Chapter 306 - 270: Time to Pull Myself Together
"Why hasn’t the support from the Heavenly Interence Sect arrived yet? We can barely hold on here!"
In the deep valley west of Nangu Market, countless beasts were charging forward with great momentum.
Over twenty Loose Cultivators formed a battle line, fighting fiercely against the advancing horde of demonic beasts.
Every spring, demonic beasts surge from the depths of the forest to compete for resources and territory, forming a beast tide that assaults nearby markets.
This year’s beast tide was particularly fierce. In addition to the Loose Cultivators hired by the market, the Heavenly Interence Sect had also dispatched a large number of Foundation Establishment and Late-Stage Qi Cultivation disciples to assist.
The demonic beasts were fierce, roaring and crashing about, with spells flying like sparks everywhere, and the battle was intense.
Most of these demonic beasts were at the Late-Stage Qi Cultivation, with a few at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Individually, they were not hard to kill, but in groups, they were extremely difficult to deal with.
"We can’t hold them any longer, let’s retreat first!"
Two Cultivators were sent flying by the demonic beasts, causing the defense line to collapse instantly.
"Heavenly Interence Sect, come to support us!"
Upon hearing a clear female voice, everyone was moved to tears and turned their heads excitedly, only to see a female cultivator in white dashing out from the dense forest.
Everyone was stunned. Has the Heavenly Interence Sect’s manpower become so insufficient?
Sending just one person, what kind of support is this? More like sending someone to their death!
Howl —
Behind the demonic beasts, the Wolf King howled towards the sky, and a pack of Demon Wolves emerged from the retreat path, roaring and attacking.
"Move aside, I’ll take care of this!"
At a critical moment, a crane cry was heard. The female cultivator in white transformed into thousands of Crane Feathers, gliding swiftly into the demonic horde at an incredible speed.
The Feathers were sharp as knives, cutting through like the wind, and in an instant, the beasts howled in pain as blood rained down.
Everyone was stunned, watching as the demonic beasts fell one by one, and the Demon Wolf King whimpered and turned to flee.
At this moment, the Crane Feathers streaked through the air, catching up to the Demon Wolf King in the blink of an eye.
Wham!
Everyone watched in horror as the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Demon Wolf King was directly dismembered by the countless Crane Feathers while running, its blood spilling onto the ground.
Yet, the Crane Feathers remained as white as snow, reforming into the image of the female cultivator in white.
"I’ve marked these beast corpses. Move them to the market entrance, and I’ll give you thirty percent."
As soon as she finished speaking, the female cultivator in white turned and swiftly headed in another direction.
Gulp!
Hard swallowing sounds arose as the few remaining exchanged glances, filled with both fear and awe.
"I thought they only sent one person, but this clearly isn’t even a person. By the way, which expert from the Heavenly Interence Sect is this? What kind of Magic Treasure is being used?"
Three miles away, Jiang Yuebai stood amidst a sea of beast corpses, pretentiously recalling the countless White Vines and waving her hand, causing the white Cloud Mushrooms growing on the beast corpses to turn into powder and vanish.
She had perfected the Great Demon Technique into a Single Vine Sea, allowing nearly a hundred demonic beasts to be instantly bound by the White Vine and parasitized by the Cloud Mushroom, draining them of Spiritual Energy.
This Spiritual Energy couldn’t nourish herself, but was instead used for the frenzied growth required by the White Vine.
The beauty of Demon Art lies in its reliance on a strong Divine Soul to draw upon the world, rather than consuming one’s own Spiritual Energy, directly seizing from nature.
Amidst the distant gazes of the few in shock, Jiang Yuebai pulled out a notebook and flipped through several pages, writing down Red Hill Slope Defense Point and Qingshi Forest Defense Point among the densely packed place names.
"I’ve already supported eight places today. Once the beast tide passes, I’ll be able to exchange them for a substantial amount of Contribution Points!"
After having the fear-stricken few nearby help move the beast corpses back to the market entrance, Jiang Yuebai continued racing towards other defense lines.
Halfway there, she encountered her Crane Feather Avatar. She tilted her head slightly, and the Avatar scattered into feathers, reverting to the Taihe Umbrella form, opening above her head.
Wind God Technique!
