The Attack
"It's safe now~" Li Yingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, wiping her forehead, which was covered in cold sweat.
She had just released the bowstring when she suddenly sensed something unusual—where the squirrel had darted past, the edges of several fern leaves shimmered with a faint silver light, like dew that lingered without falling.
Li Yingqiu's pupils contracted. "A miraculous medicine!?"
I quietly climbed down from the tree, my fingertips lightly touching the silvery light, a cool sensation seeping into my skin.
Dew-Congealing Fern, the main ingredient in refining "Heart-Clearing Powder"!
She quickly picked three plants, stuffed them into the coarse cloth bag in her bosom, and moved so gently that she didn't even disturb the withered leaves.
"A single Dew-Congealing Fern costs about 1500 yuan on the market, so three would be 4500 yuan, enough for Sixian's monthly life-extending pills, and there might even be some left over to buy low-level talismans for self-defense."
A long-lost glimmer of light appeared on Li Yingqiu's face, reflected in her tired yet resolute eyes.
She wasn't afraid of danger, only that her loved ones wouldn't get the life-saving medicine she was given.
Ah~
A piercing scream tore through the silence of the forest, Li Yingqiu turned around abruptly.
It's those demon soldiers!
With a change in expression, Li Yingqiu turned around without hesitation and ran into the depths of the dense forest. The screams behind her grew louder and louder, mixed with the desperate roars of the wild boar demon and the panicked whimpers of the dog demon.
In the sky, the Dharma Protector Evil Eye suddenly intensified, staring intently into the depths of the mountains and forests, locking onto the fleeing figure.
"Chirp~" Qiuqiu raised its tentacle in confusion and touched its smooth forehead.
They don't seem like enemies...
After thinking for a moment, it gently touched Lin Xu with its Mind Link: "Master, look~"
Lin Xu glanced at it casually, then his eyes narrowed instantly. "An adventurer?"
He was startled; this was the first time he had ever seen a real human in the Spirit Realm —excluding Liu Jiayao, who, after his consciousness was devoured by the Soul-Devouring Mist, was merely an NPC.
Dressed as a hunter, she was slender yet exuded a resilient spirit that had weathered many storms; even her tough leather armor couldn't conceal the impressive outline of her bust.
A short sword, about a foot long, hung at his waist, a hunting bow was slung across his body, his brown-grey cloak fluttered in the wind, and his long hair was tied into a neat ponytail.
His resolute eyes, weathered yet undeterred brows, and distinct oval face with a high nose bridge and pale lips pressed tightly together, seemed to defiantly cling to fate.
"A lone traveler..." Using the Evil Eye's vision to scan the vast surrounding forest, Lin Xu temporarily set aside his worries and focused on conquering the cave.
If she were backed by an adventure team, she would have companions providing cover and perhaps disrupting his plans, but she was no threat alone—he was not a bloodthirsty person.
After some time, the demon cave in this nameless hill seems to have become even more prosperous, with more than a dozen demon soldiers patrolling at the foot of the surrounding mountains.
According to the description on the Spirit Realm Forum, the NPC forces here also have the potential to grow, and their power will gradually increase as their territory expands and time goes by.
Perhaps due to the presence of Spirit Vein here, the demon cave is growing faster than expected...
Lin Xu frowned slightly, but did not stop. Since he was determined to seize this spiritual cave, there was no reason to back down.
The red sedan chair continued forward, and the ghosts surged towards the foot of the mountain like a tide.
The patrolling demon soldiers suddenly became alert, only to find their retreat blocked by the red-clad paper figures, who had completely surrounded them.
"Kill!" A line of blood flashed across the sky. The red-clad paper figure spread its arms, and dozens of red lines crisscrossed like a net, firmly binding several small demons.
With a strong pull, the little demon was dragged towards the group of ghosts in a tug-of-war-like manner.
"How dare you!" the demon soldier Captain roared, slamming his iron spear down on the red line.
"Snap!" The red thread was severed by the iron spear, turning into a fine mist of blood in the air.
