Chapter 78: Jinjiang's First Sixth-Tier Monster Appears, Qi Mu Injured...

Originally, Yao Sisi and the others were worried about the third level, but after cooperating with Qin Fubao, this concern was temporarily dispelled. They just needed to get a good night's sleep and be in good spirits for the battle tomorrow. Yao Sisi touched the large sword behind her, took out a thin blanket from her space, covered herself with it, and slowly fell asleep.

Almost everyone in the courtyard was meditating and resting. Judging from the room setup, it wasn't convenient for sleeping; there were no blankets or anything like that. Yao Sisi and the others had come from the mortal realm and were used to sleeping for a while every day. In fact, sleep is very beneficial to the body and makes one more relaxed.

However, others are not used to it. Firstly, they don't always have a safe place to sleep, and more importantly, the atmosphere also has an impact.

However, Qin Fubao, who had just teamed up with them, was an exception. He climbed into bed early, brought his own bedding, and started sleeping soundly, waiting to be made to lie down the next day...

The night passed quickly, and in the morning, the senior brother who had come to guide them the day before arrived in a small boat.

There were other people on the small boat at this time; it not only took them, but also many unfamiliar faces away with it.

After flying for about half an hour, they were led to the entrance of a canyon. By then, many people who were preparing to take the exam had already arrived outside. Everyone stood in an open space and lined up under the direction of the examiners to register. There was more than one examiner in charge of registration. Several Golden Core cultivators sat behind several adjacent tables, their faces quite serious, and some were very indifferent.

Yao Sisi and the others lined up and were led to a table. Each person received a teleportation talisman. If they were unlucky enough to encounter danger, they could crush the talisman to teleport back to the starting point. However, this teleportation was not considered a failure, and they could continue to participate. They would just not have such life-saving talismans anymore. Whether they could survive the next time they encountered danger would depend on their luck.

Soon they finished collecting their items and were led to the entrance. Yao Sisi looked at the people beside her and said, "Stay close to me and be careful."

Qi Mu nodded. As for Qin Fubao, she would cling tightly to the leader without being told, and would never dare to fall behind.

After Qin Fubao's introduction yesterday, Yao Sisi knew that there were still some dangers in this canyon. There were first and second-tier demonic beasts that Qi Refining stage cultivators could deal with on the outer perimeter, and third and fourth-tier demonic beasts that Foundation Establishment stage cultivators could deal with on the inner perimeter. The key point was that there were also demonic beasts equivalent to Golden Core stage cultivators in this area. The higher-level demonic beasts had been sent elsewhere by the sect.

That's why sects issue teleportation talismans. If you're unlucky enough to encounter a fifth or sixth-tier monster, you'd better run away as soon as possible!

The group had a clear goal. They circled around the valley and found their destination based on the map they had seen the day before. However, Yao Sisi had a higher cultivation level, and there were more Foundation Establishment stage cultivators in the group, so they had to travel a longer distance to bypass the outer perimeter and head inwards.

The group traveled in a flying magical artifact and arrived at their destination in about half a day, which showed that the canyon was quite vast.

Qin Fubao pointed to the mountain in front of him, "It's about over there. That's the lair of the climbing beasts. My brother said he sent people to check it out. There's one late-stage fifth-order beast and three others that just broke through to the fourth order. Fellow Daoist Liu Yuan, who is at the fourth order, can't handle it yet. We'll help him together then."

Yao Sisi nodded: "The late stage of the fifth rank is about the same as my cultivation level. Be careful then, don't let him target you."

Qin Fubao: "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I have prepared defensive magic treasures that can at least withstand Golden Core cultivators. A mere fifth-order demonic beast is no problem for me!"

After searching the mountain for two hours, the group finally found their cave and began setting up a magic array outside. Once that was done, Qin Fubao took out a tortoise-shell-shaped magic weapon from his storage ring and said to Qi Mu and Liu Yuan, "Fellow Daoists, come quickly! We'll wait here and watch Fellow Daoist Yao display his divine power!"

Qi Mu was a little worried and hesitated to go over, but Yao Sisi persuaded him, "You should come over, otherwise I'll be worried about you while I'm fighting up front."

At this moment, Qin Fubao's magic weapon grew larger, forming a semi-transparent tortoise shell. He waved to Qi Mu, "Fellow Daoist, come quickly!"

When Qi Mu arrived, Qin Fubao manipulated his magic weapon to squeeze into the bushes, and the group peered out through the gaps in the grass.

Flames appeared in Yao Sisi's hand and burned into the monster's cave. Soon, a thick fire burned inside, which was then extinguished somewhat by a stream of water. However, the temperature of the strange fire was not that of an ordinary flame. The water only slowed down the flames but did not extinguish them much. Soon, more water appeared inside, and several monsters scattered and fled out.

