Demon Miasma Mountain

"They actually want to use me as bait..."

Fang Xing had been pretending to sleep all along. When he heard these words, his heart shook, and his expression naturally changed slightly, immediately noticed by Hou Qing. Throughout the journey, Fang Xing had deceived others but not Hou Qing. After all, Hou Qing had heard from Liu Feng that although Fang Xing was young, he was exceptionally fierce. Therefore, Hou Qing felt that he had been too obedient along the way.

Intentionally or unintentionally, Hou Qing had been keeping an eye on him, which was also why Fang Xing never had a chance to escape.

After the shock in his heart, Fang Xing immediately realized that something was wrong; he had exposed a flaw.

He quickly turned over and mumbled, "This is the spiritual stone that Senior Hou Qing gave me... None of you are allowed to snatch it..."

Hou Qing, upon hearing this, was slightly surprised. His vigilance relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Senior Brother Liu San also lowered his voice and chuckled, "Junior Brother Fang seems to be bullied within the sect. Now, in his heart, he sees Senior Hou as a big support. Ah, these few days of interaction, I quite like this kid. If we have another way, why not think of an alternative and spare his life..."

"Hmph, Senior Liu, are you joking?" Suddenly, a sinister voice sounded, coming from Qian Tong, another senior brother with a Triple Awakening cultivation base. He sneered at Liu San, "I know you've always been soft-hearted, but this isn't the time for sentimentality. Sacrificing this brat can save us from many risks. Why not do it? Heh heh, when we leave the sect, you should treat him as good as dead!"

Liu San's expression turned sour. After a moment, he sighed lightly, "You're right. It's my soft-heartedness acting up again!"

As if forcing himself to be more resolute, he deliberately discussed with Hou Qing and others how to use bait. In reality, it was because of his deep understanding of demonic beast habits that Hou Qing had specifically invited him. Fang Xing, who was pretending to sleep, felt his scalp tingle upon hearing this plan, feeling both terrified and furious at the same time.

It turned out that these people wanted the Mamba Stiffened Toad to smell Fang Xing's blood and spiritual energy, directly stab Fang Xing's eighteen most vigorous acupoints, destroy his Qi Hai, let the spiritual energy dissipate along with the blood, nail Fang Xing, who would be almost turned into a blood gourd, in their ambush, loudly screaming to attract demonic beasts.

This was no longer just using Fang Xing as bait but outright massacre.

If they had just used him as bait, Fang Xing would still have a glimmer of hope to survive. However, with this approach, Fang Xing was as good as dead.

Even if he survived, he would become a cripple.

"These bastards, how ruthless..." Fang Xing sighed softly, lying motionless by the fire, not moving.

Although it seemed like he was unaware, the cold sweat on his back had already soaked his clothes.

"You little bastards, get up..."

Early in the morning, Zhao Zhi, with a fierce and evil look, kicked Fang Xing.

Fang Xing looked at him groggily but was kicked twice by Qian Tong next to him.

In just one night, these four people's attitudes toward him had changed drastically. It seemed like they were trying to prevent another situation like Liu San's softness, as they started to curse and insult Fang Xing at every turn.

Fang Xing coldly observed their changes, understanding their psychology.

He had seen many times in the Ghost Smoke Valley how usually kind people, to compensate for their guilt, committed more heinous acts during raids than those who were usually vicious.

Even Liu San had changed. Although he didn't directly scold Fang Xing, he wore a gloomy face, as if he didn't want anyone to come near him.

Seeing this, Fang Xing sneered inwardly and stopped deliberately approaching them, just cooperating and not inviting trouble.

After two more days of travel, the group of five finally arrived at the foot of a majestic mountain. This mountain extended endlessly, shrouded in evil mist, with dark clouds overhead. The height of the mountain was unknown, and within the mountain, strange pines and vines covered the area densely, making it hard to gauge its depth. Glancing around, numerous strange cliffs and rocks dotted the area, extremely treacherous. Occasionally, beast roars and demonic cries could be heard, causing an uncontrollable sense of fear.

As the several dragon horses approached the mountain, originally gentle, they became restless and wanted to escape.

"This is the Poisonous Miasma Mountain. It is said that hundreds of years ago, there was a Foundation Establishment realm great demon here. Later, it was killed by a cultivator from the Fei Ling Cave. However, that cultivator also perished here. Since then, although no Foundation Establishment realm great demon has appeared again, there has been no shortage of third and fourth-stage Shapeshifting realm demonic beasts. The Mamba Stiffened Toad we're here to kill is one of them..."

Hou Qing looked at the mountain and sighed softly, then had someone feed the dragon horses the Hibernation Pill and stored them in the storage bag.

The Hibernation Pill was a unique pill. After consuming it, living beings would enter a state similar to hibernation, their bodies stiff and without sensation. At this time, they could be stored in a storage bag or a spatial ring. When it was time to ride, they could be released, the pill's effects dissipated, and they would become lively again. However, it would cause some hidden damage to the body, which would gradually show.

But if one didn't take the pill, they couldn't be stored in the storage bag, as there was no air inside, and the dragon horses would suffocate and die.

The mountain was treacherous, with demonic beast auras, and the dragon horses were easily frightened. Therefore, everyone had to walk up the mountain.

As they stepped onto the mountain path, Fang Xing was sandwiched in the middle, tightly watched. This was Hou Qing's advance arrangement; he seemed to have subtly discovered that Fang Xing wasn't as obedient as he appeared on the surface, so he deliberately had Qian Tong and others keep a close eye on him.

Fang Xing had no choice but to walk expressionlessly, secretly surveying the surroundings and thinking of countermeasures.

After entering the mountain, they found it even more perilous, with poisonous snakes and strange beasts appearing incessantly. Fortunately, everyone had cultivation and many elixirs, and Hou Qing wore a snake repellent pill. Ordinary snakes avoided them upon sensing the smell, and those with a bit of demonic aura, unafraid of the pill, were sliced into two halves as soon as they approached by Hou Qing's sword.

This person's sword was ruthless, quick, and precise, indicating not only his cultivation but also his mastery of martial arts in the mortal realm. Such a person indeed had a bit of the demeanor of the number one disciple of the Qingyun Sect's outer sect!