"I certainly couldn't."
"A Demon Spirit combat technique? Sent flying dozens of meters?" Xiao Kuang was shocked all over again.
"Indeed." Xiao Wu nodded. A Demon Spirit Master this powerful was truly someone who would keep you up at night. The destructive force and sheer dominance of the combat technique that had taken down Xiao Lang was staggering — if such a person turned against the Tianyun Tribe, the entire tribe could be wiped out by him alone!
"Father, could this person who defeated Xiao Lang be that young man? But he's so young!" Xiao Kuang suddenly realized something and exclaimed in alarm. But how could that be? The other party was merely a fourteen-year-old boy.
To defeat Xiao Lang, one would need at least the strength of a Black Gold Warrior!
"In ancient times, geniuses emerged in great numbers. A fourteen-year-old Black Gold powerhouse wasn't exactly unheard of," Xiao Wu said. "During the Great Escape, our Tianyun Tribe basically didn't preserve any cultivation techniques for Demon Spirits. But the
"Yes, Father." Xiao Kuang replied respectfully. He was glad he'd had the presence of mind earlier not to offend
Xiao Wu continued observing for a moment. "Seven people went that direction. Six of them have heavier footsteps — likely Xiao Lang's subordinates. The other one has a lighter step, which should be that young man."
They followed at a distance, all the way to a fork in the path.
"Father, they went that way. Could it be they're heading to the
"Once you enter the Black Spring, there is no return — certain death. Even a Black Gold Demon Spirit Master would find it nearly impossible to escape." Xiao Wu drew in a sharp breath. They didn't dare go any further. Ancestral warnings were clear: no one was to approach within a thousand meters of the Black Spring.
Plenty of people throughout history had dismissed such warnings, but once they entered, none had ever come back out.
"Xiao Lang's subordinates would never dare enter the Black Spring on their own. That young man must have forced them in. But what is he after in the Black Spring?" Xiao Wu furrowed his brow and gazed toward the deep, dark forest in the distance. Nie Li and the others had already been gone for who knew how long.
"Father, what do we do now?" Xiao Kuang asked.
"Take your men and hold position here. Don't set foot in that forest ahead — at least wait two days. If the young man comes out, invite him to be our guest immediately. If he doesn't emerge after two days, bring everyone back." Xiao Wu stared ahead at the dim, shadowy jungle and spoke in a low voice.
"Understood." Xiao Kuang nodded.
In the pitch-black, fathomless depths of the jungle.
A faint black mist permeated the air everywhere. A group of people moved through the woods. There were no signs of anyone having come this way before — overgrown grass covered everything, and there wasn't even a single Demon Beast in sight. Scattered across the ground were the bones of all manner of Demon Beasts and humans.
The six men ahead walked in trembling fear. Crunch, crunch — the sound of their feet stepping on Demon Beast bones sent shivers through their hearts.
Gradually, their vision began to blur. They stumbled, on the verge of collapse.
Nie Li, following behind them, flicked his right hand. Six pills shot through the air and flew directly into their mouths. With a gulp, they swallowed them down.
Nie Li took one for himself as well.
This jungle was extremely dense and deep. It contained numerous Black Oil Trees that produced large quantities of toxic gas. Over the years, the poison had accumulated more and more. Any living creature that entered — Demon Beasts or otherwise — would slowly be poisoned, lose consciousness, and eventually drop dead. Then their rotting carcasses would form even more poisonous miasma.
After swallowing Nie Li's pills, the six men immediately became much more alert. They realized with a start that they had nearly ended up like the beasts lying dead on the ground. Fortunately, Nie Li's pills were remarkably effective.
Passing through layer upon layer of dense forest, they gradually arrived at a muddy swamp.
"There's no path ahead!"
"It's a mud swamp. These kinds of swamps exist in other places too. Once you step in, you'll be swallowed whole — no matter how strong your cultivation, it's useless. This mud is highly toxic. The moment it touches your skin, it starts rotting it away."
The six men all looked toward Nie Li, secretly hoping he would say they should turn back immediately.
"Chop down some trees here, split them into planks, and lay them across the swamp," Nie Li said calmly.
Hearing Nie Li's words, the six men opened their mouths but had nothing to say. In other swamps on the Tianyun Plateau, they actually did use this method. They had thought that if they didn't mention it, Nie Li wouldn't come up with a solution. They never expected that he would provide the answer in an instant.