Hundreds of red fireballs successively smashed onto the yellow earthen wall, turning into rolling flames that engulfed the wall, which then exploded and crumbled as clouds of dust rose.
Shen Long and his five comrades dispersed, fleeing in different directions.
They were no match for dozens of Fire Crows, and now it was a matter of who was unlucky enough to be targeted by them.
The fastest was Qin Qing, who, relying on the Great Perfection of his Wind Control Skill, vanished into a bamboo forest with a few quick movements.
Xu Lei immediately took out an Earth Escape Charm, slapped it onto his body, and a yellow light screen appeared, enveloping him as he disappeared into the ground.
Sun Yang slapped a Flying Heaven Talisman onto his body, and a pair of blue wings grew from his back. With a light flap of the wings, he flew high into the sky at a rapid speed.
Shen Long summoned the Xuangui Shield, which spun incessantly around him.
Several red fireballs hit the Xuangui Shield, turning into a torrent of red flames that drowned the shield.
Two Fire Crows flapped their wings and swooped towards Shen Long.
Shen Long lifted his right hand, and a large red fireball the size of a water jar flew out, striking one of the Fire Crows and engulfing its body in rolling flames.
The claws of a Fire Crow struck the Xuangui Shield, emitting a dull thud.
Shen Long murmured an incantation, and his right hand emitted a bright blue light. With a flick of his finger, a streak of blue light shot into the ground, and a green vine as thick as a baby's arm burst forth from the earth, entangling the claw of the Fire Crow.
He swiftly ran toward the distance, the Xuangui Shield revolving continuously around him.
The Fire Crow spewed a stream of red flames, which fell on the green vines and reduced them to ashes.
Several Fire Crows pounced towards Shen Long, their wings gently flapping as they each shot several red fireballs at him.
About a dozen red fireballs mostly hit the Xuangui Shield, turning into a fierce blaze that drowned out the shield.
Shen Long continued to recite incantations. As two Fire Crows flew towards him, he shook his sleeve, and two large red fireballs the size of millstones flew out, striking the Fire Crows accurately and drowning them in flames.
A blue light shone on his feet, making his body lighter as he moved further away.
About a dozen Fire Crows pursued Shen Long, releasing red fireballs to attack him, but they were blocked by the Xuangui Shield. As soon as they came within thirty feet of Shen Long, a large red fireball the size of a water jar smashed their way.
After a while, a fast-flowing river appeared up ahead. Shen Long put away the Xuangui Shield and jumped into the river.
A dozen red fireballs fell from the sky, smashing into the water, and sent up a splash of waves and a mist of white fog.
Half a day later, Shen Long emerged from the river and saw bamboo forests on both sides. Only then did he climb ashore.
His mana was severely depleted, so he sat down cross-legged, took out two Spirit Stones, and began to absorb the Spiritual Energy within them, slowly recovering his mana.
After a short while, Shen Long put away the Spirit Stones and stood up.
With a thought, a blue light flashed across his body, and a blue water membrane appeared, protecting his entire body as he stepped towards the bamboo forest.
As he passed by a bamboo plant, a thick and long green tongue shot out, striking the blue water membrane and creating ripples.
Shen Long reacted quickly; with an upward flick of his right hand, a large red fireball flew out and struck the bamboo, engulfing it in rolling flames. A green chameleon lizard appeared, overwhelmed by the flames and emitting a pained shriek.
A blue knife flew forth and chopped off its head, killing the first-stage, early-stage Demon Insect.
"Chameleon Lizard!"
Shen Long recognized the origin of this Demon Insect, known for its stealth and ability to blend into its environment, a common creature in the Qianzhu Mountain Range.
Shen Long collected the corpse of the Chameleon Lizard and continued on his way.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he reached a clearing.
Several yellow Earth Cones about a foot long emerged from the ground, striking the blue water membrane and causing ripples.
With a flick of his right hand, Shen Long launched a large red fireball, which crashed into the ground.
A loud crash resonated, and a pit about a zhang wide appeared on the ground as a Yellow Giant Rat the size of a house burst forth from underground, its eyes blood-red and its nose adorned with multiple thick whiskers.
