Under everyone's unremitting efforts, we finally broke through the misty swamp.
We have now entered a wetland forest.
Looking around at the group, the original forty-eight-person team, after breaking out of the misty swamp, was reduced to only thirty-four people. A full fourteen fellow Daoists perished in the misty swamp, martyred and fallen. Even those who survived were injured, with four in critical condition. Basically, their combat effectiveness was greatly diminished. In other words, we now have only thirty people capable of fighting.
Our group of over thirty people is currently running through the wetland forest, the sound of footsteps continuously ringing out. I followed senior Bai Daozi, rushing at the forefront. Seeing the group growing longer and the prolonged fighting, it was necessary to adjust and rest. I then said to senior Bai Daozi, "Senior Bai Daozi, everyone is too tired and needs to rest for a moment. If we continue to rush, even if we reach Ju Yin Tai, we won't be able to form an effective fighting force."
Bai Daozi, upon hearing my words, also looked back. Everyone was panting, exhausted. The Nine Palaces formation had indeed consumed too much stamina. "Alright, let's stop for a bit!" Having said that, senior Bai Daozi gradually came to a halt. The people behind him also stopped one by one. "Everyone, let's rest for a while and replenish our spiritual energy," senior Bai Daozi announced. Hearing this, the others, not caring if it was a wetland, sat down abruptly. They were gasping for breath. I also leaned against a tree, supporting my knees. Sweat dripped non-stop. I assessed my condition; the spiritual energy in my dantian was less than twenty percent, and my body was utterly exhausted. We had spent over six hours in the entire misty swamp. I was relatively fine, given my cultivation and wood element spiritual root. My recovery and replenishment were faster than most of my peers. The other fellow Daoists were mostly depleted, following along with heavy heads and light feet.
Senior Bai Daozi also noticed this situation and addressed the group again, "Everyone, persevere. Now that we have left the misty swamp, as long as we press forward, we will pass through this wetland in at most two hours and reach Ju Yin Tai before dawn. The faster we move, the more we can catch the Black Demon Cult by surprise." Senior Bai Daozi was boosting morale. Everyone understood this clearly and had been gritting their teeth to persevere along the way. "Senior, please rest assured, I, Wang Qi, and our Dragon Tiger Mountain disciples can persevere," this fellow Wang Qi suddenly shouted, his spirit soaring. The other three disciples from Dragon Tiger Mountain also echoed in agreement, "We are all fine, ready to depart at any time." Seeing that Dragon Tiger Mountain had declared their stance, Wu Kehang of Qingcheng, Nan Yang of Maoshan, Li Chunlong of Wudang Sect, and others also spoke up, indicating they could continue to persevere. The remaining fellow Daoists, though already exhausted, also grit their teeth and echoed in agreement. The mission of our small team was too important. We had to race against time. Bai Daozi was very gratified, as we represented the future generation of the Dao Alliance. With such spirit and a heart dedicated to safeguarding the Way, the future of the Dao Alliance would undoubtedly be prosperous. "Good! Then everyone, seize this time to rest. In five minutes, we set off again." The reason for giving five minutes was that senior Bai Daozi was also mindful of the other rogue cultivators. And everyone made good use of these five minutes. They all sat in meditation, beginning to regulate their breathing and adjust their qi. A few fellow Daoists with depleted spiritual energy were frantically consuming spiritual replenishment pills to restore their energy.
The five minutes passed quickly, and we had to set off again. This was a wetland, with continuous forests, unlike the swamp before. We traversed the forest rapidly, occasionally encountering some malevolent spirits and fiends. However, they were easily resolved and eliminated by us. We traveled further and further, and the wetlands became fewer. About an hour and a half later, we finally emerged from the wetlands and approached Black Demon Valley. According to the map, we only needed to travel another half an hour or so to reach Ju Yin Tai. Therefore, the journey ahead required extreme caution. Moreover, we had to ensure our optimal condition. At this point, senior Bai Daozi once again ordered us to use the high-grade spiritual replenishment pills issued by the Dao Alliance, to restore our Dao Qi to its peak in one go. Without hesitation, everyone swallowed the white high-grade spiritual replenishment pills. As soon as they went down, a powerful flow of spiritual energy surged through us. Everyone began to inhale and exhale, feeling their depleted dantian rapidly replenished with spiritual energy. The speed was truly remarkable; in just three to five minutes, the lost spiritual energy was fully restored. No wonder they were called high-grade spiritual replenishment pills, their effect was excellent. However, at this moment, the four severely injured fellow Daoists chose not to take the pills. Instead, they offered them up. They understood clearly that proceeding further would only be a burden to us. Rather than becoming our burden, it was better to stay here and give up the precious pills for the others. This way, there would be a greater chance of success in destroying Ju Yin Tai. Senior Bai Daozi also granted their wish. He then found someone to quickly erect a simple shelter for warmth in a hidden corner, allowing them to rest there temporarily. They would be picked up once we had captured Black Demon Valley...