The two of them entered Fengming Mountain.

The Wild Thorn Vine was described in the ancient texts as quite low-key and unremarkable, but once they got into the mountain, they found it indeed grew in a peculiar way. They searched the steep wilderness for half a day, yet they found nothing.

If they ventured deeper into the forest, it would become unsafe.

However, Lu Xiaobai was unusually excited upon entering Fengming Mountain, running around identifying herbs and collecting spiritual plants, eager to gather everything useful he could find.

Lin Ji poked him with the hilt of his sword in disdain, “Can you not act like someone who’s never seen the world? This place isn’t safe; the sooner we finish gathering, the sooner we can go back.”

He wasn’t afraid of the dangers here; it was just that he was currently only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and while he could protect himself, having someone like Lu Xiaobai, who was almost like a mortal, by his side was a bit troublesome. Not only could he not provide any help, but he could also slow Lin Ji down, and if something happened, Lin Ji would have to look out for him.

Hearing this, Lu Xiaobai clapped his hands and stood up, “Alright, but even if there are others here, it’s my own face on the line. You can pretend you don’t know me.”

The spiritual plants outside were so precious! It was hard to come to a place where he could pick them without spending spirit stones, so he definitely wanted to gather more.

A Ji actually found him annoying; did his expression really look that greedy?

After walking for a while, Lin Ji asked, “By the way, are you sure the Wild Thorn Vine is useful against Master’s demon poison? If this thing could really cure the world’s cold ailments, it wouldn’t be so obscure, right?”

Lu Xiaobai replied proudly, “Not everyone knows the wonders of the Wild Thorn Vine. The old man traveled around in his early years, and the texts he collected or compiled are definitely more knowledgeable and precise than others.”

Maybe Meng Wanqiu also knew that the Wild Thorn Vine was beneficial for detoxifying, but unfortunately, he had reduced his outings to take care of his health and felt embarrassed to trouble others to take risks for him.

As a disciple, it was only right to relieve his master’s worries.

Lu Xiaobai pointed towards the forest, “Besides, whether it works or not, we have to try it to find out. Young people should always be bold and have the courage to charge into the tiger’s den!”

Great, Long Aotian was starting to act all dramatic.

Lin Ji raised an eyebrow suddenly and coldly praised, “I didn’t expect you to be so ambitious. It would be more convincing if you hadn’t tricked me into being your muscle.”

“……”

Just as Lu Xiaobai was about to laugh to ease the awkwardness of being called out, a rustling sound suddenly came from nearby.

It sounded like something was crawling through the grass. Lin Ji turned around and threw his sword, splitting the long object in two, which twisted and writhed on the ground.

It turned out not to be a snake, but a centipede as thick as a child’s arm.

Lin Ji used his spiritual power to retract his sword and looked at the red poison on the blade, frowning as he performed a cleaning spell.

At that moment, it seemed there was another sound from the tree, and just as Lin Ji was about to act, a yellow talisman flew past first, sticking to a fist-sized spider and igniting it in flames.

Lu Xiaobai withdrew his hand and put on a more serious expression.

Indeed, this place was rich in spiritual energy and diverse in species; what they had encountered so far was just the beginning.

The Wild Thorn Vine had yet to be found, and Lin Ji had no habit of turning back halfway after confirming a target. Even if he was aware of the dangers ahead, he resolutely ventured deeper into the heart of the forest.

The two of them stayed close to each other, remaining vigilant.

Without being able to use spiritual power, Lu Xiaobai couldn’t rush ahead. His mind was focused and agile, quickly noticing any abnormalities nearby and pointing out directions for Lin Ji to be cautious of.

Lin Ji, on the other hand, reacted swiftly, able to identify enemies in an instant and unleash powerful sword energy to deal with them.

If they encountered poisonous monsters or plants, he would mercilessly slay them. If it was a spiritual beast that was startled and wanted to attack, he would simply drive it away.

