Li Nanzhu and the others, carrying the flags they had "opportunistically acquired," quickly left the chaotic battlefield and continued toward the rendezvous point.
On the way, Li Nanzhu unfurled the newly obtained flag to inspect it; the fabric was embroidered with a pattern of water waves reflecting the moon.
"It’s actually the sect flag of the Water Moon Sect," Jiang Yifan remarked, looking slightly surprised.
Li Nanzhu raised an eyebrow. Oh, it belonged to Liu Qingyang’s side. Unfortunately for her old friend, now that it was in her hands, she could only say sorry.
According to their previous agreement, flags that did not belong to their own sects would be acquired in a set rotation.
The previous Sword Heart Sect flag had gone to the Five Elements Dao Sect, so this one was the ally Hehuan Sect's turn.
Li Nanzhu briskly handed the flag to Ling Suxin. "Junior Sister Ling, here."
Ling Suxin smiled slightly and didn't refuse, taking the flag and putting it away. "Thank you, Junior Sister Li." With this, she personally held twenty points, a decent harvest.
The four of them continued forward.
Before long, they encountered two more groups.
The first group consisted of two Beast Taming Sect disciples. They were in a hurry, clearly rushing to support the previous melee.
Both were at the Foundation Establishment stage. Before two Golden Core cultivators like Jiang Yifan and Ling Suxin, they stood no chance. Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing didn't even need to lift a finger; the two were easily restrained within a few exchanges and eliminated after their jade pendants were crushed.
They gained ten points from them.
The second group comprised three Shenmu Sect disciples. The leader was an early-stage Golden Core cultivator, while the other two were late-stage Foundation Establishment.
These three seemed to be exploring when they had a chance encounter with Li Nanzhu’s party.
The Shenmu Sect excelled in wood-attribute spells and recovery abilities, not to mention their primary focus on alchemy. Consequently, the early-stage Golden Core cultivator was forced into a steady retreat by Jiang Yifan.
Jiang Yifan subdued him without even using his full strength, while Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing quickly dealt with the two Foundation Establishment disciples.
The battle ended swiftly.
While tallying the spoils, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the Golden Core disciple from the Shenmu Sect was carrying a Beast Taming Sect flag!
Following the rotation, this flag went to the Five Elements Dao Sect.
Since Jiang Yifan was currently the strongest among them, the flag was given to him for safekeeping.
At the same time, eliminating the three Shenmu Sect disciples earned them fifteen basic points.
After distributing the points from these two encounters, Ling Suxin took 10 points and the Five Elements Dao Sect took 15 points.
At this point, the total scores were as follows: Ling Suxin had 30 points, Duan Xianxing had 20 points, Jiang Yifan had 30 points, and Li Nanzhu had the most with a total of 85 points.
Her individual score was far ahead of the rest, mainly due to her defeating four cultivators earlier and the fifteen points shared with the team.
However, looking at the points displayed on her jade pendant, Li Nanzhu did not look particularly joyful. Instead, her brow was slightly furrowed as if she were calculating something in her mind, appearing somewhat preoccupied.
Seeing this, Duan Xianxing asked curiously, "Little Junior Sister, what's wrong? You have so many points and you're still not happy?"
Hearing Duan Xianxing’s question, Li Nanzhu quickly shook her head and offered a small smile as she explained.
"It’s not that I’m unhappy, Seventh Senior Brother. I’m certainly glad to have so many points. I was just calculating our current score."
In reality, she was thinking about more than just that. Given the disadvantage the Five Elements Dao Sect faced at the start, she had to think of more effective methods.
An idea had already begun to take shape in her mind, but she knew that all of their performances were being broadcast to the outside world, so she wouldn't speak of it for now.
If her idea was truly effective, she would have to wait until they had accumulated enough points to execute it.
Now was not the time for that.
For now, reuniting was the priority.
The four of them wasted no more time and continued cautiously through the mist.
Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps Li Nanzhu's previous "calculated distraction" had drawn away most of the attention, but the rest of their journey was exceptionally smooth. They didn't encounter any other teams.
After traveling a bit further and passing through a dense purple bamboo forest that emitted a strange fragrance, the Soul-Sound Bells at Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing’s waists suddenly transmitted clear and close-range vibrations!
"It’s Fifth Senior Sister!" Duan Xianxing cried out in surprise. "She’s just ahead! Very close!"
Their spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace.
Just as they stepped out of the purple bamboo forest, a slender blue figure emerged from the mist ahead. Who could it be but Feng Qingping?
She seemed to have sensed her sect members' presence as well and was waiting there with a smile, holding a flag in her hand.
That flag was embroidered with golden Sanskrit characters and lotus patterns, emitting a faint Buddhist light—it was remarkably the sect flag of the Mingguang Sect!
"Fifth Senior Sister!" Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing greeted her happily.
"Little Junior Sister! Seventh Junior Brother! Fourth Senior Brother! You’ve finally arrived!" Feng Qingping said with a charming smile. She froze for a moment upon seeing Ling Suxin, but quickly returned to her normal composure.
Her eyes lit up as her gaze swept over the flags in their hands.
"It looks like you’ve had a good harvest!"
The group briefly exchanged information and prepared to move on, but as for the others...
Feng Qingping said, "Eldest Senior Brother seems to be moving within a certain area. His signal is stable, but he's still quite far from us. He might be exploring or encountered something. As for Second Senior Brother..."
She paused, a strange smile appearing on her face. "According to the latest sensing, Second Senior Brother... has already met up with Sixth Junior Brother."
Hearing this, a scene instantly flashed through Li Nanzhu’s mind:
In the middle of the mist, Zhu Yinxi and Feng Weilan meet. They lock eyes, the air filled with a silent chill.
Zhu Yinxi might give a slight nod: "Sixth Junior Brother."
Feng Weilan might give a cool nod in return: "Second Senior Brother."
And then... there was no then.
The two would likely move forward in perfect silence, relying entirely on eye contact and the slight vibrations of their Soul-Sound Bells to communicate. Their efficiency would probably be incredibly high, but the atmosphere... would likely freeze the surrounding mist solid.
Thinking of this, Li Nanzhu couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Little Junior Sister, what are you laughing at?" Duan Xianxing asked curiously.
Li Nanzhu waved her hand, trying to suppress her laughter. "Nothing... it’s nothing. I was just imagining the scene of Second Senior Brother and Sixth Senior Brother being together... It feels like it would be... very quiet."
The others were taken aback for a moment before they all realized what she meant. Even the corners of Jiang Yifan’s mouth twitched slightly.
However, with the addition of Feng Qingping, a master of arrays, she would be their greatest asset—whether for concealing their tracks, avoiding danger, or setting traps for powerful enemies.
If they encountered Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts or cultivators later, with the help of Feng Qingping’s arrays, they might actually have a fighting chance. At the very least, their ability to protect themselves and maneuver would be greatly enhanced.
With Feng Qingping's arrival, the team's method of travel underwent a qualitative change.
Her fingers danced nimbly, sending several imperceptible spiritual lights into the ground and the surrounding mist like seeds.
Soon, a simple yet exquisite Mind-Clearing Bright-Eye Array was quietly laid down.
The moment the array took effect, Li Nanzhu and the others felt their spirits refreshed!
Their divine sense, which had been suppressed by the thick fog to a range of only a few dozen feet, was suddenly washed and expanded by a gentle force, their perception range instantly doubling!
Though the mist still existed, it seemed to have become more transparent, and the obstruction to their sight and divine sense was greatly reduced.
Li Nanzhu was also pleasantly surprised.
The expansion of their divine sense meant they could discover danger or opportunities much earlier, giving them a significant advantage.
Sure enough, shortly after the array was set, clear spiritual energy fluctuations and the sound of conversation came from within their expanded divine sense range ahead!
Rate on N.U.
