The five of them left the Mountain Gate together, each controlling their Spiritual Weapons, flying towards the Boundary Mountain Range.
Wang Hong released Little Peng from the Spirit Beast pouch. Since it was uncomfortable inside, always wanting to come out, he decided to ride on Little Peng to make things easier.
Although Little Peng was powerful and had a relatively fast flying speed, it was still slower than Foundation Building cultivators fully controlling Spiritual Weapons.
Fortunately, the group was not in a hurry. They flew slowly along the way, allowing Little Peng to sometimes fly ahead of everyone.
Xu Gang and Jiang Qing were eager for everyone to fly a bit slower, taking more time to be with Yun Qingya.
Wang Hong and Tian Qing didn't mind going faster or slower. Although they didn't have any other thoughts, having a female cultivator like Yun Qingya around was pleasing to the eyes.
During the journey, Yun Qingya became the undisputed center of attention among the five. Xu Gang and Jiang Qing tried to please her, and Wang Hong and Tian Qing would accommodate her on trivial matters.
Yun Qingya, in turn, was gentle and polite, not arrogant or overbearing, making her easy to get along with.
The journey to the Boundary Mountain Range would take more than ten days, and they were just a couple of days away from their destination.
One day, they arrived at a not-so-large mountain range with strange stones scattered around.
Suddenly, a Rainbow Spirit Pheasant flew out from the stones, got startled upon seeing the five people, and flew back into the Stone Forest.
"Wow! What a beautiful Rainbow Spirit Pheasant! Please wait a moment, senior brothers. Tian junior sister and I will go catch it, okay?"
The Rainbow Spirit Pheasant wasn't powerful, but its meat was delicious, especially its colorful feathers, which were highly favored by female cultivators.
Tian Qing had long wanted to catch it, so she and Yun Qingya went after it.
"Junior sister Yun, let me help you," Xu Gang said, following them.
Jiang Qing didn't want to fall behind either and shouted as he joined the pursuit.
As the four went down, Wang Hong remained in the air. He decided to follow them and see what was going on.
When he descended into the Stone Forest, he realized it was empty except for giant stone pillars. There was no sign of the others.
Feeling something was off, Wang Hong walked around, leaving marks with his Flying Sword. After a quarter of an hour, he looked at the mark on a stone pillar and sighed helplessly.
It seemed he had fallen into a formation, but unfortunately, he didn't understand formations.
He wandered like a headless fly, only to end up back where he started.
Since he couldn't find a way out, he decided to use brute force.
Taking out the Golden Seal, he enlarged it to ten feet and smashed it onto a nearby stone pillar.
"A boom!" The pillar shattered into pieces.
He then lifted the Golden Seal and smashed another stone pillar.
In another part of the Stone Forest, Tian Qing lay on the ground, unconscious, with several bloody wounds on her body.
Xu Gang was engaged in a fierce battle with a Brawny Man at the mid-stage of Foundation Building, who surprisingly turned out to be a rare body cultivator.
The Brawny Man chased Xu Gang, wielding a black giant club. Xu Gang dared not engage in close combat, escaping and dodging while using a Flying Sword to entangle the pursuer.
Yun Qingya stood at the back, merely observing without any intention of assisting.
"A bang!" The Brawny Man's club struck Xu Gang's waist. Xu Gang's dragon bones were instantly shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.
The Flying Sword in the air also fell to the ground.
Although a broken waist wasn't a severe injury for an Immortal Cultivator, it greatly impacted his current combat strength. The burly man approached, stepping on Xu Gang.
"You have two choices now, death or signing this Blood Contract."
The burly man produced a Blood Contract and threw it in front of Xu Gang. Once signed, his life and death would be at the mercy of the other party.
"Fine, I'll sign! I'll sign!"
Xu Gang struggled to sit up, and suddenly, the Flying Sword on the ground shot towards the burly man.
Despite knowing that this attack wouldn't harm the burly man, Xu Gang still struck out with determination.
The man swung his club, deflecting the Flying Sword. Simultaneously, he stomped on Xu Gang's chest, crushing his internal organs, and Xu Gang succumbed.
Unfortunately, Xu Gang, who had recently successfully achieved Foundation Building, didn't get to enjoy the feeling of being a high-level cultivator for long before meeting his demise.
"Hahaha! Quite a stubborn guy. I love killing people like him the most." The burly man laughed heartily after killing Xu Gang.
"Don't just enjoy killing. Don't forget our mission. If it fails, you know the consequences," Yun Qingya said coldly from behind. Though their positions were different, witnessing Xu Gang, who had been so attentive to her just a short while ago, being crushed by the burly man left her in a bad mood.
Hearing Yun Qingya's words, the burly man shivered, clearly fearing the consequences. However, he still refused to show weakness, saying, "My affairs are none of your concern. Take care of yourself. I'll definitely capture a few slaves and make them serve their masters well. If I fail, don't expect to enjoy any benefits. You go and bring me another person."
Carrying his black club, the burly man walked towards a different direction in the Stone Forest, leaving the area with too many signs of a fight.
Wang Hong, in the Stone Forest, stopped bothering with directions. Instead, he lifted his Golden Seal Spiritual Weapon and continued smashing everything in a straight line, turning it all into rubble.
"Wang senior brother, how did you end up here? We just went out, couldn't find you outside, and came back in search," Yun Qingya approached Wang Hong, smiling.
"Oh! So everyone has already left. No wonder I couldn't find anyone here. Junior sister Yun, do you also understand formations?"
Wang Hong was delighted, putting an end to his destruction of the Stone Forest and taking out a small wine bottle to take a large sip.
With his early Foundation Building cultivation level, continuously attacking with the Golden Seal consumed a considerable amount of Spiritual Power.
"That's great! Junior sister, please lead the way in front," Wang Hong happily said.
"Junior Brother Wang, no need to be polite. Please follow me."
Yun Qingya then led Wang Hong in a certain direction.
Not long after, Jiang Qing came from the same direction.
"Junior Brother Wang, finally found you," Jiang Qing said happily upon seeing Wang Hong.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]