The dark forest was utterly silent.
Billowing clouds hid the few stars in the sky behind the dense tree canopies.
Visibility within the entire forest was next to nothing.
"Swoosh—"
Three black shadows swiftly passed through the ancient dense woods.
Gradually, the lead senior brother's brows furrowed slightly, sensing that something was off.
Earlier, he could still faintly hear cries of nocturnal birds, but now, not even the sound of wind and rain beating against the treetops could be heard.
The rain was still falling, the wind still blowing, but the pitch-black forest had fallen into an eerie stillness.
A strange scent permeated the air.
At the same time, a fishy smell also became increasingly intense!
"Stop!"
The senior brother abruptly clenched the twin horns on the back of Yellow Light, the exotic beast he was riding, causing it to immediately cease its steps.
"What's wrong?"
The two following behind also stopped, asking curiously.
"Something's not right. Something ahead is approaching, and my divine thought cannot detect what it is!"
The senior brother stared into the darkness ahead, his right hand glowing with a deep blue light that grew and finally turned into a large saber over four feet long.
The second and third brothers also quickly drew their own weapons.
Among the three, the senior brother's cultivation was the most profound; if even he could not detect it, then whatever was ahead of them was even more formidable!
"We are disciples of the Yangji Sect from Chaoyang Valley, what demon dares to block our way?" the senior brother shouted sternly.
The forest remained eerily silent.
The senior brother's heart relaxed slightly.
If the opponent did not continue to approach, it meant the reputation of the "Yangji Sect" had a certain deterrent effect on whatever was out there.
He then channeled some spiritual power into his saber, making it shine with a deep blue glow. Raising his voice, he commanded, "Retreat immediately, and your life shall be spared!"
The blue light pierced through the dense forest, and a vague silhouette of a massive object merged into the darkness like the wind.
The heavy rain had unknowingly stopped, and strands of mist were rising from within the forest.
Mountain rain often brings about patches of fog.
However, the fog at this moment was exceptionally dense.
Dawn was breaking, and the silhouettes of distant mountains could just about be seen, but in the blink of an eye, the whole world seemed to be engulfed by the thick fog.
In the midst of the fog, neither mountains nor trees could be seen, and even the three standing side by side could only barely make out each other's outlines.
Fortunately, they were all Qi Refiners, able to probe their surroundings with "divine thought."
But it seemed that the fog had the power to suppress "divine thought." Despite their best efforts, they could not extend their divine thought beyond a range of one zhang around them.
"Damn, we've been tricked!"
The senior brother cursed, quickly dismounting from Yellow Light and signaling to the others, "Second, third, stay close to me and don't get separated!"
The three of them clustered back-to-back, with the remaining Yellow Light exotic beast forming a shield around them.
The second disciple said worriedly, "This fog came too fast and too thick. I'm afraid that demon is no ordinary foe... Could it be that a Fox Spirit from Qingqiu has followed us here?"
"It shouldn't be."
The senior brother reassured, "Those Fox Spirits are all formidable, if it were them, we'd have been torn to pieces by now."
"Second brother, you always scare yourself!"
The third brother, with a pair of Flying Axes in hand, raised his voice and said, "If you ask me, this is just some minor demon that hasn't grown powerful yet. Watch me split it in two with one swing of my axe!"
"Stop messing around!"
The senior brother scolded with widened eyes, "I've already sent a Communication Talisman; our third sect uncle who is coming to rescue us will be here soon. He's long achieved immortality and enlightenment. We just need to hold on for a while and we'll be safe!"
As soon as his words ended, a gigantic shadow burst out from the fog, coming straight toward them with an overpowering fishy stench.
Caught off guard, the three were knocked off their feet and hurled away.
By the time they stood up, they realized that two of the three Yellow Light beasts had disappeared, and the shadow had also vanished into the fog.
"Such immense strength this demon has!" exclaimed the senior brother.
"Damn it, I'll fight it with all I've got!"
The third brother threw his pair of Flying Axes, which flew with a Yellow Light toward the direction where the shadow disappeared.
"Clang! Clang!"
Metallic sounds of collision rang out, followed by the "clang" of heavy objects hitting the ground.
At the same time, the third brother's face paled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he panicked, "My Flying Axes are shattered!"
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"Shattered?"
The senior brother's expression was one of utter astonishment; he never expected such an outcome.
