Even though these Nether Crows were only at the late Golden Core stage, many ants could bite an elephant to death. Moreover, Qiu Wei was a weakling. Startled by these Nether Crows, he could only howl, "Help!"
In reality, with Yang Hengce above him, the Nether Crows’ first targets were Yang Hengce’s flesh. He was much luckier than Yang Hengce.
However, Yang Hengce was clearly not one to suffer in silence. He quickly got up from Qiu Wei.
In an instant, the two of them were pecked and clawed by the Nether Crows, scrambling for cover.
Lan Xuerou, clearly kind-hearted, felt a pang of reluctance and prepared to leave the barrier. Yue Miaomiao, with her round eyes, reached out and stopped her.
"Senior Sister, why save them? We are all competitors."
Qiu Wei and Yang Hengce found these words disturbingly familiar.
Yang Hengce tried to reach the barrier supported by Bai Sheng Yi and the others to defend against the Nether Crows' attacks, but each time he was about to approach the barrier, he found Bai Sheng Yi retreating a few steps with Lan Xuerou and Yue Miaomiao.
This female cultivator was doing it on purpose!
Yang Hengce’s arms and back were no longer intact. The burning pain all over his body left him no room to care about anything else. He only felt a surge of anger rush to the crown of his head.
"Fellow Daoist, you are so cold and cruel. I fear this is not appropriate."
Qiu Wei echoed from a distance, "Exactly! Having an extra friend opens up another path. Must you be so stingy?"
Yue Miaomiao, hands on her hips, retorted indignantly, "Yes, I'm stingy. My stinginess led me to save you earlier, which was like a blind cat finding a dead mouse!"
"Miaomiao!" Lan Xuerou frowned slightly, "Don't curse yourself."
"Right," Bai Sheng Yi said with a smile, "Miaomiao, take two steps back."
Hearing this, Yue Miaomiao immediately took small steps, hopping and skipping behind Bai Sheng Yi and Lan Xuerou.
Yang Hengce did not expect Yue Miaomiao to be so obedient to a stranger. Only then did he turn his gaze to Bai Sheng Yi, and once he looked, he couldn't avert his eyes.
He saw the female cultivator before him in a vermilion and gold immortal dress, holding a soft cat in her arms. The moment she looked up, Yang Hengce subconsciously swallowed, feeling as if something had shot through his heart with a "swish."
"Splash!"
Yang Hengce was suddenly splashed in the face with cold water!
It was the water spiritual power protection barrier given by his master that automatically protected him, and it had been shattered!
When Yang Hengce came to his senses, he saw a verdant arrow shooting through the sky amidst the swarm of Nether Crows. The arrow had pierced the water spiritual power protection barrier and still didn't stop. Seeing that it was about to shoot into his eyes, he gritted his teeth and activated a second barrier.
"Splash!"
The barrier was shattered again. Fortunately, the arrow also disappeared into nothingness.
At the same time, a powerful spiritual energy impact killed most of the Nether Crows gathered around.
But Yang Hengce's heart was still bleeding!
These barriers could withstand a full-force attack from a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator. They were his master's life-saving trump cards.
He hadn't been willing to use them even when he was tormented so badly by the Nether Crows, but now, in just a brief moment, two had been consumed!
He looked up sharply, glaring at the female cultivator who had caused all this, "Are you insane? Do you know who I am, daring to try and kill me!"
Yang Hengce's impatient tone carried a condescending threat and warning. Although this woman was beautiful, her silent, aggressive nature needed to be corrected.
Bai Sheng Yi sneered and waved her hand. The longbow immediately transformed into the Wheel of Reincarnation and fell into her palm.
She did not hide her dislike for Yang Hengce, "I don't like your gaze. This is a warning."
Damn it! Yang Hengce was almost driven mad by this female cultivator's arrogant attitude!
"You! You are simply outrageous!" Yang Hengce said angrily, "Senior Sister Lan, Junior Sister Yue, are you just going to watch me be humiliated like this?"
At this moment, Qiu Wei also ran over, covered in wounds and anger, "Senior Sister Lan, our Hualing Mountain has been on good terms with Yueqing Mountain for many years. Why must you damage the harmony between our two mountains for such an unknown female cultivator."
"Pah! You're the one who's unknown!" Yue Miaomiao rolled her eyes to the sky.
She had long found these two unbearable: one was timid and weak, always hiding behind Senior Sister Lan when something happened; the other was the most selfish, always trying to take advantage of others.
"Junior Sister Yue, if you won't save us, that's one thing, but why are you siding with an outsider?" Yang Hengce said, "I am truly disappointed in you. It's a shame you are a disciple of Dao Monarch Hongyi."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Yue Miaomiao's face fell, the light in her cat-like eyes dimming slightly.
Yang Hengce said sarcastically, "You've already done it. If you're not afraid of embarrassing Dao Monarch Hongyi, why are you afraid to speak of it? Junior Sister Yue, you are truly spoiled by Dao Monarch Hongyi."
Bai Sheng Yi couldn't listen any longer.
"Are you a disciple of the Hualing Mountain Master?"
Yang Hengce said proudly, "Although I am not personally apprenticed to the Mountain Master, I am a disciple of Dao Monarch Mengyou Shui."
"Dao Monarch Mengyou Shui?" Bai Sheng Yi shook her head, "Never heard of him."
"You female cultivator, how truly—"
A majestic aura emanated from within the barrier. Yang Hengce felt the murderous aura of a peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator, as if a duck whose neck had been suddenly squeezed, instantly falling silent.
"You... Who exactly are you? You're a peak Nascent Soul cultivator?" Qiu Wei's legs went weak with fear. If not for the need to guard against the Nether Crows that occasionally returned from the surroundings, he would have already knelt on the ground.
He had received quite a bit of information from Yang Hengce, and naturally knew that the secret realm suppressed cultivation. Some cultivators might indeed only be at the peak Nascent Soul stage, while others could only be at the peak Nascent Soul stage. Looking at the terrifying aura of this female cultivator, which surpassed that of Fairy Nichang, it was likely the latter.
"Could it be Fairy Bingxin?" Qiu Wei guessed in a low voice.
Bai Sheng Yi took a step forward, and the barrier moved closer. The Nether Crows lurking around them, watching them covetously, immediately scattered from Yang Hengce's side.
But Yang Hengce did not feel happy, "You... What are you doing?" He extended his left hand, ready to pull Qiu Wei in front of him to block if anything went wrong.
Bai Sheng Yi saw his actions and looked down on him even more.
"What? I haven't done anything, yet you're so afraid. Are you even a cultivator? So cowardly and incompetent, you're truly shaming Dao Monarch Mengyou Shui and the Hualing Mountain Master!"
Her indifferent voice was unhurried, yet it fell like a slap, ringing loudly against his face.
Yang Hengce's face turned red and his neck swelled with shame and indignation.
However, the female cultivator before him was powerful. He dared not speak out in anger, so he could only suppress it.
"I believe Dao Monarch Mengyou Shui would be ashamed of you if he knew what you had done," Lan Xuerou said coldly.
Even with her gentle nature, seeing the actions of Yang Hengce and Qiu Wei made her angry.
"Martial Uncle, Senior Sister, forget it. There's no need to get angry with people like this. Master said that people like this will only ever reach this point in their lives."
Yue Miaomiao looked at the vermilion and gold figure blocking in front of her, feeling as secure as she did with her master.
Thinking this, she instinctively reached out and tugged at Bai Sheng Yi's sleeve, just as she would playfully with her master, "Martial Uncle, it's almost dawn. These Nether Crows are all flying towards the forest."
In the previously dark forest, the stars faded, and a dazzling light burst from the horizon.
"Caw caw!"
The Nether Crows took flight from all parts of the forest, not even bothering to attack them. It was as if something was chasing them from behind as they flew deeper into the woods.
"Rustle—"
The sound of rustling leaves could be heard intermittently. Bai Sheng Yi's gaze darkened, and her divine sense spread out towards the forest, but it was blocked ten meters away!
The situation was not good!
"Go! Let's follow them!"
She made a decision immediately, no longer paying attention to these two from Hualing Mountain. She led Yue Miaomiao and Lan Xuerou, following the trail of the Nether Crows.