The next morning, after Hu Bayi had found him, no one else approached Zhang Tian.
Zhang Tian himself slept soundly.
Sunlight pierced through the mountain range, bathing the entire snow-capped peak in a dazzling white.
The glare was so intense that for a moment, Zhang Tian couldn't even open his eyes.
Gazing at the towering snow-capped mountains before him, Zhang Tian’s mood inexplicably lifted.
“Boss, the sun seems to be rising.”
Pangzi pointed at the small sun that was slowly ascending in the distance.
As the sun crested the peaks, a streak of gold appeared in their sight.
“Alright, everyone pack up. Let’s get moving.”
Zhang Tian waved his hand, watching the rising sun as he tidied up some of the equipment.
The tents were packed away, and the group once again embarked on their journey.
Hu Bayi still led the way. He could now navigate without a compass, finding their route directly.
Soon, at the foot of a mountain range.
Hu Bayi’s steps slowed to a halt.
The surroundings appeared serene, with not a single footprint on the snow.
Before them, a colossal crevice opened up.
The gorge plunged downwards, and looking into its depths, the immense chasm made the ground invisible.
The scene was extraordinarily spectacular.
“Old Hu, where are you leading us? We’ve ended up at a cliff edge.”
Pangzi grumbled, looking at the endless precipice.
Was he expected to demonstrate his flying abilities? As expected of Old Hu, he was so thoughtful, planning to torment Pangzi first.
“Something’s not right.”
Wu Tianzhen furrowed his brow slightly.
His gaze drifted downwards.
“Oh no, it’s those bugs!”
Wu Tianzhen suddenly shouted, and in the next instant, he retreated rapidly. After Wu Tianzhen had taken several steps back, countless bugs surged forth from the depths of the cliff.
These bugs were like tiny blue fireflies, swarming towards them with frenzied intensity.
“Buzz buzz.”
Their wings, like those of a bee, emitted a trembling sound.
“Holy crap, that’s a lot of them.”
“We’re like a tiny needle poking a hornet’s nest, right?”
Wang Banyue exclaimed.
He drew a small knife from his hand.
“Holy crap, Banyue, that’s some serious imagery. How come I didn’t think of that? As expected, Brother Banyue is superior.”
Wang Kaixuan said excitedly.
“Pangzi, now is not the time for this. Hurry and help!”
Hu Bayi called out.
Pangzi quickly nodded, drawing his weapon and beginning to slash wildly at the blue insects in the air.
Hu Bayi also continuously unleashed Taoist magic from the Maoshan sect.
Simultaneously, his peach wood sword descended repeatedly.
Zhang Tian’s horsetail whisk swished continuously.
With a mere flick, countless insects turned to ash.
Even with their sheer numbers, they couldn’t withstand Zhang Tian’s effortless wave.
Wu Tianzhen also joined the fray.
The bugs seemed endless, continuously pouring out from the bottom of the cliff.
Zhang Tian remained unhurried, his whisking motions becoming more familiar with his techniques with each swing.
This was also a form of practice to stabilize his cultivation.
Moreover, if one looked closely, small crackling sounds could be heard amidst Zhang Tian's attacks.
Ten minutes later.
The swarm of bugs showed no sign of diminishing.
“Holy crap, Boss, this is like a war of attrition! Even though Pangzi is strong and sturdy, we can’t keep this up.”
“Can these things be eliminated?”
Pangzi continued to swing his sword, looking at Zhang Tian.
Sweat was beading on his forehead.
“This must be something from below. It must have sensed our presence, which is why they’ve all come out.”
“Don’t rush. They can’t be infinite. We just need to be patient.”
Zhang Tian said.
Pangzi grunted an assent and continued to hack with his blade.
Indeed, as Zhang Tian had predicted.
After another twenty minutes.
The blue insects emerging from below gradually decreased.
The ground was covered in scorched black corpses.
When the bugs died, they produced blue flames, so almost no part of the ground around Zhang Tian was undamaged.
“Rustle rustle.”
As the bugs grew fewer.
Suddenly, a rustling sound emanated from the bottom of the cliff.
“Listen closely, what’s that sound!”
Wu Tianzhen pricked up his ears.
His expression was grave.
Zhang Qilin, his black gold ancient sword strapped to his back, stood on the cliff edge.
His eyes fixed on the depths below.
His expression grew slightly serious.
Listening to the sound, Zhang Tian gradually understood.
“It seems the big one is coming.”
“This is likely the source of those blue bugs.”
Zhang Tian spoke, and with a flick of his whisk, the originally soft strands instantly stiffened.
The horsetail whisk transformed into a whisk-like broadsword!
“Rustle rustle.”
The sound grew closer.
Under the solemn gazes of everyone, a giant fire-scaled worm, nearly four meters long, appeared before them.
“My goodness, this is like a donkey going to market and opening its eyes to a whole new world.”
“What is this thing? It’s so huge and breathes fire. If we catch it, won’t we have endless fire, and then an infinite furnace?”
Pangzi exclaimed, looking at the behemoth before him.
Zhang Tian sometimes marveled at Pangzi’s imagination.
Bringing something like this back as a furnace, you’d only enjoy it if you had the lifespan to do so.
“What is this thing, so big? Tianzhen, have you ever seen it?”
Wang Banyue looked at Wu Tianzhen.
Wu Tianzhen’s gaze was also serious.
He also had no idea what the creature before him was.
“This is the mother worm of the fire-scaled bugs.”
“All creatures have something that gives birth to them. For example, these fire-scaled bugs, like bees, all come from a mother fire-scaled worm.”
“Now that we’ve killed all her offspring, she has no choice but to come out herself.”
Zhang Tian said calmly.
After Zhang Tian finished speaking, everyone understood.
The giant fire-scaled worm had flown to hover above them.
Its blue body was tinged with a faint ethereal blue flame.
As the flames burned, the surrounding glaciers showed no signs of melting.
This meant that this flame was not ordinary fire, but a cold flame devoid of temperature.
Its blue body, with wings that flapped continuously.
A powerful mouth, like pincers, and it seemed to have no eyes, yet could accurately discern its target.
“Creature: Fire-Scaled Worm!”
“Creature Level: Tier Two Demon.”
“Creature Description: Can breed smaller fire-scaled worms for attack, can spray cold fire, approaching it will be assailed by cold fire, a guardian beast of the Demon Tower.”
The description of the creature flashed in his mind.
Zhang Tian gradually understood.
This thing was a guardian beast, and not of high level.
Tier two, about the same level as Tuan Tuan.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect was its flame.
“Chirp chirp.”
The fire-scaled worm seemed furious, emitting a sound, and then its body charged downwards ferociously.
The chill of the flames spread throughout the surroundings.
“Quick, scatter!”
Zhang Tian shouted, and everyone immediately moved to disperse.
Looking at the colossal creature before him, Hu Bayi’s eyes flickered with a certain light. He harbored no good feelings towards this thing.