Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, five individuals, concurrently set up protective array talismans on their respective doorframes.
This was to safeguard their own safety.
It wasn't due to a lack of trust in others, but rather the principle of caution when traveling: while one should not harbor malicious intent towards others, one must also maintain vigilance against them.
The night passed in tranquility, with no incidents occurring.
The following morning.
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, along with Zhou Yuyan,
Together, they boarded the top-tier aerial artifact, the "Imperial Wind Spirit Chariot," and traveled towards the depths of the Tuo Yi Mountain Range.
...
Upon reaching the Tuo Yi Mountain Range, Zhou Yuyan retrieved the Imperial Wind Spirit Chariot back into her storage bag.
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, Wu Tao, Zhou Yuyan, and the other six individuals proceeded on foot towards the deeper regions of the Tuo Yi Mountain Range.
The primary reason they did not utilize aerial flying artifacts was the sheer abundance of demonic beasts inhabiting the Tuo Yi Mountain Range.
Having so many people flying in the air would undoubtedly make them a conspicuous target, akin to seeking their own demise.
Amidst the surrounding silent stillness, Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, Wu Tao, and Zhou Yuyan, the six of them, walked with caution and vigilance.
They continuously scanned their surroundings with their eyes.
Everyone secretly gripped their respective magical artifacts, circulating their spiritual energy throughout their bodies, ready to face any danger that might arise.
"Bang!"
Feng Li, whose divine sense was exceptionally strong due to practicing a unique cultivation technique, suddenly frowned. The Flying Purple Gold Flowing Electric Fork in his hand transformed into a streak of light and shot into the nearby jungle.
The others, seeing this, also knitted their brows and hurried over.
After a thorough examination, they discovered that the Flying Purple Gold Flowing Electric Fork was embedded in a large tree.
Climbing on this tree was a palm-sized, brownish-yellow toad.
This toad had likely been positioned on the tree beforehand, intending to stealthily ambush them as they passed.
"It's a Yellow-Brown Pointed Poison Tree Frog!"
Everyone gasped in unison, their faces turning pale.
Based on their internal spiritual energy, these large toads could only be considered demonic beasts at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation. However, their internal toxins were extremely potent, and the venom they spat could instantly kill a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.
They were known among cultivators who frequented the Tuo Yi Mountain Range as "Hell's Life-Reaping Poison Frogs," implying that no amount of potent medicine could save those poisoned by them.
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, veterans who had navigated perilous locations and secret realms for over a decade, quickly regained their composure, showing no significant reaction.
Zhou Yuyan, who was protected in the center by Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, was still filled with trepidation. She had initially believed that even if the Tuo Yi Mountain Range was dangerous, it wouldn't be excessively so.
She thought she could easily reach the depths of the Tuo Yi Mountain Range on her own, without the need for any guards.
...
However, it now seemed she was mistaken, and profoundly so.
This Tuo Yi Mountain Range was truly fraught with danger at every turn, and one could easily lose their life if not careful.
If that large toad had suddenly attacked her, she couldn't guarantee her survival given her carelessness.
"Miss Zhou, let's hurry. It's best not to prolong this,"
Pang Bo, the oldest among the five at over forty years old, glanced at Zhou Yuyan, who stood frozen in place, and couldn't help but sigh before offering this suggestion.
Zhou Yuyan snapped back to attention, nodded, glanced at Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, and then said, "Everyone, let's move quickly. This place is extremely dangerous."
...
The Tuo Yi Mountain Range lived up to its reputation as a forbidden zone for cultivators. In just five hundred li of travel, the group encountered thirty to forty waves of demonic beast attacks.
Various dangerous demonic beasts such as Man-Faced Spiders, Sand Wasteland Blood Ants, Venomous Lizards, Wind Chasing Demonic Wolves, Blazing Fire Bears, Burrowing Mice, Thousand-Legged Centipedes, Golden Crested Flower Snakes, Bronze Armored Poison Scorpions, Green Silk Blood-Spotted Silkworms, Purple Crystal Poisonous Giant Crows, and Silver Dancing Poison Moths, all of Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment realms, appeared frequently and incessantly.
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, tasked with their protection, were thrown into a state of disarray. They had to simultaneously fend off the attacking demonic beasts and protect Zhou Yuyan in the center.
During this process, Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao all sustained minor injuries.
Pang Bo was bitten on the thigh by a Man-Faced Spider, and it took numerous healing elixirs to barely suppress the poison in his body.
