Demon Beast
They had planned before arriving the duties each person would fulfill. The four in the six-stage would stay behind to defend the family if the need arose. There would be people assigned to gathering materials, buildings, scouting, and searching for beasts to hunt down or retrieve as cattle. Even if most people in the family had reached the Foundation Establishment realm, they still had food requirements.
Especially the young ones to be sent in two weeks' time. they were normal humans and needed three meals a day. Fortunately, once one reached the four stages of Qi condensation one meal every one or two days was fine; a late stage Qi condensation could eat something light like an apple or a sustainment pill every week or so.
At Foundation Establishment, a cultivator would need a small portion of food or a sustainment pill every week in the early stages; and every three or four weeks in the later stages.
Golden Core cultivators were better off. They would only need some small portion of food or a sustainment pill every two or three months. The same principle applied to the need for sleep in cultivators.
The rest of the time, cultivators could simply sustain themselves from Qi.
Damian had volunteered to lead a scouting party of six persons. He was assigned as the leader, and the members of his party all were in the early stages of the Golden Core realm. His second-in-command Christine was at the third layer, Raymond at the second layer, Paul at the second layer, Nathalia at the second layer, and Nathan at the second layer.
Different squads would follow behind them. Those other squads had as their key role to gather resources. Damian's squad was meant to scout ahead and eliminate any threat.
They began to swiftly move using moment arts towards the forest. Before reaching it Damian activated [Ten Thousand Rain Drops Strengthens The Mind art]. With his great achievement, his senses had extended to ten miles, instead of the three of four miles that a Golden Core cultivator at the four-layer could perceive.
As soon as Damian used the technique, he felt Qi signatures in his mind. He could locate what he was already familiar white signatures belonging to his companions and clansmen. Blue signatures to herbs or trees with Qi, and finally something new, red signatures for demon beast. A special perk of the technique, as otherwise, he would only be able to identify a Qi source but not so effectively discern its origin.
The red signatures were weak they should be around the middle and later stages of the Qi condensation real. They were not a threat to their family and they could become possible cattle in the future. All of them were at least five miles away based on Qi signatures, therefore, the members of his squad had yet to locate them.
They continued moving, at the speed, they were going they would reach it in seven minutes. Soon enough Damian's group would pass thirty meters near one of the demon beasts. It was at the late stages of Qi condensation, from the Qi signature Damian assumed it was a bear. It appeared it had yet to notice them as the bear most likely was sleeping but unfortunately for it, it would never wake up again.
Damian came to a halt and unseated his sword as he slashed toward the bear. The slash produced a blade made of sword Qi on which Damian used the [One Drop In An Ocean] technique to make the Qi blade invisible.
The unsuspected bear lost its head while soundly asleep.
The team members shot him strange looks. They had felt the presence of the demon beast at the Qi condensation, but paid it no mind, as it was only a beast in the Qi condensation realm.
Damian, feeling the team gazes being sent his way, said. "I need its fangs and skin to get something crafted. However, that I need it dead doesn't mean I want it to suffer." As he spoke, he approached the bear's body and extracted the fangs and skin of the bear with a combination of swift sword movements and a display of sword intent. He also took the beast core, as it had a variety of uses or he could ultimately sell it.
They didn't have anything to carry the materials, so Damian folded the skin and put it inside the piece of cloth that acted as a belt for his robe. As for the core, he put it inside his robe.
Damian's senses now could feel at the edges of his Qi perception, stronger Qi signatures. Foundation Establishment demon beast. He made a mental note to return from another point to confirm if it was a general norm of this forest. At least on this part of the forest, the first fifteen or so miles were only inhabited by Qi condensation demon beast.
They continued the journey forward with no encounter inside the forest towards the one hundred miles goal of their scouting group; they encountered some demon beasts from time to time, but Damian did not continue to kill them, nor did the rest of the group. The demon beasts, upon noticing the group's strength, did not dare to approach.
At the seventy miles mark. Damian noted at the edge of his perception something that may become a problem later. It was a congregation of demon beasts. At least one thousand of them, the stronger at the peak of the Foundation Establishment. After pondering for a few moments he informed the team, that they would take them out.
The team changed their path towards the group of demon beasts. After a few minutes they reached them, Damian now could feel the Demon beasts more clearly it was … a nest of spiders. The ones in Qi condensation were half a meter tall with a pitch-black luster, and the foundation establishment ones were a meter tall. Something not overly troublesome at the moment but in the future, they could become a treat, especially if they reached the Golden Core realm.
Of course, the demon beast had noticed them and began to encircle them. However, Damian wouldn't have that. From a six hundred yards distance, he unseated his sword and performed the [Ten Thousand Jade Swords Make One Copper Sword art]. Sword Qi transformed into hundreds of Jade swords that he sent straight into enemy lines, he performed this thrice more.