Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Chapter 76 Arrival at Tianmen Mountain

"Fellow Daoist Jiang."

Qu Ye cupped his hands in greeting to Jiang Fan, and although he had some guesses in his mind, he still pretended to be puzzled and asked, "May I ask what important matter you two fellow Daoists have to discuss?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Liu Yanqiu spoke up: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, as you know, the journey to Yunyang Market is long and fraught with danger. Although there are three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in our group, they may not be truly committed to protecting us if we encounter any special circumstances."

"So I discussed it with Fellow Daoist Jiang and we decided to find a few fellow Daoists to form a mutual aid group to advance and retreat together."

If they encounter danger, they can help each other out.

"Seeing that Fellow Daoist Zhang has an extraordinary bearing, clearly not an ordinary cultivator, I have come to invite you to join us, so that we can look out for each other."

It's more like they're sabotaging each other, isn't it?

Qu Ye thought to himself, but on the surface he appeared thoughtful.

After a moment, he nodded: "Fellow Daoist Liu is right. I am also deeply worried about this situation. Since you two have come to invite me, how could I refuse?"

The twenty-odd people in front of him had all formed their own groups, so Qu Ye couldn't act alone and attract attention.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhang is truly a remarkable person."

Jiang Fan smiled and led Qu Ye toward their newly formed team.

This small team, including Qu Ye, consists of six people.

Besides Liu Yanqiu and Jiang Fan, there are three others.

They are a young girl at the fourth level of Qi Refining named Li Xiaoxiao; a frail young man at the third level of Qi Refining named Xue Yang; and a long-bearded old man at the fifth level of Qi Refining, who can be addressed as Old Man Xue.

Xue Yang and Old Man Xue seemed to be grandfather and grandson, as they stood close together and were quite enthusiastic towards Qu Ye.

The young female cultivator named Li Xiaoxiao responded to Qu Ye's greeting with a barely perceptible "hmm" before turning her head away and remaining silent.

Qu Ye ignored the woman and continued his conversation with Liu Yanqiu.

After waiting for another half an hour, Zhang Yanliang finally arrived late with two other people.

The two men behind him were a tall and strong man and a man dressed in gray, close-fitting clothes. Their auras were clearly visible, indicating that they were both at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The crowd quieted down.

Standing before the many cultivators, Zhang Yanliang cupped his hands in greeting and said in a calm and unhurried tone, "Fellow cultivators, it is fate that we are able to gather together and travel to Yunyang Market."

"However, before we set off, there are a few rules I need to make clear to you all."

"First, during the journey, everyone must obey unified commands. Which route to take, where to camp, and when to depart will be decided by me and the other two late-stage cultivators. If there are any objections, they can be raised when setting up camp, but once we depart, no one may act on their own."

"Secondly, if we encounter monsters or other dangers along the way, we must work together to fight them. Anyone who is afraid to fight or deserts in the face of battle will be expelled from the group and the spirit stones will not be returned."

"Third, private fights are strictly prohibited within the team. If you have any grudges, please settle them now. Anyone who starts a fight while the team is on the move will be expelled from the team, and the spirit stones will not be refunded."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "There aren't many rules. I don't expect everyone to be of one mind with the enemy. I only hope that we can lend each other a hand along the way and reach Yunyang Market safely."

"Since you are all here, it means you trust me, and I naturally trust you all. If you have any questions, please ask them now."

After speaking, Zhang Yanliang's gaze swept over the crowd.

At this moment, a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator in the crowd hesitated and stepped forward: "Senior, approximately how many days will it take us to travel?"

"About three months."

Another cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining bowed and asked, "Senior Zhang, now that things have come to this, could you please tell me the specific route we should take?"

Zhang Yanliang thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. We will start from Wuliu Market, pass through Dahan Mountain, rest for a while in Mingsheng Market, and then pass through three more markets before arriving at Yunyang Market."

"I'm not lying to you. There are many dangers on the road. If we encounter a crisis that the three of us cannot overcome, then we can only leave our lives to fate and flee separately."

"Thank you, senior."

The cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining bowed and retreated back into the crowd.

Qu Ye stood at the back of the crowd, and when he heard that they had to travel such a long distance, his eyes flashed.

Fortunately, he had prepared enough supplies during his two years in Yumen Market and had just purchased a large amount of demon beast meat, so he did not have to worry about a lack of spiritual items on the way or a lack of replenishment of his magic power.

After a while, seeing that no one was leaving and no one was asking any more questions, Zhang Yanliang called out, "Since everyone has no objections, then come over here and hand over your spirit stones."

As soon as the first cultivator stepped forward, the crowd swarmed around Zhang Yanliang, completely surrounding him.

"Senior, here are my twenty spirit stones."

"Senior, this is mine—"

"Don't push me!"

After everyone had paid their spirit stones, Zhang Yanliang waved his hand and said, "Everyone, let's go!"

Then, he and two other late-stage Qi Refining cultivators led the way towards the market gate.

The others followed closely behind, while Qu Ye and his group were at the back of the group, walking out of Wuliufang Market with them.

What followed was a long trek.

After traveling for half a month, the group crossed more than ten mountain ranges and encountered a pack of wind wolves in the Great Cold Mountain.

Qu Ye did not reveal his strength, but only used the Gengjin Sword Technique to fish in troubled waters on the edge, and occasionally summoned the Cold Pattern Sword to attack.

While fighting, Qu Ye observed the strength of his teammates.

Xue Yang clearly lacked combat power and could only secretly cast spells from the back. Old Man Xue, on the other hand, possessed a long sword magic weapon that could unleash blade light with considerable power.

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Liu Yanqiu used a handkerchief as a magical implement, and as she performed the ritual, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air, seemingly having a bewitching effect.

The young girl named Li Xiaoxiao seemed to have little combat experience; she bombarded the enemy with spells haphazardly and soon became breathless and exhausted.

"Could they be from some cultivation family?"

Qu Ye thought to himself, then immediately dismissed the idea.

As far as the Sun and Hou families are concerned, the cultivators of these cultivation families should not be that weak.

Qu Ye was somewhat surprised by Jiang Fan's strength.

This person truly lived up to his reputation as a mid-grade first-tier talisman master, unleashing several attack talismans with a mere wave of his hand, making him arguably the highest-output player in the entire Qu Ye squad.

Qu Ye estimated that if he were to face Jiang Fan, he would have to resort to swarm attacks and use a variety of methods to quickly kill him in a short period of time.

After a chaotic battle, the pack of wind wolves fled, leaving behind four or five wolf carcasses.

Qu Ye spent a few spirit stones to buy some wind wolf meat and was quite satisfied.

After crossing the Great Cold Mountain and traveling for another five or six days, the group rested for a day in Mingsheng Market before setting off again.

It wasn't that people didn't want to stay a few more days.

Instead, the patriarch of the Foundation Establishment family in Mingsheng Market happened to be away from the clan, and was quite wary of their arrival, keeping a close watch on them.

With no other option, the group replenished their spiritual resources and left Mingsheng Market.

They headed northeast, encountering several crises along the way, but fortunately, they survived them all without serious harm.

Until this day, they arrived at the foot of a colossal mountain, about four thousand feet high, that blotted out the sky.

Tianmen Mountain.