Chapter 136: Preparing to Advance to the Core Formation Stage

Upon hearing this, Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard revealed bloodthirsty, murderous glints and mocking expressions in their eyes. They viewed Bai Ruyu and the others as fish on a chopping block, ready to be toyed with at their leisure.

Laughing wildly, they each began to weave seals and cast spells. Their leader, Jackal, was not about to be outdone; in their eyes, killing was too mundane, while toying with humans was the true pleasure.

With a shake of their four beast-taming bags, four peak second-tier winged spirit beasts emerged: the Flame Jackal, radiating intense heat; the Poison Wolf, wreathed in nauseating black mist; the Thunder Tiger, crackling with electric arcs; and the Snow Leopard, chilling the air to a frozen wasteland.

These beasts possessed a trace of primordial bloodline and formidable innate abilities. As they appeared in the sky, they let out earth-shattering roars that shook the soul. Together, the four of them could slaughter any Foundation Establishment cultivator, and they even had the strength to defend themselves against average Core Formation cultivators. It was no wonder Liu Xixi held such confidence in them.

However, a sudden transformation occurred. A terrifying pressure erupted from behind Wolf, Tiger, and Leopard.

Ge Qian, riding his sword, blazed with golden light. He struck the back of Wolf’s head with a single punch, shattering his sea of consciousness. The Hun Tun spirit at his brow opened its mouth and inhaled, instantly swallowing Wolf’s nascent soul and chewing it with relish.

Ge Qian casually snatched the man's storage bag. With Wolf dead, his spirit beast, the Poison Wolf, collapsed as its soul dissipated. Such was the tragedy of spirit beasts; when their master died, they were buried alongside them, never knowing freedom even in death.

Behind Tiger, a massive phantom appeared—ten zhang tall, with three heads and six arms, as imposing as a mountain. It was covered in scales the size of fists, wreathed in runes, and crackling with countless bolts of lightning. The central head was identical to Ge Qian’s, while the two on the sides were mere outlines, featureless and void. A pair of six-colored wings, flowing with lightning, unfurled from its back with a loud rustle.

The moment it appeared, its six arms moved with invisible, immense force. In a blur, they grabbed Tiger’s limbs and head, while one hand swiped his storage bag. With a powerful heave of five arms, Tiger—still bewildered by what was happening—found himself gripped by the three-headed, six-armed monster. Fear seized his heart, followed by agonizing pain in his limbs and head.

With a piercing, agonizing shriek, he was torn into five pieces in an instant, a rain of blood painting the surrounding air red. The King of the Six Paths stood drenched in crimson, waving the severed limbs as if it were a demon god from hell. Tiger’s spirit beast perished on the spot as well.

Behind Leopard appeared a seductive second-tier vengeful spirit. Her features were blurred and indistinct, but her figure alone was enough to stir wild thoughts and rush blood to the head. She tapped the demonic gourd in her hand, which grew in the wind until it was three zhang tall. The mouth of the gourd opened, spewing a black whirlwind that swept up the wide-eyed, stunned Leopard and pulled him inside. The gourd shook, spitting out a storage bag that fell into the vengeful spirit’s hand.

The Snow Leopard, too, trembled and met its end.

Seeing this, Jackal was terrified, his soul nearly fleeing his body. Realizing they had walked into an ambush, he blew a whistle, and the Flame Jackal swooped down to catch him, attempting a frantic escape.

Bai Ruyu sneered, "Thinking of leaving? It’s too late."

She wove a seal, and a terrifying pressure radiated from her back. The phantom of an Ice Phoenix manifested, half its body emerging to exhale a bone-chilling frost directly at Jackal.

Jackal’s brow furrowed, his panic intensifying. He urged the Flame Jackal to blast out a stream of purple flames to collide with the frost. Immediately, waves of fire and ice intertwined with crackling explosions—a true clash of ice and fire—stalled in mid-air, neither side gaining the upper hand.

Ying Xue laughed mischievously. "Playing with fire? I like it. Why don’t you taste my Fire Spear?"

