At this moment, Gu Yuan had already broken through to Foundation Establishment, no longer merely Ninth Stage Qi Refinement. His strength had increased greatly—though he still could not best Fang Qing, he was now on par with her in power.As for Yin Mo’s cultivation level, Gu Yuan judged that he was not yet Foundation Establishment, but even among Qi Refiners his tier must be high.And Fang Qing’s strength—need one say more?In short, all three were formidable. Yet against a tide of thousands of beasts and spirit beasts, it was insufficient. Even if most were unruly beasts and only a few true spirit beasts, the sheer numbers meant their power alone could not cope.However, that assumes the beast‐tide’s goal was to kill them. Clearly its focus lay elsewhere. Thus they had a chance to break through and survive.Drawing her long blade, igniting her Blood Qi, Fang Qing charged headlong into the beast‐tide without a backward glance, calling over her shoulder“I’ll clear the way—follow when you can.”Seeing her move, Gu Yuan instantly drew the Xuánlán Sword and DiǎnXīng, dual‐wielding as he gave chase. But after only a few steps, he heard Yin Mo’s voice behind him.“Brother Gu, wait a moment!”Gu Yuan paused, puzzled, and turned to Yin Mo. Without explanation, Yin Mo drew five talismans, infused them with spirit energy, activated them, and hurled them at Gu Yuan.There was no sense of danger in the talismans—and Gu Yuan trusted Yin Mo wouldn’t betray him—so he did not evade. The five charms struck him in quick succession, dissolved into motes of light, and he felt a surge of power welling up in his body.“Thanks,” he said, offering a nod, then resumed pursuit of Fang Qing.Yin Mo, having activated more talismans to boost his own strength, quickly caught up.Ahead, a small flanking of a few dozen beasts had formed. Fang Qing planted her blade and silently invoked‘Fire!’A broad, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» crescent‐shaped arc of black flame‐Qi drifted toward the beasts. Oddly, it carried no heat—instead it harbored a bone‐chilling cold.The ten‐meter‐long blade‐Qi cut through a dozen beasts and spirit beasts, leaving them extinguished as though snuffed out by a breath, bodies intact and death swift.She followed with another strike. Thus Fang Qing felled most of this small tide, carving a path through.Beasts that survived skittered past her a few meters away, racing upward toward the summit.Only then did Gu Yuan and Yin Mo arrive behind her. Gu Yuan, seeing the corpses, was unsurprised—he had witnessed this technique before. Yin Mo, however, was amazed: faint black flames flickered over the bodies, yet caused no burning or damage.Noting their arrival, Fang Qing spoke coldly, “We still have far to go. Let’s take turns leading.”Hearing this, Yin Mo ceased inspecting the carcasses, drew several talismans and activated them, saying, “Here—use these.”Fang Qing glanced back, saw no threat, and simply waited while he applied the charms. In a blink, they were done, and she set off downhill, followed by Gu Yuan, then Yin Mo.…Once safely at the base, they paused to tend wounds. Fang Qing ripped cloth from her robe’s sleeve to bind her left forearm, took a pill, then surveyed Baldrock Mountain behind them.After ten rounds of intense combat the trio had broken through the beast‐tide to the foot. Though they suffered no mortal wounds, minor injuries were numerous.Gu Yuan’s calf was pierced by a horned beast, and his shoulder chewed—fortunately his height saved his neck. Aside from these, he bore a dozen smaller cuts.Yin Mo fared worse: his left hand numb from a venomous beast’s bite, his right pinkie severed by another, and various gouges on his thighs and calves—courtesy of a pack of giant rats. A slapping‐sized bruise stained his cheek where a bear‐spirit struck, his protective talisman shattered. He had nearly died.By contrast, Fang Qing’s only serious wound was a strip of flesh torn from her left hand—proof of her strength.Now resting, she stood guard with blade ready while Gu Yuan and Yin Mo sat to recover breath and Qi. Fang Qing’s eyes never left the surroundings.After a time, the unexpected occurred.A spear crackled with lightning descended from the sky, aimed at the weakest—Yin Mo. Yet before it struck, a long blade swept through midair, cleaving the spear aside.Looking up, Fang Qing saw a burly youth flying his spear with thunderous light. She called out,“Who are you? Why attack?”“From Thundercliff, Lei Fei.” He landed lightly and faced her, voice terse.Fang Qing said nothing—she knew from that spear’s appearance the youth was an enemy.Raising her blade and igniting her Blood Qi, she struck first. A blood‐tinged black flame‐Qi shot toward Lei Fei like wildfire.Clutching his black‐iron spear, Lei Fei casually slashed, sending dozens of fine electric sparks dancing out to annihilate Fang Qing’s blade‐Qi a few meters in front of him.Seeing him extinguish her Qi‐blade so easily, Fang Qing realized he was a true rival. Even in her fatigued state, her blade‐Qi was not something any common foe could dispel. This youth must be among Thundercliff’s brightest.Lei Fei thrust his spear at her with blinding speed, like a bolt of lightning. Fang Qing sidestepped and swung to chop at the shaft, aiming to knock it down. But Lei Fei reacted, sweeping the spear left.Fang Qing, realizing her injured left hand could not block the strike, instead used Wu Qian to parry, bracing the blade back with her hand. The force drove her backward several paces, and fresh blood dripped from her forearm—but her will remained unbroken. She recovered her stance and prepared to clash again.Yet unexpectedly, Lei Fei did not turn back to her. Instead, he gazed toward a patch of sky to one side.

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