chán chú zhāng kāi dà zuǐ ， pēn chū yī kǒu mò lǜ sè de nóng wù ， lín xuān liǎn sè yī biàn ， lián máng xiàng hòu nuó kāi ， tóng shí qǔ chū le yī zhāng fú lái ， líng lì yùn zhuàn ， xiàng qián yī shuǎi ， kǒu hē yī shēng ：“ jí ！”
蟾蜍张开大嘴，喷出一口墨绿色的浓雾，林轩脸色一变，连忙向后挪开，同时取出了一张符来，灵力运转，向前一甩，口喝一声：“疾！”
The toad opened its mouth wide and spat out a thick, dark green mist. Lin Xuan's expression changed as he quickly retreated, simultaneously pulling out a talisman. He activated his spirit energy and threw it forward with a command: "Hurry!"
dùn shí ， fú lù rán shāo qǐ lái ， kōng qì zhōng chū xiàn le liǎng gè dà dà de jīn zì —— pò xié ！
顿时，符箓燃烧起来，空气中出现了两个大大的金字——破邪！
Instantly, the talisman ignited, and two large characters appeared in the air—破邪 (Pòxié), meaning 'Defeat Evil'.
nà liǎng gè zì ， yùn hán zhe nóng hòu de líng lì ， jīn guāng shǎn shǎn ， guāng máng suǒ dào zhī chù ， nóng wù bèi qū sàn ……
那两个字，蕴含着浓厚的灵力，金光闪闪，光芒所到之处，浓雾被驱散……
These characters radiated intense spirit energy, their golden light dispersing the dense mist...
lín xuān suǒ yòng de ， nǎi shì yī zhǒng fǔ zhù xìng fú lù ， jù yǒu qū dú yǐ jí pò chú guǐ dào zhī wù de xiào guǒ ， zài yǔ pǔ tōng xiū zhēn zhě de duì lěi zhōng méi yǒu yòng ， rán ér yí dàn yù dào jù dú lèi yāo shòu huò shì shén me yīn hún guǐ wù zé kě yǐ dà xiǎn shén tōng 。
林轩所用的，乃是一种辅助性符箓，具有驱毒以及破除鬼道之物的效果，在与普通修真者的对垒中没有用，然而一旦遇到剧毒类妖兽或是什么阴魂鬼物则可以大显神通。
The talisman Lin Xuan used was an auxiliary one, effective against poisons and ghostly creatures. While it wasn't useful in battles with ordinary cultivators, it could be extremely helpful when facing highly toxic beasts or evil spirits.
rán hòu lín xuān yī xiù yī fú ， xiá guāng shǎn dòng ， hún jīn suǒ rú líng shé chū dòng ， chán xiàng le jù dú chán chú ， tóng shí tā zhāng kāi zuǐ ， pēn chū yī dào mò lǜ sè de xiǎo jiàn 。
然后林轩衣袖一拂，霞光闪动，浑金索如灵蛇出洞，缠像了剧毒蟾蜍，同时他张开嘴，喷出一道墨绿色的小剑。
Lin Xuan then waved his sleeve, and a burst of霞光 (xiá guāng) appeared as the golden chain emerged like a snake from its den, wrapping around the venomous toad. Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and spat out a small green sword.
pǔ yī jiāo shǒu ， lín xuān jiù jì chū le liǎng jiàn líng qì ， yè cháng mèng duō ， sù zhàn sù jué cái shì zuì hǎo de xuǎn zé ， suī rán cǐ yāo shòu de shí lì děng tóng yú líng dòng qī dà yuán mǎn jìng jiè de gāo shǒu ， dàn zài zhè yàng de gōng jī miàn qián ， yě yīng gāi yǔn luò 。
浦一交手，林轩就祭出了两件灵器，夜长梦多，速战速决才是最好的选择，虽然此妖兽的实力等同于灵动期大圆满境界的高手，但在这样的攻击面前，也应该陨落。
In their first clash, Lin Xuan had already deployed two spiritual artifacts. He believed that haste was best in such encounters, even though this beast's strength equaled that of an expert at the Flexible Spirit Period. This attack should be enough to bring it down.
