Chapter 25: Encountering Danger

The few people nearby were surprised to see the white mist in the formation suddenly dissipate, and they only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the person walking out was Song Qingming.

The middle-aged Confucian scholar, who had agreed to wait here with Song Qingming yesterday, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and spoke

"When I arrived just now, I couldn't see you from a distance, so I thought you had already left this place on your own. I didn't expect you to be hiding within this formation. My junior sister does not understand formations; please do not take offense if she has offended you."

Seeing the mist clear, the green-clad woman realized she had fallen into a formation set by Song Qingming. Hearing the middle-aged scholar speak so politely to him, and remembering how much embarrassment he had just caused her, she immediately let out a few complaints

"Why on earth did this man set up a formation at this crossroads? He caused me to be trapped for no reason; I thought I had fallen into some kind of restriction trap, and now it's somehow my fault!"

"Sorry... sorry..."

Seeing that the woman was somewhat angry, Song Qingming smiled without offering an explanation. He sincerely bowed his head and apologized, which finally managed to soothe her temper.

"My junior sister has had a stubborn temperament since childhood; I ask for your forbearance, Fellow Daoist. Seeing how exquisite your formation is, are you a formation master?" The middle-aged scholar continued to ask, noticing that Song Qingming's formation skills were quite sophisticated.

"I am indeed a low-grade formation master, but my understanding is shallow. I only know some rudimentary formations; I hope you won't laugh at me," Song Qingming said, humbly cupping his hands after speaking.

"I see that your formation skills are indeed quite rudimentary. If you had waited a little longer to dispel it, I would have torn your broken formation apart!"

The green-clad woman seemed unwilling to let the matter go, drawing laughter from everyone present.

"I am Shi Chun, and this is my junior sister, Yu Niang. I do not yet know how to address you, Fellow Daoist."

"Song San."

Following this, the others stepped forward to introduce themselves, and Song Qingming gradually became acquainted with the group.

It was late autumn, and fallen leaves were drifting everywhere throughout the Fuyun Mountains.

Following this group of cultivators, Song Qingming first traveled east for a day, then turned southeast and traveled for another two days. Along the way, they encountered several other groups of traveling cultivators. The group was getting closer and closer to Guiyun Market in the southern part of the Fuyun Mountains.

After obtaining Liu Tianlong's storage bag, Song Qingming changed his original plan and decided not to rush back to Qinghe County. He could follow this group of rogue cultivators to Guiyun Market and take the opportunity to handle some of his magical tools, pills, and other items along the way.

Guiyun Market was considered the largest market in northern Wei State and was a gathering place for many rogue cultivators of the country. After inquiring with the group, he learned that no fewer than ten thousand rogue cultivators entered the Fuyun Mountains from Guiyun Market every year. In a place where hundreds or thousands of cultivators entered and exited daily, it would be difficult for others to trace the origins of a strange Qi Refinement stage cultivator selling low-level magical tools and spiritual items; it was perfectly suited for his current situation.

Along the way, Song Qingming gradually grew closer to the others. The middle-aged Confucian scholar leading the group was named Shi Chun. Although his cultivation was not high, his experience in hunting demons was very rich, and he served as the backbone of the group, often organizing fellow rogue cultivators to enter the Fuyun Mountains to hunt demonic beasts.

The green-clad woman was named Qin Yuniang. She and Shi Chun were fellow disciples; both had entered the path of cultivation by chance after apprenticing under an old rogue Taoist. However, a few years after their master accepted Qin Yuniang as a disciple, his lifespan reached its end and he passed away. For all these years, it had been her senior brother, Shi Chun, who had guided her cultivation.

The most highly cultivated person was a burly man named Zhang Tieshan. He was originally a cultivator from a Foundation Establishment clan in the Zheng State, born into a great family. At only thirty years old, he had broken through to the late stage of Qi Refinement, and was a man with an infinite future who was expected to reach Foundation Establishment.

Unexpectedly, over a decade ago, Zhang Tieshan's clan was destroyed because they were involved in a conflict between two major sects in the Zheng State. Out of the entire clan of hundreds of cultivators, fewer than a dozen survived. Zhang Tieshan happened to be traveling abroad at the time; upon receiving the news, he fled directly to the Wei State and became a rogue cultivator. Having lost the cultivation resources provided by his clan, his cultivation had only been able to tread water for the past ten years.

A few years ago, Zhang Tieshan drifted to Guiyun Market and met the siblings Shi Chun. The three of them hit it off and had been looking out for one another ever since, often entering the Fuyun Mountains together to hunt demonic beasts.