"A Level One Middle Stage Devouring Spirit Mouse!"
Shen Long recognized the origin of the Yellow Giant Rat. This type of Monster Beast was particularly vicious, relishing in devouring anything with Spiritual Energy, often attacking Cultivators. It was a commonly encountered Monster Beast in Qianzhu Valley.
The Devouring Spirit Mouse rushed towards Shen Long, attempting to crush his defenses with its enormous body.
Shen Long raised his right hand, and a red fireball shot out, striking the Devouring Spirit Mouse and engulfing its body in rolling flames. Enduring the high temperature, its right paw slammed down onto the blue water barrier, causing the barrier to cave in.
Shen Long summoned a blue short sword, upon which the words "Xuan Water" could be seen.
The Xuan Water Knife aimed straight for the eyes of the Devouring Spirit Mouse, which rapidly swung its right paw to strike at the knife.
With a clang of metal on metal, a shallow gash appeared on the paw of the Devouring Spirit Mouse.
An inferior-grade Magic Artifact could not deal a heavy blow to the Devouring Spirit Mouse, but the Monster Beast had trouble penetrating the blue water barrier as well.
Words of incantation began to murmur from Shen Long's mouth as his right hand slowly glowed with a green light, which he slapped towards the ground.
A streak of green light shot out and burrowed into the earth, and a Green Vine as thick as a baby's arm erupted from the soil, winding around the body of the Devouring Spirit Mouse.
The Devouring Spirit Mouse opened its huge maw, revealing a row of sharp teeth, and bit into the Green Vine, causing it to snap instantly.
Shen Long drew his hands through the air, and with a flash of red light, a huge red fireball appeared above his head, radiating an astonishing heat.
He pointed a finger lightly at the Devouring Spirit Mouse, and the red fireball flew out, smashing onto the body of the mouse.
A thunderous explosion rang out, and rolling flames engulfed the body of the Devouring Spirit Mouse, which let out a piercing scream of pain.
Shen Long continuously unleashed huge fireballs, bombarding the Devouring Spirit Mouse, and manipulated the Xuan Water Knife to strike at the eyes of the beast, blinding it.
As time ticked away, the Devouring Spirit Mouse's reactions slowed, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air.
Less than half an hour later, its head was severed by the Xuan Water Knife, and it fell over.
Shen Long heaved a long sigh of relief. Both the Xuan Water Knife and Xuangui Shield were inferior-grade Magic Artifacts. The fact that he could defeat the Devouring Spirit Mouse this time was largely due to the significant effectiveness of the Great Perfection Fireball Technique.
He walked over to the corpse of the Devouring Spirit Mouse, cut open its belly with the Xuan Water Knife, intending to deal with the carcass of the Monster Beast.
His Storage Bag was only three feet square and could not accommodate the body of the Devouring Spirit Mouse, but fortunately, the most valuable part of the mouse was its Beast Hide.
He eviscerated the Devouring Spirit Mouse and discovered a blue mini tower about a foot high inside its body.
"A Magic Artifact?"
Shen Long was overjoyed, having found an unexpected treasure.
He picked up the blue mini tower, skinned the Beast Hide of the Devouring Spirit Mouse, and left the area.
A day later, Shen Long returned to the marketplace.
He first visited Soldier Hall and found Sun Huowang, bringing out the Beast Hide, the corpse of a Chameleon Lizard, and a Spider leg.
"The Beast Hide of a Level One Middle Stage Devouring Spirit Mouse, as well as the body of a Level One Early Stage Chameleon Lizard and the leg of a Level One Late Stage Blazing Spider," Shen Long explained.
Sun Huowang meticulously examined them, and after confirming they were genuine, he said, "You're quite lucky, lad, to have gathered so many materials. Altogether, one hundred Spirit Stones."
The price was slightly higher than the market rate, but Sun Huowang could still make a profit by crafting them into Magic Artifacts to sell.
Shen Long nodded in agreement.
Sun Huowang flicked his sleeve, and a swath of green light swept across, leaving behind a pile of inferior-grade Spirit Stones on the table.
After verifying the count was correct, Shen Long collected the one hundred Spirit Stones and left Soldier Hall, heading back to his residence.