It wasn’t that he was being kind; it was just that spiritual beasts were very united. If one was killed, the nearby spiritual beasts would all come out, making it hard to escape. Monsters, on the other hand, acted independently, eager for their kind to perish so they could become the dominant force, and even among their own kind, they would kill each other, leaving little chance for help.

Spiritual beasts and monsters had been fighting for years, and spiritual plants and monsters also competed for nutrients, plus there were animals that loved to eat mountain plants… Fengming Mountain had a very natural flavor.

Lin Ji had to admit that having someone cooperating beside him felt great, especially Lu Xiaobai. At first, he would doubt the accuracy of the other’s judgments, but later he simply took action without hesitation.

After resolving a crisis, Lin Ji glanced at Lu Xiaobai with a complex expression.

The two of them fought intermittently like this, encountering quite a few monsters and ghosts along the way, and finally made it to the halfway point of the mountain without any major incidents.

Throughout the journey, Lu Xiaobai used up many of the five-element talismans he had carefully prepared, constantly urging Lin Ji to conserve his strength to deal with the six-winged bird demon.

Lin Ji scoffed; he suspected that Lu Xiaobai looked down on him. His stamina was not so easily exhausted!

Moreover, the six-winged bird demon only treated the Wild Thorn Vine as food; it wasn’t a guardian beast that would always keep an eye on that spiritual plant. They might not even encounter it!

Finally, the two of them compared the map and looked at the cliff, “That must be the Wild Thorn Vine.”

They had previously discussed that Lin Ji would fly up on his sword to survey the surroundings while Lu Xiaobai would go to collect it.

Lin Ji set up a barrier to isolate the area within ten miles, preventing any unexpected guests from suddenly appearing; he also kept an eye on the cliff within the barrier to prevent Lu Xiaobai from being attacked by anything that might suddenly appear.

Lu Xiaobai wrapped a demon-binding rope around his waist, threw one end over the top to catch a branch, and then nimbly climbed up the cliff.

The Wild Thorn Vine was incredibly tough, with dense thorns, making it difficult to collect. Lu Xiaobai threw the cloth bag he brought onto a rock below and used the sickle he had specially brought to cut it, letting it fall.

He kept cutting, getting addicted to it, wanting to strip the entire area bare.

Lin Ji watched impatiently: Leave some food for the six-winged bird demon!

Mainly, he felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding rising in his heart. Whenever he had this feeling, something terrible was bound to happen next.

Lu Xiaobai was thinking that since it had been a long time since he came to Fengming Mountain, it was only right to bring back more local specialties.

Suddenly, a sound reached his ears. Lu Xiaobai turned his head to look, and beside the stone, a large, dark bird had appeared, looking oddly shaped.

It was screeching sharply, its voice like a blood-curdling cuckoo, almost like a child’s piercing cry.

Lu Xiaobai’s first reaction was: a bat?

His second reaction was to look at the back of the large bird, which had three pairs of tender, fleshy wings, and its feathers were not yet fully developed.

Lu Xiaobai quickly secured his bag and shouted, “A Ji, come help me!”

As he spoke, the large bird attacked him, and Lu Xiaobai hurriedly dodged, using the demon-binding rope as a weapon, swinging it back to avoid the bird’s face.

The bird’s beak was too sharp; a peck could take a chunk of flesh.

A sword energy severed the rope, and Lu Xiaobai’s eyes widened. In the next moment, he couldn’t stop his body from falling, but Lin Ji caught him around the waist, and the two of them flew together on a sword in mid-air.

Lin Ji had initially wanted to grab him by the collar and pull him up, but then thought better of it; he didn’t want to accidentally drop a senior brother to his death.

Lu Xiaobai steadied himself and didn’t mind. He moved the spiritual sword back a few feet, and the large bird glared at them, seemingly furious that they had stolen its food.

“Fortunately, we encountered a young six-winged bird demon.”

Just as Lu Xiaobai sighed, Lin Ji heard the sound of the barrier shattering.