rán ér qíng kuàng què yǔ lín xuān xiǎng xiàng de bù tóng ， bié kàn cǐ yāo shòu kàn qǐ lái shí fēn bèn zhuō ， dòng zuò què líng huó wú bǐ ， tā xiān shì yí gè tiào yuè ， shǎn guò le hún jīn suǒ de chán rào ， rán hòu zhāng kāi kǒu ， tǔ chū yī quán tou dà xiǎo ， wū hēi fà liàng de zhū zi ， yǔ fēi jiàn chán dòu zài yì qǐ 。
然而情况却与林轩想象的不同，别看此妖兽看起来十分笨拙，动作却灵活无比，它先是一个跳跃，闪过了浑金索的缠绕，然后张开口，吐出一拳头大小，乌黑发亮的珠子，与飞剑缠斗在一起。
However, things didn't go as Lin Xuan expected. Despite its clumsy appearance, the creature was incredibly agile. It leaped out of the golden chain’s grasp and spat a black, luminous bead, which clashed with his flying sword.
“ yāo dān ！”
“妖丹！”
"Jadeite's Core!"
lín xuān xīn zhōng yī lǐn ， shǒu xiàng hún jīn suǒ yì diǎn ， fǎ jué qiān yǐn ， yòu xiàng chán chú zhuī qù 。
林轩心中一凛，手像浑金索一点，法诀牵引，又像蟾蜍追去。
Lin Xuan's expression turned grave as he directed the golden chain towards the toad while pursuing it with his hand gesture.
jǐ gè huí hé xià lái ， lín xuān què nài hé bù liǎo chán chú ， liǎn sè zhú jiàn yīn chén le xià lái ， cǐ shí yǔ yāo shòu dòu fǎ ， dòng jìng yǐ jīng tài dà ， zài bù kuài diǎn jiě jué diào tā ， kǒng pà jiù huì yǐn lái qí tā de xiū shì 。
几个回合下来，林轩却奈何不了蟾蜍，脸色逐渐阴沉了下来，此时与妖兽斗法，动静已经太大，再不快点解决掉它，恐怕就会引来其他的修士。
After several rounds, Lin Xuan found himself unable to subdue the toad. His face grew increasingly grim. The battle had already caused too much commotion; if he didn't quickly resolve this, other cultivators might be drawn in.
lüè wēi yóu yù le yī xià ， lín xuān yī mō chǔ wù shǒu zhuó ， yòu qǔ chū le yī zhāng fú lù ， wēi měng de hǒu jiào shēng zhōng ， yī tóu hún shēn bāo guǒ zháo huǒ yàn de yāo shòu chū xiàn le 。
略微犹豫了一下，林轩一摸储物手镯，又取出了一张符箓，威猛的吼叫声中，一头浑身包裹着火焰的妖兽出现了。
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Xuan reached into his storage bracelet and pulled out another talisman. With a mighty roar, a fiery creature emerged—Iron-Chested Blaze Tiger!
tiě jiǎ bào yán hǔ ！
铁甲爆炎虎！
This beast was of the same rank as the venomous toad.
yǔ jù dú chán chú tóng jiē de yāo shòu 。
与剧毒蟾蜍同阶的妖兽。
Lin Xuan had initially not intended to use an animal talisman, but after two battles, the blaze tiger's soul energy was nearly depleted. However, he didn't hesitate given the urgency of ending this fight quickly.
yuán běn lín xuān bìng bù xiǎng shǐ yòng shòu fú ， jīng guò liǎng cì zhàn dòu hòu ， bào yán hǔ hún pò de néng liàng yǐ jīng suǒ shèng bù duō ， dàn cǐ shí wèi le jǐn kuài jié shù zhàn dòu ， yě gù bù dé xīn téng 。
原本林轩并不想使用兽符，经过两次战斗后，爆炎虎魂魄的能量已经所剩不多，但此时为了尽快结束战斗，也顾不得心疼。
With the Iron-Chested Blaze Tiger distracting the beast, the situation changed dramatically. The golden chain finally ensnared the creature as his flying sword streaked through it with alarming speed.
yǒu le bào yán hǔ de qiān zhì ， zhàn jú yòu dà bù xiāng tóng ， hún jīn suǒ zhōng yú chán zhù le yāo shòu ， fēi jiàn shì ruò jīng hóng ， yī shǎn ér guò 。
有了爆炎虎的牵制，战局又大不相同，浑金索终于缠住了妖兽，飞剑势若惊鸿，一闪而过。
Rancid blood splattered out, and Lin Xuan decapitated the beast with a single stroke of his sword.
xīng chòu de xuè yè pēn jiàn ér chū ， lín xuān yī jiàn zhǎn xià le yāo shòu de tóu lú 。
腥臭的血液喷溅而出，林轩一剑斩下了妖兽的头颅。
Lin Xuan first retracted his spiritual artifact before summoning another white light to retrieve the jadeite's core. Upon closer inspection, he found that this core was pitch-black, emitting clear signs of spirit energy.
lín xuān xiān shōu huí líng qì ， rán hòu yī zhāo shǒu ， yī dào bái guāng jiāng yāo dān juǎn le huí lái ， zǐ xì duān xiáng ， cǐ wù qī hēi rú mò ， sàn fà zhe míng xiǎn de líng lì bō dòng 。
林轩先收回灵器，然后一招手，一道白光将妖丹卷了回来，仔细端详，此物漆黑如墨，散发着明显的灵力波动。
A look of joy flashed across Lin Xuan’s face. A jadeite's core is the essence of a beast after countless years of cultivation, useful for both alchemy and crafting spiritual artifacts or treasures—excellent material indeed.
lín xuān liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī xǐ sè ， suǒ wèi yāo dān ， shì yāo shòu jīng guò wú shù suì yuè de xiū liàn ， cái zài shēn tǐ lǐ miàn níng jié chū lái de jīng huá ， jì kě yǐ yòng lái liàn zhì líng yào ， yě kě yǐ yòng lái zhì zuò líng qì fǎ bǎo ， shì zuì hǎo de cái liào 。
林轩脸上闪过一丝喜色，所谓妖丹，是妖兽经过无数岁月的修炼，才在身体里面凝结出来的精华，既可以用来炼制灵药，也可以用来制作灵器法宝，是最好的材料。
The toad's body had no significant use beyond this core. As Lin Xuan prepared to retrieve the soul talisman, the Iron-Chested Blaze Tiger let out a mournful cry, its form gradually fading until it vanished into thin air.
chú le yāo dān ， zhè yāo shòu de shī tǐ dào méi yǒu tài dà de yòng chǔ ， lín xuān zhèng xiǎng qǔ huí shòu hún zhī fú ， nà tiě jiǎ bào yán hǔ què āi míng yī shēng ， shēn yǐng yuè lái yuè dàn ， zuì hòu zài kōng qì zhōng xiāo shī bú jiàn 。
除了妖丹，这妖兽的尸体倒没有太大的用处，林轩正想取回兽魂之符，那铁甲爆炎虎却哀鸣一声，身影越来越淡，最后在空气中消失不见。
Seeing this, Lin Xuan felt a pang of pain; the soul talisman’s energy was nearly spent, and its expiration had come.
jiàn le cǐ jǐng ， lín xuān dùn shí yī zhèn ròu téng ， zhè zhāng shòu hún zhī fú de néng liàng yǐ jīng xiāo hào dài jìn ， shòu zhōng zhèng qǐn 。
见了此景，林轩顿时一阵肉疼，这张兽魂之符的能量已经消耗殆尽，寿终正寝。
Fortunately, the jadeite's core from the venomous toad was more valuable. This loss could be offset by that core. After some consideration, Lin Xuan approached the millennium-old ginseng and carefully plucked it, storing it in his storage bag.
hǎo zài jù dú chán chú de yāo dān jià zhí gèng gāo ， dào yě zú yǐ mí bǔ sǔn shī ， lín xuān lüè yī chén yín ， rán hòu jiù lái dào nà qiān nián rén shēn de páng biān ， xiǎo xīn de jiāng tā cǎi xià ， zhuāng rù chǔ wù dài 。
好在剧毒蟾蜍的妖丹价值更高，倒也足以弥补损失，林轩略一沉吟，然后就来到那千年人参的旁边，小心的将它采下，装入储物袋。
With everything done, he left quickly without further delay.
zuò hǎo zhè yī qiè hòu ， lín xuān bù zài dān gē ， xùn sù lí kāi le cǐ dì 。
做好这一切后，林轩不再耽搁，迅速离开了此地。
About a quarter of an hour later, several streaks of light descended from the sky as Fire Spirit Sect disciples arrived at the site where the venomous toad had died.
dà yuē yī kè zhōng hòu ， shù dào dùn guāng cóng tiān ér jiàng ， shù gè huǒ líng mén dì zǐ lái dào le jù dú chán chú shēn sǐ de dì fāng 。
大约一刻钟后，数道遁光从天而降，数个火灵门弟子来到了剧毒蟾蜍身死的地方。
"First-grade top-notch monster!"