A Crane Cry swept Qingfong over Jiang Yuebai’s body, instantly increasing her speed several times, daring to compete with the strong winds.
She adored the Taihe Umbrella. After it was fully sacrificially refined, it could transform into a riding Immortal Crane or produce a Crane Feather Avatar, which could battle alongside her main body within her Divine Sense range.
It so happened that she could multitask, splitting a Divine Thought to control the Avatar with ease.
The Avatar could only attack and defend using ’Crane Feather,’ but every Feather on the Taihe Umbrella was far sharper and sturdier than ordinary Magic Treasures, capable of boundless transformations and immense power.
The Spiritual Artifact also included two spells, ’Wind Roll’ and ’Wind God Technique.’
These are both stronger than High-Level Magical Techniques. Wind Roll uses the violent wind to whirl up Feathers in a mass killing spell—so long as her Spiritual Energy is sufficient, she can whirl as long as she wishes.
Wind God Technique is an auxiliary spell that enhances her speed—the more Spiritual Energy consumed, the greater the boost, reaching extreme wind speed.
The Sky-Breaking Flash requires about three breaths to accumulate Spiritual Energy each time and can easily overshoot—thus, in the ever-changing battles, the Wind God Technique is quicker, saves time, and offers better precision and control.
Having hustled through the mountains for three days unceasingly, Jiang Yuebai constantly engaged in rescue efforts, jumping into the fray to earn immense Contribution Points. The beast tide retreated with the substantial help of Heavenly Interence Sect disciples, bringing tranquility back around Nangu Market.
After selling the corpses on the spot, Jiang Yuebai calculated the Contribution Points and immediately returned to the Sect, heading straight for the Inner Affairs Hall.
Upon inquiry, Hong Tao was absent once again.
"Master Hong must have made a considerable profit at the Wind and Cloud Meeting; he hasn’t been paying much attention to Inner Affairs Hall matters lately, continually taking time off to seclude himself, focusing solely on cultivation," the new miscellaneous disciple at the Inner Affairs Hall informed Jiang Yuebai.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuebai felt frustrated—it turned out they were betting on her victory outside, and didn’t even call her, making her feel like she missed out on a Spiritual Stone Mountain for nothing.
However, one could argue that since the Wind and Cloud Meeting was halted halfway, her win wasn’t officially recognized. The casino’s shopkeeper still honoring the wager was either generous or wealthy—Jiang Yuebai suspected the latter.
After all, in business dealings within the Baishui Domain, poverty was unheard of.
"Any new Sect missions lately?" Jiang Yuebai asked.
Grimacing, the miscellaneous disciple replied, "There’s truly nothing suitable for you right now. Those few senior brothers and sisters under you come to ask every day—if there were any missions, they’d take them on even before you could."
Jiang Yuebai looked dejected, "Alright then, I’ll head back to farming."
Upon departing the Inner Affairs Hall, every young disciple she encountered would stop to respectfully greet her, calling her ’Master Jiang.’
These were Qi Cultivation disciples who had attended her classes, both from the Outer Sect and servants.
Their genuine respect stirred a sense of fulfillment in Jiang Yuebai, subtly revealing to her the significance and value of her existence in this world.
It was only now that she started to comprehend the words her Master had spoken years ago when he was facing inevitable death without achieving Nascent Soul.
Her Master had said that when he lectured at the Dharma Hall, it was not solely to pass on knowledge and teachings, but more so to bask in the respect-filled gazes of the others; without it, he would feel utterly lost.
This respect indeed endows one with a sense of purpose for living.
"Master Jiang!"
"Hmm."
"Master Jiang."
"Hmm."
Jiang Yuebai tried hard to maintain a serious demeanor, watching those vibrant, energetic youths laugh and play as they ran past her.
Being among her peers made her feel youthful, still an unemancipated young girl. But seeing these truly young and immature children now made her feel she was beginning to age.
At twenty-eight, the age of standing is not far away.
She must brace herself!
"Adversity breeds survival, while ease and comfort lead to demise. Recently, life has been too smooth and comfortable; it’s time to go out and face some challenges!"
Just yesterday, a drunken Supreme Elder let slip that her Master and Lu Yinghuai had headed to the North Sea.
Jiang Yuebai turned her head, looking towards the Heavenly Gang Peak direction, where True Monarch Fuyi and the others were also about to set off.
