Greeting the morning sun and bidding farewell to the evening glow, the squad pressed westward, deeper into the mountains.
The further they went into the range, the greater the danger became. More than once, they had to detour and fly around hazardous areas.
Five days later.
Seated upright on his talisman bird, Chen Moxuan sighed:
"After taking Mount Mo'ya, the sect's Foundation Establishment elders swept through the area and cleared out all the nearby Foundation Establishment–level beasts. They even drew up a rough map marking the danger zones.
Back then, the sect's beast-hunting squads would meet every month or two to exchange information and update the map with new danger spots.
Many disciples paid with their lives to make it possible for us to travel through these mountains with relative ease today."
In the past, no Qi Refining cultivators dared set foot in this wilderness. Nobody knew the territorial boundaries of the beasts.
If you encountered land-bound beasts, you might escape by riding a talisman bird. But some regions were claimed by aerial monsters whose speed rivaled flying boats against them; escape was nothing but a vain hope.
Worst of all was when cultivators, forced to land, stumbled into lurking land beasts. That was truly a situation with nowhere to run, neither heaven above nor earth below.
For cultivators, spirit beasts were treasure troves, their bodies yielding crucial resources for cultivation. But to the beasts, human cultivators were equally precious, like high-grade spirit medicine that could strengthen their bloodlines and, better still, serve as a delicious feast.
Faced with weaker human cultivators, beasts would follow instinct and hunt them down to devour their flesh.
In a sense, the maps in their hands were drawn with blood.
Jiang Qiuyue added:
"We're fortunate. The itinerant cultivators are even worse off. They trust each other less, and their maps are crude, which makes it easier for them to fall into desperate situations.
Many disciples complain that letting wanderers stay in the market city and resupply robs us of resources. But I see it differently."
She lowered her voice:
"To put it bluntly, I suspect the sect is using the itinerants as pathfinders.
Their strength may be lacking, but there are so many of them.
With that many loose cultivators flooding in, the beast population will surely plummet.
In time, the sect can establish resource outposts on one micro–spirit vein after another, cultivating herbs and the like."
Chen Moxuan coughed twice to cut her off:
"The elders' designs aren't for juniors like us to gossip about.
Stay sharp. Up ahead is the territory of the Evil-faced Roc. Once we circle, we'll be close to the Firehorn Rhinos' range."
The squad skirted a mountain peak without incident and entered a broad valley.
It was as though they had stepped into another world. Moments ago, the landscape was lush and verdant. Now it shifted into a wasteland of jagged black rocks scattered across sloping hillsides.
In the distance, patches of earthfire vents glowed like roaring furnaces, dotting the barren valley like demons opening blood-red eyes.
A hot, searing wind blew across. Ji An immediately felt parched, unconsciously licking his lips.
Qi Refining cultivators had low tolerance for harsh environments. Staying here too long would inevitably sap their combat strength.
Chen Moxuan began laying out their tactics:
"The Firehorn Rhino herd numbers twelve in total. When facing enemies, they always charge together.
According to our scouting, there are two at Qi Refining's ninth layer, three at Qi Refining's seventh layer, two early-stage calves, and the rest at mid-stage.
We plan to lure the herd into attacking us. Their ninth-layer leaders are sure to pull ahead of the others, and at that moment, we'll concentrate our strongest assault on them and try to kill one outright.
The Firehorn Rhino is thick-skinned and immensely strong. Even though we've prepared Cold Wind Talismans to counter them, there's no guarantee we'll land a decisive kill.
If we fail to deal a heavy blow in the first exchange, the beasts will grow wary. That's why the key to this battle is whether we can kill one in the opening strike."
Ji An gave a slight nod. The plan was straightforward: pour everything into a heavy strike, inflict serious injuries, and eliminate a key member of the herd.
Once the leaders were gone, the remaining Firehorn Rhinos could be whittled down at leisure. At that point, the battle would be firmly in their hands.
Simple was good. The simpler the plan, the fewer the variables.
In truth, laying down an array for an ambush would have been the easiest method of beast-hunting. But arrays capable of withstanding a herd assault were not only prohibitively expensive, they also required mid-grade spirit stones to operate.
And a single mid-grade stone was worth a hundred ordinary ones.
Such costs weren't worth spending on Qi Refining–level beasts. Most cultivators at this stage didn't even have that kind of capital to begin with.
Chen Moxuan continued his tactical breakdown:
"Junior Sister Jiang, your speed is the greatest. You'll be the one to lure the herd, and try to draw them out to the very edge of their territory.
Once we engage, your main role is to unleash Cold Wind Talismans and water-element spells as the main offense.
Junior Brother Tian, Junior Brother Ji, your defensive artifacts are the strongest. You'll be responsible for holding back the two leader-level Firehorn Rhinos. I'll also be using Cold Wind Talismans to ease your pressure.
Mm, we'll prioritize taking down the beast Ji Shidi is holding."
"Understood."
"The Firehorn Rhinos' defense is absurdly tough. Unless we strike their weak points, our flying swords will barely scratch them.
Junior Brother Chu, you'll use your artifact to press the main assault as a second strike point. Pay close attention to the timing of our Cold Wind Talismans."
"Don't worry, boss," Chu He grinned. "We've fought together long enough, our rhythm's still there."
Chen Moxuan nodded, smiling.
"Good. I'll handle the overall command. Everyone, sit and restore your strength.
Remember, don't hold back. Our first strike must be our strongest.
If things go poorly, don't cling to the fight. Mount the talisman birds and withdraw."
With the strategy set, everyone knew their roles. A veteran squad with practiced coordination had far less chance of overturning than a hastily formed team.
Once Jiang Qiuyue had restored her spiritual power to full, she leapt onto her talisman bird and sped off.
Half an hour later, Ji An spotted a graceful silhouette darting toward them from afar, a stampede of Firehorn Rhinos thundering after her like a living wall of flame.
The ground trembled beneath their charge, like war drums pounding straight into the heart. For a mere dozen beasts, they moved with the force of ten thousand galloping steeds.
The Firehorn Rhinos resembled massive wild oxen, each with a single horn growing from the bridge of its nose. Their hides were armored with dark red scales, granting them terrifying resilience.
They were notoriously short-tempered and territorial. Any intruder would be met with the full fury of the herd.
When enraged, the fire-element energy within their bodies surged wildly, and their scales flared as though ablaze, fiery red, like iron bulls pulled fresh from the forge.
At such times, their resistance to wood, metal, and even fire-element spells skyrocketed.
"The plan is working! The two ninth-layer rhinos are in the lead; they've pulled two or three li ahead of the herd. Get ready!"
Chen Moxuan's face flushed red. The materials harvested from a Firehorn Rhino were worth far more than those of a Greenwood Ape!
Jiang Qiuyue swept past Ji An and Tian Yulei like a gust of wind, then wheeled sharply around and pulled out a fan of Cold Wind Talismans.
Tian Yulei strode forward, his Scorpion-Shell Shield slamming toward one of the beasts.
His goal wasn't to kill, only to draw its attention aside and buy space for the others.
Meanwhile, Ji An's Mountain-and-River Seal spun through the air, then dropped like a hammer against the charging rhino.
A deafening clang of metal rang out. The artifact was blasted back ten zhang.
But the strike had stalled the rhino's momentum for just a heartbeat.
Its fist-sized eyes flared with murderous light, locking on Ji An. With a powerful bound, it covered five or six zhang in an instant, landing right before him.
Its rear legs braced, front hooves rearing for a crushing stomp. At the same time, from its nostrils and gaping maw, a roiling cloud of fire surged out, sweeping down toward him in a blazing torrent.
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 100+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader