The mountains stretched endlessly, vast and wide. Ye Bufan, Ye Qingyi, and Ye Qingcheng walked for an entire morning, yet they had not reached their destination.
"I'm exhausted. Why did those Yamata no Orochi choose to set up here back then?" Ye Qingcheng said, sitting on a rock. "We've been traveling for half a day and still haven't arrived."
"Back then, the Yamata no Orochi and their allies set an ambush, naturally to exhaust the cultivators of our Jiuzhou land. Only by doing so would they have a chance of victory against our Jiuzhou cultivators," Ye Qingyi explained.
"Aren't the cultivators of Sakura Island despicable? And that Yamata no Orochi, could it be that it was banished from the Shanhaijing and harbored resentment towards our Jiuzhou, thus returning for revenge?" Ye Qingyi's imagination ran wild, pondering the Yamata no Orochi's motives and thoughts.
"Once I get there, I'll give him a good beating for making me suffer so much," Ye Qingcheng clenched her fists and shouted.
"Careful!" As they spoke, a sharp shout came from the nearby forest. The three exchanged glances and rushed towards the source of the sound.
"I didn't expect the people of Sakura Island to be so treacherous, actually ambushing Shikigami here!" an elder's voice could be heard, followed by the clanging sounds of weapons colliding.
"Whoosh—" A whistling sound cut through the air. A tall man, nearly two meters tall, swung his arms towards the elder. His strike collided with the elder's weapon, and both were forced back a significant step.
"It's a Shikigami from Sakura Island." Ye Bufan observed the man over two meters tall. The opponent's face was pale and stiff, his body capable of directly clashing with a spiritual artifact. His build was akin to a zombie, and it was likely a Shikigami.
"Sakura Island's sudden actions suggest another scheme is afoot," Ye Qingcheng remarked.
This Shikigami was incredibly fast and powerful, possessing the strength of the Foundation Establishment early stage. In addition to it, there were ten other Shikigami behind it, all at the Qi Refining stage.
The elder and his group numbered three in total. The elder was at the Foundation Establishment early stage, while the other two were at the Qi Refining mid-stage and late-stage, respectively.
"Take this blade!" While Ye Bufan and Ye Qingyi were distracted, Ye Qingcheng had already charged forward with her sword.
Ye Qingyi sighed helplessly, but Ye Qingcheng's strength was at the Foundation Establishment mid-stage, making it a simple matter to deal with the Shikigami.
The Shikigami, caught off guard by the sudden blade, raised its hand to block. It endured Ye Qingcheng's strike head-on, and a pained expression appeared on its face.
"This Shikigami seems to have developed sentience; it can actually think," Ye Bufan frowned.
"Shikigami are something that originated from the zombies of Jiuzhou. Like zombies, they develop sentience when they reach the Foundation Establishment stage," Ye Qingyi explained. "However, their weaknesses are also obvious: they fear things of extreme yang."
"Crimson Flame Nine Blades." Ye Qingcheng let out a fierce cry. Nine blades appeared behind her, each imbued with searing flame power.
"Go!" The Shikigami was greatly alarmed by this sight and immediately unleashed its full strength.
"You still want to retaliate? Not a chance!" The elder, seeing someone come to his aid, immediately gained confidence. While the Shikigami was preparing to counter, he launched a sneak attack—"Tiger Embrace Head"!
"Roar—"
A tiger's roar echoed. Beneath the elder's sword, a phantom of a tiger surged towards the Shikigami.
Following that, Ye Qingcheng's Crimson Flame Nine Blades rained down upon the Shikigami. The Shikigami was in a sorry state. It let out a roar at the ten subordinate Shikigami, clearly preparing to flee.
"Trying to escape? Not so easy!" Ye Bufan coldly snorted. He summoned his Purple Nether Cold Flame and shot it towards the ten Shikigami. In an instant, the ten Shikigami were engulfed in a raging inferno. They stood frozen in place, and soon turned to ash.
Upon seeing this, the Shikigami quickly located Ye Bufan's direction, but after sensing his strength, it abandoned the thought.
Another wave of Ye Qingcheng's assault struck. The Shikigami was immediately put on the defensive. The two elders noticed that the Shikigami was at a disadvantage and waited for an opportunity to strike.
"Die!" Ye Qingcheng, having gained the upper hand, enlarged her blade infinitely in mid-air and brought it down upon the Shikigami. The Shikigami was instantly killed by Ye Qingcheng's strike.
Ye Qingcheng took a deep breath. The elder approached with the remaining two.
"I am Lin Zhi. I thank you, young lady, for your rescue," Lin Zhi bowed to Ye Qingcheng.
"You are too kind, senior," Ye Qingcheng replied to Lin Zhi. "I was merely passing by and couldn't stand seeing those Shikigami ganging up on you. The people of Sakura Island are truly detestable, to set an ambush here."
"Are you also heading to the Sinkhole, to face the Yamata no Orochi?" Lin Zhi asked.
"Indeed," Ye Qingcheng confirmed.
"What a coincidence!" Lin Zhi smiled and said, "We are also here for that Yamata no Orochi."
"Would you like to travel with us?" the elder mused for a moment before asking.
Ye Qingcheng waved her hand and said, "My sister and I came together, and there's also a young man with us. You should go ahead; we will likely meet again."
Normally, having stayed in the City Lord's mansion for too long, Ye Qingcheng disliked traveling with people she didn't know well. Moreover, she had come out with Ye Qingyi and Ye Bufan, and felt that three people traveling together was more comfortable. Dealing with these cultivators, adhering to etiquette, was too troublesome.
Lin Zhi, seeing Ye Qingcheng's strength and her companions, pressed no further. After a brief rest with the two young men behind him, they departed.
"I say, have you two observed enough from the shadows? Are you not coming out yet?" Ye Qingcheng called out.
Ye Qingyi and Ye Bufan emerged from the forest. They exchanged glances and walked over to Ye Qingcheng.
"Why didn't you guys help earlier?" Ye Qingcheng asked accusingly.
"You could handle it, couldn't you?" Ye Qingyi replied.
"I did help; I dealt with those minor Shikigami," Ye Bufan quickly waved his hand.
"It's harder than climbing to heaven to get you to make a move," Ye Qingcheng glanced at Ye Qingyi and said no more.
"Let's talk business. I think the appearance of this Shikigami was very timely," Ye Qingcheng frowned.
"My dear sister, I didn't expect you to start thinking so seriously," Ye Qingyi smiled with satisfaction as she watched Ye Qingcheng analyze, with a hint of teasing.
"The Jiuzhou land is our home. Since Sakura Island dares to bully us, we naturally must fight back," Ye Qingcheng declared, raising her arm.