In the faint white halo, surging flames suddenly rose.
A round furnace spewed a sea of fire, rising from Li Buwei's palm into the air.
A spiritual light flashed, and waves of fire swept out, engulfing monster after monster. In just a moment, only charred corpses remained.
Even the surrounding trees were ignited, and within a radius of dozens of feet, it was a blaze of fire and choking, rolling smoke.
Ji Yuan sent out several streaks of mana, dispelling the dense smoke beside him. His gaze then flickered to the round furnace, clearly not expecting that his slight provocation would lead the opponent to truly reveal his strength.
This round furnace was at least a magical artifact with seven layers of restrictions, and it was very possible that it contained innate restrictions!
Furthermore, Li Buwei had completely refined this item, mastering all its restrictions, and could fully unleash its power.
Achieving this level was not easy. Besides having profound accumulation, it also required a great deal of time to slowly comprehend and refine each layer of restriction.
This would take at least half a year to a year to even have a slight possibility of accomplishing.
In just twenty to thirty breaths, more than half of the monsters that had gathered around were burned to charcoal, and a large area of forest was ignited, turning into a raging sea of fire.
When Li Buwei saw the remaining monsters retreat in terror, he took a deep breath and cast several incantations, using the crimson round furnace to draw in all the flames.
A moment later, within a radius of dozens of feet, only scorched marks and rolling smoke remained.
"Fellow Daoist is truly good at hiding your strength!"
Hong Lie said with a solemn expression and a strange look.
Seeing this, Li Buwei gave a wry smile. If possible, he would have preferred to continue hiding his strength.
But in that moment, the meaning of the young Daoist priest before him was very clear. If he didn't show his true capabilities, it wouldn't just be a simple matter of leaving.
And this person's understanding was not wrong. The deeper meaning of Ji Yuan's earlier words was that if he couldn't display enough strength to even deal with these monsters, then there would naturally be no cooperation in the future.
The so-called departure meant leaving on the spot, as well as not standing on the same side as him from then on.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, are you satisfied now?"
Li Buwei sighed, looking at him with a melancholic gaze.
"Your methods are no less than those of the direct disciples of ordinary renowned sects!"
Hearing this, Ji Yuan smiled and said meaningfully.
Relying solely on this fully refined round furnace with all its restrictions, the opponent possessed formidable combat power, no less than any direct disciple of a renowned sect.
Not to mention that in this display, Li Buwei had also revealed his mana. It was not like that of an ordinary mountain or marsh recluse, which was impure and mixed.
Clearly, the cultivation technique this person had obtained was extremely complete, even a flawless inheritance, and that round furnace was very likely his inheritance artifact.
His mana was pure, comparable to that of direct disciples from renowned sects, and he also possessed a fully refined magical artifact with seven innate restrictions.
Among cultivators in the second realm, this already made him a strong contender, capable of facing three to four cultivators of the same realm alone without being at a disadvantage, and even having the strength to counter-kill.
Setting aside the distant future, the strength he had shown so far was not much weaker than that of the few who had entered the cave mansion.
"With such capabilities, am I qualified to walk alongside you, Fellow Daoist?"
Li Buwei glanced at the crimson round furnace in his hand and asked pointedly.
As soon as he said this, Ji Yuan immediately laughed, "What are you saying, Fellow Daoist? Aren't we always walking together?"
Zhou Lianying, who was standing beside them, was utterly confused. She didn't understand what the two men were hinting at. Since there was no one else present, wouldn't it be better to speak openly?
As for Hong Lie, who was on the side, it was the opposite. He understood their meaning as soon as he heard it, and his eyes flickered with a complex expression.
For a moment, he really wanted to turn around and leave, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the two men.
When two relatively powerful factions reached an agreement, his position as an absolute subordinate would undoubtedly be precarious.
As a mountain and marsh recluse, Hong Lie understood perfectly what kind of treatment he would receive in such a situation. At best, he would be ordered around casually; at worst, he would be used as a scout and could be discarded at any time.
However, after weighing the pros and cons, he ultimately did not leave. Instead, he lowered his head slightly, appearing to be ready to obey orders.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan and Li Buwei exchanged glances, both sighing at his pragmatism.
However, they could also see the calculations in this man's heart. If there were an opportunity, he would undoubtedly "rebel" at the first moment.
"Let's go. We've already wasted quite a bit of time. I'm afraid the others have already arrived at the guided location."
Ji Yuan withdrew his gaze and said indifferently.
Not long after, the four of them set off again, guided by the night-luminescent pearls in their hands, continuing deeper into the forest.
Along the way, perhaps because Li Buwei had been so ruthless earlier, they did not encounter a single monster attack. The journey was remarkably quiet.
As they got closer and closer, the range of the light emitted by the night-luminescent pearls held by the two men grew wider and wider.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, what do you think of the upcoming situation?"
In the silence, Li Buwei suddenly spoke, asking seemingly casually.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan's expression became thoughtful. He naturally understood what the other party was asking and began to ponder.
Currently, besides them, there were five other individuals who had entered this cave mansion: the middle-aged swordsman Nan Xi, the Daoist couple Lu Xian who were formation masters, and Shi Shan and Huo Hou, whose aura was far stronger than cultivators of the same realm.
Among these three factions, although Nan Xi was alone, his strength was undeniable. He was at the middle stage of the Spirit Pointing Realm, and his killing power was evident.