Accompanied by a piercing, ear-splitting bird call, the two of them stiffened and turned to see a gigantic bird charging at them, flapping its wings.

Their figures were even smaller than the bird’s wings.

It turned out that the large bird they thought was big was actually a chick, while the real adult bird was so large that it could block out the sunlight on the mountain.

From a human aesthetic perspective, the six-winged bird demon was quite ugly, resembling a bat but with feathers, and its six wings were symmetrically distributed.

Lin Ji almost instinctively flew away on his sword, binding the chick at the cliff’s edge with the demon-binding rope.

As the little bird demon was about to let out a furious cry, Lin Ji summoned the Silk Fang Jin, and his finger suddenly felt a sharp pain as if it had been caught by silkworm silk.

Lin Ji paused for a moment, then realized: it seemed that Master had added a small spell after re-tempering it for him, which would trigger before he used the Silk Fang Jin each time.

The pain in his finger reminded him to calm down, preventing him from recklessly harming others or himself in a moment of excitement.

However, there was no choice at the moment; Lin Ji still used the Silk Fang Jin to trap the chick.

Seeing its chick captured, the six-winged bird demon indeed stopped and screeched angrily.

Lin Ji, in a moment of desperation, had no way out; he couldn’t withstand the bird demon’s attack.

As for monsters, their cultivation levels were different from humans; it took hundreds of years to become a monster. Generally speaking, the older they were, the stronger they became.

A six-winged bird demon of such size, aside from not being able to release pressure, was likely at the same cultivation level as a Golden Core cultivator.

In the path of cultivation, being one level short was like being a world apart; fighting above one’s level only happened in desperate situations. Most of the time, one would just be crushed to death.

To avoid a direct hit from the bird demon, Lin Ji could only use the chick as a hostage. Monsters didn’t care about blood relations but instinctively protected their young. The stronger the monster, the harder it was to reproduce, so he had to take a risky gamble.

But he had also completely offended the six-winged bird demon; monsters naturally held grudges, and today it seemed they would not rest until one of them was dead.

Lin Ji’s back broke out in a cold sweat; they couldn’t let the chick go, nor could they kill it.

Suddenly, Lu Xiaobai tugged at his sleeve, “There’s a cave over there. If we can get past the bird demon, there might be a glimmer of hope.”

Lin Ji turned his head to look, and indeed there was a cave.

But to get past? He glanced at the bird demon’s size and its fierce aura… Forget it, there was no other way at the moment; holding back would only cause them to lose the initiative.

Lin Ji said sternly, “Then you better hold your ground; I won’t have time to look after you later!”

What he meant by “later” was in the next instant. Lin Ji flew on his sword like a streak of spiritual light, attempting to slip through the gap created by the bird demon’s flapping wings.

The bird demon was no pushover; realizing the enemy’s intent, it flapped its wings violently, creating a gust of wind. Fortunately, the protective shield Lin Ji had set up held firm, but he still felt his body about to take a heavy blow.

At a critical moment, Lu Xiaobai used his spiritual power to stabilize the sword, unleashing his potential to spin the spiritual sword around, positioning himself in front.

Lin Ji’s eyes widened: Lu Xiaobai had no spiritual power; was he not afraid of being turned into a meat pie by the bird’s wings?

However, the roar that was about to erupt from his throat was abruptly cut off.

Lu Xiaobai… actually held on?

“What are you dazed for? Quickly control the sword!”

Lin Ji had no time to think further and hurriedly took control of the sword, carrying Lu Xiaobai as they leaped into the cave.

Lu Xiaobai summoned the artifact he had, forming a closed barrier that withstood the six-winged bird demon’s impact.

He let out a deep breath and looked at Lin Ji, “You moved too fast; you didn’t give me a chance to speak! I was going to tell you to just charge into the cave on your sword; I have a way to withstand the bird demon’s attack.”

Lin Ji: “……”

Once he calmed down and focused, he realized that Lu Xiaobai had used an artifact.

