Chapter 178: Demonic monsters (Part 2)
Lu Yin and Li Yuilan were in a more relaxed state. They believed that with their strength, they could at least contain the population of these monsters. Xie Qing wanted to warn them of the danger, but decided to remain silent, not wanting to cause panic.
"What are those bastards doing?" Xie Qing thought angrily.
***
"Indeed, it's quite desolate here..."
A group of cultivators was fighting against two demonic monsters about a hundred miles away from the barrier. They resembled a wild boar and an ostrich, but were five times larger in size. There were many small and medium-sized wounds on their bodies.
"Damn! These stupid monsters!" One of them cursed.
The average level of the group did not exceed the fourth stage of Core Formation. This level was considered good, but against the two monsters at the peak of Core Formation, it was too insignificant.
Different colored lights appeared in the air as the cultivators fought. The battle was fierce.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, the demonic boar let out a low roar, releasing an aura of fear that caused the cultivators to panic. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the boar turned around and ran towards the forest.
However, it did not get far before a loud sound came from the sky, and a dense Sword Aura descended upon the boar's body.
"Eek!?"
The boar let out a strange cry that was cut off after a second. When the cultivators came to their senses, they saw that the boar's body had disappeared, leaving only ashes behind.
"Cultivators at the Core Formation stage? It's too dangerous here. Change your guard zone, or else you won't be able to live until tomorrow," a deep male voice sounded from the sky. It was charming, authoritative, and beautiful.
"T-thank you for saving us!"
As soon as they heard the man's voice, the group of cultivators knelt down and bowed before leaving.
Standing on the roof of the carriage, Xie Qing watched these young men leave. Only then did he wave his hand and turn the ostrich, which had only managed to run a hundred meters away, into ashes.
With his strength, someone at the Core Formation stage was no different from an ant.
"Dao technique - Detection," Xie Qing muttered, and his eyes lit up.
A bright silver ring emerged from his body and expanded with each second. When it flew out, it surrounded the entire forest and reached the barrier.
Xie Qing closed his eyes and, ignoring the slight headache, smiled casually.
"Found it. 496 monsters at the Core Formation stage, 175 at the Soul Nascent stage, and... Hm... Five monsters at the Soul Integration stage. Fortunately, they are only at the first stage."
Although he was confident about the others, the Soul Integration monsters were a bit dangerous. However, the young man did not panic. Shrugging his shoulders, Xie Qing did a backflip and grabbed the protruding detail above the carriage door to enter the already open door.
"Couldn't you enter normally?" Lu Yin asked with a neutral tone and a strange expression on her face.
"Too slow. Inefficient. And I was bored," Xie Qing replied with a carefree smile.
"It was cool," Li Yuilan praised, but still added, "But don't do it again. It's dangerous, you know."
"I'm not a child..."
Xie Qing could only twist the right corner of his mouth when he heard Li Yuilan's words. The girl laughed cheerfully.
***
The journey to the South Continent took them a week, which was already very fast. Along the way, they encountered several infected monsters that had not yet turned into something new. Xie Qing killed them and took samples of their blood and the devilish Qi with him.
"This devilish Qi is like a virus. It spreads through blood and poses a danger even to humans," Lu Yin said. She held a test tube in her hand with many formations and protections on it. Her face was serious and tense. "I'm afraid some people may be infected. We need to figure out how to cure them."
"Leave one alive and kill the rest," Xie Qing said ruthlessly.
"That... is only an extreme method," Li Yuilan sighed in response.
The young man shrugged. In any case, developing a cure would take a lot of time, during which the virus could spread, posing a serious threat to them in the future. Therefore, Xie Qing believed that it was better to leave one for experimentation and kill the rest, disposing of their bodies.
Many cultivators agreed with his opinion, including Xu Mei, who thought it was the best solution. Of course, there were also those who pretended to be saints and caused a lot of problems.
***
Since their identities were very important, the trio was met by the general of the united army of the four sects, Liu Bei.
"I welcome you. The situation is quite tense now, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you a proper welcome," the man said calmly.
Although he said that, his face was indifferent.
In terms of appearance, he looked like a typical general. He had a fierce and domineering aura, narrow and sharp green eyes, and always furrowed brows. His long chestnut hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he was almost as tall as Xie Qing.
Since he was the strongest among them, the girls suggested that he be the leader. Not wanting to put them under unnecessary stress, Xie Qing did not refuse. Therefore, he spoke on their behalf.
"General Liu Bei is too kind. We would like to get straight to business without any formalities, so we won't demand any special attention to our persons," Xie Qing said, narrowing his eyes.
There was a slight smile on his face, but his black eyes showed no emotion. When speaking with the general, Xie Qing's posture was straight and domineering, not allowing the other side to feel free.
"Young Master Xie is indeed wise. I have heard of the reputation of Destroying Blade, and I must say that even I have to admire your talent and sword techniques," Liu Bei replied, and finally, there was sincerity in his voice when he looked at the Nameless Sword attached to the belt at Xie Qing's waist.
"General, you flatter me," Xie Qing replied indifferently and nodded. He surveyed the many tents and asked, "Is there a place for us? I would like to set up a tent and after a short rest, head out to kill the monsters."
"We will find you the best place," Liu Bei said and waved his hand, summoning a soldier.
After giving the order for Xie Qing's group to be given a good place, Liu Bei politely said goodbye and left.
"Please follow me," the soldier said with a respectful tone and glanced at the girls.
However, he was forced to stop when he felt Xie Qing's cold gaze on him. Sweating, the soldier stammered and began to lead them.
Lu Yin and Li Yuilan did not pay attention. They were too used to men's gazes, and although it was annoying, they had to ignore it.
Being beautiful was hard.
As it turned out, the general had lied a little. In terms of location, there were not many tents here. There was even an exit to a stream.
But the problem was the location. They were located in front of the forest, which had been named the Forest of Death after the boom in the demonic monster population. In the event of an attack, their tent would be on the front line.
Although Xie Qing realized this, he did not object. With his cultivation level, there were few monsters that could withstand him.
"Do you have a tent? I can provide you with mine..." the soldier said with a respectful tone, but his eyes showed reluctance.
"No need. You're free to go," Xie Qing did not stand on ceremony with this guy and waved his hand. The soldier sighed with relief and left, or rather, ran away.
The young man waved his hand and took out a tent.
"This is a spiritual item. The space inside is large enough to accommodate a small cabin. There are four rooms, a bathroom, and a living room," the young man said and looked at Li Yuilan and Lu Yin.
"You have such a thing?" Lu Yin was surprised, and then poked Xie Qing's cheek, teasing him: "So you're rich."
"Yes, yes, come inside," Xie Qing rolled his eyes.
The trio entered the tent. The other soldiers exchanged glances, and their faces looked as if they had eaten a May bug.
"This guy..."
"Two beauties at once..."
"How I envy him!"
Lu Yin and Li Yuilan were popular figures in the cultivation world. What cultivator did not dream of becoming their lover?
Since the soldiers did not know about the function of the tent, they thought that these three wanted to share a bed together.
It was too hateful! Unbearable! They were envious.
As for the culprit, he had no such thoughts at all. He thought it would be too uncomfortable for these girls to live in a narrow and cold tent without a proper bed.
Man, I want such a tent too...