The first to emerge were several fourth-tier demonic beasts. Yao Sisi counted them and found there was one more than Qin Fubao had said. She wielded her broadsword and swung it down, casually slashing at the weakest of the four fourth-tier climbing beasts. How could it withstand such a blow? The beast immediately collapsed to the ground, covered in blood, unable to stand up.

These climbing beasts didn't have many scales on their bodies, somewhat resembling soft geckos, but they weren't geckos. They only looked a little like them; in reality, they were completely different. Moreover, their size was incomparable to that of small geckos. The smallest of the four fourth-tier climbing beasts was as big as a large dog. Their mouths were exceptionally long, and they even flicked their tongues like snakes.

Yao Sisi wasn't paying attention to the climbing beasts, but was waiting for the higher-level one inside. However, after waiting for a while, there was no response. She said to the group, "Has the big one gone out? I can't sense what's going on inside."

The people outside the formation were also taken aback for a moment, but they all came out together. Qi Mu said, "In that case, let's kill these few first!"

With Yao Sisi in charge, the four fourth-tier demonic beasts below were all wiped out in no time, and Qi Mu and his two companions completed the mission in an instant. As for the extra one, they could keep it and sell it for money without having to hand it over.

Yao Sisi said, "Why do I feel like these climbing beasts are quite weak?"

Qin Fubao rarely fought, so he couldn't sense any difference. He only guessed, "Could it be because he was injured by the spirit fire before?"

Only then did he realize, "This isn't ordinary spiritual fire, is it? Last time at the Heavenly Bridge, none of us had any magic power, how could you release spiritual fire? Could it be..."

Yao Sisi confirmed his opinion: "It's a different kind of fire."

Qin Fubao hissed, his expression one of utter shock: "That must be because the strange fire is too powerful, which is why these climbing beasts have become weaker."

Yao Sisi nodded without saying much. She rarely used different flames in battles outside and wasn't very clear about it. It might also be because the monsters raised by these sects weren't as ferocious as those in the wild!

"I'll go inside and take a look. You guys wait for me outside! Remember to hide well."

As the fire gradually died down, Yao Sisi made a hand seal and tentatively stepped forward. The cave, which should have been damp, was now very dry from the strange fire.

Everyone saw her tentatively walk in, and then run out a short while later.

Yao Sisi looked unwell, and her voice was distorted as she shouted at them, "Quickly hide inside the defensive magic item!"

Soon, they found out why. A sixth-tier demon beast, equivalent to the Golden Core stage, sprang out of the mountain beast's cave. The key point was that this creature was not a mountain beast at all, but a Blood-Treading Python.

Yao Sisi shouted, "This guy ate a fifth-tier climbing beast, and there are still corpses and remains in the cave. Find a chance to use a teleportation talisman to leave!"

Qi Mu was extremely anxious and unwilling to leave. He said to Liu Yuan, who was temporarily of no use, "Xiao Yuan, take your share of the spoils and teleport back to hand in your mission."

Qin Fubao chimed in, "That's right, your cultivation level is too low to be of any use. What about the two of us? Actually, I'm also... useless."

Qi Mu hesitated for a moment. Naturally, he didn't want him to leave. At this moment, Liu Yuan said, "I'm not leaving. Anyway, with the magic artifact here, that guy can't break in. Maybe it can help later!"

Qin Fubao had actually completed his mission and only needed to teleport back, but seeing that these two people seemed quite concerned about his companion, he somehow mustered up some courage and said, "Then I'll wait here too!"

At this moment, Yao Sisi and the Blood-Treading Python were already engaged in battle. The python would occasionally spew out ice needles to attack her. It was only then that she realized that it was not the climbing beast in the cave spitting water to try to extinguish the flames, but rather it was spitting ice to suppress the flames.

The battle between ice and fire was fierce in front of the cave. Yao Sisi suffered many injuries, with bloodstains on her clothes and ice spikes embedded in her body. These ice spikes contained a weak toxin that could paralyze people. If it weren't for her strange fire that could travel throughout her body to burn off the toxins, an ordinary person wouldn't have been able to endure it for long.

This guy's a tough one!

Fighting a monster of a higher level is never easy, but the Blood-Treading Python also found its opponent very difficult to gnaw on. The scorching spiritual fire had charred its scales, and it could even smell the roasted snake meat on its own body.

He had only recently advanced in cultivation and was searching for the lair of the climbing beasts to use the stored food to consolidate his power when he unexpectedly attracted such a monstrous figure.

Despite being far inferior in cultivation, she still managed to suppress it.

