A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

He understood the other party's intention. If he didn't accept it, he was afraid that the other party's words were just perfunctory, and that Senior Brother Qin would never be at ease.

The reason he accepted it was not only to put his mind at ease, but also because he knew that the higher-ups of Spirit Beast Mountain and the demonic path were about to take action. At that time, some Qi Refining stage cultivators of Spirit Beast Mountain, due to their low cultivation level, would mainly be engaged in logistical work and would not suffer any losses.

After all, no sect would be foolish enough to send its Qi Refining stage cultivators to the front lines to die; those are the future of the sect.

"I should find an opportunity to give the contents of the storage bag to that Miss Qin Meng," Luo Ming sighed and put away the storage bag.

Although the contents represented most of a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator's savings, they were of little use to Luo Ming now. He had already checked them over and found no surprises such as divine techniques or secret manuals.

Luo Ming's hopes of striking it rich and finding a rare martial arts manual were dashed. "That's true. Those top-tier martial arts techniques are all strictly guarded by the major sects, kept tightly in their hands. Once an outsider is discovered practicing them, they are immediately hunted down. How easy is it to find one?"

The Spirit Control Technique he is currently practicing is a relatively comprehensive technique, meaning he is not strong in any particular aspect. As a low-level disciple of the Spirit Beast Mountain, his greatest combat strength actually comes from his own spirit beasts. After all, he can quickly increase his combat power without relying on any technique, which is the choice of almost all low-level cultivators.

Once a cultivator reaches the Core Formation stage, the cultivation speed of spirit beasts decreases significantly, causing them to fall behind the cultivator's advancement speed and greatly reducing the cultivator's combat power. At this point, it is necessary to consider switching to another cultivation method.

Of course, if one's own spirit beast can advance as quickly as a cultivator, then this Spirit Control Technique is actually very powerful. For example, the Cold Toad True Man, relying on his symbiotic relationship with the sixth-level ancient beast, the Azure Blood Cold Toad, is a top-tier existence among cultivators of the same level.

This also shows that the level of strength is not necessarily related to the techniques used, after all, it depends on human effort.

"Never mind, we can decide on the cultivation method after we advance to the Core Formation stage." Luo Ming sighed and began to take stock of his gains for the day.

,,,,,,

Inside the cave, surrounded by spiritual energy, Luo Ming sat cross-legged, his fingertips forming hand seals as he guided the refined spiritual energy into his dantian. Suddenly, an aged yet undeniable voice boomed from the depths of his consciousness without warning, causing his soul to tremble slightly: "Come to my cave."

Luo Ming's fingers, which were forming a hand seal, suddenly paused. He slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them before quickly disappearing.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stood up and flashed out of his cave, heading towards the residence of Master Cao, a Core Formation True Person from Spirit Beast Mountain.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and a bombshell announcement exploded like a thunderclap in the Seven Sects' camp—in half a month, the Seven Sects would gather all their forces to engage in a final battle against the demonic army on the Golden Drum Plain!

As the news spread, the once lively camp was instantly enveloped in a heavy atmosphere of solemnity. Outside the tents, the cultivators stopped chatting and playing around; some sat cross-legged to meditate and consolidate their cultivation, while others checked and repaired their magical artifacts, hoping to increase their chances of survival in the upcoming battle.

Everyone's face was filled with undisguised solemnity, and they were all nervously waiting for that day to arrive. The air seemed to be filled with invisible pressure.

Even the daily duels between the Foundation Establishment cultivators on both sides at the edge of the Golden Drum Plains had completely ceased. The wasteland, which used to be filled with the sounds of fighting and clashing weapons, was now eerily quiet.

Everyone knew that this was just a brief lull before the storm.

Luo Ming has been staying at home these past few days, preparing his methods. In the upcoming battle, no one can guarantee their survival, so the more trump cards they have, the better.

In the remaining days, besides drawing some mid-level talismans, Luo Ming also replenished the Fire God Thorn that he had used up some time ago. Although the power of the newly condensed one was not enough, it would still be of some use. After all, no one would complain about having more trump cards.

With three days remaining until the agreed-upon battle, Luo Ming suddenly opened his eyes from his meditation and sighed:

"I never thought I'd be playing a villain one day."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a sharp alarm suddenly blared outside, piercing the noise within the camp like a sword. Immediately afterward, the entire underground stone chamber and cavern began to shake violently, and muffled explosions rang out one after another, making people's eardrums ache.

Faced with the sudden attack from the demonic cultivators, the seven sects' camp was actually prepared. In the initial moments, the camp was indeed thrown into brief chaos, with shouts and running sounds intertwined. However, as the commands from the cultivators at each position were relayed, everyone quickly calmed down. Under the protection of the forbidden array's spiritual light, they orderly formed a defensive formation, and various magical artifacts emitted spiritual light that soared into the sky, resisting the sudden attack from the other side.

Following the example of the disciples of the seven sects, Luo Ming flicked his wrist and summoned a long sword, its entire body a deep blue—his magical weapon, the Water Nether Sword. He channeled his magic power into his fingertips, and a condensed blue sword aura roared out, shooting towards the outside of the formation. Just then, an extremely piercing shriek suddenly echoed from high above, seemingly capable of tearing apart the very soul.

"boom!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth, followed by a furious shout: "Old ghost Cold Toad, what are you doing?"

Luo Ming looked up and saw that high in the sky, the Old Monster Qiong of the Hidden Moon Sect had a livid face and was staring intently at the figure opposite him, a five-colored ice spike sticking out of his chest. The ice spike slowly melted, and wisps of cold air spread along the wound. His clothes on his chest instantly froze into ice, and fine frost began to appear on his skin, as if to freeze his entire body completely.

Knowing the perilous nature of the cold poison, Old Monster Qiong didn't hesitate any longer. A burst of intense blood-red light erupted from his body, tearing apart the large chunk of flesh embedded in his chest with the ice spike, sending blood and bits of flesh flying everywhere. He then rapidly formed hand seals, applying blood-red runes to the wound, temporarily halting the spread of the cold poison, though his face was already as pale as paper.

"Hmph! You've been poisoned by my Azure Blood Cold Poison, and your body is already half crippled. Still dare to be stubborn? Just obediently accept your death!" The voice of the Cold Toad Immortal carried a chilling aura as it came from high above.

The cultivators from the seven sects within the formation were all stunned, their faces filled with bewilderment and horror. No one had expected that, at this critical juncture of life and death, the two Core Formation True Persons, who were the most powerful and skilled among the seven sects, would actually turn on each other.

The sneak attack by Master Han Chan seemed to be a pre-arranged signal. The next moment, Luo Ming sensed several familiar fluctuations of spiritual energy erupting. Several Core Formation cultivators from Spirit Beast Mountain attacked simultaneously, launching a surprise attack on the unsuspecting Core Formation cultivators from the six sects beside him.

"This...it's over..." A cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley witnessed this scene, his pupils contracted sharply, and he instantly understood the situation before him, his face drained of all color. Just as he turned to flee to the rear of the camp, several enormous, ferocious, blood-red mantis demonic beasts with gleaming, scythe-like forelimbs swept towards him, their sharp limbs instantly tearing his body apart.

With several Core Formation cultivators controlling the core of the formation restrained, the entire Forbidden Formation lost its central control, its spiritual light dimmed suddenly, and its power greatly diminished. The demonic army outside, poised to attack, seized this opening, unleashing countless attacks like a tidal wave. The once impregnable formation was breached in the blink of an eye.