Xu Jiu's face showed no mockery as he solicitously instructed, "Everyone needs to sit in meditation and absorb the medicinal power after taking the Gui Ling Dan. Since it's relatively safe now, hurry up and take it. Senior Brother Wu and I will guard you."
Liu Piaopiao looked at the considerate Xu Jiu and praised him generously, "You're such a warm guy. We must keep in touch after we get out. I'll thank you properly."
The Tang siblings also expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Xu Jiu, clearly moved by his act of repaying kindness with malice.
After swallowing the Gui Ling Dan in their hands, they sat cross-legged on the ground, absorbing the medicinal power of the pills.
Seeing that everyone else had taken their medicine, Xu Jiu's gaze fell upon Su Xi, who hadn't moved yet. He asked with a hint of confusion, "Junior Sister, why aren't you taking the pill? What are you waiting for?"
Su Xi smiled, producing the pills from earlier. With an apologetic expression, she said, "I was so moved by your noble actions just now, Senior Brother, that I completely forgot."
She then popped two pills into her mouth and sat cross-legged like the others.
Xu Jiu hadn't expected Su Xi to act so quickly. However, sensing the scent of Gui Ling Dan in the air, he didn't overthink it. To help everyone absorb the medicinal power better, he even lit some calming incense around them.
Wu Yufeng watched Xu Jiu, remaining silent.
Still holding his sword across his chest, he waited quietly by the side.
Nightfall crept in, and the sky began to fill with countless stars. Yet, in this forested area, the silence was as profound as death, devoid of even the chirping of summer insects.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, Wu Yufeng, who had his eyes closed, drew his sword. His gaze locked onto a certain direction in the darkness, and he said coldly, "Come out."
As a sword cultivator, his judgment of danger was never wrong.
Not even the slightest rustle within a hundred-mile radius could escape his senses. There was clearly danger approaching from that direction.
Hearing Wu Yufeng's words, Xu Jiu also shot up from the ground, his face etched with confusion. "What's wrong, Senior Brother? There's no one over there."
"Stop," Wu Yufeng's aura surged, his eyes cold as frost. "Take another step closer, and you die."
Everyone has a safe distance. Beyond it, one feels uneasy. Especially for a sword cultivator, whose body is more vulnerable, it's natural to keep irrelevant people at bay.
Upon hearing Wu Yufeng's warning, Xu Jiu showed no fear. Instead, a hint of disdain flickered across his face. "Don't you think it's a little too late to say that now?"
Although Wu Yufeng hadn't taken the pill, it didn't mean he was powerless.
The calming incense had long been mixed with other substances by him.
Calming incense could stabilize the soul. When combined with the special powder he had concocted, even a person with profound cultivation would become dazed and unable to wield their spiritual power, as if drunk, with just a sniff.
Hearing Xu Jiu's provocation, Wu Yufeng became enraged. He drew his sword, intending to teach Xu Jiu a lesson, but to his surprise, he found his spiritual power difficult to circulate.
The spiritual power that was originally light within his body now felt as if it were trapped in mud, encountering obstruction everywhere.
Seeing that Wu Yufeng could still mobilize his spiritual power, Xu Jiu cursed him as a pervert. He was well aware of the combat power of a sword cultivator and naturally wouldn't risk his life.
So, he beckoned towards the darkness and ordered, "Make your move. Deal with him."
Hearing Xu Jiu's words, three shadowy figures instantly emerged from the darkness.
Each of these figures exuded wisps of black smoke, moving with an ethereal lightness, like specters of the mountains. Their faces were indistinguishable.
Wu Yufeng's heart sank as he looked at the three figures, his killing intent intensifying.
Demonic cultivators!
There were three races in this world: humans, demons, and devils. And between humans and devils, there was an irreconcilable animosity dating back to ancient times, leading to mutual disdain. When they encountered each other, it was always a fight to the death.
Now that demonic cultivators had appeared, the outcome was clear.
The three shadowy figures formed a triangle, encircling Wu Yufeng. Simultaneously, they chanted a series of incomprehensible incantations.
As the incantations were uttered, waves of black smoke emanated from their bodies and gradually drifted towards Wu Yufeng.
Immersed in the black smoke, Wu Yufeng's head grew increasingly heavy, and an intense fatigue rapidly swept through his mind, making him drowsy.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, his subconscious mind jolted him awake, making him realize the direness of his situation.
He knew that if he truly fell asleep, he would never wake up again. Thus, he forcibly bit his tongue. Using the searing pain, he temporarily regained some clarity of mind.
Seizing this brief moment of lucidity, he immediately unleashed the ultimate technique of Shu Mountain, "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One."
His sword shot up above his head, splitting into two, then four, and continuously dividing into more swords.
In just a few breaths, countless swords surrounded him, and a fierce sword intent spread in all directions, dispersing the surrounding black smoke.
"Go."
Wu Yufeng drew a line across his chest, and the myriad swords above his head rained down like droplets, shooting towards the shadowy figures.
This was the first time he had unleashed the full power of "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One" since he mastered it.
As a supreme technique of Shu Mountain, "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One" was undoubtedly extraordinary. Even though Wu Yufeng's spiritual power was currently suppressed, it still possessed an unstoppable momentum.
The countless flying swords relentlessly struck the barrier set up by the three shadowy figures, emitting a series of metallic clangs. Under Wu Yufeng's furious assault, the shadowy figures began to appear somewhat transparent.
Clearly, they felt immense pressure facing the unstoppable flying swords.
Xu Jiu's expression turned grim as he witnessed Wu Yufeng's formidable destructive power.
If Wu Yufeng were allowed to grow, he would undoubtedly become the greatest threat to their demonic race in the future. Therefore, to avoid future trouble, it was best to cripple him early.
Knowing he couldn't defeat Wu Yufeng himself, Xu Jiu turned his gaze to the people meditating on the ground, a cold smile on his face.
The Gui Ling Dan he had given them earlier was not genuine. It was the Soul Devouring Pill. Once consumed, their souls would fall into a deep slumber.
At that point, they would obey his every command unconditionally.
Since Wu Yufeng was so powerful, he naturally needed capable individuals to assist him.
Otherwise, if the shadowy figures were defeated, he wouldn't be confident in dealing with Wu Yufeng.
"Take down Wu Yufeng at all costs!" Xu Jiu's voice seemed to carry a magical quality. The people meditating on the ground instantly stood up, their gazes emotionlessly fixed on Wu Yufeng.
Suddenly, Xu Jiu's eyes widened in disbelief.
Why was Su Xi still sitting on the ground, completely unresponsive to his command?
Had she taken too much of the medicine, rendering her unable to wake up for a while?
Amidst his suspicion, Xu Jiu walked towards Su Xi, intending to investigate what had happened to her.
He was confident in his alchemy skills and knew there couldn't have been any mistakes.
What exactly had happened to Su Xi at this moment?