He was quite familiar with the third brother's pair of flying axes - cutting through gold and jade, slicing iron as if it were mud - that was all simply routine. Most importantly, those axes were forged from thousands of pounds of brass, blended with treasures such as Qingjin Stone.
Each flying axe weighed a staggering thirteen hundred and eighty pounds!
With such weight, combined with the sharpness of the blades, even a small hill could be cleaved in two with one strike.
Yet, the entity within the dense fog not only remained unharmed, but it also managed to shatter the two flying axes.
"Damn, we've probably encountered a fierce beast!"
The senior brother said, his face grim.
Upon hearing this, the second and third brothers couldn't help but shudder.
Fierce beasts differed from ordinary demons, spirits, monsters, and other creatures in that they had not awakened their spiritual wisdom; they relied purely on instinct to absorb Sun Essence and Moon Light, or to cultivate by devouring blood.
Simply put, a fierce beast is a wild beast, all actions governed by instinct - they are the purest of predators.
In contrast, demons, spirits, monsters, and other creatures all possess intelligence.
Perhaps it is due to the absence of wisdom that these fierce beasts possess an exceptional strength beyond common sense.
"Whew..."
Out of the dense fog, a shadow once again approached with a pungent stench.
Still moving as fast as the wind, this time even the last mount, a Yellow Light, disappeared.
"We're doomed..."
The third brother, who had just exuded confidence, now shook like chaff; if it wasn't for the second brother supporting him, he would have likely collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up.
The second brother whispered in comfort, "Perhaps that fierce beast is already full from eating the three Yellow Lights and won't take interest in us any longer."
"No!"
The senior brother firmly grasped the large saber radiating a deep blue light, his gaze vigilantly sweeping around. He slowly said, "Considering the size of that demon, those three Yellow Lights were probably just enough to get stuck in its teeth!
Besides, it targeted us from the start... Any one of us Qi Refiners at the Refining God and Returning to Void Realm would bring benefits far beyond what those three Yellow Lights could offer!"
With those words, the third brother trembled even more.
The senior brother inwardly cursed him as useless while his own heart raced with anxiety. He tightly held a Yellow Talisman, mentally sending out desperate urges.
Regrettably, it seemed that even the Communication Talisman had its potency stifled by the thick fog, unable to reach their third uncle.
As he grew increasingly desperate, a soft "bang" sound suddenly emanated from the fog.
Following that, a brilliant yellow light penetrated the fog, bringing with it a comforting warmth.
The senior brother looked joyously towards the source of the light, but his expression changed dramatically in an instant.
A richly decorated, extravagant palace stood amidst the fog.
The palace itself was like a treasure; merely standing there, it radiated dazzling yellow rays, pushing the dense fog back continuously.
Centered around the palace, an area covering dozens of yards was completely free from fog.
It was as if an invisible barrier was in place, repelling all the dense fog outside.
What surprised the three of them even more was that they recognized the palace in front of them - it was the same one they had seen before!
All three were filled with doubts and uncertainty.
Could all this be a trap?
"Whew..."
The thick stench approached yet again, with a massive shadow looming like a whirlwind ready to strike.
"Run!"
At this critical juncture, senior brother shouted aloud, taking the lead in fleeing towards the distant Treasure Hall.
Previously, they were surrounded by fog, unsure of where to escape.
Now with the palace as a destination, the three could finally put their Dao Xing to use, crossing a distance of more than a dozen yards in an instant, entering the space enveloped by the radiance of the Treasure Hall.
The shadow missed its mark, and its large body slowly drew closer through the fog, causing the three to retreat in terror.
However, it seemed to hesitate at the edge of the fog, wary of the palace, and never crossed the barrier formed by the radiating treasure light.
"Creak—"
The palace doors gently opened.
The hearts of the three senior brothers trembled in response, looking back instinctively.
They saw a handsome and vigorous young Daoist walk out from the gate, with a burning gray-brown stick dangling from his mouth, grinning as he glanced at them, then looking up at the vast shadow in the fog, "Considering I've been fishing for you in these woods for nearly three days, it's about time you took the bait."
"Whew—"
As if sensing danger, the massive shadow in the fog abruptly turned and sped away.
"Heh, do you think you can escape?!"
Yu Yuan slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, speaking to the three who had come seeking refuge: "I'm off to catch a fierce beast, stay put and don't wander off."
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