Of the Flying Spirit Tribe beings, only two stood still in the air and showed no intention of attacking.
One of them was short and skinny, the Sevenpass Race’s Ao Qing. The other was a large dual-pupiled man. They both appeared quite indifferent and tightly frowned.
Seeing the rainbow moth dust that surrounded the area and that their attacks were unable to affect it, the tall man slowly said, “Fellow Daoist Ao, this is the first time a demon insect like the Gold Abyss Moth appeared on the Myriad Vine Path. The insect should only exist on the fourth level of the earth abyss. There is something different about the earth abyss, causing these deeper level demons to appear here.”
Ao Qing coldly replied, “I already knew that. Since mid-grade demons can be encountered on the first level. It isn’t much of a surprise to find Gold Abyss Moths here. Those old b*stards in the clan should be behind this, not us. But if you’re still following me after we reach the third level, don’t blame me if I cut you down.”
The tall dual-pupiled man’s gaze drifted off as he sullenly said, “Lady Ao is so heartless, but you’ve taken my heart nonetheless. I’ve already proposed marriage to your clan three times, but each time, you refused. Would the marriage solidify our clans’ strength? And from the rumors, you seem to only wish to wed the strongest holy disciple of the races.
Could it be I still don’t meet your standards?”
He was the Nan Long’s Fei Ye, a character as famous as Zhu Yinzi and Ao Qing.
Ao Qing smirked, “That’s right. The Sevenpass Race’s holy disciples may only marry the strongest individuals of other branches. Others may not know about your skills, but I do. Your meager strength isn’t enough for me to consider you. I may as well extinguish your vain hopes.”
Glaring at Ao Qing, Fei Ye said, “I know that Fellow Daoist Ao’s abilities are powerful, but I don’t believe the difference is so vast. I also don’t believe there are others more suitable than me.
If I am not considered, you must think of the others to be lesser as well. Or perhaps you fancy that Chi Rong youth named Zhu. In that case, I will find him and kill him.”
“Zhu Yinzi? Hmph, he is suitable. If you feel dissatisfied, go and find him. However, I’ve also found someone else interesting during the gathering. Although I hadn’t personally witnessed his power, I feel like his abilities are no lesser than mine.”
“Which branch is he from? Tell me! I will go to this person. If his abilities are greater than mine, I’ll leave you alone. But if he isn’t, hehe...” Fei Ye’s expression quickly became sinister.
The two spoke as if none of the other holy disciples were present, and they viewed the Gold Abyss Moths’ attacks lightly.
With the surrounding moth dust suppressing them, the other holy disciples began to use their various abilities to protect themselves and slowly withdraw inch by inch. It appeared as if they wouldn’t last much longer.
Ao Qing’s expression stirred and she nodded, “It’s fine if you want to test his abilities. That Tian Peng holy disciple seemed to be surnamed Han and his face is unfamiliar. I don’t know much else about him.”
Amazed, Fei Ye said, “The Tian Peng holy disciple? How could the holy disciple of that puny branch be so powerful?”
“That is hard to say,” Ao Qing indifferently explained, “The Tian Peng are incredibly weak, but it's still possible for a genius to appear in their ranks. Don’t forget that I’ve cultivated the most profound technique of the Sevenpass Race, the Seven Apertures Analysis Arts. Its efficacy isn’t something the other tribe branches can hope to achieve.
Although I only looked at him from a distance, he gave me an unfathomable impression. If you truly pick a fight with him, try not to throw away your life.”
Fei Ye forcefully said, “That’s fine. But if you’re mistaken, I’ll be heading over to your clan when the trial is over and I’ll ask again to wed you. Don’t forget, your rite of transformation is only a few more years. This time, you won’t have the opportunity to refuse me.”
Ao Qing raised her head and snorted, “You actually know quite a bit. That’s right, in three years I won’t be able to delay my coming of age ceremony any further and my clan hasn’t been able to find anyone in the same generation that is stronger than you. When we return, I will agree to your marriage proposal.”
Fei Ye wildly laughed and sneered, saying, “Then it's agreed. If I do encounter that Han fellow on the third floor, it’d be for the best, but if I can’t, I’ll challenge him after we return. Since you have your sights on him, he shouldn’t fail the trial.”
