The Hundred Thousand Mountains.
This place is located in the extreme south of Hidden Gauze Sect, with layers of mountains, treacherous terrain, and teeming with demons and evil spirits.
The deeper you go, the more terrifying the demons become.
This accursed land is even considered a forbidden area for the human race.
Even the high-level cultivators dare only venture around the outskirts and avoid going deep inside.
...
"Kill!"
"Hidden Gauze Heart Technique: Shadow Kill Formation!"
"Watch your back!"
"Formation, quickly form the formation!"
As the group from the Hidden Gauze Palace entered the range of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they were immediately attacked by demon beasts.
These were colorful and fierce tigers, with bodies as massive as bulls, and huge fangs protruding from their mouths, while their tails swung like steel whips.
It's the Fanged Tigers.
Their strength was equivalent to the late Qi Refinement stage.
Unlike normal tigers, they preferred to travel in groups, which caused a great deal of trouble for the Hidden Gauze Palace group.
They managed to kill a few together, but then the tiger group scattered them, and they struggled under the relentless attacks of the demon beasts.
Meanwhile, not far away, Li Ran lay on a flying sword and lazily yawned.
He was the leader, not a babysitter.
Before it escalated to casualties, he couldn't be bothered to take action.
"Oh?"
In the chaotic battlefield, a petite figure caught his attention.
He saw Lu Xinran weaving through the demon beasts, her figure as fast as a ghost, and the slow-moving Fanged Tigers couldn't even touch her.
Instead, every time she attacked, she left terrifying scars on them.
In just three breaths of time, she effortlessly killed one of the demon tigers.
"Not bad, she has grown a lot compared to before," Li Ran nodded in approval.
Lu Xinran's combat talent was still quite strong.
But the good times didn't last long.
The demon tigers quickly noticed this formidable opponent and marked her as their primary target. Five demon tigers howled madly and rushed towards her, blocking out the sky.
Lu Xinran suddenly became a little overwhelmed.
She turned her phantom into a shield, blocking the attacks of four demon tigers, but one still managed to break through the defense.
"Roar!"
The demon tiger's crimson eyes were filled with greed as it opened its blood-stained mouth to bite down, its foul saliva almost dripping onto her!
"It's over!"
Lu Xinran looked terrified.
At this point, there was no time to use any Taoist techniques.
Just as the tiger's jaws were about to close, her vision suddenly blurred, and a tall figure stood in front of her.
"Enough, l[et's stop here."
With an indifferent voice, the demon tiger instantly exploded into a rain of blood.
Li Ran was enveloped in a silvery glow, like a meteor in broad daylight, sweeping into the midst of the demon beast horde.
"Howl!"
Amidst the piercing cries of agony, in just a few short breaths of time, all the demon tigers were torn apart by the silvery light.
Red splatters, flesh flew in all directions, and the gruesome scene resembled a hellish painting.
Li Ran floated above the corpses.
His white robe fluttered, black hair danced, and there was not a speck of blood on him.
This dramatic contrast left the disciples staring in a daze, unable to snap out of it for a while.
Seeing that many of them were already injured, Li Ran said indifferently, "Everyone, check your injuries and get yourself ready to leave, we are going to set off half an hour later."
After saying that, he leaped back onto his flying sword and lazily basked in the sun.
Lu Xinran was the first to react. She looked at him gratefully and then began to organize the disciples for recovery.
"The Holy Son is so handsome!"
"I have to admit, he's really handsome!"
"Did you see him in action just now? In an instant, all the demon tigers were dead!"
"So amazing!"
"The Holy Son doesn't seem as cold as the rumors say."
The disciples admired Li Ran and whispered to each other.
One male disciple, nursing a bleeding arm, snorted, "He had to wait until the last moment to show off his coolness! If he had dealt with the demon beasts earlier, we wouldn't be injured!"
Clearly, he had been harboring dissatisfaction for a while.
Lu Xinran cast a cold glance at him. "Do you think you're here for a vacation? This is a real battle, and in real battles, injuries happen!"
"But..." The male disciple wanted to argue.
"The Holy Son saved our lives, and we should be grateful. If I hear such words again, you can just withdraw from the trial!" Lu Xinran's attitude was very firm.
Others also cast unfriendly glances at the male disciple.
The male disciple shivered and lowered his head, not daring to speak again.
...
After the disciples had tended to their injuries and collected the demon bones required for the mission, the team continued to move forward.
Li Ran continued to follow at his own leisurely pace.
"Holy Son!"
Lu Xinran hurriedly ran up to him, holding a bright red fruit in her hands.
"This is the Cloud Spirit Fruit I just found. Would you like to have one to quench your thirst?"
"No need, I'm not thirsty," Li Ran replied without lifting an eyelid.
"Alright..."
Lu Xinran said earnestly, "Thank you for helping us just now. Otherwise, I might have died here."
Li Ran nonchalantly said, "There is no need, I'm just doing my duty as the leader."
"Hehe, actually, I know that although the Holy Son appears cold on the surface, you're actually a very warm-hearted person," Lu Xinran said with a blush.
"Huh?" Li Ran was puzzled.
"By waiting until the end to take action, you wanted us to gain real combat experience, right? I understand your thoughtful intentions! We will definitely work hard and not let you down!" Lu Xinran clenched her fist, determined. "We won't disappoint your expectations!"
Li Ran: "..."
Who said I had expectations for you guys?
Has this girl misunderstood something?
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