Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Spirit-devouring Blade Bird
He hadn’t stopped Blade from making a move earlier because he was aware of Ye Xuan’s strength. Faced with the others’ skepticism, he had also wanted Ye Xuan to display some of his power and settle the dispute.
He just hadn’t expected Ye Xuan’s move to be so ruthless. While it left Zhao Wei stunned, he was also overjoyed.
Naturally, he hoped his team would be as strong as possible.
"It’s nothing." Ye Xuan smiled faintly, not taking it to heart.
He knew his previous inaction had been somewhat inappropriate for a team member. ’But those minor scuffles truly weren’t enough to stir any desire in me to act.’
’Showing a little strength now will save me some trouble later.’
Of course, just because he didn’t care to react didn’t mean he had let the matter go. Blade had repeatedly tried to cause trouble for him, and the only reason Ye Xuan hadn’t retaliated was out of respect for Zhao Wei.
’If the man knows what’s good for him, things will be fine. But if he continues to be clueless and looks for more trouble, I probably won’t let it slide so easily next time.’
With a few words from Zhao Wei, the minor conflict quickly dissipated.
The group of six set out once more.
This time, however, everyone’s attitude toward Ye Xuan had quietly changed.
Ye Xuan and the five others darted through the jungle, their figures like flashes of lightning.
The location Zhao Wei had mentioned wasn’t at the foot of Cyan Profound Mountain, but in a cave on the mountainside, which was still a good distance away.
The group remained silent along the way, following Zhao Wei’s lead and proceeding with caution. Any Demon Beast they encountered was swiftly cut down.
Fortunately, this was a royal forbidden ground, so Demon Beasts were not numerous. Thanks to their caution, they didn’t encounter a single Demon Beast of Tier Three or higher. The journey had been tense but without any real danger.
It seemed they would reach their destination soon.
Suddenly, Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed and he came to an abrupt halt.
"Hold on, everyone," he said coldly, his gaze fixed forward.
Through his Soul Power, he could sense a strange fluctuation faintly emanating from ahead, a ripple that was steadily growing stronger.
"Brother Ye Xuan, what is it?"
Zhao Wei stopped and asked, confused.
Ye Xuan stood on a large boulder, gazing into the distance. "Everyone, be careful. A large horde of Demon Beasts is headed this way."
"What?"
"A large horde of Demon Beasts?"
Zhao Wei and the others’ expressions changed, a look of shocked disbelief on their faces.
As far as they could sense, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the forest.
Blade went so far as to press his ear to the ground to listen carefully. After a moment, he stood up, shook his head at the others, and said coldly, "Are you sure you didn’t sense wrong?"
Ye Xuan said nothing, instead activating the Heavenly Listening and Earthly Seeing Skill from his Formless Soul Skill. He scanned the surroundings, his face grave.
The Formless Soul Skill was an incredibly powerful Soul Skill Ye Xuan had mastered in his past life. It contained various methods for refining Soul Power and included many powerful auxiliary Soul Skills. The Soul Summoning Skill he had used to treat his father and the Heavenly Listening and Earthly Seeing Skill he was now employing were two of the best examples.
Normally, Soul Masters below Third Grade couldn’t even begin to practice it. However, Ye Xuan’s mastery of Soul Skills in his past life was so profound that, using special methods, he was able to use one or two of its techniques.
Seeing Ye Xuan’s expression, Qing Ling and the others also grew slightly more serious.
During their time together, they had all come to know Ye Xuan as someone who remained unruffled by anything. This was the first time they had ever seen such a grave expression on his face.
"Ye Xuan, what exactly did you sense? I can’t hear a thing," Zhao Wei asked, stepping forward.
No one knew that besides being a Third Layer Martial Artist, Zhao Wei was also a Soul Master. Yet, even with his Soul Power, he couldn’t sense anything in the vicinity.
"Just putting on an act," Blade muttered.
Qing Ling and the others also frowned; even when they focused their senses, they detected nothing.
"Brother Zhao, how much farther is that cave you mentioned?" Ye Xuan suddenly asked.
"About twenty miles away!"
"Let’s go! Take us there, now!" Ye Xuan said grimly. The moment he finished speaking, he shot forward.
Though Zhao Wei and the others were confused, they didn’t ask questions. He immediately took the lead, and the group sped toward the cave.
After traveling for several miles, the expressions on everyone’s faces grew odd. They still hadn’t seen a single trace of any Demon Beasts, and they all began to doubt Ye Xuan’s warning.
Blade couldn’t help but laugh. "Ye Xuan, where exactly is this great horde of Demon Beasts you mentioned? I’m looking around, but I don’t see a single thing stirring."
His words were normal enough, but combined with his smirk, they were clearly mocking.
The others also shot Ye Xuan odd looks.
Ye Xuan didn’t respond. He suddenly looked up, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Look again."
"Look again? There’s nothing there." Blade stared into the dense forest ahead, where there was still no sign of movement.
