Chapter 27: Cooperation!

"Awoooo..."

Low, angry roars rose and fell throughout the dense forest. Amidst the whistling winds, over a dozen Clawed Demon Wolves lunged from different directions. Their sharp claws shimmered with a cold, eerie light, seemingly intent on tearing everything in their path to shreds.

Amidst the wolf pack, a figure moved with mysterious footwork, his body flowing like swift light and drifting clouds. No matter how ferociously the demon wolves attacked, they could not even graze the hem of his clothes.

Ling Feng's expression remained calm and indifferent.

This was already the third day since Ling Feng had entered the Great Desolation Mountain Range. During these three days, he had experienced countless battles and had long since grown accustomed to the feeling of being besieged by demon beasts.

The Clawed Demon Wolves still fell within the category of second-tier demon beasts. A single one was not difficult to deal with, but encountering a pack was something even an ordinary cultivator in the late stage of the Qi Condensation Realm might not dare to provoke lightly.

Ling Feng had perfectly integrated the Cloud-Chasing Steps with the Swift Light Steps, almost creating an entirely new movement technique. Fighting the wolf pack felt like a leisurely stroll in a garden.

"Zheng!"

A flash of sword light erupted, appearing like a falling meteor streaked with starlight. With a single strike split into three, three bursts of sword qi shot forth. Three demon wolves were instantly pierced through the heart by the Star-Shattering Sword Qi, dying instantly.

Vision, movement, and swordsmanship!

When these three were fused into one, a near-perfect swordsman was born!

"It is time to end this battle and head deeper into the Great Desolation Mountain Range for training."

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. Through these three days of combat, his true qi cultivation had broken through once again, reaching the level of the fifth stage of Qi Condensation.

No longer holding back, Ling Feng's sword intent became domineering and fierce. The Star-Shattering Sword Manual was a high-level sword technique of the Immortal Inquiry Sect, typically only accessible to the true disciples of the various Peak Masters.

Without considerable comprehension, one might not achieve anything even after ten years of hard practice.

"Starry Illusion Destruction Kill!"

The sword qi surged, and violent astral winds swept in all directions. Countless sword shadows flickered across the sky like a falling galaxy, and the sword light shone like a rainbow!

The remaining demon wolves' blood-red pupils flickered with terror. They let out mournful cries and whimpers, and almost instantly, they turned tail and fled in unison.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At the very moment the wolves turned to run, the sword qi erupted. Streaks of sword qi pierced through their bodies and skulls. One after another, the demon wolves collapsed into pools of blood.

"In three days, my Star-Shattering Sword Manual has broken through to another level."

"After being baptized by blood, both my strikes and my recoveries have attained a sense of returning to simplicity."

Ling Feng looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and nodded with satisfaction.

After quickly processing the wolf corpses and collecting all the valuable materials, Ling Feng deployed his movement technique and left the area.

Before long, Ling Feng arrived at the edge of a babbling stream. He crouched down to wash the bloodstains from his body.

At that moment, a small team approached from behind. There were five people in total—four men and one woman—all around twenty years old and quite young.

The five were dressed in martial attire and carried longswords on their backs. Their steps were steady and powerful, clearly indicating they possessed solid foundations.

Seeing Ling Feng there, the five showed little curiosity. The Great Desolation Mountain Range was a training ground for disciples of all nearby martial sects, so it was easy to encounter fellow disciples.

"I am Wang Tong, an inner disciple of the Heavenly Cloud Sword Sect of Mount Tianhua. May I ask which sect you hail from?"

The leader was a man with a square face. He was the eldest among them and possessed the strongest aura. He sized Ling Feng up, glanced at the profound-grade sword "Moon Slayer" on Ling Feng's back, forced a smile, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am a disciple of the Immortal Inquiry Sect. Is there something you need?" Ling Feng jumped up from the stream, turned slightly to face the five, and responded indifferently.

"The Immortal Inquiry Sect..." The square-faced man's eyelid twitched slightly. The Immortal Inquiry Sect was highly renowned in the seven southern provinces of the Tianbai Empire, and its comprehensive strength was considered first-rate in the Immortal Trace Mountain Range. Hearing the name, the disciples of the Heavenly Cloud Sword Sect were visibly moved.

"So it is a fellow Daoist from the Immortal Inquiry Sect!" Wang Tong laughed heartily. "We were just worrying that we lacked the manpower to seize that Heaven-and-Earth Exotic Fruit. To think we would run into you here—heaven truly assists us!"

Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking at Wang Tong with some suspicion.

"Ah, it's like this!" Wang Tong appeared quite honest. He slapped his forehead and immediately explained, "A few days ago, we discovered a piece of heavenly treasure behind the mountain to the right. It is almost ripe, but a Cloud-Patterned Striped Tiger is guarding it. That tiger is no simple beast; it is a peak second-tier demon beast, with strength exceeding an ordinary tenth-stage Qi Condensation expert!"

"Even with the five of us working together, we might not be able to handle it. Since you are a disciple of the Immortal Inquiry Sect, your strength must be extraordinary. I believe that with your help, we can surely slay the Cloud-Patterned Striped Tiger and claim the Heaven-and-Earth Exotic Fruit!"

"Oh?" A hint of amusement flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. "Once the fruit is obtained, how will it be distributed?"

Wang Tong immediately said, "Although there is only one Heaven-and-Earth Exotic Fruit, the fruit itself and the roots can be divided. Furthermore, that Cloud-Patterned Striped Tiger is a treasure trove itself. I have always admired the disciples of the Immortal Inquiry Sect, so I shall treat this as giving to a friend. We will give the demon core of the beast to you. How does that sound?"

"A peak second-tier demon core, is it?" Ling Feng nodded. "Deal!"

After all, the other party had discovered the fruit first, and the five of them were the primary combat force. If they truly gave him the demon core, it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

"Good, haha!" Wang Tong grinned widely. "A pleasure to cooperate!"

"A pleasure to cooperate," Ling Feng replied with a slight smile, though he thought to himself: *You'd better stick to the agreement, otherwise, you'll bear the consequences!*

There is no such thing as a free lunch. It was impossible that they would simply give him a peak second-tier demon core just because he was a disciple of the Immortal Inquiry Sect.

Ling Feng did not trust these people much, but with great skill comes great audacity; he was willing to take the gamble.

"Please, follow me!" As Wang Tong spoke, he sped off toward the mountain on the right.

...

Six figures moved swiftly through the mountain forest, their footsteps on dead branches and leaves making faint rustling sounds that vanished into the wind.

"The Cloud-Patterned Striped Tiger is a peak second-tier demon beast. Even with you all plus me, I'm afraid we might not have much of a chance to kill it, right?" As they flew forward, Ling Feng couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Don't worry. Since we dared to set our sights on the Heaven-and-Earth Exotic Fruit, we have naturally made preparations."

The one who answered was the woman in the group, named Zhu Xia. She was quite pretty, with a hint of heroism in her eyes. It was worth noting that her figure was quite curvaceous.

Ling Feng nodded. "As long as you are prepared, then it's fine."

"By the way, Brother Ling Feng, since we are cooperating, you should let us get a sense of your strength so you can integrate into our new team more quickly, don't you think?" Wang Tong suddenly said with a smile.

"That makes sense," Ling Feng nodded. "I specialize in swordsmanship. Alone, I can handle about three to five Clawed Demon Wolves."

"Haha, the disciples of the Immortal Inquiry Sect are indeed formidable!"

Wang Tong laughed loudly, and after leading the group for a while longer, they finally arrived at their destination.