Although the white-clad girl appeared innocent and pure, at this moment, her expression was solemn, and her whole body was shrouded in a strange silver light, giving her an even more mysterious and eerie appearance!
What was most surprising was that the white-clad men and women following the girl all looked cautious, not daring to whisper even a word of gossip. The looks they cast toward the girl were filled with reverence!
Even the arrogant woman and her cultivation companions who had appeared in the desert were among them. However, the arrogance on their faces had disappeared without a trace, and like everyone else, they didn't dare to breathe heavily, appearing exceptionally obedient!
Suddenly, the leading elven girl stopped in her tracks, and the entire team behind her naturally came to a halt as well.
Because not far ahead, the scene suddenly opened up, revealing a green deep pool. In the center of the pool, several black rocks protruded from the surface, each adorned with a dozen or so glossy Lingzhi-like objects, exceptionally conspicuous!
"Is this the place?" The elven girl, with evident interest, glanced at the pool for a moment and crisply asked without looking back, her voice sounding particularly tender.
"Yes! Master, the top-tier monster, the Azurewater Crocodile, is hidden in the pool. During the previous trips to the forbidden grounds, one of our disciples fell victim to this beast. However, another managed to escape with their life!" Among the group of female disciples of the Concealed Moon Sect, a slightly older woman stepped forward and respectfully replied to the elven girl.
"Master?" If other disciples from the six sects heard this, they would likely be shocked beyond belief!
According to the customary hierarchy in the cultivation world based on the depth of cultivation, this elven-like girl should only be addressed as "Master" by a Concealed Moon Sect disciple in the Foundation Establishment stage! Moreover, wasn't it prohibited for disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage to enter this forbidden ground? What was going on? However, judging from the expressions of the other Concealed Moon Sect disciples, they were not surprised at all, indicating they already knew the secret!
"Alright! I see. Let's go down!" The elven girl then ordered in a grand manner, her face showing an uncommon decisiveness.
Then, she turned to the others behind her and said:
"Get ready! Once I lure out the Azurewater Crocodile, you'll use the newly developed combined technique 'Yin-Yang Traction Art' and attack together in pairs. With the killing power sufficient to match a Foundation Establishment stage disciple's full force, dealing with this beast should be no problem. Then, we'll move on to the nest of the next top-tier monster and continue to sweep these previously untapped spiritual herbs!"
The girl's voice was not loud, but it exuded confidence. However, none of the male and female disciples showed any doubt upon hearing her, all responding in agreement.
Seeing this, the elven girl turned around, opened her mouth, and a thumb-sized pink ring slowly sprayed out from her mouth. Then, it expanded in the wind, instantly turning into the size of a head, emitting a low hum, dazzling with brilliance, and displaying an extremely spiritual aura!
From the way this ring appeared, the radiance it emitted, and the immense spiritual power it contained, it was undoubtedly a genuine magical treasure.
Could it be that this girl was really in the Foundation Establishment stage?
Not long after, in the secret cave several tens of feet underground, a loud noise first came, followed by several low roars like water buffaloes. The roars were full of anger but were soon overshadowed by a series of thunderous noises, causing the low roars to weaken immediately. Then various loud noises and explosions continued, finally drowning out the roars completely.
Several hours later, the elven girl led the male and female disciples of the Concealed Moon Sect out of a hidden passage. Each disciple wore an excited expression, full of joy.
It was no wonder; the opportunity to kill a top-tier monster of the first level was not something they, mere Qi-refining stage disciples, could easily come across. Now, they had managed to kill the terrifying Azurewater Crocodile without much effort, which naturally excited them.
Of course, if it weren't for the elven girl using the ring treasure to block most of the beast's attacks, they wouldn't have been able to end the battle perfectly unscathed. Therefore, the awe towards the girl's back became even more profound!
The girl remained indifferent to the gazes of the male and female disciples behind her, still walking ahead calmly as if killing a first-level top-tier monster was not a big deal for her!
After a moment, the disciples of the Concealed Moon Sect disappeared into the nearby dense forest, leaving no trace.
...
In this way, in other places, the scenes of disciples from various sects killing monsters and seizing spiritual herbs continued to unfold, occasionally accompanied by conflicts over the herbs. However, strangely, after conflicts occurred, there were only a few instances of actual casualties. The side that knew they were no match would retreat, and the side with the upper hand wouldn't push too hard but hastily gather the herbs and leave, hurrying to the next location.
Most people understood this situation very well! This was mainly because everyone had limited time. With the opportunity for bloodshed, it was better to check if there were other gains elsewhere. The real moment to fight desperately for the herbs would be on the last day when everyone returned with their harvest. That day would surely be filled with blood, far from the ease of the previous two days!
Han Li also understood some of these things. So, taking advantage of the fact that the disciples of various sects could still restrain each other for these two days, he hurried from one place to another. Whenever he encountered medium-grade or higher monsters along the way, he would immediately use his footwork to bypass them without wasting any extra effort, ensuring he wasn't delayed even for a moment!
Han Li seemed to be riding on a lucky streak. Apart from encountering the rare poisonous insect monster, the Giant Centipede, in the first herb-picking cave, he encountered no other guardian monsters in the four subsequent locations he visited. He easily obtained the herbs without expending any extra effort, which made Han Li ecstatic! If things continued to go smoothly like this, gathering enough herbs would be no problem at all!
At this moment, the third day in the forbidden grounds was almost over!
And Han Li was jumping rapidly on the treetops, not stopping along the way. He had encountered two lower-grade monsters, Iron Arm Apes, whom he easily dispatched with a few swings of his hand, tearing their bodies apart completely.
Now, Han Li was rushing towards the last destination of the day, a small stone pavilion near the mountaintop. It was said that various spiritual herbs were planted there, and the Heavenly Spirit Fruit he needed most was among them.
However, although the Heavenly Spirit Fruit had not yet ripened, there were several other mature ones! Therefore, Han Li estimated that there would definitely be guardian spiritual beasts, and it was even possible that disciples from other sects had arrived ahead of him.
But Han Li didn't care. He even hoped that someone else would arrive first to help clear the way for him, saving him some trouble. After all, this person would definitely not be
