A-Jiang himself didn't realize that his body was trembling; he just looked at the sky and his heart was pounding like a drum.
"Should we go to the nearest location to check? But the swamp is too dangerous in the dark. We can't handle it on our own. Not only will we fail to rescue anyone, but we might also lose ourselves in the process."
After waiting a while longer, the scale and strange phenomena of the struggle decreased, and then they waited until midnight.
As the morning star appeared in the sky, the ground suddenly shook, and the barrier of light lit up, casting a thin glow across the entire area and illuminating the darkness.
Dozens more dazzling fireballs appeared in the sky, scattering in all directions like falling meteors, one of which flew towards Ajahn.
"Could it be that we suddenly encountered a meteor shower at this time? That's impossible. The Azure Lotus Sect has a mountain-protecting formation, and besides, this is a forbidden area, which is already surrounded by restrictions. What kind of meteor shower could penetrate two layers of restrictions and fall here?"
A-Jiang stood motionless inside the protective array. This Four Vajra Array was a combination of offense and defense, and it also had its own set of barriers, so it should be able to withstand danger for a while.
As the fireball drew near, the night was illuminated as bright as day, and a fierce wind swept around, causing Ajahn's clothes to flutter loudly. Strangely, however, she did not feel any heat.
At this moment, a deep voice echoed throughout the space: "All Qi Refining stage disciples, prepare to leave the forbidden area."
Ajahn was very puzzled. It hadn't even been two months, so why did he have to leave the forbidden area now?
However, no one explained to her that what she thought was a giant fireball from a meteor didn't fall to the ground but remained suspended in mid-air.
That location was where she had sensed the fighting earlier!
Using her wind manipulation technique, A-Jiang quietly approached to take a look. She stopped when she was about a mile away, and could barely see what was happening over there.
Unexpectedly, there was a person inside the sphere in mid-air.
The man held a disc in his left hand and with a flick of his right, he cast a golden net. The net swelled in the wind and landed on a small black hill.
Then the man made a grasping motion with his right hand and shouted, "Retract!"
The golden net tightened and gradually rose into the sky. Upon closer inspection, A-Jiang discovered it was a giant crocodile! As the net rose higher, it tightened and shrank, eventually flying into the man's sleeve.
Ajahn moved closer and carefully examined the person.
This was a middle-aged man with a dignified and serious appearance, dressed in white clothes embroidered with some blue patterns, and with metal armor on his joints and vital points, radiating a spiritual light.
The golden crown on its head has a unique design, resembling a bird about to take flight.
This outfit is quite remarkable, although Ah Jiang has never seen it before.
However, she knew that the main clothing for those in the Core Formation stage was white, while those in the Nascent Soul stage and above wore mainly cyan clothing.
Of course, sects do not have strict dress requirements for elders, but for important sect events, they must wear the formal attire prescribed by the sect.
This was actually an elder at the Core Formation stage. A-Jiang looked at every detail with almost greedy eyes. She had never seen a sect elder so closely before.
She watched closely, as if she could glean some secret of cultivation from the other person's every move.
If we consider sorcerers as still human, then Qi cultivators, once they reach the Foundation Establishment stage, drift further and further away from the realm of humanity.
The cultivation process of a Qi cultivator is also a process of cultivating their own body. They continuously expand their spiritual meridians, expel impurities from their body, make their body more compatible with spiritual energy, and liquefy the spiritual energy in their dantian to generate spiritual pressure.
They gradually stopped relying on food for survival, and as they progressed, their bodies became less and less impurity-free.
During this process, one's mindset will also change: one's emotions will gradually fade, and one's desires and passions will decrease; this is a slow process.
The main manifestation is that cultivators will focus more on cultivation and improving their realm. In the early stages of Foundation Establishment, some people will choose to find a Daoist partner, but in the middle and later stages, unless there is no hope of advancing to the Golden Core stage or there are problems with cultivation techniques, many people will choose to remain single.
This is why there are very few female high-level cultivators, and why high-level cultivators have few offspring.
Women are naturally rich in emotions, and even after successfully establishing their foundation, they often cannot advance to the Golden Core stage because they cannot let go of their emotional attachments.
Those who advance from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation will face a tribulation of inner demons. After overcoming this tribulation, a portion of the cultivator's emotions will be restored.
However, their consciousness is more powerful, clearer, and more self-controlled. If they find someone they like, they might keep them by their side, but very few would choose to formally become Daoist partners.
The bond between Daoist partners is too deep. Throughout history, countless talented cultivators have perished because they could not overcome the obstacle of love. Therefore, the path of cultivation is also a lonely one.
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