Chapter 69 Fire Horned Rhinoceros
Welcoming the sunrise and bidding farewell to the sunset, the team headed westward into the mountains.
The deeper you go into the heart of the mountains, the greater the danger becomes, and often you have to take a detour by flying around.
Five days later.
Chen Moxuan sat upright on the talisman bird and sighed:
"After conquering Moya Mountain, the sect's Foundation Establishment stage cultivators cleared out the Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts in the vicinity and drew up a simple map, marking the dangerous areas."
Back then, the sect's demon-hunting teams would meet every one or two months to exchange information and mark dangerous areas.
Many disciples paid the ultimate price so that we could now traverse the mountains relatively easily.
Previously, no Qi Refining stage cultivator dared to set foot in this wild land, and everyone was completely unaware of the distribution of the monster territories.
If you encounter land-based monsters, it's better; you can escape by riding a talisman bird. However, some areas are the territory of flying monsters, whose speed is comparable to that of flying boats. If you are no match for them, escaping is just wishful thinking.
The most desperate situation is when cultivators encounter lurking land monsters after descending from the sky; there is truly no way to escape to heaven or earth.
For cultivators, demonic beasts are treasures from head to toe; the materials they carry are very important cultivation resources for human cultivators.
Conversely, human cultivators are seen as high-grade spiritual medicines by demonic beasts, capable of enhancing their bloodlines and serving as a delicious delicacy.
When encountering weak human cultivators, demonic beasts will instinctively hunt and devour their flesh and blood.
In a sense, the map in the squad's hands was drawn with blood.
Jiang Qiuyue chimed in, "We're in a better position, but those independent cultivators are in a worse situation. They have low levels of trust among themselves, and the maps they have are very crude, making them more likely to fall into dire straits."
Many disciples feel that the sect's opening of the market to allow independent cultivators to stay and replenish supplies is robbing everyone of their resources, but I have a different opinion.
She subconsciously lowered her voice and said:
"To put it bluntly, I suspect that the sect's actions are a case of using rogue cultivators to pave the way."
Although the combat strength of the rogue cultivators is weaker, their numbers are too great.
With so many independent cultivators flocking in, the number of demonic beasts will inevitably decrease rapidly.
Given time, the sect will be able to establish resource points at each of the miniature spiritual vein nodes, cultivating spiritual herbs and the like.
Chen Moxuan coughed twice, interrupting the other person:
"The considerations of the sect's masters are not something we juniors can gossip about."
"Pay attention, everyone. Ahead lies the territory of the Evil-Faced Flying Eagle. If we go around it, we'll be close to the Fire-Horned Rhinoceros's territory."
The group navigated around a mountain peak without incident and entered a wide valley.
It's like a different world. Just moments ago, the mountains were lush and verdant, but now they've transformed into jagged rocks, with black cliffs scattered across the gentle slopes.
In the distance, clusters of Earth Fire Spirit Caves, like burning furnaces, dotted the desolate valley, resembling demons opening their scarlet eyes.
A scorching wind blew by, and Ji An immediately felt the heat, subconsciously licking his lips.
Qi Refining stage cultivators have low tolerance for the environment, and staying here for a long time will inevitably affect their combat effectiveness.
Chen Moxuan began to make tactical arrangements:
"The fire-horned rhinoceros herd consists of twelve members, and they always move out as a group when facing enemies."
Our reconnaissance revealed that among them were two demonic beasts at the ninth level of Qi Refining, three at the seventh level of Qi Refining, two cubs at the early stage of Qi Refining, and the rest were at the middle stage of Qi Refining.
"Our plan is to lure the beast horde to attack us first. The leader, who is at the ninth level of Qi Refining, will inevitably distance himself from the other demonic beasts. Then we will take this opportunity to maximize our attack and kill the leader."
The Firehorn Rhinoceros has thick, tough hide and immense strength. Although we've prepared a Frost Wind Talisman to counter them, we're not confident we can kill them.
"If we fail to achieve results on the first attempt, the monsters will become alert. Therefore, the key to this battle is whether the first wave of attacks can result in a kill."
Ji An nodded slightly. The plan was very simple: to inflict damage and do everything possible to reduce the number of key combatants in the beast horde.
