Chapter Thirty-Seven: Taking Turns to Enter the Fray

Qinglan gazed calmly at the dense swarm of water snakes and wind leopards before her. She said nothing, and a green shadow flickered in her hand.

Yuedong cast a questioning look—should she deploy a spirit shield?

She shook her head. Since the weakness of these demonic beasts was their lack of defensive power, there was no need for her to circumvent them; she could simply destroy everything through direct attack.

She darted to the very front.

A crisp "snap" rang out, sounding like a sudden thunderclap in the forest.

Following that, streaks of emerald light wove rapidly through the air, carrying the rustling breeze of swaying vegetation. The whip’s shadow danced incessantly, and with every point of contact, the tip of the whip delivered a concentrated, powerful force, striking each beast precisely on the head without a fraction of energy wasted.

Qinglan used the most efficient method of combat, appearing effortless. Yet, Yuedong could see that such a strategy required constant deduction and calculation to ensure every strike incapacitated a beast, placing a tremendous strain on her mental faculties.

Qinglan’s expression remained unchanged. The whip in her hand seemed to possess a life of its own, dancing to her will as she led the group forward.

...

An hour passed, and the group maintained its formation, pushing onward.

Another hour passed. You Qing’s expression turned sour. Seeing his confused followers, he managed a strained smile: "Wood-attribute cultivators are truly blessed with such abundant spiritual energy; it is quite enviable..."

Another hour passed. You Qing’s face was no longer just sullen but visibly shifting between pale and dark. The way his supporters looked at him began to change, and a subtle shift in the group’s atmosphere became apparent.

You Qing chose silence, keeping his lips tightly sealed.

Another hour passed. The attitude of these people toward You Qing had completely shifted. Several sharp-witted individuals had already discerned his unsavory motives and subconsciously distanced themselves from him.

The girl in red spoke, her voice cutting through the crowd like an ice blade, pointed directly at You Qing: "We are both at the late stage of the Spirit Initiation Realm; why is it that you can only last for one hour?"

You Qing’s face turned ghastly. He wanted to retort, but he was left speechless.

He had not expected the female cultivator to perform so exceptionally. He knew well that even if he gave his all, he could only sustain such intensity for three hours, yet he could no longer explain himself.

Regret surged within him—had he known, why bother scheming against her? Now, his long-established, glorious image had crumbled, and the reputation he had painstakingly accumulated was ruined!

His situation had become incredibly awkward. He had been the hero who first urged everyone to unite, yet in an instant, he had become a petty villain.

...

His face remained gloomy, as the girl had stolen his thunder once again. He could only shout with forced bravado: "Perhaps her spiritual energy is just unique!"

But by now, no one was willing to trust his judgment anymore.

Four hours passed, and the horizon was gradually swallowed by the night. Deep in the heart of the surging beast tide, the group had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep moving forward.

Even though they were cultivators with superior spiritual perception and keen eyesight, the darkness of night made this journey feel eerie and terrifying.

As night deepened, Qinglan’s whip shadows gradually slowed. Her eyes were filled with extreme exhaustion; she took a deep breath, withdrew, and stepped back.

For these past four hours, a strange radiance had been quietly stirring between her brows. The sensation was gentle yet vibrant, and as it intensified, it left her feeling bewildered—it was not her spirit seal at work, but another power, one that felt incredibly familiar.

She fell silent, perplexed, and gathered her thoughts as she returned to the fray.

At this moment, Yuedong stepped forward; it was his turn to act.

His approach was extraordinary. In the pitch-black night, six spirit seals glowed brilliantly in his palms. The Sandstorm Array and the Binding Spirit Pure Light intertwined once again, forming a massive, multifaceted spirit array that combined both offense and defense.

"Boom!"

In the blink of an eye, the tide of beasts rushing toward them touched the edge of the array and was swept into a grinding mill by an invisible suction force, instantly pulverized into dust by the swirling sand.

A chorus of terrified shrieks erupted from the swarm. The beasts panicked, and their momentum slowed significantly.

Qinglan smiled, raising an eyebrow slightly—his gains from the outer sect trials were truly remarkable; his array techniques were now refined to such a degree.

Yuedong’s display left everyone present stunned. Fortunately, he was an ally, and the shock in their hearts gradually transformed into a sense of profound relief.

You Qing, however, was in turmoil. He was terrified—if he were to face this array, he would surely perish!

Without realizing it, the cultivators on either side felt a sense of relief. Someone exclaimed, "Oh?"

The pressure on them had suddenly decreased. Yuedong, single-handedly, was protecting the vanguard and both flanks.

Everyone was astonished, murmuring, "So this is the truly hidden powerhouse..."

No one paid any attention to You Qing’s sullen face in the darkness.

...

In the blink of an eye, the night passed. Yuedong had led the group for four hours until the horizon began to pale with the first light of dawn.

Everyone felt a deep sense of exhaustion.

At this point, two other cultivators at the late stage of the Spirit Initiation Realm stepped forward. With expressions of respect for Yuedong, they cupped their hands and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to us!"

Yuedong pondered for a moment. Although he still had strength to spare, there was no need to fight to the bitter end. He nodded and stepped back.

The two, a man and a woman, took their positions at the front. For a while, blade light flashed, and flames surged; each of them held their ground for over two hours.

By this point, You Qing’s glorious image had completely vanished, crumbling into nothingness.

Even his own followers no longer supported him and began to defect, especially those who had been hiding in the crowd, having never shed a drop of sweat or contributed a single ounce of effort; they turned and left without hesitation.

You Qing did not miss the shift in everyone’s expressions. He knew it was his turn to perform again, but he realized that even if he held out for four hours this time, he would not receive a single word of praise.

A nameless rage surged within him—were these late-stage cultivators insane? Why were they fighting so desperately!

What made him roar internally even more was that the few early-stage Spirit Initiation followers who had originally supported him were now abandoning him as well.

You Qing stood at the front. With an expressionless face, he unleashed his true strength. Frustrated, he swung his spirit sword. Now imbued with suppressed killing intent, the sword light flashed like lightning, tearing through the air. Wherever it passed, beasts fell one after another, blood splattering in a violent display of carnage.

...

More than an hour later, the sun began to set again. Just as the group, frustrated and complaining about the lack of an end in sight, expected to continue rotating through their formation, a vortex appeared not far ahead of them. Like a wrinkle in space-time, it opened silently in the void.

From within the vortex, a primitive stone gate, over ten feet high, slowly emerged.

In that instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent, and the frenzy of the demonic beasts subsided.