Mythical Cultivation

Although Zhang Tianming was somewhat dissatisfied with the bad things done by the brothers Liu Qingquan and Liu Lei, faced with the temptation of high remuneration, he finally chose to accept Liu Qingquan's commission.

"Remember, you must ensure that your actions are not discovered. You must wait until I arrive before taking action to avoid alerting the target." Zhang Tianming instructed cautiously.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Zhang, I will have my men be extra careful." The young man replied respectfully.

Meanwhile, Wu Ming and his companions also made some gains. They unexpectedly discovered a valley filled with centuries-old spiritual herbs, including several precious ones suitable only for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Just as they were excitedly preparing to pick some, they were surprised to find three Dark Flame Leopards guarding the valley: two large and one small.

Obviously, obtaining these spiritual herbs was no easy task. After all, this was the territory of the Dark Flame Leopards, and the spiritual herbs naturally belonged to them. To obtain them, one had to either drive them away or fight them.

However, a demon beast that could guard so many spiritual medicines in the inner domain must be quite powerful, otherwise it would not be possible to live in peace. Therefore, Wu Ming and his companions decided to test the strength of the Dark Flame Leopard.

"Let's split into two groups. Two people will go first to test the waters, and the remaining three will be ready to provide support at any time. Do you think this will work?" Huang Hao suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement, but then Zhao Xiaohai asked a question: "Who will go to test it, and who will stay to support?"

"My cultivation is higher than yours, so I will definitely go." Huang Hao said.

Upon hearing this, the others didn't object. It wasn't that they were afraid of death, but rather that they were relatively weak and couldn't afford to be a drag. Wu Ming also signaled his intention to go, but unexpectedly, Mei Lingshuang also wanted to go, eager to prove her own strength. This led to a debate over the second choice, and the others decided to discuss who would be the most suitable.

After a moment, they began a heated discussion. Ultimately, after careful consideration and deliberation, they unanimously agreed that Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang should carry out the exploratory mission, while Wu Ming, Zhao Xiaohai, and Hou Tiancheng would remain behind to provide support. It wasn't that Wu Ming was incompetent, but rather that those outside the valley needed to monitor the situation and be ready to provide assistance, leaving Wu Ming in command.

Everyone felt this arrangement made perfect sense. After all, exploration often carries the greatest risk, so the strongest members must be sent. As the core member of the team, Huang Hao undoubtedly possessed the highest level of skill, so he took on this important task without hesitation. Furthermore, Mei Lingshuang volunteered to go with Huang Hao, earning recognition for her courage and determination.

Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang then mounted their flying swords and carefully soared into the valley. Upon entering, they heard two deafening roars, a warning signal from the Dark Flame Leopard. However, their goal was to test the Dark Flame Leopard's true strength, so they wouldn't retreat because of these roars. They flew forward with determination, gradually approaching the Dark Flame Leopard's habitat.

At this moment, the Dark Flame Leopard finally couldn't help but strike. Two black figures rushed towards them like lightning, their speed astonishing. Clearly, the Dark Flame Leopard had launched an attack. But Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang were prepared. They quickly summoned their own defensive magic tools to resist the Dark Flame Leopard's attack.

However, this attack also gave the two of them a rough understanding of the strength of the Dark Flame Leopards. Their strength was at least above the eighth level of Qi Refining. The previous attack caused their shields to tremble, but fortunately they withstood it.

Since the Dark Flame Leopards had already attacked, they directed their flying swords to strike at the two Dark Flame Leopards. The two flying swords slashed straight at the Dark Flame Leopards, who extended their claws to block. The flying swords collided with the claws, and it felt like the flying swords were striking steel, sending sparks flying between them.

Seeing this, Huang Hao and the other man continued their attack, their flying swords shifting angles to continue slashing at the Dark Flame Leopard. However, the Dark Flame Leopard was incredibly fast. No matter where the two men launched their swords, they were easily blocked. Furthermore, the force of the flying swords striking the Dark Flame Leopard's claws made them feel numb. This couldn't go on any longer; they had to think of a solution.

Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang exchanged a glance, their hearts pounding with anxiety. They knew that if they didn't find a way to deal with the Dark Flame Leopard quickly, they would likely be in danger. So, they decided to change their strategy. Instead of blindly attacking the Dark Flame Leopard's claws, they sought its weak points. After some observation, they discovered that the Dark Flame Leopard's eyes seemed particularly vulnerable, so they decided to focus their attack on them.

Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang launched another attack, this time targeting the Dark Flame Leopard's eyes with their flying swords. The Dark Flame Leopard sensed their intentions and became wary, its speed increasing noticeably. Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang's flying swords went from active to passive, effectively blocking the Dark Flame Leopard's attack.

They simply couldn't keep up with the speed of the Dark Flame Leopard in a one-on-one fight, so they were forced to resist. So they decided to work together to take down one Dark Flame Leopard first.

However, the Dark Flame Leopard wouldn't give them any chance. Since the two men on the other side couldn't match its speed or harm it, it no longer had any concerns. Suddenly, one of the Dark Flame Leopards leaped up, a shadowy afterimage closing in on Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang with lightning speed. Its speed was so swift that the two men had no time to react, only to feel a tremendous force bearing down on them. Fortunately, their shields had been working, allowing them to escape unscathed, but they were also frightened and broke into a cold sweat.

Only then did they realize they had severely underestimated the strength of the Nether Flame Leopards. These Nether Flame Leopards were far more powerful than the eighth level of Qi Refining, some even reaching the ninth level, and were among the more powerful. Otherwise, with Huang Hao's current strength, he wouldn't be intimidated by an ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator. However, the Nether Flame Leopards' attacks proved difficult for him to withstand.

However, the Dark Flame Leopard's attack failed to injure the enemy, and it turned again, continuing to attack the two. Huang Hao and Mei Lingshuang used their body movements to retreat as their shields were damaged, simultaneously creating two layers of shields in front of them with their fingers, and then quickly recalled the flying sword that was attacking the other Dark Flame Leopard from a distance.

The Dark Flame Leopard's attack was once again barely blocked by the two layers of shields. The two men could even smell the blood from the Dark Flame Leopard's claws. Fortunately, their flying swords were able to block the Dark Flame Leopard's attack, and they fought the Dark Flame Leopard to a draw.