“ yī jí jí pǐn yāo shòu ！”
“一级极品妖兽！”
The disciples exchanged glances, their faces showing concern. Cultivators capable of dealing with such beasts must be formidable. The battle's traces suggested that the opponent didn't linger long; perhaps a Foundation Establishment cultivator was involved.
jǐ gè dì zǐ duì wàng yī yǎn ， liǎn shàng jiē shǎn guò níng zhòng zhī sè ， bì jìng néng duì fù zhè zhǒng yāo shòu de xiū shì ， kěn dìng shí lì bù ruò ， cóng zhàn dòu de hén jì ， duì fāng sì hū bìng méi yǒu yǔ yāo shòu jiū chán duō jiǔ ， nán dào shì zhù jī qī de xiū zhēn zhě 。
几个弟子对望一眼，脸上皆闪过凝重之色，毕竟能对付这种妖兽的修士，肯定实力不弱，从战斗的痕迹，对方似乎并没有与妖兽纠缠多久，难道是筑基期的修真者。
"Quickly inform our seniors. We can't let this powerful out-of-sect cultivator remain in Xiyue Gou, or it will cause trouble."
“ kuài tōng zhī shī shū ， bù néng ràng zhè me lì hài de bié pài xiū shì huó zài xī yuè jiàn ， fǒu zé huì huài le dà shì de 。”
“快通知师叔，不能让这么厉害的别派修士活在溪跃涧，否则会坏了大事的。”
...
……
……
Lin Xuan was unaware of his newfound attention from the Fire Spirit Sect. His identity remained unknown for now.
lín xuān bìng bù zhī dào zì jǐ yǐ jīng yǐn qǐ le huǒ líng mén zhōng rén de zhù yì ， suī rán tā de shēn fèn ， duì fāng zàn shí hái bù qīng chǔ 。
林轩并不知道自己已经引起了火灵门中人的注意，虽然他的身份，对方暂时还不清楚。
Meanwhile, somewhere in Xiyue Gou, a fierce conflict erupted.
ér yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， zài xī yuè jiàn de mǒu chù ， què bào fā le jī liè de chōng tū 。
而与此同时，在溪跃涧的某处，却爆发了激烈的冲突。
Under the elite Fire Spirit Sect's assault, the out-of-sect cultivators suffered heavy losses but finally regained their senses. They didn't know why the sect suddenly turned hostile, but they understood that their opponents aimed to eliminate them entirely.
zài huǒ líng mén jīng yīng de wéi jiǎo xià ， bié pài xiū shì suī rán sǔn shī cǎn zhòng ， dàn zhōng yú huí guò shén lái le ， tā men bìng bù zhī dào huǒ líng mén tū rán fān liǎn de yuán yīn ， dàn yě míng bái duì fāng shì yì xīn yí yì xiǎng yào chú diào zì jǐ 。
在火灵门精英的围剿下，别派修士虽然损失惨重，但终于回过神来了，他们并不知道火灵门突然翻脸的原因，但也明白对方是一心一意想要除掉自己。
In unison, surviving cultivators—whether sect members, family members of cultivation clans, or independents—chose temporary cooperation. Even those who had been enemies now put aside their differences; their sole enemy was the Fire Spirit Sect's betrayal.
zài tóng chóu dí kài de qíng kuàng xià ， yī rán huó xià lái de xiū zhēn zhě ， bù guǎn shì zōng pài dì zǐ ， xiū zhēn jiā zú de chéng yuán ， hái shì sàn xiū ， dōu zàn shí xuǎn zé le hé zuò ， shèn zhì yuán běn shì dí duì lián méng de chéng yuán ， cǐ shí yě fàng xià le chéng jiàn ， cǐ shí tā men zhǐ yǒu yí gè dí rén ， nà jiù shì bèi xìn qì yì de huǒ líng mén 。
在同仇敌忾的情况下，依然活下来的修真者，不管是宗派弟子，修真家族的成员，还是散修，都暂时选择了合作，甚至原本是敌对联盟的成员，此时也放下了成见，此时他们只有一个敌人，那就是背信弃义的火灵门。
They fought and fled together, gradually gathering into a group of about twenty people. Leading them were two Foundation Establishment experts, with the rest also possessing formidable strength after a day and night of battle. Among them was Qin Yan, the renowned Cloud Fairy from Drifting Cloud Valley.