Yue Lu, while killing a Wind Chasing Demonic Wolf, was bitten on the arm by it.
Luo Dijie suffered a deep gash from the poisonous leg of a Thousand-Legged Centipede, which drained a significant amount of his vitality.
Feng Li's hand skin was corroded by the venom of a Venomous Lizard, leaving a small scar despite the timely application of antidote.
Wu Tao's little toe was bitten by a Sand Wasteland Blood Ant, resulting in a large bump.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yuyan, shielded by Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, remained completely unharmed.
If the individually appearing demonic beasts like Man-Faced Spiders, Venomous Lizards, Wind Chasing Demonic Wolves, Blazing Fire Bears, Burrowing Mice, Thousand-Legged Centipedes, Purple Crystal Poisonous Giant Crows, Golden Crested Flower Snakes, and Bronze Armored Poison Scorpions had instilled fear in their hearts,
Then the Sand Wasteland Blood Ant swarm attacking from the ground, and the Silver Dancing Poison Moth swarms attacking in groups, had instilled immense terror in the hearts of all six of them.
A single Sand Wasteland Blood Ant was equivalent to a cultivator at the first layer of Qi Condensation.
Sand Wasteland Blood Ants were dark brown, with bristles and bumps on their bodies, and possessed poisonous pincers capable of releasing paralyzing toxins that could temporarily immobilize humans or demonic beasts.
Sand Wasteland Blood Ants typically traveled in swarms, and the appearance of tens of thousands of them could even force demonic beasts at the Core Formation stage to retreat.
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, Wu Tao, and Zhou Yuyan, the six of them, were chased by the swarming Sand Wasteland Blood Ants, fleeing in disarray.
...
The Silver Dancing Poison Moths had cone-shaped heads, were entirely silver-white, with slender tails, and were two to three centimeters long. Individually, each was only equivalent to a cultivator at the second or third layer of Qi Condensation.
Their primary attack method was to release poisonous powder from under their wings. Anyone who inhaled it would become dizzy.
The longer the inhalation continued, the stronger the poison would become in their bodies, eventually leading to respiratory failure, nervous system disorders, and death.
The attack of the Silver Dancing Poison Moth swarms was insidious and dense, numbering in the tens of thousands.
They swooped in from all directions, creating a force akin to a torrential downpour, incredibly fierce, catching the group off guard.
At a critical moment, the ancient, broken sword in Wu Tao's hand flickered, its blade shimmering with bone-chilling cold light.
Wherever the sharp sword light passed, a large number of Silver Dancing Poison Moths were annihilated, with him single-handedly holding back thousands of them.
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, and Yue Lu were not to be outdone.
They unleashed their respective artifacts, the Profound Yellow Thick Earth Cauldron, the Fire Talisman Burning Seal, the Whirlwind Qiankun Bag, and the Flying Purple Gold Flowing Electric Fork, interspersed with various spells, killing the Silver Dancing Poison Moth swarms from a distance of thirty meters.
Zhou Yuyan's complexion grew paler, not only due to the increasing number of demonic beasts as they neared the depths of the Tuo Yi Mountain Range.
A part of the reason was that she had yet to find the precious spiritual herbs and medicines she "urgently needed."
If they ventured deeper, they might encounter Core Formation stage demonic beasts. Once such a level of beast was encountered, their entire group could be annihilated.
Biting her lower lip, Zhou Yuyan hoped for good fortune in the upcoming discoveries, as she had paid a considerable price to hire these five individuals.
After walking another three to four li, the group suddenly felt the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth become much denser, and the scent of spiritual herbs and medicines wafted from a distance.
As an alchemist, Zhou Yuyan clearly detected the source of the "pure and clear" fragrance in the air and said with great excitement, "We're almost at the herb gathering spot. Let's push a little harder, we're close."
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!"
Pang Bo, Feng Li, Luo Dijie, Yue Lu, and Wu Tao, upon hearing this, couldn't help but heave a collective sigh of relief. Their nerves had been taut all the way, not daring to slacken for a moment, fearing that any lapse in concentration would turn them into food for demonic beasts, their souls utterly annihilated.
Fortunately, effort always yielded rewards.
After gathering the herbs, the harvest from the Luo E Pill would give them a high probability of breaking through their current cultivation bottlenecks.
A moment later...
The group arrived in a vast canyon.