He thought that…

Lu Xiaobai shifted his body, sitting beside him, “You have the Silk Fang Jin; do you think I don’t have the artifact Master gave me when I entered the sect?”

He knew he had poor talent, so on his first day, he had asked for an artifact with top-notch defensive power, which could be used without cultivation restrictions. If he encountered danger and couldn’t fight back, at least he could create a protective shield to withstand and escape.

Lin Ji looked at the cave entrance: the artifact looked simple, just a blue square stone, but it had a peculiar dark pattern on it.

“What’s the name of your artifact?”

“Hidden Light Stone. It’s said to be a stubborn rock found by a powerful being in the Snowfield Forbidden Land of Xuanzhou, which was refined and had a new spell inscribed on it, leaving behind two-tenths of the powerful being’s spiritual power, thus becoming an artifact.”

Lin Ji: “……”

He thought Lu Xiaobai’s artifact would have a more tender name; turns out he was overthinking it.

“What a pity the Hidden Light Stone can’t be used more than three times in a short period; otherwise, it would be great if we could just carry it out of Fengming Mountain.” Lu Xiaobai lamented, revealing bad news.

Lin Ji coldly complained, “Isn’t it because you were reluctant to leave for half the day?”

Sure enough, there were no good things when going on a mission with the protagonist.

Lin Ji pondered for a moment, recited the spell to retract the demon-binding rope, and then used his spiritual power to dissolve the Silk Fang Jin.

The six-winged bird demon’s chick was larger than both of them, and they couldn’t take it with them. Otherwise, if they had just held it hostage and left Fengming Mountain, the bird demon wouldn’t have chased them out.

For now, they could only hope they hadn’t caused any substantial harm to the chick, and that the bird demon would give up the chase once it realized it couldn’t enter. But that possibility was indeed slim.

Lin Ji observed his surroundings, muttering, “A cave…”

Wait, was he trapped in a cave with the Long Aotian protagonist?

Lin Ji suddenly stood up and tugged at Lu Xiaobai, “Get up and move around.”

Lu Xiaobai: “?”

They could check for other exits, but they had just escaped from the tiger’s mouth, and they wouldn’t let him rest for a moment.

Lu Xiaobai complained in his heart, but his body quickly stood up, eagerly looking around.

After a moment, Lin Ji said again, “You go in front.”

Lu Xiaobai was puzzled, “I’m not a criminal; why do you have to keep an eye on me? Is there some hidden mechanism or trap here that you want to use me to clear the way?”

There might not be any mechanisms, but Lin Ji just remembered a common trope from the web novels he had read: if you get trapped somewhere with the protagonist, following him might lead to a miracle.

But he couldn’t explain this, so Lin Ji had to move to the side, pretending to search for an exit while still closely watching Lu Xiaobai.

“……” Sometimes, Lu Xiaobai really couldn’t understand what Lin Ji was thinking.

The two of them lit torches and explored the cave for a long time, but aside from startling a bunch of hidden reptiles, they encountered nothing that shouldn’t be there.

No artifacts, no quick cultivation manuals, and no mysterious old man to guide them out.

“A Ji, come look!” Lu Xiaobai suddenly called out, and Lin Ji hurried over to see the protagonist pointing at a spot, “We’ve reached the other end! I can see signs of loosened soil and stones here; if you can break through, we can still drill our way out!”

“……”

Could it be that this was just an ordinary cave? No miraculous encounters at all?

Was it Lu Xiaobai, the Long Aotian, who was a waste, or was it that with him involved, the heavens had decided not to arrange anything?

Lin Ji felt a deep sense of disappointment. Mainly, he had been so unlucky in his past life that he had never experienced the thrill of sudden fortune; now, in such a situation, he inexplicably hoped for something miraculous, only to find he had gotten his hopes up for nothing.

He glanced at Lu Xiaobai and suddenly shook his head with a sigh, “Sigh, how can you grow so slowly and still keep readers interested?”

