Ye Gou and three other relatives broke through to the first layer of the Crystallization Realm right after entering the secret realm. Ye Mao and the rest were all around the 7th layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm. As members of the Ye Family, their abilities were far above average cultivators.
The 20+ members had pushed into two-thirds of the secret realm. The spirit beasts in this area were generally around the fourth layer of the Crystallization Realm, several realms above their current power. Fortunately, most of these beasts lived alone, and they’d done plenty of preparation for this trip, so nothing major went wrong.
The only time they nearly suffered a total wipeout was when they ran into a pack of wolves at the 2nd layer of the Crystallization Realm. Thankfully, the defensive equipment Ye Yong had given them blocked the first wave of attacks, giving them a chance to escape. Without that, they would’ve already crushed their teleportation stones and fled the secret realm.
“Spirit Heart Grass, Stone Flower…” With only eight hours left before the secret realm closed, the Ye family juniors set up a defensive formation in an open area to rest and recover their spiritual energy while sorting through their loot.
Along the way, any fellow sect disciples who saw they were from the Ye Family would automatically give way. And following Ye Yong’s advice, Ye Gou and the others never fought over any spirit beasts or herbs already targeted by others, no matter how rare or valuable, which made this expedition especially smooth and rewarding.
“It feels like a dream,” one junior sighed.
The others nodded. They couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but it was like everything around them felt unreal. Maybe it was “being alive felt so nice”?
“Do you think Brother Ye Yong is already at the deepest part of the secret realm?”
“Absolutely. They say the strongest spirit beast here is only at the late-stage of the Crystallization Realm. ith Young Master Ye’s Golden Core sword intent, that beast probably wouldn’t even dare lift its head,” Ye Gou said excitedly, then remembered that Ye Yong had once used his sword intent on Ye Mao and knocked him flat…
As a distant relative, Ye Gou was older and stronger than Ye Mao, but his status was far lower. He glanced over cautiously- Ye Mao was sitting in a corner and merely shot him a glare without lashing out.
Ye Mao had mellowed quite a bit. If it had been the past, he would have cursed at Ye Gou, and there’s no way he would have let Ye Gou lead the team.
“Hmm?” Just as Ye Gou relaxed, he suddenly sensed something and stood up at once. “Everyone, on guard!”
In a flash, several Earthburst Wolves burst from the brush, charging fiercely toward the group… only to crash headfirst into the hardened defensive formation with loud yelps.
Shaking their heads and baring their fangs, the wolves growled threateningly at the cultivators inside.
Then a dozen more Earthburst Wolves appeared. They tried attacking the formation, but it was completely ineffective, so they began circling it, trying to find a weak spot.
The formation was a level three formation, deployed via a magical tool, and could withstand even Golden Core Realm level attacks. Naturally, Crystallization layer 2 Earthburst Wolves had no chance of breaking through.
While the formation did consume spiritual power from spirit stones to stay active, the Ye Family members didn’t have to worry about that.
“Being targeted by the wolf pack is so annoying.” Ye Gou and the others had hoped to rest up and push further in, but even just three of these Crystallization Realm layer 2 wolves were enough to give their whole team trouble, let alone over 20 of them.
They’d only managed to escape last time because they’d run into the wolf pack by accident, and the wolves didn’t have time to surround them. Now, though, they were being stalked and surrounded.
Their powerful attack tools, like talismans, had mostly been used up on single spirit beasts. Besides, Earthburst Wolves were too agile to be easily hit by talismans anyway. And these wolves were patient; they wouldn’t leave anytime soon. Aside from using their teleportation stones to exit, there was no other choice.
“We’ve gathered enough resources. Let’s go,” Ye Gou said, making the decision. But just then, a few wolves suddenly bolted in one direction.
The Ye Family members looked over and saw a handsome young man dressed in snow-white robes, holding a folding fan, appearing from the trees.
Wolves hunted in groups. Their usual tactic was to take turns biting and wearing down their prey until it was too weak to fight back, and then swarm in for the kill.
Four Crystallization layer 2 wolves were now using that exact strategy on what looked like a cultivator with no spiritual power. There should be no suspense. Time for a meal, right?
“Awooo!” One wolf was sent flying.
“Awooo!” Another was sent flying by the man’s fan.