The group felt as if they had entered a primeval forest, surrounded by ancient and strange trees of all shapes and sizes. The only thing they had in common was that they were all towering trees, seemingly reaching into the clouds, with dense canopies that almost blocked out the sky.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the swaying branches, casting beams of light that shone on the earth and the cultivators, creating dappled patches of light.

Figures flew past swiftly, creating a scene as beautiful as a poem or a painting.

The air here is very humid and hot, making people feel particularly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, everyone was a cultivator with spiritual light protecting them, constantly shielding them from this feeling, keeping them focused, and closely following the three Foundation Establishment cultivators all the way, or more accurately, closely following behind Zhao De.

Looking around, all the ancient forests seemed identical, making it impossible to discern any routes. Losing track would likely result in getting lost, leaving one to rely on celestial phenomena to orient oneself and slowly make one's way out of this desolate region.

The distant rumbling gradually faded away.

Sometimes, looking back, one can see through the gaps in the dense branches that in the distance, a beam of light, as bright as a mirror, a barrier that spans heaven and earth, has reappeared on the earth!

The mysterious power emanating from the token in his hand had faded and was no longer effective.

Lin Xiuyuan estimated that they had already traveled dozens of miles by now.

Those cultivators with lower cultivation levels, such as Lin Xiuyuan and Elder Qin, were already feeling their magical power waning. Liao Cai'er, unable to use spirit stones to recover, swallowed several pills in succession to maintain her speed.

Even Qin Suwan and the four young men had already taken out spirit stones and held them in their hands to replenish their magical power.

Zhao De, who was leading the way, seemed to notice this and subtly changed his route.

Before long, the view in front of them opened up, and the faint sound of flowing water could be heard.

The group arrived at the bank of a small river.

"Let's rest here for a while, and then continue on our way."

Zhao De spoke briefly, then sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing this, the others also dared not delay and began to meditate to recover.

Everyone was in high spirits, having already traveled some distance from the market, making them feel much safer.

If the external situation is not as bad as rumored, and the entire Nine Kingdoms Alliance's sphere of influence in the Southern Frontier is occupied by the demonic forces, then their chances of heading to the Immortal City or leaving the Southern Frontier will undoubtedly increase significantly.

"How are you?"

Lin Xiuyuan swallowed a Rejuvenation Pill, and while refining it, he took out some dry food and then turned around and said.

Because Liao Cai'er was a martial artist, she had no spiritual energy protecting her throughout the journey. Passing through a humid and hot ancient forest, she felt extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, absorbing the spiritual energy from the spirit stones and refining it into internal force was very slow.

He looked somewhat disheveled, pale, and exhausted.

"It's okay, I can manage." Liao Cai'er forced a smile and waved her hand to indicate that she was alright.

Upon seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan frowned slightly, looked around, and figured they wouldn't be setting off so soon. He quickly finished his dry rations and walked to the shore.

Lin Xiuyuan raised his hand and pressed it down, a faint blue light emanating from it and spreading towards the stream.

However, the river here is turbulent and churning. And because it is a tributary of the Milky Way, it contains a somewhat chaotic spiritual energy.

Having just reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, his divine sense was too weak, and he was unable to use his magic power to capture the fish for the time being. Lin Xiuyuan had no choice but to take out his spirit sword. Although he couldn't catch the fish intact, it was better than nothing.

Upon seeing this, Qin Suwan thought for a moment, then got up and stepped forward.

Leaving the market smoothly only intensified Qin Suwan's gratitude towards Lin Xiuyuan.

Although I can't repay them now, showing goodwill is still a basic principle of being a decent human being.

Qin Suwan, a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining, was not far from perfection. Her divine sense was already very powerful, capable of covering several miles.

With a flick of Qin Suwan's finger, magical power condensed into thin lines that extended outwards and, under the control of her divine sense, pierced into the ever-flowing river.

In just a breath or two, his magical power formed a thread, pulling several live fish up and bringing them to Lin Xiuyuan's front.

Thank you!

Lin Xiuyuan remained calm, his tone slightly indifferent. He took a fish, thanked him, and turned to leave.

Just as Qin Suwan was about to say something, she saw Lin Xiuyuan brush past her, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He didn't understand what Lin Xiuyuan meant. Wasn't it just because he hadn't been treated well in the past? Why was he making such a fuss?

Could it be about using someone as a shield? But wasn't it a direct refusal, or even something that embarrassed her...?

"I don't think I'm that petty, am I?"

Qin Suwan felt it was for some other reason, but she couldn't quite understand why.

Lin Xiuyuan directly activated his magic power to grill the fish, and in a short time, the aroma of fish filled the air.

Because Liao Cai'er was a martial artist, she had consumed too much energy and could not recover like a cultivator who could easily refine spiritual energy. Moreover, she had no protective spiritual light, making her extremely uncomfortable in this ancient forest.

Dry rations alone are insufficient to replenish our strength, and there is no spiritual food available. Obtaining some fresh and nutritious food will help us recover our strength faster. Otherwise, we might easily fall apart on the run.

At this moment, one of the young men in brocade robes saw this scene and couldn't help but sneer, "Enjoying yourself like this? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were on a picnic instead of fleeing!"

Lin Xiuyuan remained calm, as if he hadn't heard anything, and slowly sat cross-legged in front of Liao Cai'er, blocking her view.

"You don't need to go through that trouble next time, I'm fine."

Liao Cai'er felt a little embarrassed, but despite her words, she felt a slight warmth in her heart.

Upon hearing the commotion, Zhao De slowly opened his eyes, casually glanced at the young man in brocade, then looked towards Lin Xiuyuan and reached into his Qiankun bag.

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