The other two were also rogue cultivators who had spent years in the Fuyun Mountains. One was named Wu Tianmu, with a cultivation of the fifth level of Qi Refinement. The other was Zhang Baiyun, who always had a wine gourd hanging from his waist; he was the oldest among them, over seventy years old, with a cultivation of the sixth level of Qi Ref Refinement.

Among them, the Shi Chun siblings were quite talkative and chatted incessantly with Song Qingming along the way. Zhang Tieshan, perhaps due to the tragedy of his clan, appeared somewhat taciturn. Wu Tianmu also spoke little, only occasionally urging the group to quicken their pace, seemingly wanting to return to Guiyun Market early to sell the demonic beast materials they had obtained.

The old drunkard Zhang Baiyun never left his side without wine throughout the journey. He often muttered to himself in a nonsensical way, frequently acting profound, and his drunken ramblings often drew laughter from the group.

In the afternoon, as the group passed through a forest, the silent Zhang Tieshan suddenly shouted to everyone: "Everyone, be careful! It seems something is following us from behind!"

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming was initially very surprised, as he himself had detected nothing. Then he realized that cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refinement could generally project their divine sense; it was perfectly reasonable that Zhang Tieshan could detect the movement of a demonic beast further away.

Sure enough, not long after, a high-grade gray demonic wolf led seven or eight mid-to-low-grade demonic wolves as they surrounded the group. Seeing this, everyone quickly summoned their magical tools and skillfully formed a circle.

"These are Wind Wolf Beasts; they can use wind blade spells. Don't be afraid, there aren't many of them, and we can hold them off. Tieshan, stall that high-grade one first; leave the rest of the Wind Wolves to us. These wolves move extremely fast; when you get close, do not let yourselves be isolated and attacked. Using fire and earth spells will be twice as effective!"

Shi Chun lived up to his reputation as someone who spent years in the Fuyun Mountains; he instantly recognized the origin of the beasts and informed everyone how to respond, giving the recently panicked group the confidence to fight.

First, Zhang Tieshan let out a loud shout and used a giant sword to block the path of the leading high-grade demonic wolf, and the man and beast quickly engaged in combat.

Subsequently, Song Qingming and Wu Tianmu were the first to act, each casting an Earth Wall spell to block the remaining mid-to-low-grade Wind Wolves from reaching the group. The several earth walls they created greatly slowed down the charge of the pack.

Among the remaining eight Wind Wolves, only three were mid-grade, while the other five were low-grade. Wu Tianmu, Zhang Baiyun, and Song Qingming each selected a mid-grade Wind Wolf, while the remaining five low-grade wolves were left to the Shi Chun siblings. As everyone faced their respective beasts, the battlefield was instantly divided into five skirmishes.

The most powerful among this group of beasts was the high-grade Wind Wolf Beast facing Zhang Tieshan, whose cultivation was nearly at the peak of the Qi Refinement stage. Among those present, no one was confident they could defeat this beast in a one-on-one fight.

The high-grade Wind Wolf Beast's magical powers and techniques were slightly superior to Zhang Tieshan's, and it had already gained the upper hand. The wind blades it released from time to time left Zhang Tieshan somewhat flustered, but it would not be easy for the wolf to defeat him in a short period. Although Zhang Tieshan was currently in a somewhat disheveled state, he was still able to focus on stalling the high-grade wolf.

The mid-grade Wind Wolves faced by Wu Tianmu and Zhang Baiyun were also quite formidable. Although neither had held back at the start of the fight, using their signature techniques, these two wolves were not easy to deal with, and the battle could only maintain a temporary equilibrium.

Only the mid-grade Wind Wolf Beast facing Song Qingming was slightly weaker; it seemed it had not been in the mid-grade stage for long. Song Qingming's cultivation and magical power far exceeded its own; as long as he fought steadily, defeating it was only a matter of time.

On the side of the Shi Chun siblings, they also held a slight advantage. As soon as the wolves began their attack, the siblings worked together to slay one. Afterward, even when surrounded, the wolves could not do anything to them; instead, they were forced to retreat repeatedly by the siblings' perfect coordination.

Compared to Song Qingming's side, the Shi Chun siblings had a greater advantage and were more likely to break the stalemate quickly.

In this life-and-death struggle, the strength of the two sides was relatively even. It would ultimately depend on whether Zhang Tieshan could hold off the high-grade Wind Wolf Beast until either Song Qingming or the Shi Chun siblings could resolve their opponents and break the deadlock of the battle.