After walking for a short while, a sudden rustling sound drifted from up ahead, as though something was rapidly approaching.
The group of young disciples all tensed as if facing a great enemy, every one of them on high alert, while the four Shenyou Realm cultivators remained utterly composed.
*Swish*—a hideous head burst from the jungle ahead, jaws gaping wide as it lunged toward the old woman leading the way.
The head was as large as a bamboo hat, and two golden triangular eyes on its skull glinted with a fierce, sinister light. Its speed was astonishing—in the blink of an eye it had already closed to within striking distance of the old woman.
The old woman gave a soft snort, barely lifting the walking stick in her hand and tapping it gently forward. It struck the creature square on the forehead, then flicked upward under its jaw. The massive head was sent flying to the side as though struck by some tremendous force.
Before it even hit the ground, the entire head suddenly burst apart, a mist of blood blooming outward.
The beautiful middle-aged woman's figure blurred as she darted forward. Her slender hand flicked, and a colorful silk ribbon shot from her wrist like a spirit snake emerging from its hole. It swept through the blood mist, snatched a demon core from within, and swiftly retracted.
"A Gold-Eyed Silver-Backed Python! A peak Fifth-Stage demon beast!" Ling Taixu murmured to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and looked. Sure enough, a headless python corpse lay on the ground, a silver stripe running along its back in an eerie, almost unnatural pattern. Everything had happened so fast that he hadn't even gotten a clear look before the creature was already dead, its demon core claimed by the beautiful woman.
Peak Fifth-Stage—equivalent to the peak of the Zhenyuan Realm. Killed in a single exchange by the old woman. Her strength was plainly formidable, likely on par with Ling Taixu, or perhaps even surpassing him.
After all, the Myriad Blossom Palace was a first-class Sect! Its influence dwarfed that of Lingxiao Pavilion.
"Stay alert—these things are pack hunters!" Ling Taixu warned gravely.
Before his words had even faded, rustling sounds erupted from every direction. Through the jungle, numerous pairs of golden triangular pupils could be glimpsed, all locked on their position and rapidly closing in.
The old woman did not slow down. She merely raised her voice: "Pick up the pace. Once the scent of blood spreads, it'll draw even more of them."
The group quickened their steps further.
*Swish, swish, swish*—from all sides, countless Gold-Eyed Silver-Backed Pyramids launched themselves high into the air, gaping maws aimed at the group.
The old woman's walking stick concealed a devastating killing power; often a mere tap was enough to end a python's life on the spot. Gui Li and the beautiful woman flanked the group's center, each employing their own techniques to shield their disciples.
Gui Li was indeed an unorthodox cultivator. As his technique activated, a cloak of black energy emanated from his body, exuding an aura of violence and bloodlust. In his hand he wielded an Artifact shaped like a long spear. He lunged and jabbed, cutting down every enemy that came near with ruthless efficiency. The beautiful woman was slightly weaker in strength, but dealing with Fifth-Stage demon beasts still came easily to her. Her alluring figure spun this way and that, trailing waves of intoxicating fragrance, and the pythons charging at her were often struck down by unseen means before they even drew close.
Ling Taixu employed no Artifact. His techniques were ancient and unadorned, yet possessed boundless power. His speed of dispatching the demon beasts was in no way inferior to the old woman's.
Flesh and blood flew as python after python fell. Wherever the group passed, it was like an autumn gale sweeping away fallen leaves—no resistance met them whatsoever.
The four young women of the Myriad Blossom Palace were also sending silk ribbons flying from their hands, though not to fight the beasts. Instead, they used the ribbons to harvest the demon cores from those that had been killed.
The four girls were fellow disciples who worked in seamless coordination—three would strike together to blast open the skull of a slain python while the fourth whipped her ribbon in to retrieve the demon core.
The demon cores of Fifth-Stage beasts were not without considerable value.
The girls' exploits left the three from Ghost King Valley green with envy. Unfortunately, they lacked the girls' methods and could only watch longingly, filled with nothing but jealousy.
Having collected their spoils, the girls' lovely faces bloomed with delighted smiles. Each was more radiant than a flower, and all wore a touch of proud satisfaction.
Another Gold-Eyed Silver-Backed Python lunged toward them. Gui Li flicked his spear and drove it into the creature's vital point, pouring violent Zhenyuan in to kill it instantly.
With a flick of the spear tip, the python's body was sent hurtling toward the crowd. Clearly, Gui Li intended for his own disciples to claim a share of the spoils.
But whether by design or accident, the force behind the toss was excessive—and the python landed precisely where Yang Kai stood.
A cold gleam flashed in Ling Taixu's eyes, yet he made no move to intervene.
With a *whoosh*, a male disciple from Ghost King Valley rushed backward, a savage grin playing at his lips. His pale, eerie hands surged with Zhenyuan, slicing into the python's massive head like blades.
The strike appeared aimed at extracting the demon core, but in truth he had put considerable force behind it—the residual power of the technique was more than enough to strike the person standing at the very rear: Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's expression turned cold. In a flash of lightning, he had already perceived the man's underhanded intent, and he was not the type to sit still and await his fate.
He did not engage head-on. Instead, he reached out with both hands, seized the dead python's body, and with every ounce of his strength, hurled it violently to the side.
The male disciple from Ghost King Valley had been grinning savagely one instant, and the next his face changed drastically.
Yang Kai's counterattack had caught him completely off guard. He let out a shrill cry and was sent flying over ten zhang through the air along with the python's corpse.
But his reaction was swift enough. While still airborne, he wrenched his hands free from the python's head and kicked off hard against its body, barely managing to halt his momentum.