“Fellow Daoists, be careful. There are unknown strange birds in the mist, but fortunately, their strength isn’t too high. As long as you avoid their acid spray, you’ll be fine. As for this mist, my wife and I will handle it—we’ll clear it away.” The young man surnamed Zhu, flying at the forefront, suddenly announced loudly.
Under the astonished gazes of the others, the silver-haired youth opened his mouth and spat out a hazy white jade bottle with a long neck. With a swift rotation, the bottle’s mouth aimed directly at the white mist ahead.
The youth formed hand seals and chanted incantations, causing the jade bottle to glow brilliantly.
With a muffled *pfft*, a fierce azure wind erupted from the bottle.
At first, the wind was just a faint blue glow, but after traveling a few *zhang*, it transformed into a roaring gale, swiftly intensifying into a violent hurricane that surged forward.
The mist over the lake churned violently, retreating in waves.
A remarkably clear passage faintly emerged within the mist.
“Let’s go!”
At the command of the young man surnamed Zhu, he and his partner flew into the passage first, while the jade bottle hovered above his head, continuously unleashing the unrelenting gale.
Seeing this, the others relaxed and followed without hesitation.
True to the young man’s words, after flying about ten *li* into the lake, white avian creatures several *chi* in size began emerging from the surrounding mist. Each had flat beaks, long wings, and a pair of emerald-green claws on their abdomens.
These birds clearly targeted the cultivators. The moment they broke through the mist, they opened their mouths, firing volleys of pitch-black water arrows at the group.
Amidst low shouts, the cultivators summoned their magic treasures—some transformed flying swords into wheel-sized orbs of spiritual light, while others conjured ancient shields before them.
The black water arrows dissolved into wisps of black smoke upon impact, but wherever they struck, whether on swords or other treasures, shallow pits densely covered the surfaces.
The owners of these treasures paled, and someone immediately shouted, “Quickly, eliminate these things! Their acid can corrode our treasures!”
Hearing this, the others grew wary and unleashed their full power. Streaks of rainbow light and waves of radiance surged toward the strange birds.
Wherever the light passed, the birds burst into bloody rain, annihilated in an instant.
Seeing this, those who had been apprehensive relaxed.
These strange birds were indeed weak.
But almost immediately afterward, eerie cries echoed from the mist as another swarm of identical white birds emerged, unleashing another barrage of black water arrows.
Startled, the cultivators hastily summoned their treasures again, fending off the assault before exterminating the birds with their techniques.
Yet the same scenario repeated. As the last bird dissolved into blood, countless more shadows emerged from the mist.
The group grew restless, many showing unease.
Han Li frowned and swept his spiritual sense through the mist, only to discover that it was teeming with these birds—so many that their numbers were beyond count.
Even Han Li, who had weathered countless storms, couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
“Don’t be afraid! These birds are merely probing. After a dozen waves of failed attacks, they’ll retreat on their own,” the young man surnamed Zhu reassured calmly from the front.
Hearing this, the others understood and redoubled their efforts, annihilating every attacking bird without exception.
After thirteen or fourteen waves of attacks, a long, shrill cry suddenly rose from the mist. Instantly, the white birds scattered in all directions, vanishing into the fog.
They had indeed retreated without further conflict.
Relieved, the group wasted no time pressing forward.
Half a day later, the mist around them dissipated, revealing a towering mountain rising from the lake—ten thousand *zhang* high, its base plunging deep into the water.
The exposed parts of the mountain were covered in dark-green rock, barren except for patches of moss-like vegetation.
“This is the place! Heh, it’s impressive that you managed to find it, Fairy Ying,” the young man surnamed Zhu remarked, clicking his tongue as the group halted.
“We stumbled upon it while chasing a rare beast. It was sheer luck,” the veiled woman replied with a smile.
“Indeed. Without such fortune, such a hidden place would be nearly impossible to discover. But that’s also why the True Toad Beasts remain untouched. If they were elsewhere, others would have claimed them long ago,” the silver-haired youth laughed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
The other cultivators nodded in agreement.
“The True Toads’ nest lies in a natural cavern at the mountain’s base. As planned, we’ll lure out the Black Blood Ants first and eliminate them. Be cautious—though these ants are only at the eighth-level demon beast tier, they can pierce through our protective spiritual light and shields. Their black blood is lethally toxic. If bitten, you must take an antidote immediately, or your life will be at risk. Now, prepare yourselves. I’ll light the Sandalwood Crane Incense!”
After his warning, the young man surnamed Zhu flipped his hand, producing a palm-sized incense burner with a half-*chi*-long green sandalwood stick.
He tossed the burner into the air, where it hovered and rotated slowly.
With a flick of his finger, a red streak ignited the incense, sending a wisp of smoke curling upward.
Han Li studied the burner, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face.
*So this is the Sandalwood Crane Incense. It looks unremarkable and odorless—can it really lure the Black Blood Ants?*
Without needing orders, the group scattered, each concealing themselves with stealth techniques.
Han Li transformed into a streak of azure light, ascending to a height of a hundred *zhang* before stopping to cast his spell. A white streak flashed beside him, revealing the slender figure of “Fairy Xiao.”
She seemed surprised to see Han Li but smiled politely. “Brother Han, I possess a Hundred Veil Mirage Banner, quite effective in concealment. Allow me to extend its coverage to you as well.”
“Then I’ll trouble you, Fairy,” Han Li replied courteously, not refusing.
“It’s nothing.” With a wave of her hand, a small white banner flew out, circling above them before unleashing a milky radiance that enveloped them both.
The light faded, leaving no trace of their presence.
Han Li examined his now-invisible hand, his eyes flashing blue as he activated his Spirit Eyes—yet he still saw nothing.
“Your treasure is truly remarkable. Far superior to ordinary concealment artifacts,” he praised.
Fairy Xiao smiled faintly. “You flatter me. While the banner excels in invisibility, a focused spiritual sense sweep can still detect us. It’s only effective against creatures with weak innate spiritual perception.”
Han Li tested this, sweeping his spiritual sense toward her—and indeed, her form became detectable. Relieved yet slightly disappointed, he mused that if the banner could also block spiritual sense, it would be extraordinary.
Meanwhile, the others had hidden themselves, suppressing their auras.
Now, only the small incense burner floated in the air, undisturbed.
The Sandalwood Crane Incense proved effective. Before long, a buzzing sound arose from the mountain, and a swarm of winged giant ants emerged from a nondescript cave halfway up the slope.
Each ant was over a *chi* long, with exposed fangs and emerald-green wings, resembling monstrous birds in flight.
Drawn to the incense, the ants surged forward with surprising speed, soon entering the ambush zone.
“Now!”
Space rippled near the incense burner as the silver-haired youth and his beautiful companion materialized, issuing the command coldly.
Instantly, spiritual lights erupted from all directions as dozens of treasures were unleashed—waves of radiance, fireballs, and lightning arcs engulfed the ant swarm.
The ensuing explosions drowned the ants in a storm of multicolored devastation, the shockwaves forcing even those a hundred *zhang* away to stagger back.
When the light and wind subsided, the Black Blood Ants had vanished without a trace—not even ashes remained.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage