Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

SWISH, SWISH!

With a single swing of his sword, Ling Fei unleashed nine streams of Sword Qi that shot like arrows toward the nine Red-Eyed Demon Bears.

The Sword Qi was incredibly fast, striking the nine Demon Bears in an instant. Although the blows weren't fatal, they hit the weakest points in their defenses.

Immediately, holes appeared on the bodies of the nine Red-Eyed Demon Bears, and fresh blood began to flow out.

ROAR!

The pungent smell of blood made the Demon Bears roar in fury. Three of the more short-tempered ones leaped forward, swiping their giant paws at Ling Fei.

But just as they leaped, the Cold Chi True Qi that had invaded their bodies began to run rampant, freezing their meridians.

As a result, the Demon Bears' muscles and meridians stiffened. Their bodies froze mid-air, and they clearly lost control.

"Now's our chance!" Seeing this, Shangguan Qingmu immediately made his move.

At the same time, Huang Xiaoman, Mu Xue, Gu Xiaomi, and the others all attacked, stabbing toward the hearts of the nine Demon Bears.

SHINK, SHINK!

Their long swords easily pierced the Demon Bears' hearts.

However, the remaining Demon Bears were now attacking. But Ling Fei already had the situation under control. With a flick of his long sword, he once again attacked with his full strength.

SWISH, SWISH!

Instantly, more Sword Qi arrows shot out, aimed straight for the Demon Bears' most vulnerable spot—their abdomens.

This time, he unleashed another nine streams of Sword Qi.

After attacking, Ling Fei struck again with his sword. His speed clearly surpassed that of an ordinary cultivator.

In just a few moments, Ling Fei had struck nine times.

Just like that, all the Innate Realm Demon Bears were wounded.

The other students hardly needed to attack on their own. They simply coordinated with Ling Fei, finishing off the wounded Demon Bears with a single strike each.

Before long, all the Demon Bears had been slain.

Blood flowed down from the mountain forest, and its pungent, sickening smell filled the air.

"We finally dealt with them!" Looking at the slain Red-Eyed Demon Bears, everyone couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Everyone's gazes then turned to Ling Fei. If he hadn't gone all out just now, they would have had a much harder time dealing with these Demon Bears. Some might have even been injured, a consequence they couldn't afford. As they looked at Ling Fei, a hint of gratitude appeared in their eyes.

"There's too much blood here. It will easily attract other Demon Beasts. Let's find a safer place!" Shangguan Qingmu said to the group.

After such a huge battle, everyone was somewhat exhausted and not in any condition to continue traveling.

So, they had no choice but to find a safe place to rest.

"Alright!" With that, the group retreated from the mountain forest.

"They're retreating." On the mountainside, a glint flashed in Liu He's eyes.

"No matter. It looks like they plan to rest up before moving on," Liu Yuan said with a smile. "Now we'll just see what happens next."

...

After taking a detour, Ling Fei and the others found a relatively quiet mountain stream ten li away to rest.

In the ravine, a bonfire was lit. The group began to cook some of the Innate Realm Demon Beast meat to replenish their Blood Qi.

Beside the bonfire, Shangguan Yurou and the others looked a bit haggard.

After that battle, the girls were all still a little shaken.

If not for the miraculous effect of Ling Fei's Cold Qi, it was hard to imagine if someone might have fallen here.

Although they had all known that this training expedition would involve life-and-death situations, now that they had actually faced one, it was still difficult for them to calm down.

"Are we still going to press on?" Gu Xiaomi raised her eyebrows, looking toward Shangguan Qingmu and Ling Fei.

As her words fell, everyone else's gaze gathered on them, both the boys and the girls.

Evidently, the recent battle had shaken everyone's resolve.

"That last battle was perilous. If not for Young Master Ling's intervention, we would have been in real trouble. Continuing on will be a huge pressure for everyone. So, let's all share our opinions. We'll see how many want to keep going and how many want to turn back now," Shangguan Qingmu said.

"I kind of want to go back," one of the girls said.

"I want to go back, but I also feel unwilling to give up."

Everyone began to voice their opinions one after another.

Out of nineteen people, four wanted to go back.

Six were unwilling to give up.

The rest looked toward Shangguan Qingmu and Ling Fei.

"How about this," Shangguan Qingmu said. "We'll scout ahead first to see if there are large packs of beasts. If there are, we'll retreat. If not, we'll continue our training. Didn't we come here for real combat experience to temper ourselves?"

"I agree with Brother Qingmu," Shangguan Yurou said, her eyes lighting up. "In our Martial Cultivation, if we want to become strong, we must constantly temper ourselves and seek resources in places like these Ancient Forests. It's inevitable that we'll encounter powerful Demon Beasts. This time, we have numbers on our side and can support each other. If we have fewer people in the future, we'll only face greater difficulties. So, this is a rare opportunity for training that we should seize."

Although she was young, she understood the hardships of the Martial Arts path.

"Yurou is right," Mu Xue also nodded.

In truth, they all understood this principle.

Since they had come here, they had all prepared for the possibility of death.

It was just that the shock from before had been too great, causing their resolve to waver.

Thus, as soon as she spoke, many of them nodded, their determination restored.

"So, who should we send to scout ahead?" someone asked after they reached a consensus.