Yao Sisi's knife was originally having some difficulty piercing its scales, but after burning off some of its scales with fire, it became easier to cut into its skin and bones. However, the Blood Python was not only good at melee attacks, but also at ranged magic, so she couldn't get close to it for a while.

The situation reached a stalemate. Qin Fubao sighed from inside his defensive magic treasure, "Fellow Daoist Yao is too powerful. Even a Golden Core stage Blood-Treading Python can't do anything to her."

Qi Mu, standing to the side, frowned, looking pessimistic. He kept his eyes on the battlefield and took a step forward to leave, but Qin Fubao stopped him, saying, "What are you going to do? You're only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment and are still an alchemist. You're very precious. Just because you've used your sword a few times doesn't mean you can challenge sword cultivators of higher levels. What if you go out and cause trouble for Fellow Daoist Yao?"

She's already having a tough time.

Qi Mu ignored him. He was worried that a stalemate would be bad for Yao Sisi. After all, a sixth-order demon beast has more and longer-lasting spiritual energy, while she had only recently broken through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. If she couldn't kill the opponent in a short time, things could get complicated.

He slipped out of the defensive magic artifact, and Qin Fubao couldn't stop him.

Qi Mu held the Yunqing Sword, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He looked much more fierce when he held the sword than usual, exuding a dignified and unapproachable aura of asceticism.

He gripped the Yunqing Sword tightly in his fair hand, and a faint spiritual light flashed across the icy blade as he nimbly joined the battle.

When Yao Sisi saw him arrive, she said helplessly, "Didn't I tell you to stay inside the defensive magic treasure? Your cultivation levels are far too different. Coming here like this is practically suicide!"

Qi Mu pursed his lips, a slight soreness in his nose. No matter what, he couldn't let her fight alone. The blood droplets on the ground were so red and glaring: "I'll help you distract it."

Seeing that he had run out, Qin Fubao quickly grabbed Liu Yuan, afraid that he would run out as well. "Let's stay put and not cause any trouble."

Liu Yuan said with dissatisfaction, "My young master didn't go to cause trouble."

Just as Qin Fubao was about to retort, he saw Qi Muyong not far away, his sword moves dazzling and unpredictable, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this really an alchemist? He's a bit too strong!"

With the two working together, the Blood Python was struggling. It was already in a sorry state, and now an arrogant human was taking advantage of its misfortune. It keenly sensed that the human using sword techniques was much weaker, and its blood-red vertical pupils looked at him with malice.

Suddenly, it flicked its tail, turned its body in mid-air, and headed straight for Qi Mu. Its eyes were full of cunning, and its big mouth bit at his waist, trying to tear him in two and then bite him in its mouth to show off, throwing that hateful woman into a panic.

Seeing it turn to attack Qi Mu, Yao Sisi shouted "Watch out!" She leaped forward and slashed at its vital spot, but the Blood Python's agile eyes flickered, and it dodged with a flick of its tail.

At this moment, the Blood-Treading Python had already approached Qi Mu at an extremely fast speed, leaving him no time to dodge. Its foul-smelling fangs were almost instantly in front of him. Qi Mu turned to the side and used his hand to prop the Cloud Clear Sword into its mouth, wedging it between its fangs.

However, the Blood Python had no intention of letting him go. Thick green poisonous mist spewed from its mouth, and Qi Mu raised a protective shield, but he still couldn't withstand it.

At this moment, Yao Sisi slashed at the Blood Python's body again. The sharp and heavy blade embedded itself directly into the charred flesh under the immense force. The Blood Python let out a painful roar. Qi Mu's Yunqing Sword was stuck in its upper jaw. Unable to deal with Yao Sisi for the time being, it turned its hateful gaze to Qi Mu and swung its long tail, sending him flying.

Yao Sisi took out another large knife from her storage bag. The previous one was heavy and powerful, but this one was as light as a wing. She didn't have time to check Qi Mu's condition and swung the knife to attack again.

The Blood Python roared in pain, flinging away the knife that had been stuck seven inches in its body. It was already severely injured and filled with fear, wanting to escape. Yao Sisi saw through its intention and was determined not to let it get away now, otherwise all the injuries it had suffered would have been for nothing.

After Qi Mu landed, Qin Fubao dragged the defensive tortoise shell and Liu Yuan in his direction, quickly pulling him into the magic weapon.

Seeing that he was unconscious and his lips were bluish-purple, Liu Yuan quickly took out an antidote pill from his storage bag and fed it to him. The color of his lips improved a lot, but it did not completely disappear.

Qin Fubao, who was standing nearby, quickly took out an antidote pill from his storage ring and said, "Yours isn't high-grade, try mine!"

After Qin Fubao administered the antidote, the toxins on his body visibly subsided, and he slowly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of turbid blood.

He glanced around anxiously and asked, "How is she? What about the python?"