biān shā biān táo ， jiàn jiàn de zhè xiē xiū shì men jù zài le yì qǐ ， gòng yǒu èr shí duō rén de yàng zi ， wéi shǒu de shì liǎng wèi zhù jī qī de gāo shǒu ， shèng xià de yě dōu shí lì bù ruò ， bì jìng yǐ jīng guò qù yī tiān yī yè le ， néng huó xià lái de ， yě dōu shì jìn rù xī yuè jiàn xiū shì zhōng de jiǎo jiǎo zhě 。
边杀边逃，渐渐的这些修士们聚在了一起，共有二十多人的样子，为首的是两位筑基期的高手，剩下的也都实力不弱，毕竟已经过去一天一夜了，能活下来的，也都是进入溪跃涧修士中的佼佼者。
It wasn't surprising; while the two major cultivation alliances were engaged in attrition warfare, several spiritual artifacts unique to Yanzhou were found within Xiyue Gou. Thus, Lin Xuan wasn’t alone among the infiltrators.
piāo yún gǔ nián qīng yī bèi dì zǐ zhōng de jiǎo jiǎo zhě ， dà míng dǐng dǐng de yún zhōng xiān zi qín yán hè rán míng liè qí zhōng 。
飘云谷年轻一辈弟子中的佼佼者，大名鼎鼎的云中仙子秦妍赫然名列其中。
Near a large rock, two practitioners from Daoist Peak Mountain also crouched down.
bù yòng qí guài ， suī rán rú jīn liǎng dà xiū zhēn lián méng zhèng jìn xíng xiāo hào zhàn ， dàn xī yuè jiàn zhōng yǒu shù zhǒng líng yào shì yǎn zhōu de xiū zhēn jiè suǒ dú yǒu ， suǒ yǐ piāo yún gǔ lián méng zhè biān tōu tōu qián rù de xiū zhēn zhě bìng bù jǐn yǒu lín xuān yí gè 。
不用奇怪，虽然如今两大修真联盟正进行消耗战，但溪跃涧中有数种灵药是兖州的修真界所独有，所以飘云谷联盟这边偷偷潜入的修真者并不仅有林轩一个。
Qin Yan remained calm and exuded an air of aloofness, though her once pristine white clothes now bore spots of blood. After several fierce battles, she had sustained injuries, and fatigue was evident on her otherwise beautiful face.
zài yī kuài dà shí tou páng biān ， tóng yàng dūn zuò zhe liǎng gè dào fú shān de xiū zhēn zhě 。
在一块大石头旁边，同样蹲坐着两个道符山的修真者。
Most of the cultivators present were in similar states; those who gathered here either hadn't encountered elite Fire Spirit Sect members or had fought their way out through bloody battles, relying on deep Daoist techniques to survive.
qín yán cǐ kè ， yī jiù shén sè dàn rán ， hún shēn sàn fà chū yī zhǒng lěng ào zhī qì ， rán ér céng jīng de bái yī rú xuě ， cǐ shí què zhān rǎn shàng le diǎn diǎn xiān xuè ， shù chǎng è zhàn ， suī rán shā tuì le qiáng dí ， dàn tā yě shòu le shāng ， jué sè de róng yán shàng ， yě lüè lüè xiǎn chū le yī sī pí bèi de shén qíng 。
秦妍此刻，依旧神色淡然，浑身散发出一种冷傲之气，然而曾经的白衣如雪，此时却沾染上了点点鲜血，数场恶战，虽然杀退了强敌，但她也受了伤，绝色的容颜上，也略略显出了一丝疲惫的神情。
Now together, they felt a sense of security. The strongest were respected as leaders—these two Foundation Establishment experts. They were currently strategizing while the other cultivators took advantage of the moment to rest and recover from their exertions.
"Kwaa..."
The toad opened its mouth wide and spat out a thick, dark green mist. Lin Xuan's expression changed as he quickly retreated, simultaneously pulling out a talisman. He activated his spirit energy and threw it forward with a command: "Hurry!"
Instantly, the talisman ignited, and two large characters appeared in the air—破邪 (Pòxié), meaning 'Defeat Evil'.
These characters radiated intense spirit energy, their golden light dispersing the dense mist...
The talisman Lin Xuan used was an auxiliary one, effective against poisons and ghostly creatures. While it wasn't useful in battles with ordinary cultivators, it could be extremely helpful when facing highly toxic beasts or evil spirits.
Lin Xuan then waved his sleeve, and a burst of霞光 (xiá guāng) appeared as the golden chain emerged like a snake from its den, wrapping around the venomous toad. Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and spat out a small green sword.