Lu Xiaobai: “??”

What did he mean by that tone of disappointment?

Arguing aside, they had found a way out. Lin Ji drew his sword, ready to break through, when the sharp cry of a bird suddenly rang out again.

They exchanged glances and returned to the original cave entrance, where the six-winged bird demon was violently flapping its wings, attacking the barrier.

It flapped its wings and pecked with its beak, wanting nothing more than to snatch the two of them away to eat, launching continuous attacks.

At this moment, they couldn’t break through the stone; the bird demon might not be able to see their figures, but it could definitely hear the sound of stones rolling off the cliff.

Lin Ji asked, “How long can your Hidden Light Stone hold?”

Lu Xiaobai replied, “Not sure.”

Even if they used it three times, they would only be trapped in place.

Monsters really held grudges; they had only stolen a bit of its favorite food and held its chick for a while, yet it had been entangled with them for so long.

From day to night, the six-winged bird demon’s attacks never ceased.

Lu Xiaobai shared the dry rations he had brought with Lin Ji, and the two of them nibbled while watching the bird demon perform.

Lu Xiaobai yawned, feeling a bit sleepy, “The light of the Hidden Light Stone has dimmed by half, but it should still hold for tonight. Let’s rest for now.”

After saying that, he actually lay down on the spot and fell asleep in no time.

“……” Lin Ji thought for a moment and cast a soundproof spell, also ignoring the bird demon, sitting down to meditate and recuperate.

He wasn’t as carefree as Lu Xiaobai, who could fall asleep in an instant, but it was necessary to close his eyes and rest; they couldn’t keep stalemating like this.

The next day, Lu Xiaobai woke up, and Lin Ji had also regained his energy.

The two of them found the weak spot in the previously loosened soil and stones. Lin Ji swung his sword, creating an opening just big enough for one person to pass through.

Hearing the noise, the six-winged bird demon let out a long cry and circled back. Its size was too large to enter, and after flying around for a while, it finally thought of using its full strength, raising its three pairs of wings to strike, trying to collapse the opening and bury the two of them.

Meanwhile, Lin Ji and Lu Xiaobai had already returned to their original position, taking the Hidden Light Stone and flying away on their swords.

The two of them fled into the forest, with the six-winged bird demon hot on their heels.

Monsters were not united, but they were bullies who feared the strong. The six-winged bird demon screeched a few times, forcing other types of flying bird demons to join the fight.

Lin Ji was furious, “This is truly bullying!”

The Wild Thorn Vine just grows there; does it belong solely to you? Can’t others pick it?

The chick was unharmed; why did it have to hunt them down to the end?

After landing, Lin Ji pushed Lu Xiaobai aside and threw the Hidden Light Stone over, “Find a cool place to stay; I’m going to fight it to the death!”

Before Lu Xiaobai could respond, Lin Ji drew his sword and charged straight at the bird demon.

Lu Xiaobai knew he couldn’t stop him; once a sword cultivator got angry, they wouldn’t rest until they saw blood, the difference being whose blood it was.

He used the talismans he had brought to fend off other monsters, but unfortunately, there was no safe place or cool spot for him to stay.

Lu Xiaobai used the Hidden Light Stone again to create a protective shield, but he still accidentally got pecked on the shoulder by a small bird, which hurt a bit.

Leaning against a tree, he couldn’t help but complain about his useless physique for the hundredth time.

There was no other way… Lu Xiaobai took out a green pill from his storage bag and swallowed it, hiding behind a tree to observe.

On the other side, Lin Ji was going berserk! His sword techniques and skills had long surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, but in this world, his realm and spiritual power couldn’t keep up with the techniques he had mastered, so when it came to actual combat, he was not at a disadvantage.

With the bird demon pressing in, Lin Ji fought back desperately, becoming more and more invigorated. His expression revealed a strange bloodthirsty satisfaction, making even the bird demon feel it was a bit abnormal.

