Within the time it took for half a stick of incense to burn, Ji Yuan single-handedly slew six cultivators from the demonic Yin Yang Sect, all at the early stage of the second realm, known as the Black and White Impermanence. Of course, this was not without the assistance of Wu Chengqing and the others.
However, the three of them knew clearly that even without their help, Ji Yuan could still have defeated the enemies. It would have been more troublesome, and perhaps he would have sustained some serious injuries. After collecting the Heavy Water Bead and the Three Treasures of the Talisman, Ji Yuan moved to a corner of the camp.
He formed a hand seal, and the Xuan Tian Devouring Spirit Pagoda in front of him instantly returned to its original size, slowly falling into his palm. Immediately, an extremely pure spiritual energy emanated from the pagoda, replenishing the majority of his previously depleted magical power. The White Impermanence, which had been suppressed beneath the pagoda, was naturally beyond any hope of survival.
After more than ten breaths, when the expended magical power in his body was fully restored, Ji Yuan exhaled heavily. He then took two pills, using their medicinal properties to soothe the minor internal injuries within his body. Earlier, when the three White Impermanence had repeatedly struck the Xuan Tian Devouring Spirit Pagoda's protective spiritual light with wooden staffs adorned with white paper strips, his blood had surged, causing him to sustain some not-too-severe internal injuries.
After completing these actions, Ji Yuan couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion. This was his first time engaging in combat and killing enemies since reaching the second realm, and it had been against six cultivators of the same cultivation level! Although he still had many trump cards he hadn't used, he had indeed employed a considerable number of methods this time. Besides the pale blue long whip that was directly connected to his life force, he had even used the Heavy Water Bead nurtured within his acupoints and the Xuan Tian Devouring Spirit Pagoda in his dantian.
The final outcome was naturally good. With the aid of two magic treasures, one top-grade magic artifact, a pile of talismans, and the long sword 'Yuanbao,' he had successfully killed all the enemies. However, the simultaneous activation of so many items, even with Ji Yuan's current magical power being seventy to eighty percent greater than that of cultivators in the same realm, was still somewhat taxing.
The other items were manageable. What he hadn't anticipated was that the six Heavy Water Beads alone had consumed more than half of his magical power! If not for the Xuan Tian Devouring Spirit Pagoda, which possessed the peculiar "Spirit Devouring" ability due to its core being the inner core of the Scarlet Feather Evil Tiger, and could replenish his consumption, he would likely be left with very little magical power.
"I didn't expect six demonic cultivators to have secretly infiltrated so close to our sect!" As Ji Yuan walked back, he heard Wu Chengqing say with great anger. However, it was understandable that the other party was so furious. This location was only twenty li away from the Nine Profound Gate's mountain sect, practically right at their doorstep. Such an event, for any sect, was equivalent to a severe loss of face!
"This is my fault; these people were after me," Ji Yuan sighed. Although, strictly speaking, it was the Nine Profound Gate's responsibility, saying a few polite words wouldn't hurt and could slightly appease the anger of the others.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, this matter has nothing to do with you!" Wu Chengqing shook his head and began to comfort him instead.
While they were talking, several outer disciples approached the four of them, carrying a pile of items. These were the belongings of the six Black and White Impermanence from the Yin Yang Sect, including genuine gold and silver, portable gold and silver notes, and numerous pills and miscellaneous items. However, none of them carried precious items like a Mountain River Bag. Such items were still somewhat excessive for second-realm cultivators. Even with enough accumulated wealth, they would generally choose a magic artifact that suited them. Only upon reaching the third realm and above would they possess a Mountain River Bag, as only cultivators of that level could afford such discretionary spending.
It was similar to the disciples of the Nine Profound Gate; only someone like Wu Chengqing, who had already cultivated to the mid-second realm and possessed considerable strength, could have fortunately obtained a Mountain River Bag through sect missions. Liu Donglai and Wang Xiaoxuan, on the other hand, had only recently entered the second realm and hadn't had the time to accumulate wealth.
"All six were killed by Fellow Daoist Ji, so their belongings naturally belong to you," Wu Chengqing said, glancing at the pile of items without averting his gaze. He wasn't just saying it; he genuinely meant it, his eyes clear and sincere, without any pretense.
However, Ji Yuan shook his head upon hearing this. "We killed them together, so the spoils should be shared." After some thought, he took some of the gold and silver notes, which perfectly covered the cost of dozens of talismans, and even profited a little. For him, this was already quite good. After all, apart from the talismans, he had no other losses. In fact, due to the dozens of paper effigies and the White Impermanence being refined by the Spirit Devouring ability, not only had his spiritual energy been restored, but there was also a considerable surplus. Whether it was refined into his own magical power or used to replenish the consumption of several magic artifacts and treasures, he still stood to gain quite a bit.
