Chapter Thirty-Five: The Second Ascent into the Mountains

Inside the storage space lay a token glowing with blue light, unmistakably the Cloud Sea Sword Seal from the faction store. Chen Qi, fearing potential dangers on this journey, had exchanged 130 contribution points from the Cloud Sea Sect for it. As he pondered, the group had already left the mountain gate behind; the vast forest, infused with spiritual energy in the air, stirred a sense of restlessness within them.

Chen Qi walked on the right flank of the group, beside Sun Ruohai, while the three inner sect disciples formed a triangular formation, moving swiftly forward. Seeing Sun Ruohai’s nervousness, Chen Qi spoke up, “With the presence of inner sect senior brothers and sisters, ordinary fierce beasts won’t dare approach. There's no need to be so tense.”

Sun Ruohai nodded, but his expression remained taut; he merely withdrew his hand from the sword hilt. Witnessing this, the round-faced inner sect female disciple behind them couldn't help but chuckle, “At our pace, not a single beast will dare provoke us within two hours. The reckless beasts near the mountain gate have long been wiped out!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than she shook her head and laughed, “Yet here comes one that isn’t afraid to die!”

A shadow flashed from the side. To Chen Qi’s eyes, it was only a vast, indistinct silhouette. Before he could draw his blade, the round-faced senior sister had already leapt forward, intercepting the shadow in a few agile bounds. Her smile unchanged, she raised her right hand, pointing her forefinger, as threads of azure light coiled around her fingertip and struck toward the shadow.

A metallic clang rang out; the shadow recoiled, revealing its form—a layer of rock-like keratin encased its body, a single horn on its head gleaming faintly with gold. It was a rhinoceros.

Chen Qi glanced at the sensory jade at his waist; its flamboyant red glow had darkened slightly, marking the beast as a seventh-grade peak fierce creature.

The round-faced woman retreated a few steps, dissipating the force of impact. Her smile deepened, a dimple appearing on her cheek as she said, “So it’s this wild bull. I’ve encountered it before when accompanying the elders out of the mountain.”

The rhino rose, shaking its dazed head, and continued its charge amid a cloud of dust. From Chen Qi’s vantage, he was startled to see a finger-sized dent etched an inch deep into the rhino’s horn—the hardest part of its body, no less tough than refined iron.

The round-faced woman playfully stuck out her tongue.

“I won’t go head-to-head with you, wild bull,” she said, her figure wreathed in mist as she suddenly materialized beside the rhino, her slender finger glowing with azure light and pointing again.

The rhino had not yet regained its full speed; the jade-like finger struck true. Sensing danger, the rhino jerked its head sideways, evading a blow to the neck, but the finger plunged straight into its face!

A bloody hole pierced its face, and hot blood sprayed forth. Not wanting to be stained by the foul-smelling blood, the misty figure instantly shifted to the side, giving the rhino a moment’s respite.

But the pain and loss of blood only enraged the beast further; its massive eyes filled with crimson veins, and its rock-like keratin began to seep blood-red light—a clear sign of entering berserk mode.

Feeling the rhino’s terrifying aura, Chen Qi estimated his chances without using any consumables at less than fifty percent. After going berserk, this rhino’s strength was nearly that of a sixth-grade beast—a level beyond most outer sect disciples.

He refocused on the round-faced senior sister, eager to see how she would deal with the enraged wild bull.

With a snort, a jet of steam shot out, and the rhino lowered its head, charging at the woman. Blood gathered around the horn, transforming its gold hue into a vivid red.

Unfazed by its menacing presence, the round-faced woman pointed her finger in midair; waves of azure light shot continuously toward the rhino’s horn.

The azure glow struck the horn with snapping sounds. With every strike, the horn’s red hue faded, returning quickly to its golden shade.

Now only a meter separated the rhino from the woman, and the azure light continued to pour forth.

At that moment, Chen Qi heard the familiar voice of the team leader senior sister: “I didn’t expect Xiao Wei to have mastered the Azure Cloud Finger to the realm of ‘Emerald Light Transcends the Flesh, Life Unending.’”

With a few more flashes of azure light, the rhino’s golden horn was fissured and cracked, exposing its vulnerable face to the attacks.

The misty figure flickered backward, and the rhino’s corpse collapsed before the round-faced woman. She waved her hand, dispersing the dust that rose.

Chen Qi saw the rhino’s gruesome state—its entire face shattered by finger force, the deepest wound embedded deep into its brain, extinguishing its life.

In less than thirty seconds, a beast nearly sixth-grade had been slain!

The round-faced woman’s smile faded; she showed no trace of arrogance, only puffing her cheeks in complaint, “Senior Sister Yun’s Azure Cloud Finger must have reached this realm long ago, unlike me—dealing with one wild bull is still such a hassle.”

Seeing her standing well away from the corpse, fearful of being tainted by the stench, Chen Qi had an idea and approached the rhino’s body.

“Senior sister, let me help you dispose of the rhino’s corpse,” he offered.

The round-faced woman made no objection, watching with a smile as Chen Qi worked deftly. She couldn’t help but flash a charming smile.

Not far off, Senior Sister Yun sighed at the scene, “Xiao Wei, you always do this when entering the mountains—too squeamish to handle the corpses yourself.”

The round-faced woman stuck out her tongue, replying playfully, “But isn’t that what you and the others are here for?”

The team leader smiled, saying, “If this keeps up, we’ll hardly encounter any fierce beasts, and the training will lose its effect. Why don’t you outer sect disciples go ahead? If you run into danger, send a signal—we’ll meet at Red Flame Mountain.”

The outer sect disciples, their spirits stirred by the round-faced woman’s display, readily agreed. They paired off, and Chen Qi naturally joined Sun Ruohai, choosing a small path to proceed.

Once separated from the main group, Chen Qi quickly regained a familiar feeling. The unique scent of the forest, heightened by spiritual energy, carried a faint sense of danger as fierce beasts might appear at any moment.

Seeing Sun Ruohai’s hand drift toward his sword again, Chen Qi refrained from further advice—he’d gone through the same thing himself, and a few battles would soon cure the nerves.

The forest was alive with the chirping of insects as Chen Qi and Sun Ruohai strode along the mountain path, adding a peaceful touch to the scenery.

With the footsteps echoing ahead and behind him, Chen Qi grew more cautious; they had been away from the team for several dozen minutes, and a battle could break out at any time.

Suddenly, the insect chorus fell silent. Chen Qi’s vigilance peaked, and his blood-stained saber was drawn instantly.

At the moment he drew his blade, sensing Chen Qi’s slight relaxation, two cold flashes shot straight from the bushes toward his face.

Prepared, Chen Qi stepped half a pace back, raising his blade to block, as the necklace around his neck glowed red, activating the Insight skill.

Before him was a mantis, its body woven with red and green hues, over a meter long. Its razor-sharp forelimbs gleamed menacingly.

The mantis’s two front legs had already locked onto Chen Qi’s saber, producing a harsh, screeching sound as metal scraped against metal.

“Damn it, the mantis has become a monster!”