Chapter 375 I Established a Sect in the Cultivation World (Part 4)
Everyone quickly finished packing up. Even with spiritual plants scattered all over the ground, no one asked to wait any longer. Li Ming and his alchemy team packed and sealed all the valuable spiritual plant samples as quickly as possible.
Zhou Jue stored the three enormous monster corpses in his spatial storage.
"Set off."
At Zhou Jue's command, the hundred men sprang into action.
The team regrouped, and everyone's face was filled with an indescribable excitement.
"Keep up."
Without uttering any further words, Zhou Jue turned and walked into the depths of the dense forest.
The further you go, the taller the trees become, almost completely blocking out the sunlight. Only a few sparse spots of light filter through the layers of canopy, and a damp mist permeates the forest.
"Sect Master, is there any particular significance to the location we've chosen?"
Cheng Gan followed beside Zhou Jue and asked in a low voice.
“In the middle of the Ten Thousand Mountains, there is a valley.” Zhou Jue’s steps did not stop: “There is a complete spiritual vein there. It is not top-grade, but it is enough for us to establish ourselves in the early stage.”
The surrounding teammates heard this and their eyes lit up.
The spiritual veins are the foundation of a sect.
Having a spiritual vein means having a continuous supply of spiritual energy, and the cultivation speed will far exceed that of being a rogue cultivator outside.
"grumble!"
A sharp cry came from the mist overhead, and a dark shadow, as fast as lightning, pounced on the last member of the group.
"Enemy attack! Three o'clock, in the air!" The scouts on guard issued the warning almost simultaneously.
But the dark figure was too fast.
Just as it was about to catch the team member, an earthen wall rose up from the ground, precisely blocking its flight path.
Bang!
The dark figure crashed into the earthen wall with a dull thud and fell to the ground.
It was a monster that resembled a bat, but was several times larger, with a wingspan of three meters and sharp claws and teeth.
Before the shadow bat could take flight again, several vines coiled around it like venomous snakes, binding it tightly.
The next second, a fireball struck its head precisely.
The entire process, from discovery to kill, took no more than five seconds.
The team didn't even stop; the combat personnel behind quickly disposed of the bodies and hurried to catch up.
"Well done." Cheng Gan's voice was full of approval: "Earth, wood, and fire elements worked together very well."
"It's because it's too weak," a young team member said with a smile, his face full of relief.
Having experienced the initial fierce battle, enemies of this caliber no longer posed any threat to them.
They began to enjoy the sense of accomplishment that came from this highly efficient hunting.
Zhou Jue walked at the front without looking back, but all the movements in the group were under her divine sense.
She could sense that the confidence and pride that belonged to the elite was being re-established in the team members. They were no longer rookies who had just arrived, but a group of hunters who worked together seamlessly.
After traveling for about half an hour, the group arrived at an open swamp.
Colorful miasma floated over the swamp, and bubbles bubbled on the water's surface, emitting a cloyingly sweet smell.
"Stop." Zhou Jue raised his hand, and the team stopped instantly.
"Master Zhao."
“Yes.” Zhao Sizhe immediately stepped forward.
"Analyze the composition of the miasma and plan a safe route."
"yes."
Zhao Sizhe and several researchers immediately took out their instruments and began scanning the miasma ahead.
A few minutes later, Zhao Sizhe returned with a tablet computer.
"Sect Master, the miasma contains seven neurotoxins and three hallucinogenic components. The spiritual energy concentration is below that of the Golden Core stage, and direct inhalation will cause unconsciousness within ten seconds. I have planned a route that can avoid 90% of the dense miasma area, but the remaining part needs to be isolated with pills or formations."
"Dan Yao Tang, distribute 'Qing Yun Dan'!" Cheng Gan immediately ordered.
Li Ming and his men distributed bottles of pills to everyone.
"Everyone, take the pills, activate your internal breathing, and proceed in turn."
The line stretched out in a long queue, carefully traversing the swamp by following the safe path marked by Zhao Sizhe.
Along the way, dark shadows swam by underwater from time to time, and occasionally huge tentacles would emerge from the mud to try to drag people into the water, but they were easily cut off by the outer team members with flying swords and magic.
After safely crossing the swamp, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking back, the colorful miasma swamp, in the dim forest, resembled a deathly dividing line.
"I feel... I'm about to break through." In the team, Lin Qingqian's face flushed, and she said with some surprise.
"Me too, the spiritual energy within my body is constantly surging."
"Fighting and traveling here is faster than meditating in the base for a month!"
The team members started discussing among themselves, their fatigue replaced by excitement.
The light in their eyes grew brighter and brighter, and their murderous aura and decisiveness became increasingly pronounced.
This is no longer a simulation exercise; every increase in strength and every exhilarating breakthrough is the most authentic feedback.
Zhou Jue watched them, watching them gradually transform from a group of warriors raised in a 'greenhouse' into true cultivators who adapted to this cruel forest.
Ahead, the terrain begins to rise slowly.
The damp smell in the air gradually faded, replaced by a refreshing and invigorating coolness.
The spiritual energy here becomes exceptionally dense, almost solidifying into a tangible form.
Zhou Jue stopped in her tracks. In front of her was the entrance to a valley flanked by two giant peaks.
At the mouth of the valley, jagged rocks and ancient vines obscure the view inside.
But everyone felt an invisible pressure.
“We’ve arrived.” Zhou Jue turned around and looked at the hundred team members behind him.
"The location we have chosen for our sect is within this valley."
“A place with spiritual veins must have guardians.”
Zhou Jue's gaze swept over the young and resolute faces.
"I discovered that this place is the territory of a white tiger, and its strength is already equivalent to that of a cultivator in the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage."
Nascent Soul Stage!
These three words, like a boulder, crashed into everyone's heart.
The confidence and ease that had just been on everyone's faces vanished without a trace.
Among them, besides Zhou Jue, the highest level is Cheng Gan, who is at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage. He might not be able to fight back against a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.
They were just basking in the glory of easily slaying a demonic beast at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, but in the blink of an eye, they were about to face a terrifying being that transcended an entire major realm.
The difference between the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul is qualitative.
Cheng Gan's right hand was already gripping the sword hilt, his palms sweating.
Zhao Sizhe subconsciously began to calculate: what is the odds of winning against a Nascent Soul stage cultivator with sixteen Golden Core stage cultivators and eighty-four Foundation Establishment stage cultivators?
"Sect Master..." A young team member's voice trembled slightly.
Zhou Jue interrupted him; her voice wasn't loud, but it had a calming power.
"Now, we have two choices."
"First, you all try to go together, challenge it, defeat it, or drive it away."
"Second, I'll go."
Her gaze was sharp as she looked at everyone.
Everyone looked back and solemnly declared, "Let's go!"
Cheng Gan looked at Zhou Jue and said, "This is a rare opportunity to challenge someone of a higher level. Sect Master, we are willing to give it a try."
"You, prepare for battle," Zhou Jue said earnestly.
The team members looked at each other, but no one spoke.
Faced with the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, their previous victories seemed so insignificant.
Just then.
"roar--!"
A long and majestic tiger roar suddenly came from the depths of the valley. The sound seemed not to come from the throat, but from the soul. A powerful demonic aura, like a tangible wave, rushed from the valley entrance.
The team members who were closest to the blast wave were forced to retreat, their faces turning deathly pale instantly.
A single roar was enough for them to feel the approach of death.
The white tiger had clearly sensed their presence.
This is its warning, and also its declaration of territorial sovereignty.
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