“Be careful,” Yan Xuan lowered his voice, “They’ve already arrived.”
Pei Mufeng and his group had reached the foot of the mountain. Since the mountain where the Earthly Camp was located had cliffs on all sides except the south, the base of the mountain became the best place to hide. Leaning against the mountain wall, the four men were out of sight of the cultivators in the city above.
Meng Qi took a deep breath, pushing all distractions from her mind. What she must focus on for now was to become stronger at any cost. Only when she had enough strength could she… She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, her gaze was clear and determined. Meng Qi’s fingers brushed over her storage space, and her silver medicinal knife was already in hand. Her left hand held a profound-grade spirit stone, and her Five Spirits Cauldron had left her spiritual sea, shrinking to the size of a palm and hovering beside her head.
With two buzzing sounds, Qin Xiumo and Ling Ji’s natal swords appeared, floating to the left and right of the group.
Yan Xuan’s left hand opened, and a crescent moon rose from his palm. He was the young master of the Jingyuetian, and his natal weapon took the shape of a crescent moon. Before his injury, wherever this bright moon shone, Yan Xuan was unbeatable among his peers. Now, after being dormant for two years, the moon, like its master, trembled lightly as if overjoyed at its return.
Even Ling Ji and Yun Qingyan took another look at Yan Xuan, particularly Yun Qingyan, whose eyes quickly flashed with surprise. However, he soon looked away and said to Meng Qi, “Be careful later.”
He paused, then added, “The city gate’s array only serves as defense, and it’s the storm, lightning, and thunder inside the city that will attack the intruders. But the watchtowers on the city walls are equipped with small sword arrays and spell arrays.”
“Understood,” Meng Qi nodded.
The rest of the group also listened to Yun Qingyan’s instructions.
“The firepower of the sword array and spell array in the watchtowers isn’t very strong, roughly equivalent to a single strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator, so they may not utilize those watchtowers,” he continued. “But from the materials and positions of the four city walls, I suspect the watchtowers might be part of a different array.”
A sudden idea struck Meng Qi. “Then, when it’s our turn to defend the city, couldn’t we use these watchtowers to our advantage?” she quickly asked.
“Haha,” Ling Ji chuckled. “They’d have to hold on long enough for that to happen, Xiao Meng Qi.”
“Indeed,” Yun Qingyan added casually.
Meng Qi: “…”
Qin Xiumo: “…”
Yan Xuan: “…”
Meng Qi was alright, but for Qin Xiumo and Yan Xuan, who were young prodigies accustomed to fame and pride, they suddenly felt humbled. Compared to these two, their own arrogance seemed too modest!
Regardless, under the protection of the array, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed. Including Meng Qi, everyone’s pace was quick, and they soon reached the foot of the mountain.
“I’ll take you up,” Yun Qingyan said as he wrapped his arm around Meng Qi’s shoulders.
“Let’s go up,” Yan Xuan nodded.
The group only paused momentarily before soaring upwards. Meng Qi felt a warmth on her shoulder as the wind whipped past her ears. Yun Qingyan’s speed wasn’t exceptionally fast, but in the blink of an eye, the terrain of the mountain base had receded far below them, and the small city on the mountaintop where the Earthly Camp had taken the defensive position loomed before her.
Swoosh—
With two swishing sounds, Qin Xiumo and Ling Ji were the first to act. Qin Xiumo’s Anyun Summit was known for dual cultivation of swordsmanship and spell, but his primary method of attack was still the long sword, which he could imbue with spell properties. Every strike that came from his natal sword was accompanied by heavy wind and rain, creating an astonishing momentum.
Ling Ji was the opposite. His sword was extremely thin and swift, slicing through the air as fast as lightning. Often, before his opponents even realized what was happening, the cold tip of his blade was already at their necks.
As the two set foot on the mountaintop, they swung their swords forward in a united attack.
Meng Qi barely felt her feet touch the solid ground when Yan Xuan, who had been walking in front of her, charged forward. The crescent moon in his palm flashed brightly, and a dense fog surged into the air. The fog quickly spread, not only concealing him but also engulfing Qin Xiumo and Ling Ji’s swords in its midst.
Meng Qi watched in amazement. This was their first time collaborating, but they operated as if they had rehearsed together countless times, displaying perfect coordination. She knew this seamless teamwork wasn’t due to familiarity or prior understanding, but because all three were powerful cultivators at the level of geniuses. A single glance was enough for them to intuitively know how to complement each other’s moves.
Yun Qingyan’s hand on Meng Qi’s shoulder loosened as he stepped forward. His fingers swiftly traced through the air, gathering specks of light at his fingertips. Soon, that starlight also merged into the fog.
Meng Qi took a deep breath; her fingers began moving rapidly. Seven or eight spiritual herbs and a few other ingredients flew out of her storage space into her Five Spirits Cauldron. With a flick of her finger, a single profound-grade spirit stone flew from her left hand into the belly of the cauldron. A flash of light followed, and a moment later, a bitter medicinal fragrance started to waft. She made a gesture, and a glob of dark green liquid flew out of the cauldron and also disappeared into the fog.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. From the moment Meng Qi stepped onto the mountaintop to when she sent the concoction into the fog, only a few seconds had passed. During this time, Yun Qingyan’s array still hung above their heads. He was truly a master of arrays, unmatched in all the Three Realms; let alone five people, he could easily hide five thousand, and they would remain undetected even if they were standing right in front of you.
The combined sight of swords, fog, and green concoction made a grand spectacle, yet the people on the city walls were completely oblivious. It wasn’t until the dark green liquid merged into the fog, turning it a strangely eerie green, that Yun Qingyan finally waved his hand and dispelled the array above their heads.
“Ah!! Something’s coming up!” Only then did a shout of alarm ring out from the city wall.
“…” Even Meng Qi, the weakest among them, couldn’t help but feel a bit amazed.
“They’re coming!”
“Something’s coming up the mountain!”
“What is that?!”
“That green fog… they have medical cultivators in their group! It must be poisonous!!! Everyone, be careful!”
“Be careful, they must be hiding behind that thick fog! Everyone be cautious!”
“Alert! Prepare to activate the arrays!”
“Don’t panic, they are few in number!”
The city walls instantly erupted into noise. However, the defenders were all elite disciples from major sects and quickly regained their composure. The Earthly Camp clearly had a strategy discussed in advance, and after a moment of chaos, the walls lit up with ordered activity. Various natal weapons, along with the city’s defensive arrays, were activated.
By then, the green fog had already surged over the city walls.
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