With that, she exhaled a three-foot-long spear that swelled to seven feet in the wind, brimming with intense fire energy and searing heat. Yet, Ying Xue gripped it as if it were nothing, poured her spiritual power into it, and swung it fiercely at Jackal.

A rolling, scorching cloud of fire appeared above Jackal’s head, pressing down upon him.

Jackal cursed silently, regretting his impulsiveness in provoking such monstrous foes. Since things had come to this, he could only look for a way out. He tossed out a top-tier demon-armor shield to protect his head, blocking the fire cloud.

Though Ye Feng was the weakest, he did not miss the chance to beat a drowning dog. He wove a seal and threw out a large, earth-yellow seal covered in dense runes. It flashed in the air, ballooning to three zhang in size, and swung down upon Jackal with such force that the air shrieked under the pressure.

Ge Qian’s mind stirred. The King of the Six Paths dissolved into his body, concealing itself, while Hong Mei turned into a wisp of resentment, wrapping around the demonic gourd and vanishing into his sleeve.

He no longer needed them to deal with the final foe. He wove a seal, casting "Pulling the Firewood from Under the Cauldron," which snapped away one-tenth of Jackal’s mana. Then, he used "Turning the Peak and Doubling Back." Jackal’s shield slipped, and the fire cloud and the massive seal descended.

Jackal cried out in shock, "Ah! Impossible! What spell is this?"

He watched as Ge Qian wove seals, pointing at him. He felt his abundant mana mysteriously vanish by a tenth. Furthermore, his demon-armor shield, with its astonishing defensive power, suddenly became useless.

Without suspense, Jackal was reduced to ashes by the fire cloud and crushed into a bloody pulp by the seal. The Flame Jackal, forced to follow its master to the grave, was instantly flattened into a crimson patty.

The group laughed as they looked at one another. Ying Xue retracted her Fire Spear, collected Jackal’s storage bag, and said, "Ge Qian, your methods really work, though they are a bit dishonorable—sneaking up on people."

Ge Qian smiled slightly. "I have such excellent stealth techniques; if I didn't use them and instead fought the enemy head-on with blades and spears, wouldn't I be worse than a fool? There is no need for morality when dealing with enemies. Only by trading the minimum cost for the maximum gain can one survive securely."

Bai Ruyu added, "Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. How is that any different from suicide?"

Ying Xue remarked, "I know that, of course, but one of us is quite pedantic, often lecturing the enemy and self-righteously claiming, 'I fight for justice!'"

Ye Feng’s face turned bright red. "Senior Sister Ying Xue, are you teasing me in a roundabout way? I have changed. Look at how I piled on the misfortune to ensure Jackal’s death? In the past, I wouldn't have done that. Through this trip to the Red Sand Desert, I’ve learned that besides integrity, one must learn to be flexible and distinguish between good and evil. Mercy toward one’s enemies doesn't just harm oneself; it implicates one's friends."

Ge Qian nodded. "Ye Feng is right. You have finally perceived your own path. Such a path is the true path, containing the profound truths of the Great Dao. It will only benefit you, never harm you. Today, we have defeated Liu Xixi’s capable henchmen, which is a blow to her. We have won our first engagement—a promising start!"

"I really want to see Liu Xixi in a fit of rage," Ying Xue said, her bright eyes twinkling.

Bai Ruyu cautioned, "We must keep working hard. She is a Core Formation cultivator now; if we meet her, we can only flee, like stray dogs in a miserable state."

Ge Qian agreed, "That is why, upon returning, I intend to go into seclusion to attempt the breakthrough to the Core Formation stage."

"What? So soon? How much confidence do you have?" Ying Xue asked, surprised, her face filled with both joy and worry.

Ge Qian thought for a moment. "Fifty percent."

"Then if you reach the Core Formation stage, I’ll have to call you 'Senior'? You’ll be a Grand Elder, high and mighty—will you still remember friends like us?" Ying Xue asked, looking helpless.

Ge Qian smiled gently. "I, Ge Qian, don’t care for such things. If we are friends, there should be no distinction between high and low; otherwise, it is an insult to the word 'friend.' If I advance, I will find ways to help you advance as well. But you must work hard yourselves. It won't work if I’m the only one trying; in the end, it all depends on you."