Seeing this, Wu Chengqing and the other two hesitated. However, after Ji Yuan's persuasion, they accepted the remaining items. They then took out some gold and silver notes and distributed them among the ten first-realm outer disciples, thus embodying the spirit of sharing blessings.
During the rest of the night, no more enemies appeared, and it was unexpectedly calm. When the next morning arrived, Ji Yuan, after a night of contemplation, bid farewell to Wu Chengqing and the other two, intending to travel to the market town alone.
"Absolutely not!" Wu Chengqing quickly said. "Just last night, demonic cultivators dared to attack here. The future will undoubtedly be fraught with danger. Fellow Daoist, you should travel with us; at least we can look out for each other!" This was not just a perfunctory statement; he genuinely worried about Ji Yuan's safety and did not want him to travel alone.
However, Ji Yuan had made up his mind. He was merely informing the others now, and no matter what they said, his decision would not change. Ji Yuan had originally thought that even if someone wanted to eliminate him to destabilize the Nine Profound Gate's newly consolidated destiny, this was still within the Nine Profound Gate's territory and outside their mountain sect. They shouldn't go too far. Therefore, traveling with the disciples of the Nine Profound Gate would offer some assistance no matter what happened and would keep the danger within a manageable range, not affecting these people.
However, he hadn't expected to encounter six demonic cultivators from the Yin Yang Sect ambushing him after only traveling twenty li! What would happen next was truly uncertain. The further he moved from the Nine Profound Gate's mountain sect, the greater the danger he was likely to face. Since he had no enmity with Wu Chengqing and the others, and in fact, had developed some camaraderie with them over the past two days, he naturally did not want to endanger them because of himself.
The most important reason was that he felt the future situation might exceed his control, and these disciples might be implicated and even lose their lives.
"Since you have decided, I will not try to persuade you further." After being politely refused, Wu Chengqing sighed and then took out a jade slip. He handed it to Ji Yuan and then said solemnly, "We will follow this route, and we have already notified the sect last night; reinforcements will arrive soon. If you encounter danger in the future, be sure to follow this route!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan smiled and agreed, solemnly putting away the jade slip. After exchanging a few words with the three, he turned off the main road and disappeared into a forest.
In truth, he could have chosen to stay and wait for the reinforcements from the Nine Profound Gate to arrive before traveling to the market town, which was tens of li away. However, after last night's events, his state of mind had suddenly undergone a subtle change. While he genuinely did not want to implicate Wu Chengqing and the others, it was one important reason. More significantly, he wanted to use this incident to temper his cultivation.
Through this battle, Ji Yuan had discovered many of his own shortcomings. The most prominent was his severe lack of experience. Despite having multiple opportunities to directly kill the invading enemies, he had found himself repeatedly on the defensive. If he hadn't possessed several magic treasures and cultivated a high-grade technique, any normal cultivator would have been slain on the spot by those six demonic cultivators!
After reviewing the events several times, Ji Yuan realized that if he didn't address these shortcomings, there might come a day when, with slightly worse luck, he would capsize and be plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation. Furthermore, besides cultivating the mind and power, cultivators also needed essential combat experience. This was the means to protect their own Dao and ensure their eventual ascent to the Great Dao.
Of course, while he sought tempering, he would not hesitate to retreat if he encountered true danger, converging with Wu Chengqing and the others at the fastest possible speed. He would not stubbornly cling to some notion of persistence and place himself in a perilous situation, pointlessly losing his life.
As Ji Yuan forged ahead through the mountain forest, some individuals who had been lying in ambush on the road to the market town somehow received news and began to converge precisely towards his location. At the same time, Elder Hong Tian, hidden in the clouds above, witnessed all of this. Even more so, he was accompanied by two elders of the third realm, traveling together on flying beasts, quietly observing the unfolding events on the ground from high in the sky.
Even outsiders knew that killing Ji Yuan might shake the destiny of the Nine Profound Gate. How could they, as elders of the Nine Profound Gate, be unaware of this? Moreover, as a hegemon-level sect in Feiyun Commandery that had been passed down for nearly a thousand years, the Nine Profound Gate could not possibly be unaware of demonic intrusions. In fact, the Nine Profound Gate had been operating in this area for centuries, and even the slightest disturbance within a hundred-li radius could not escape their detection.
The current inaction was solely motivated by the intention to use these individuals with ulterior motives to temper Ji Yuan. Only through trials of life and death could a cultivator's foundation be maximally solidified and sufficient insights gained, accumulating a deep reserve for ascending the Great Dao!