In their first clash, Lin Xuan had already deployed two spiritual artifacts. He believed that haste was best in such encounters, even though this beast's strength equaled that of an expert at the Flexible Spirit Period. This attack should be enough to bring it down.
However, things didn't go as Lin Xuan expected. Despite its clumsy appearance, the creature was incredibly agile. It leaped out of the golden chain’s grasp and spat a black, luminous bead, which clashed with his flying sword.
"Jadeite's Core!"
Lin Xuan's expression turned grave as he directed the golden chain towards the toad while pursuing it with his hand gesture.
After several rounds, Lin Xuan found himself unable to subdue the toad. His face grew increasingly grim. The battle had already caused too much commotion; if he didn't quickly resolve this, other cultivators might be drawn in.
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Xuan reached into his storage bracelet and pulled out another talisman. With a mighty roar, a fiery creature emerged—Iron-Chested Blaze Tiger!
This beast was of the same rank as the venomous toad.
Lin Xuan had initially not intended to use an animal talisman, but after two battles, the blaze tiger's soul energy was nearly depleted. However, he didn't hesitate given the urgency of ending this fight quickly.
With the Iron-Chested Blaze Tiger distracting the beast, the situation changed dramatically. The golden chain finally ensnared the creature as his flying sword streaked through it with alarming speed.
Rancid blood splattered out, and Lin Xuan decapitated the beast with a single stroke of his sword.
Lin Xuan first retracted his spiritual artifact before summoning another white light to retrieve the jadeite's core. Upon closer inspection, he found that this core was pitch-black, emitting clear signs of spirit energy.
A look of joy flashed across Lin Xuan’s face. A jadeite's core is the essence of a beast after countless years of cultivation, useful for both alchemy and crafting spiritual artifacts or treasures—excellent material indeed.
The toad's body had no significant use beyond this core. As Lin Xuan prepared to retrieve the soul talisman, the Iron-Chested Blaze Tiger let out a mournful cry, its form gradually fading until it vanished into thin air.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan felt a pang of pain; the soul talisman’s energy was nearly spent, and its expiration had come.
Fortunately, the jadeite's core from the venomous toad was more valuable. This loss could be offset by that core. After some consideration, Lin Xuan approached the millennium-old ginseng and carefully plucked it, storing it in his storage bag.
With everything done, he left quickly without further delay.
About a quarter of an hour later, several streaks of light descended from the sky as Fire Spirit Sect disciples arrived at the site where the venomous toad had died.
"First-grade top-notch monster!"
The disciples exchanged glances, their faces showing concern. Cultivators capable of dealing with such beasts must be formidable. The battle's traces suggested that the opponent didn't linger long; perhaps a Foundation Establishment cultivator was involved.
"Quickly inform our seniors. We can't let this powerful out-of-sect cultivator remain in Xiyue Gou, or it will cause trouble."
...
Lin Xuan was unaware of his newfound attention from the Fire Spirit Sect. His identity remained unknown for now.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Xiyue Gou, a fierce conflict erupted.
Under the elite Fire Spirit Sect's assault, the out-of-sect cultivators suffered heavy losses but finally regained their senses. They didn't know why the sect suddenly turned hostile, but they understood that their opponents aimed to eliminate them entirely.
In unison, surviving cultivators—whether sect members, family members of cultivation clans, or independents—chose temporary cooperation. Even those who had been enemies now put aside their differences; their sole enemy was the Fire Spirit Sect's betrayal.
They fought and fled together, gradually gathering into a group of about twenty people. Leading them were two Foundation Establishment experts, with the rest also possessing formidable strength after a day and night of battle. Among them was Qin Yan, the renowned Cloud Fairy from Drifting Cloud Valley.
It wasn't surprising; while the two major cultivation alliances were engaged in attrition warfare, several spiritual artifacts unique to Yanzhou were found within Xiyue Gou. Thus, Lin Xuan wasn’t alone among the infiltrators.
Near a large rock, two practitioners from Daoist Peak Mountain also crouched down.
Qin Yan remained calm and exuded an air of aloofness, though her once pristine white clothes now bore spots of blood. After several fierce battles, she had sustained injuries, and fatigue was evident on her otherwise beautiful face.
Most of the cultivators present were in similar states; those who gathered here either hadn't encountered elite Fire Spirit Sect members or had fought their way out through bloody battles, relying on deep Daoist techniques to survive.
Now together, they felt a sense of security. The strongest were respected as leaders—these two Foundation Establishment experts. They were currently strategizing while the other cultivators took advantage of the moment to rest and recover from their exertions.