“Do as you wish,” Ao Qing glanced around and indifferently said, “These insects are somewhat irritating. Will you get rid of them or will I?”
“Hehe, leave it to me. It’s only a slight effort!” the large man smiled and suddenly pressed his hand against the back of the sword. Suddenly, the sword hummed and surged to the sky, turning into a mass of dense golden light as it circled in the air.
Meanwhile, Fei Ye leaped forward, turning into a strange bird with a wyrm head and a whale tail.
He unfolded his wings and shot straight up. In several blurs, the large bird arrived at the mass of golden light and fused as one.
When the surrounding moths saw him emerge from their defenses, they let out cries as they directly swarmed towards him.
But before they drew close, countless clouds of dust rushed to the golden light ahead of them.
A deafening boom suddenly vibrated the air. Soon, the golden light surged several times in size and streaked downward in an expanding violent storm.
Layers and layers of incredibly dense dust were scorched away by the golden lightning, piercing through the dust clouds.
As for the large numbers of golden moths hiding behind the dust, they quickly perished as the light passed them by.
In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the moths had died.
The Gold Abyss Moths shrieked as they were massacred and their remaining numbers scattered in every direction.
When Ao Qing saw this, her expression sank and she muttered an incantation, summoning a huge black phantom behind her.
The phantom was blurry but it faintly resembled seven distinct heads, those from animals like apes and leopards, but each and every one of them appeared menacing.
With an incantation gesture, Ao Qing commanded the seven heads to slowly open their crimson eyes and widely opened their mouths.
A cloud of green mist violently streamed out of each of them, quickly spreading out to their farthest surroundings in the blink of an eye.
As the green clouds passed the moths by, they immediately ruptured in green flashes, leaving only a bloodmist behind.
Now, the Gold Abyss Moths were only a tenth of their number.
At that moment, the golden light in the air withdrew to reveal Fei Ye carrying a huge sword on his back.
He looked at Ao Qing’s seven head phantoms with a trace of adoration on his face.
...
A nimble black figure flickered. Several crystalline black demons were torn to countless peaches in a wave of white clawstreaks, which promptly scattered them into black Qi.
The nimble figure cleanly absorbed the black Qi drifting in the air and promptly circled in the air before returning to Han Li. A kitten-like creature soon appeared on his shoulder, the Leopard Kirin Beast.
A beautiful woman, the Green Night Race’s Qin Xiao, clicked her tongue in marvel as she watched from the side. She said, “I truly didn’t expect Brother Han’s spirit beast to deal with these ice fiends so efficiently. It acted before I could even sense they were there. Might I know the name of your spirit beast? This is the first time I’ve seen it.”
Lei Lan and Bai Bi looked at the Leopard Kirin Beast with equal surprise.
Han Li stroked the small beast’s soft head and smiled, “I’m not sure of its name myself. I came across this spirit beast on the outside. I didn’t expect to be so fond of absorbing the ice fiend’s Qi.”
Not long after they entered the ice fiend area, the small beast sleeping with the Weeping Soul Beast in his pouch woke up and contacted Han Li through their spiritual sense connection.
Surprised to see that the beast wanted to quickly be let out, Han Li didn’t dare to neglect it as it was incredibly capable in spite of its young age. Before any enemies appeared nearby, the beast quickly emerged from the ring.
Not long after it appeared, Han Li and the others were given a shock.
As soon as it emerged, it was not only actively awake, but it keenly sensed the ice fiends before they could fuse with the glaciers and before Han Li could sense them. The Leopard Kirin Beast promptly pounced with claws bared, slicing them into countless pieces and absorbing their remnant baleful Qi into its stomach with great joy.
Although the ice fiends didn’t post a threat to them, the fiends were skilled at concealment. If they suddenly ambushed the party while they were least expecting it, it would prove incredibly troubling.
To prevent this, the Leopard Kirin Beast would simply scuttle away and let out a strange roar to the ice below, frightening away any ice fiends hiding in the deep ice sheet below.
Han Li wasn’t only surprised by this, but the others also grew interested in the beast.
As such, the party continued on their way with the Leopard Kirin devouring over a thousand ice fiends. The beast’s patterned yellow fur began to faintly shine with white light.
The beast’s cultivation appeared to greatly progress.
As Han Li turned a blind eye to the beast’s actions, he couldn't help but ponder to himself with chin in hand.