The six-winged bird demon was hit several times; it hadn’t expected a human cultivator to be so agile. The opponent’s sword techniques were hitting the mark every time, while it couldn’t land a hit!

Suddenly, the bird demon let out a howl as one of its wings was severed. The massive creature lost its balance and nearly couldn’t fly.

Seeing this, Lin Ji became even more excited. If he could cut off half of the six-winged bird demon’s wings, would it fall to the ground and never be able to fly again?

The bird demon, frightened, began to retreat, trying to fly back.

Lin Ji seemed to hear Lu Xiaobai shouting something from the ground, but he couldn’t make it out; it was probably telling him to give up.

But once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back. Lin Ji despised those who bullied the weak, whether they were human or monster, and he had no intention of letting it go.

Moreover, a sword cultivator’s fighting spirit couldn’t wane midway; if he didn’t subdue the enemy, the bird demon would catch up again, and he would have no strength left to fight.

Lin Ji actually knew that his spiritual power was rapidly depleting, but he couldn’t show weakness. If the bird demon sensed his hesitation, it would definitely counterattack.

But if the bird demon was pushed to the brink and self-destructed, even a Golden Core cultivator would find it hard to survive, let alone him, who was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Lin Ji had originally planned to walk the righteous path in this life and never use the evil techniques he had mastered in his past life. Now, having reached a life-and-death situation, he probably had no other choice.

Suddenly, a surge of malice rose within Lin Ji. He liked to use formations to trap his prey, and then, using evil techniques to drain them dry, listening to the cries of his prey gradually fade into silence.

A cruel smile appeared in Lin Ji’s eyes as he was about to set up a formation when Lu Xiaobai’s voice rang out again:

“A Ji, catch this! The Hidden Light Stone can definitely block the attack for you; don’t worry about me!”

Lin Ji: “?”

No one knew how Lu Xiaobai had thrown it so accurately, landing right beside him. Lin Ji instinctively caught it, only realizing what had happened once it was in his hand.

He was interrupted in his spellcasting, and the six-winged bird demon seized the opportunity to attack him with immense force.

Lin Ji hurriedly activated the Hidden Light Stone to create a protective shield, managing to withstand the blow and counterattack, severing another wing of the six-winged bird demon.

However, the violent impact caused his body to tilt backward rapidly, nearly crashing into a tree.

It was the spiritual power behind him that cushioned the force, and Lin Ji only had time to glance back at Lu Xiaobai, who was struggling to support himself, his blood surging with anger, wanting to curse:

Damn it! Which side are you on?

If it weren’t for Lu Xiaobai’s “well-meaning” interference distracting him, he wouldn’t have been hit!

But Lin Ji only had time to think this before quickly driving his spiritual sword into the ground, carving a long mark to stop himself.

Lin Ji absolutely did not want to faint, but the gathered sword energy backfired on him, causing his breath to become chaotic and his head to spin. His consciousness, like his eyelids, couldn’t help but droop, gradually closing.

Before losing consciousness, two words floated through Lin Ji’s mind: It’s over.

A sword cultivator exhausting all their spiritual energy and fainting against a tree right before victory was just asking for death, wasn’t it?

The six-winged bird demon had lost two wings, but Lin Ji hadn’t seen that it was the other side that had been severed, which instead allowed it to regain its balance.

Seeing its enemy faint halfway, the bird demon was excited and wanted to rush over to tear him apart to avenge its broken wings!

Suddenly, the bird demon noticed the spiritual energy from the mountain’s plants transforming into countless stars, rising and gathering.

Not only here, but spiritual energy was continuously flowing in from all directions.

The bird demon, which had always bullied the weak, felt a sense of fear at the inexplicable phenomenon and warily looked around.

Then it saw the spiritual energy converging in the palm of the other human it had completely ignored until now.

The bird demon had never given Lu Xiaobai a glance, dismissing him entirely, as this person was of no use other than being Lin Ji’s companion; he was just a mortal.