Suddenly, the color drained from Qing Ling’s face. "Quick, look at the sky!" she cried in horror.
’The sky?’
Everyone looked up, their faces turning deathly pale with horror.
In the distant sky, a dense black mass of shadows suddenly appeared, sweeping toward them. The shadows were layered one on top of the other, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a black ocean wave surging in their direction.
Along with the black tide came the sound of countless birds, a CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP that grew louder and louder. Anyone who wasn’t deaf could hear the overwhelming noise.
"Oh no, it’s Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds!"
"Gods, how are there so many Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds!"
Everyone was utterly stunned, a chill spreading from the soles of their feet, as if they had been plunged into an ice cave.
Zhao Wei’s eyes widened in terror. "There must be thousands, no, tens of thousands of them! This is bad! Everyone, follow me!"
A chill ran down everyone’s spine. A horde of tens of thousands of Tier Two Demon Beasts... this was a death sentence.
Fighting was out of the question. To stay meant certain death.
At that moment, even Blade shut his mouth, his face pale with terror.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH, SWOOSH!
Figures shot through the forest like flashes of wind and lightning.
But how could their running speed ever compare to the flight of the Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds? After another few miles, the several dozen birds at the head of the flock had already spotted their targets and dove down immediately.
SHING!
Gritting their teeth, everyone drew their weapons mid-stride, preparing for a fight to the death.
"Wait, don’t engage them!" Suddenly, Zhao Wei took out several pill-like spheres and flicked them into the air.
The spheres exploded in midair, releasing a cloud of pink smoke that gradually began to spread.
"Beast-Driving Pills," Qing Ling and the others said, their eyes lighting up.
As the pink smoke dispersed, the dozens of leading Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds immediately began to cry out, a cacophony of CHIRPS. They seemed terrified of the smoke.
"Don’t relax!" Zhao Wei said, his face grim. "These Beast-Driving Pills are only Second Grade. I doubt they can drive the flock away; they’ll only slow their advance."
Sure enough, while the Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds were terrified of the pink smoke, the momentum of the enormous flock behind them forced some to break through the barrier and continue their charge.
Once a dozen or so Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds passed through it, the pink smoke dissipated completely.
POP! POP! POP!
Immediately after, Zhao Wei flicked out more Beast-Driving Pills one after another, continuously halting the Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds’ pursuit.
The group managed to advance another few miles this way before Zhao Wei’s expression suddenly changed. "Watch out, everyone! I’m out of Beast-Driving Pills!"
"SKREE! SKREE!"
The words had barely left his mouth when several Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds dove viciously toward the group.
"Die!"
Qing Ling let out a sharp cry. Two scimitars, thin as a cicada’s wings, appeared in her hands. The blades flowed like water, effortlessly slicing through a Spirit-Devouring Blade Bird.
The others also struck out, and in the blink of an eye, several more Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds fell from the sky, spilling their blood.
But the group’s forward momentum came to a halt.
This hesitation was all it took for even more Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds to descend. The sight of blood in the air seemed to drive them into a frenzy. Screeching "SKREE! SKREE!", their eyes turned bloodshot as they dove ferociously.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds earned their name because their wings were as sharp as blades. Each swipe carried the force of a full-powered strike from an ordinary expert of the Martial Master Realm.
A single one of these attacks posed no threat to geniuses like Qing Ling, who were on the Prodigy Roll, but the sheer number of Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds was the critical factor.
One blow was nothing, but dozens or even hundreds of them would force even an Earth Martial Artist to beat a hasty retreat.
In an instant, the group was completely surrounded by the sky-filling swarm of Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds, trapped in a desperate crisis.
"This is bad. What do we do now?"
"Are we really going to die here?"
A heavy despair filled everyone’s eyes.
"Into the trees!" Zhao Wei yelled through gritted teeth.
Fighting as they went, the group retreated into a dense section of the forest, hoping to use the thick canopy to block the Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds’ attacks.
Sure enough, the forest canopy slowed the Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds’ assault.
But then, more Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds dove down, their wings like blades, shredding the massive trees to pieces and exposing Zhao Wei and his group once more.
Zhao Wei and the others could only manage a bitter smile. They looked up at the seemingly endless swarm of Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds, their eyes filled with helplessness.
About fifteen miles away from Zhao Wei’s group, in the crevice of a mountain pass, several figures had appeared. They stood watching the distant flock of Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds, a cold smile playing on their lips.
"Mr. Mo, your skill at luring beasts is truly impressive. To think you could incite so many Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds at once. With this, Eighth Brother and his people are in for some serious trouble."
This group was none other than the Sixth Prince and his men.
"You flatter me, Sixth Prince," a middle-aged man said with a faint smile. "This was only possible because Your Highness informed me of the Spirit-Devouring Blade Birds’ nest. Otherwise, I would have been helpless. Even the most clever chef can’t cook without ingredients. Therefore, the greatest credit belongs to you, Your Highness."
