Immortal Path Space

Chapter 396: Mission Accomplished

The demon-hunting tree, bound tightly in a massive web, was rendered immobile. Wang Hong took charge of manipulating the Spirit net, while the other nine individuals were responsible for extracting the demon-hunting tree.

In a surprisingly short amount of time, they had successfully excavated an entire demon-hunting tree.

Carefully, they placed it into a Storage Bag, and only then did Wang Hong remove the Spirit net and sit down to recover.

Despite his current suppressed strength, controlling this subpar Spiritual Weapon was still somewhat challenging for him.

After an hour, the group set out once more, continuing their search forward.

Meanwhile, in a Demon Clan camp, Ashen Roc was gathered with dozens of Demonic Beasts, apparently in the midst of a discussion.

At that moment, a Roc Bird resembling Ashen Roc in size spoke up.

"Big brother! After some investigation, that Human Clan Flying Boat went into a secret realm, and it seems like all of them went inside, with only a few remaining outside. Our subordinate little demons couldn't get too close, so our view was somewhat limited. Should I lead a group of demons to go and exterminate them now?"

Ashen Roc flapped his wings and replied, "Not for now. If my guess is correct, they must be in the secret realm collecting Spiritual Herbs. I've heard of the six major secret realms in the East Zhou Cultivation Realm. They are said to be heavily guarded by powerful Large Formations, which we won't be able to breach in a short time. We shouldn't disturb them at the moment. Instead, let's feign ignorance and allow these Human Clan individuals to gather all the Spiritual Herbs inside peacefully. We'll gather some elite Demonic Beasts quietly and set up an ambush nearby. Once they all come out, we can eliminate them in one fell swoop and collect the Spiritual Herbs from the secret realm as well."

Although Demon Clan might lag in Pill Recipe refinement, they were equally eager for Spiritual Herbs. Thanks to their robust physique, they often didn't require refinement and could directly consume them for good results.

"Ashen Roc Fellow Daoist truly excels in strategic planning. Leading our East Sea Demon Clan under Ashen Roc Fellow Daoist's guidance is a great honor for us!"

"To be able to follow Ashen Roc Fellow Daoist and conquer the East Zhou Human Clan in our lifetime is a tremendous glory!"

After Ashen Roc finished speaking, several Demonic Beasts praised him continuously.

Not all Demonic Beasts possessed enough intelligence, varying depending on their species and cultivation level. Hence, in the Demon Clan, individuals like Ashen Roc, possessing both strength and wisdom, were easily distinguished.

For instance, among avian-type demons, Wang Hong's Little Peng had only average intelligence. Even if it reached the third tier of strength one day, it would still be challenging to attain the level of wisdom that Ashen Roc displayed, relegating it to a cannon fodder role among the Demon Clan.

Ashen Roc turned to the Roc Bird resembling him.

"Third brother! Lead some of the East Sea Demon Clan to set up an ambush nearby. Don't alert them prematurely. Wait until they are about to leave, then strike and seize all the Spiritual Herbs."

"Don't worry, big brother. I guarantee that not a single Human Clan member will escape. Should I bring back a few Golden Core cultivators from the Human Clan as appetizers for you?"

The Roc Bird exuded confidence. It and Ashen Roc were blood brothers, with the former being the third-born. There was also a middle sibling, but unfortunately, it was hunted down by Human Clan cultivators before reaching adulthood. Consequently, the siblings held a deep-seated grudge against the Human Clan.

"Just bring me two or three, but make sure they are alive. Dead ones aren't fresh and don't taste good."

Ashen Roc casually remarked that just as the Human Clan regarded the Demon Clan as food, they would do the same with the Human Clan, a common sentiment within the Demon Clan.

Inside the secret realm, after nearly twenty days of traversing from west to east, Wang Hong and his team finally emerged from the forest.

During these twenty days, they meticulously searched the entire route assigned to them, extracting all the demon-hunting trees they encountered. Thanks to Wang Hong's Spirit net, which had a considerable advantage against the demon-hunting trees, their extraction process had been remarkably smooth.

Their team had progressed relatively smoothly and was the first to exit the forest. Now, they could only wait at the designated rendezvous point for the other teams to join them.

Two days later, another team emerged from the forest. They appeared exhausted, likely having encountered numerous battles.

Over the following days, various teams gradually exited the forest, though none seemed to have had it as easy as Wang Hong's team. Some team members were even injured. Surprisingly, two teams had suffered casualties, the nature of which remained unknown.

Sun Qiuxing's team, who led the expedition, had also made their way out. They seemed quite excited, presumably indicating a fruitful harvest.

"Fellow disciples, the excavation mission has been successfully completed, and we still have four days left until the one-month deadline. Let's take a detour and return to the entrance!" Sun Qiuxing announced as all the teams converged.

As they began the journey back, the group shed their earlier fatigue and started engaging in casual conversation.

"Ah, as Foundation Building cultivators, it's embarrassing to be suppressed and find it so difficult to battle some tier-one Demonic Beasts."

One cultivator sighed, still bearing some wounds that hadn't completely healed even after a day of rest.

"Indeed! Those Demonic Beasts surrounding the demon-hunting trees had incredibly robust bodies, making them challenging opponents."

"It's not just the Demonic Beasts; even those demon-hunting trees were tough to deal with!"

"You guys had it relatively easy. We had to engage in battles with Demonic Beasts every time we reached a location. After continuous fighting, our team even suffered a loss."

"I heard Captain Sun's team had the easiest time, and they managed to extract all the demon-hunting trees on their route."

"It looks like Sun Captain's team is the frontrunner for this mission."

Wang Hong overheard their discussions and learned that many teams hadn't managed to search and extract all the demon-hunting trees in their designated areas due to extended combat encounters.

One cultivator from Wang Hong's team couldn't resist chiming in, "Was it really that hard to search and extract all the trees in your assigned area? Our team extracted them all, and it felt pretty straightforward."

Unfortunately, his tone didn't sit well with others, and many lost interest in continuing the conversation. It seemed that any further discussion would only involve him boasting about his achievements.

The cultivator from Wang Hong's team, eager for attention, had hoped others would ask him for details, allowing him to bask in the limelight. However, the fellow cultivators around him appeared focused on the journey, paying him no heed.

As the group approached the entrance, they noticed another team of a hundred individuals responsible for searching for Spiritual Herbs waiting at the exit.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]