Having cultivated for over a hundred years, it couldn’t understand why this mortal could gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at this moment. If the spiritual energy could be directly absorbed and used, what was the point of cultivating for both humans and monsters?

But Lu Xiaobai gathered the spiritual power, transforming his palm into a fist, with no intention of explaining.

He was different from Lin Ji; once he entered a combat state, he became incredibly calm and wouldn’t say a word of nonsense.

The bird demon retreated in terror, but the next moment, it let out a piercing screech—its head smashed into the ground, creating a deep pit, as if a thunderbolt had struck it, rendering it unable to move.

Lu Xiaobai’s fist slammed down on the bird demon’s head, delivering a decisive blow.

He huffed, “Are you convinced?”

The bird demon tried to lift its head but couldn’t move at all, its cries turning low and mournful, completely different from its earlier arrogant demeanor.

It seemed to have submitted.

Lu Xiaobai thought for a moment and was about to speak when he suddenly heard Elder Shuhua’s roar: “Why should it have a higher status than me! You can’t let it call me grandpa!”

“……” Fine, Lu Xiaobai changed his words, “Call me ancestor!”

But the bird demon couldn’t speak human language, so it could only let out a mournful cry.

Lu Xiaobai withdrew his hand, and the immense spiritual pressure dissipated. The bird demon tilted its head and got up but didn’t dare to run, having been beaten by Lin Ji and then dealt with by Lu Xiaobai; it had completely lost its fighting spirit.

Lu Xiaobai glanced over and said coldly, “If I were still my old self, I wouldn’t have been unable to let you go. I could keep you by my side as a mount or spiritual pet~”

The bird demon nodded repeatedly.

Elder Shuhua felt as if he had been shot in the knee; his current situation wasn’t much different.

“The premise is that you can’t harm the people around me,” Lu Xiaobai said apologetically, “Now, I’m sorry.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he drew the rarely used Mo Huai Sword, gathering spiritual power to stab at it.

The bird demon was terrified, and at a critical moment, the large dark bird flew in, landing in front of the six-winged bird demon and letting out a mournful call.

Lu Xiaobai retracted his sword and looked at the chick, “Oh? This is interesting.”

In the end, he formed hand seals with both hands, unleashing spiritual power to seal the six-winged… no, four-winged bird demon near the cliff, preventing it from leaving the barrier.

“Since you love eating Wild Thorn Vines so much, guard this thing for me. Next time I come, make sure to prepare enough for me; the rest you can eat. Otherwise…”

Lu Xiaobai said to the chick, and the two bird demons nodded vigorously.

“If I’m in a good mood, I might let you out for a little fresh air.”

At this moment, the spiritual beasts that had been fighting the monsters arrived late, but they were of no use. Various spiritual deer, spiritual monkeys, and spiritual birds squatted at the edge, unable to find a target.

After handling everything, Lu Xiaobai flew back to the original spot, and the spiritual energy scattered back into the plants and spiritual beasts.

Lu Xiaobai barely held his sword to the ground, almost kneeling on one knee, his face pale and cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He took small breaths to recover, not knowing how long it took to regain his composure.

Compared to him, Lin Ji was quite stable, protected by the barrier of the Hidden Light Stone.

Lu Xiaobai slowly moved in front of Lin Ji, staring at him for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, he smiled slightly, slowly raising his hand to brush Lin Ji’s eyelashes.

Lu Xiaobai silently thought: His eyelashes are really long.

He had never seen a man with longer eyelashes than Lin Ji’s; he had been curious in his past life and wanted to touch them.

Lu Xiaobai pouted and sighed, “Haven’t you always wanted to kill me? Didn’t you want to attack me all the way here?”

“Why, in a moment of crisis, did you push me away and insist on protecting me?”

Just asking casually; he wouldn’t get an answer anyway.

Lu Xiaobai put his sword back in his storage bag, picked up Lin Ji’s sword as support, and helped him up, step by step leading him out of the mountain.