Amidst the pervasive blood mist, the red-clad paper figure did not hesitate; a second wave of red threads shot out from its sleeves, coiling around the demon soldier's neck like a venomous snake's tongue.
Lin Xu stood in mid-air, looking down at the battle.
The Red-Robed Ghosts more elite than he had imagined. These demon soldiers were individually quite strong, but their coordination was poor and their formation was scattered. Therefore, the ghosts never went forward for close combat. Instead, they used their numbers to overwhelm the enemy, using silk threads to restrain them and wear them down through hit-and-run tactics.
Hundreds of people fought against a dozen or so demon soldiers. Amidst the crisscrossing red lines, the demon soldiers were in a sorry state, unable to even retaliate, only concerned with dodging the blood lines raining down.
An unlucky demon soldier was entangled by red threads around his ankle and dragged into the Red-Robed Ghosts. In a short time, he was torn to pieces, and his blood mist was quickly absorbed as nourishment by the red-clad paper figures.
Upon seeing this, the demon soldier Captain roared, his demonic Yao Qi surging, and his body instantly grew larger. He swung his iron spear in a circle, creating a whirlwind that shattered all the approaching red lines.
His eyes were bloodshot, his fangs bulged, and he leaped up, charging straight at the Ghost Bride's red sedan chair.
This stirred up a hornet's nest. A ghost holding a lantern suddenly appeared and blocked the demon soldier Captain's path.
The large red lantern spewed out a streak of blood-red flame, which shot straight at the face of the demon soldier Captain like a poisonous dragon.
It roared and parried with its spear, only to see the blood flames instantly transform into countless wailing souls that clung to the spear and flowed upstream against the Yao Qi.
The demon soldier Captain screamed in agony, his eye sockets instantly shriveled, and half of his body sizzled as if being burned, his skin and flesh charred and peeling off.
The blood-flame lantern trembled violently, and the lantern-wielding ghost let out a shriek. With a shake of its arms, it inverted the lantern and pressed down, forcibly stuffing the struggling demon soul into the lantern.
The lantern flickered with an eerie light, and the demonic soul within it twisted in agony, gradually transforming into a wisp of pure spiritual energy, which was slowly absorbed by the lantern.
The ghost holding the lamp was surrounded by black mist, which was slowly refined by the spiritual flames in its soul, turning into pure magic power. Most of it flowed into the depths of the red sedan chair through some inexplicable connection, while the rest slowly nourished the soul.
Even after Water and Fire Refinement and Deliverance, a ghost is still a ghost. Apart from normal cultivation, the fastest way for ghosts to grow is to devour the flesh and souls of living beings, especially extraordinary essences containing Spiritual Qi energy, which are the most nourishing.
"It seems that we need to re-train the ghosts every now and then..." Lin Xu, sitting on the cloud, watched this scene and pondered to himself.
After the horde of ghosts devoured the demons, the flesh and blood of these demonic souls significantly enhanced the ghosts' soul power, but also intensified their malevolence.
This is the drawback of unorthodox cultivation. While devouring the flesh, blood, and souls of living beings can accelerate cultivation, the resentment and malevolence within will also erode one's intelligence, eventually leading to madness and demonic possession.
Having dealt with the patrolling demon soldiers blocking their way, Lin Xu changed his route. He directed the ghosts to advance quietly along the foot of the mountain, avoiding the demon's lair shrouded in Yao Qi halfway up the mountain.
"Clear out these scattered demons first, then attack the demon cave!"
At Lin Xu's command, the Ghost Bride changed the direction of the ghosts' march, and the red-clad paper figures surged towards the patrol team in the shady part of the mountain like a tide.
Red threads rained down from the sky, weaving into a net. Patrol teams of demon soldiers were caught off guard and fell into the net. The demon soldiers who were entangled by the red threads turned into blood mist with miserable screams, nourishing the red paper figures' clothes, which became even brighter.
After slaying four patrolling demon soldiers, the group of ghosts turned and charged towards the cliff face directly opposite the demon's lair in the shady part of the mountain.