carefully carrying in his hands.
The old monk didn't ask any further questions, but pointed to an empty stone slab next to the altar table.
Qin Tiexin placed the package on the stone slab and unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing the bones and relics inside.
"Three bodies." He said, "The first one is that of the Great Yan Sect, buried near the boulder in the south. The second one is three or four miles back and has no identification mark. The third one is farther away. The token is completely smoothed and nothing can be seen clearly."
He took out the bronze medal engraved with "Great Yan Sect Chen" from the storage ring and placed it next to the skeleton. He also placed the rotten fragments of Storage Bag and Law Artifact next to it.
The old monk did not speak. He walked forward, lowered his head, and looked at those things carefully for a while. After a while, he straightened up and said in an old and gentle voice, "Three more people did not go home."
The old monk turned to him, looked at him seriously, and nodded slightly. "My dear friend, you are interested."
He paused and then said, "I will register the relics you brought back. Whoever can identify them, I will find a way to notify Great Yan Sect - although that sect has been dispersed, there may be descendants left. The other two will be enshrined in the temple first, and they will be relocated and buried after their identities are found out in the future."
Qin Tiexin nodded.
He stood in the hall, raised his head, and looked at the stacks of memorial tablets. The light of the ever-burning lamp danced on his face, reflecting a calm outline.
The hall was very quiet, except for the low whistling sound caused by the wind blowing through the cracks in the door.