Over the next few days.
Chen Shuangbai continued exploring the forest and gathered quite a few spirit flowers and herbs, but he had also reached the limit of his exploration.
"According to the senior brother at the Expenditure Hall, the Rime Forest is divided into three layers: outer, middle, and inner."
"Qi Refining Stage disciples can only venture into the outer layer. The middle and inner layers contain powerful Demon Beasts deliberately raised by the sect. Anyone who sets foot there is more likely to meet disaster than fortune."
Chen Shuangbai spotted a plain bluish-green banner planted in a pile of rocks not far away. Painted on it was the Jade Spring Sect's emblem-a cold spring beneath a jade terrace.
Not only that, but Chen Shuangbai also sensed an unusual fluctuation.
I suppose this banner doesn't merely warn Qi Refining Stage disciples not to venture farther in. It must also have some means of trapping the powerful Demon Beasts in the middle and inner layers, perhaps?
That was Chen Shuangbai's guess.
He was not reckless enough to insist on forcing his way in, so he promptly turned back and explored elsewhere.
Just then.
A loud crash suddenly rang out nearby.
Chen Shuangbai leaped into the crown of a large tree and looked into the distance. White smoke billowed, and the faint sound of a beast's roar reached him.
"Spirit-Appraising Pupil, open!"
With the Spirit-Appraising Pupil activated, Chen Shuangbai's eyesight was enhanced, allowing him to make out the two combatants.
They were a white bird and a black serpent.
The white bird was magnificent, its feathers pure white all over. Only a tuft of feathers atop its head was a pale gold, shimmering with golden light in the sunlight.
Chen Shuangbai immediately took out the Rime Forest Demon Beast Record he had received from the Expenditure Hall and found the white bird's name.
"Snow-Plumed Eagle, a Demon Beast whose strength is comparable to the Late Qi Refining Stage. It has both wind and ice attributes, nests only near the Great Snow Mountain, and is extremely fast-a sovereign of the skies... how did it end up here?"
Chen Shuangbai frowned and sent out his senses once more. Soon, he learned the reason.
He saw the Snow-Plumed Eagle give a fierce beat of its wings in midair. With a forceful sweep of those wings, each several zhang across, it sent wind blades over a zhang long shooting down at the ground.
In the forest below, beneath the fallen trees and among the deep gouges, a giant serpent as black as ink slithered, nimbly dodging the wind blades, each packed with tremendous destructive power.
Chen Shuangbai saw that the giant black serpent's body was covered in fine, tightly packed scales that reflected a dim sheen. Its head was triangular, with a raised, dark purple fleshy crest on top. As its forked tongue flicked in and out, drops of dark purple venom fell, instantly withering the vegetation. From this, he knew how potent its venom was.
"Rotting Venom Viper... a Demon Beast with both water and poison attributes. Its venom is fierce, its defenses aren't weak either, and it's extremely vengeful. Its strength is roughly at the middle to late layers of Qi Refining..."
Chen Shuangbai was somewhat surprised, but after leafing through the Demon Beast record again, he no longer found it surprising.
The two kinds of Demon Beast countered each other, and both liked to devour the other's young.
Chen Shuangbai remained at a safe distance and operated his Spirit-Appraising Pupil at full strength. By distinguishing the different kinds of Qi, he found several white fragments outside the cave in the hillside from which the Rotting Venom Viper had emerged.
He understood at once. Perhaps the Rotting Venom Viper had devoured the Snow-Plumed Eagle's eggs, provoking the latter's revenge.
Judging by the fighting, this would probably be a bitter battle.
Chen Shuangbai did not approach, nor did he have any intention of picking up the spoils.
Either of these two Demon Beasts would be deadly to Chen Shuangbai at his current realm.
He wanted to grow stronger, but he wasn't looking to get himself killed.
Just as Chen Shuangbai was about to leave this place of trouble, a fluctuation of spiritual power suddenly flickered nearby, forcing him to look over.
A Law Power summons between Jade Spring Sect disciples?
Every sect had its own unique Law Power mark.
This was both to prevent its disciples from being offended by other sects and to save their lives at critical moments.
Chen Shuangbai pondered for a moment, then slowly approached.
When he reached the place where the Law Power summons had come from, he found a man and a woman dressed in Jade Spring Sect disciple robes.
The man was tall and handsome, with a sword on his back. The woman had strikingly beautiful features and wore her hair in a bun. Silver bells gleamed on her fair hands, and she held a flying wheel.
As the Law Power fluctuations unique to a Jade Spring Sect disciple drew near, both of them sensed it at once and looked toward Chen Shuangbai.
"Which peak are you from, junior brother?"
Chen Shuangbai emerged from the forest and cupped his fists in greeting. "Outer sect, Chen Shuangbai."
The two wore the robes of inner disciples, which were quite different from Chen Shuangbai's outer disciple robes.
When Chen Shuangbai identified himself as an outer disciple, a trace of disappointment appeared in the female cultivator's eyes, though she quickly concealed it. The male cultivator beside her, however, seemed not to mind at all and promptly introduced himself.
"So it's Junior Brother Chen..."
"I'm Ding Chengyu, a disciple of Heavenly Spring Peak. This is Junior Sister Lu Xin, a disciple of Cloud-Resting Peak."
Chen Shuangbai nodded slightly.
The Jade Spring Sect's inner sect had six peaks.
Jade-Rinsing, Cloud-Roosting, Dew-Drinking, Moon-Drawn, Snow-Listening, and Heavenly Spring.
Each peak's Peak Master was a great cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and had to be at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
Snow-Listening Peak was the exception.
Its Peak Master was a Golden Core True Person, True Person Mei.
Her status and strength were second only to those of the Jade Spring Sect's sect master, Ling Qingque.
If an outer disciple broke through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer before the age of thirty, they could enter the inner sect and choose one of the peaks to cultivate on.
After the three exchanged a few pleasantries, Chen Shuangbai asked why the two had summoned fellow disciples in the vicinity.
Ding Chengyu said, "I expect you saw the two fighting Demon Beasts as well, Junior Brother Chen."
"As I understand it, the Rotting Venom Viper devoured three of the Snow-Plumed Eagle's eggs and bit its mate to death. That brought out the Snow-Plumed Eagle's ferocity. Today, it's a matter of either you die or I live."
"So you intend to let the two fight and reap the fisherman's profit, senior brother?"
Chen Shuangbai added.
Ding Chengyu nodded. "That's what Junior Sister Lu and I had in mind."
Chen Shuangbai fell silent.
He glanced again at the great commotion nearby. Both Demon Beasts still seemed to have plenty of strength, and he thought it would take some time before a victor emerged.
Could Senior Brother Ding and Senior Sister Lu have some other method?
As Chen Shuangbai pondered, Ding Chengyu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I didn't expect to meet you here, Junior Brother Chen."
After a long dream, Ding Chengyu had gained some memories.
He knew of many things he did not currently know that might happen in the future, and he also knew the significance of the Junior Brother Chen before him.
He had avoided meeting him before because he did not want to interfere.
Yet he had never expected to meet him here.
Just then.
Lu Xin suddenly spoke up from the side.
"Don't worry, Junior Brother Chen. We're not asking you to stand around waiting here. We've already prepared a method."