"Since it's scouting, it requires going deep into the territory ahead. That means possibly encountering powerful Demon Beasts. Let me go," Ling Fei said, a glint in his eyes.

He then looked at Shangguan Qingmu.

Among them, only Shangguan Qingmu's strength was top-tier. The only ones truly capable of this task were Ling Fei and him.

"You?" Shangguan Qingmu's brow furrowed. He had originally intended to go himself.

After all, he was older than Ling Fei, so it was only natural that he should take on such a risky task.

"Your Sword Momentum is sharp, but it's not as versatile as my Cold Dao True Qi. If I go, I can ensure my survival even if I run into powerful Demon Beasts," Ling Fei said. "Besides, someone needs to take charge here. It's most suitable for you to stay."

Ever since Ling Fei learned that Liu Ming and the others had lured the Demon Beasts, he had been planning to settle things with them. Otherwise, even if they continued forward, they would face an endless stream of Demon Beasts. If that happened, this entire trip would be wasted dealing with them, and people might even die.

Under these circumstances, Ling Fei clearly had no other choice. He had to go and resolve this matter himself.

"But in the last battle, you used a massive amount of Soul Power to control the Sword Qi Arrows. If you run into another pack of beasts, I'm afraid it could be troublesome," Shangguan Qingmu said, hesitating.

If Ling Fei couldn't continue to attack so powerfully, his combat strength would be sharply reduced, which would be just as dangerous.

"Heh, I only attacked a few times just now. It's no big deal," Ling Fei said with a smile.

'How could an ordinary person's Soul Power possibly compare to mine?'

In fact, because he knew Liu Yuan and the others were watching from the side, Ling Fei had held back during his attack.

"That's good to hear. We'll rest for the night, and you can set out tomorrow," Shangguan Qingmu said.

"Alright!" Ling Fei nodded.

Afterward, the group began to eat the flesh of the Innate Realm Demon Beasts to recover their Blood Qi.

As night fell, everyone sat cross-legged and began to absorb the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.

The Essence Qi here was dense. Even without an Array Gathering Essence, it was enough to replenish everyone's True Qi.

Ling Fei circulated the True Dragon Body Refining Technique and also tried to absorb the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.

A large amount of Essence Qi was drawn into his body and absorbed by his spine, where it was then converted into Cold Chi True Qi.

Because this Essence Qi did not have a Cold Attribute, the conversion process was a bit slower.

Furthermore, Ling Fei didn't want to expose his terrifying absorption rate, so he only drew in slightly more Heaven and Earth Essence Qi than Shangguan Qingmu and the others.

The next day, Ling Fei got up, ready to scout the path ahead.

"You all wait here for now. Remember, do not, under any circumstances, come looking for me. Just wait for my good news," Ling Fei said pointedly before he left.

He was afraid they would run into danger if they rashly went looking for him.

At the same time, he also wanted a chance to deal with Liu Yuan and his group alone.

"Alright, but you must be extremely careful. If it's truly dangerous up ahead, come back immediately," said Shangguan Qingmu.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Ling Fei said.

Then, he set off alone.

Watching Ling Fei's departing figure, Shangguan Qingmu couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Why do I get the feeling he's heading off to battle alone?" Shangguan Yurou's brow also furrowed slightly.

A sense of unease welled up within her.

Ling Fei's behavior today seemed a little different from usual.

"I also feel like something's off with him." Huang Xiaoman nodded, her eyes fixed on the figure in the distance. Although Ling Fei hadn't said much, ever since he repelled the Demon Bears, he had worn a solemn expression, as if something was weighing on his mind. This made Huang Xiaoman extremely puzzled.

Now that Shangguan Yurou had mentioned it, she felt even more certain that something was wrong.

"It's probably nothing, right?" a boy next to them said. "That last battle was so dangerous. Young Master Ling must be feeling the peril of the road ahead, which is why he looks so grim. Aren't you guys just overthinking it?"

"Young Master Ling Fei and Young Master Shangguan are carrying the whole team here. It's normal for him to feel pressured. Sigh, we're just dragging him down," another boy chimed in.

In his view, Ling Fei must just be feeling the pressure.

"Let's not overthink it. For now, we'll just wait here for Young Master Ling's news," Shangguan Qingmu said, shaking his head, though he had his own suspicions.

He really couldn't think of anything besides Demon Beasts that could make Ling Fei look so grim.

...

Ling Fei forged ahead, moving ever forward.

At the same time, he released his Heart Spirit to sense the fluctuations in the surroundings.

He was searching for traces of Liu Yuan and his group.

Finally, after half a day, he spotted a figure on a mountain peak.

Then, that person seemed to notice him as well and immediately sent up a firecracker signal.

'Are they notifying Liu Yuan and the others that I've arrived?' Seeing this, the corner of Ling Fei's mouth curved into a faint smile.

However, he didn't change his route and continued straight ahead.

'Since we're going to settle this, it's best if everyone is present.'

'Just a moment ago, I was worried they wouldn't be able to find me!'

Ling Fei moved through the mountain forest. There were some Demon Beasts ahead, but not many.

His Heart Spirit was simultaneously sensing his surroundings, constantly monitoring the movements of Liu Yuan's group.

"There's a valley up ahead. That's the best place to deal with him!" After receiving the message, Liu Yuan and the others had already made their arrangements.

Then, the group moved forward at top speed and began to set up.