Shi Shan had a similar cultivation level, but his aura was much stronger. He was likely skilled in various magical arts, and his "Earth Dragon Turning Over" had once repelled dozens of cultivators in the second realm.
Even cultivators in the late stage or peak of the Spirit Pointing Realm would find it extremely difficult to achieve such a feat.
Not to mention that this person had a companion, the young man named Huo Hou. Although he gave off an restless vibe, his cultivation was indeed substantial.
As for the couple Lu Xian, both were formation masters. While they had only displayed their defensive techniques so far, they were not something ordinary cultivators could break through. It was likely that even Nan Xi or Shi Shan would have to spend a considerable amount of effort to do so.
The time it took to break through their defensive techniques would be enough for the couple to unleash their other abilities.
In short, all three factions were not to be trifled with. Not only were they strong in cultivation, but each of them had their own strengths and unique skills.
In front of these people, striving for opportunities would undoubtedly be extremely difficult, no less than fighting more than ten to twenty cultivators of the same realm!
This was also the reason why Ji Yuan had hinted for Li Buwei to reveal his true strength. If this person were truly just an ordinary mountain or marsh recluse, then there would be nothing more to say. But if his strength was considerable, then they should indeed join forces.
Otherwise, relying on him alone, it would be difficult to be confident about seizing any opportunities in front of others.
"Let's take it one step at a time."
He sighed. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with any good ideas.
The best approach now was to preserve their own strength, watch others clash fiercely, and then try to seize opportunities in the chaos, or reap the benefits as a bystander.
Li Buwei had clearly thought of this as well, with flashes of sharp light in his eyes, as if he were contemplating something.
Seeing them like this, Zhou Lianying couldn't help but worry. Unfortunately, with her cultivation level, she couldn't be of any help. It would already be difficult enough if she didn't become a burden.
The group fell silent again, but this time it didn't last long. Soon, their expressions changed, and they immediately quickened their pace.
Not long after, the four of them emerged from the dense forest and arrived on a plain. About twenty li away, there was a small mountain peak thirty to forty zhang high.
At the summit of this small mountain peak, brilliant spiritual light shone, and dense spiritual energy condensed into multicolored auspicious clouds, like a fairyland.
"They've arrived too!"
Li Buwei said in a low voice.
The few of them followed his gaze and saw that in the distance, there were three faint white halos, identical to the ones emitted by the night-luminescent pearls in their hands.
The nine people who had entered the cave mansion at this time were now divided into four directions, appearing around the small mountain peak on the plain.
"They're moving. Should we also hurry?"
Hong Lie, standing behind, couldn't help but urge them.
However, Ji Yuan and Li Buwei both shook their heads solemnly. The latter even pointed ahead.
In the darkness dozens of feet away, even with their opened spiritual eyes, they could see nothing. However, they could feel waves of fierce auras intertwining, like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption.
Soon, a roaring sound reached the ears of the four. They looked up and saw spiritual lights flashing in the distance. It was the other three factions unleashing various spells.
However, these people were at least ten li apart, so it was clearly impossible for them to be fighting each other. Therefore, their enemies were self-evident.
"There should be quite a few monsters in this darkness."
Ji Yuan said in a deep voice.
According to his conjecture, the reason these monsters had not attacked immediately was that they had not fully stepped onto this plain.
But if they intended to head towards the mountain peak over twenty li away, they would inevitably have to fight their way through these monsters.
Although these monsters had no cultivation, they were all异种 (yi zhong - strange species/mutants). Among the ones they had encountered, there were monsters with emerald green fur that were immensely strong and resilient, and black-furred monsters that were faster and more agile.
No one knew if there were other types of monsters in this underground cave, but it was highly likely.
"They're just a bunch of monsters. We'll just kill our way through!"
Hong Lie said dismissively.
It seemed that in his eyes, with Li Buwei's crimson round furnace, a mere bunch of monsters was nothing to worry about.
Hearing this, the others gave him disdainful glances and ignored him.
Did he think the mana consumption wasn't his own?
Ji Yuan shook his head and looked back at the darkness before him, occasionally glancing at the other three factions.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, the fastest faction had advanced two to three li, and the slowest had also gone more than a li. It seemed that the monsters in the darkness were not causing them too much trouble.
"If I fully activate my magical artifact, my mana can only support me for half a quarter of an hour."
Li Buwei said with a heavy expression.
The power of the crimson round furnace was indeed great. After all, it was a magical artifact suspected to have seven innate restrictions, but activating it consumed a significant amount of mana.
With his current cultivation, at most, half his mana would be depleted after half a quarter of an hour, and it would take time to recover.
Ji Yuan also had a grave expression. Half a quarter of an hour was at most enough for them to advance one to two li. Although he had his own methods, each one consumed a large amount of mana.
Even though his mana was about three times more abundant than that of direct disciples from renowned sects, it couldn't withstand such consumption.
Unless he used the Profound Heaven Spirit Devouring Pagoda, its spirit devouring ability would consume almost no mana from him, and it could even nourish him in return through devouring.
However, doing so would be equivalent to exposing the existence of a treasure under the watchful eyes of everyone, and there was also the risk of being branded as a demonic cultivator.
If this matter were to spread, who knew how many so-called righteous cultivators, under the guise of eliminating demons and defending the Dao, would attempt to covet the treasures on his person.
"Are we just going to watch those people take away the opportunity of that spiritual spring?"
In his anxiety, Li Buwei subconsciously muttered to himself.