With their leader gone, the remaining Firehorn Rhinoceroses can be gradually controlled, and the initiative in the battle will then be in their hands.
That's good; the simpler the plan, the fewer variables there are.
Actually, using formations to ambush and hunt demons is the easiest method, but formations that can withstand attacks from hordes of beasts are not only expensive, but also require mid-grade spirit stones to activate.
One mid-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one hundred ordinary spirit stones.
The cost is too high; hunting Qi Refining stage demonic beasts is not worth such a large investment, and most Qi Refining stage cultivators do not have the capital to do so.
Chen Moxuan continued:
"Junior Sister Jiang, you are the fastest. You should lure the beasts out of the edge of the Fire Domain."
"When we engage in battle, your main responsibility will be to activate the Frost Wind Rune and unleash water-based spells as the primary offensive force."
"Junior Brother Tian, Junior Brother Ji, your magical artifacts have the highest defense. You two will be responsible for holding back the attacks of the two leader-level Fire Horned Rhinoceroses. I will be responsible for releasing the Cold Wind Talisman to relieve the pressure on you."
"Yes, prioritize taking down the Fire Horned Rhinoceros that Junior Brother Ji is holding back."
"clear."
"The Firehorn Rhinoceros has extremely strong defense; unless we hit its vulnerable spots, the damage our magic swords inflict is too low."
"Junior Brother Chu, you're in charge of controlling the magic weapon as the main attack point, and pay attention to the frequency of our casting of the Frost Wind Talisman."
"Don't worry, boss. We've been working together for so long, we have good teamwork."
Chen Moxuan nodded and smiled:
"Alright, I'll take charge of keeping watch. Everyone, meditate to restore your magical power."
Remember, don't hold back; the first wave must unleash our strongest attack.
If things don't go well, don't linger; ride the talisman and leave.
With the tactical plan in place, everyone performs their duties, and with excellent teamwork, a seasoned monster-hunting team is far less likely to fail than a temporary team.
Jiang Qiuyue restored her magic power to full and rode away on the talisman bird.
About half an hour later, Ji An saw a graceful figure rushing towards them from a distance, with the Fire Horned Rhinoceros chasing after them like a fiery cloud.
The earth trembled, as if a drum was beating in one's heart, and the mere dozen or so demonic beasts ran with the momentum of ten thousand horses galloping.
The fire-horned rhinoceros is similar in size to a bison, with a horn growing from its nasal bone. Its body is covered with dark red scales, which give it extremely strong defense.
Firehorned rhinoceroses are easily angered and have a strong sense of territory; they will attack any intruders they encounter as a group.
When they are angry, the fire elemental energy within their bodies flows rapidly, and the color of their scales becomes as intense and dazzling as a sunset cloud, like a red-hot iron ox.
At this time, the damage caused by wood-elemental spells, metal-elemental spells, and even fire-elemental spells is greatly reduced.
"The plan is going smoothly. The two Qi Refining Stage 9 Fire Horned Rhinoceroses are leading the pack, two or three miles ahead of the herd. Prepare!"
Chen Moxuan's face was flushed. The materials from the Fire Horned Rhinoceros were far more valuable than those from the Green Wood Ape!
Jiang Qiuyue swept past Ji An and Tian Yulei like a gust of wind, then immediately turned around and took out a stack of Cold Wind Talismans.
Tian Yulei took a few steps forward, controlling the magical artifact Scorpion Shell Shield to strike one of the Fire Horned Rhinoceroses.
His goal was to lure the monster away temporarily, creating favorable conditions for the others.
The Mountain and River Seal spun rapidly, and under Ji An's control, it slammed into the charging demonic beast. A clang of metal rang out, and the magical artifact was sent flying ten feet away.
However, this obstacle slowed the fire rhinoceros's charge for a moment.
Its two fist-sized eyes glared fiercely at Ji An, and with a leap, it covered five or six zhang and rushed to Ji An's side.
With its hind legs supporting it on the ground and its forehooves raised as if to stomp, it exhaled a cloud of fire from its nostrils and gaping maw, pouring down on its head and face.
(End of this chapter)
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