Chapter 378: Strange Woman Hua Ci

Two days ago, Lu Yiye employed an unknown technique, summoning the Vermillion Bird, one of the Four Sacred Beasts. This instantly killed over two hundred cultivators from the Myriad Demon Ridge’s core circle. Such an incredibly powerful technique must have placed an unimaginable burden on a cultivator.

Afterward, he was met by Ju Jia, who had rushed to his aid, and they escaped deep into the Myriad Poison Forest. Everyone believed he wouldn’t live much longer, expecting him to succumb to the poison soon.

But now, two days have passed, and this fellow is still alive and well. His name is prominently listed on the Spirit Stream Ranking, and it hasn’t disappeared.

How could he possibly still be alive?

The Myriad Demon Ridge faction was particularly baffled by this.

Even if he was skilled in array formations and could create a suitable living environment for himself through them, he had already been poisoned during his entry into the Myriad Poison Forest. There was no reason he should still be clinging to life.

Perhaps... maybe... he was about to die soon?

Holding onto this hope, the cultivators from the Myriad Demon Ridge gathered outside the Myriad Poison Forest and continued to wait.

As long as Lu Yiye remained alive, they would not find peace. They intended to stay here, and only leave once they had personally witnessed this scourge die in the Myriad Poison Forest.

While waiting, some unwelcome news quickly spread: the Haotian Alliance was ambushing and intercepting Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators arriving from all directions, and their side had already suffered considerable losses.

This situation was expected. Given the Myriad Demon Ridge's large-scale operation this time, the Haotian Alliance was bound to retaliate. However, the Haotian Alliance currently had fewer people gathered than the Myriad Demon Ridge, making a direct, forceful confrontation difficult. Thus, they could only resort to such tactics.

The Myriad Demon Ridge faction simultaneously sent out messages in all directions, instructing incoming support cultivators to proceed with caution, while also dispatching personnel to meet and escort them.

Two hundred miles from the Myriad Poison Forest, a battle had just concluded. Calling it a battle was misleading; it was more of a one-sided slaughter. Several corpses of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators lay on the ground. Beside these bodies, a quiet and dignified woman stood silently, the back of her raised hand glowing with a blue light.

It was Hua Ci, who had been abducted to this place by those Heaven-rank Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators.

Gazing at the corpses on the ground, Hua Ci felt quite helpless. She had originally intended to follow these Myriad Demon Ridge individuals to the Myriad Poison Forest, and then enter the forest to find Lu Ye. Who would have thought these short-lived fellows would be so unlucky? Upon arriving, they were killed by a team of Haotian Alliance cultivators who had been lying in ambush!

Having no other choice, Hua Ci had to reveal her battle imprint.

There were eight Haotian Alliance cultivators who had ambushed these people, led by one at Heaven-rank Level Nine cultivation. The long sword in his hand stopped just three inches from Hua Ci. Upon seeing the blue light, he immediately withdrew his sword and asked in surprise, "Sister, why are you with people from the Myriad Demon Ridge?"

Hua Ci explained, "I am a medical cultivator; they captured me."

The group suddenly understood. It was not uncommon for enemy medical cultivators to be captured on the Spirit Stream Battlefield. Typically, captured medical cultivators did not face harsh treatment. This was why they had initially assumed Hua Ci was part of the group.

"Sister, this place isn't very safe right now. Would you like to travel with us?" the sword-wielding cultivator asked.

Although Hua Ci's cultivation at the ordinary Ninth-level was not particularly high, she was still qualified to venture into the core circle. Most importantly, she was a medical cultivator.

When cultivators fought, who wouldn't get injured sometimes? Having a medical cultivator nearby allowed them to fight more freely.

Hua Ci shook her head.

The sword-wielding cultivator did not press the issue. Seeing her refusal, he said, "Then, Sister, you should leave quickly. Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators might come to investigate the situation here soon."

After advising Hua Ci, the group quickly departed on their spiritual artifacts.

Watching the group disappear, Hua Ci then looked at the corpses lying in pools of blood. She felt a sense of disappointment, thinking these guys were too weak. They had been arrogant when facing her, but so easily defeated when confronting the Haotian Alliance cultivators.

Two hundred miles still remained... She could only summon her flying spiritual artifact and fly towards the Myriad Poison Forest.

Her storage bag had been taken by the Myriad Demon Ridge people earlier, and now it had become spoils of war for those Haotian Alliance cultivators. She didn't bother asking for it back. Anyway, there was nothing valuable inside. All she had left was this flying spiritual artifact.

As she traveled, her luck was surprisingly good. She encountered neither Haotian Alliance nor Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, until she reached the outskirts of the Myriad Poison Forest, where she saw large numbers of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators gathered.

If one were to look down from high above, it would be clear that the Myriad Demon Ridge forces had completely surrounded the Myriad Poison Forest. Not only were they on the ground, but numerous Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators were also patrolling and scouting from high altitudes, to prevent Lu Ye from escaping.

However, the Myriad Poison Forest was filled with dense, pervasive poisonous mists, so cultivators patrolling from high altitudes could not clearly see the situation inside the forest.

Hua Ci did not descend; instead, she hovered in mid-air, gazing at the poisonous forest ahead.

Some Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators noticed her, but at most, they glanced at her a few times because of her beauty, without paying much attention.

No one expected that in a place where so many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators were gathered, a medical cultivator from the Haotian Alliance would brazenly run over, and even brazenly hover in mid-air.

As if afraid no one would see her.

When cultivators did not display the glow of their battle imprint, apart from those familiar with each other, no one knew which faction others belonged to.

With Hua Ci's Ninth-level cultivation and her composed demeanor, who would think to investigate her faction allegiance?

This was a classic case of being blind to what was right in front of them.

"Is there a medical cultivator? We need a medical cultivator!" A voice suddenly called out nearby.

Hua Ci turned her head to look and saw a young man shouting loudly over there.

She originally didn't intend to pay attention, but the young man's next words made her change her mind.

"Anyone willing to enter the forest to search for Lu Yiye? Any medical cultivators to assist?"

"I am a medical cultivator." Hua Ci lightly landed in front of the young man.

The young man sized her up. Although he found the woman pleasing to the eye, he was still a bit disdainful: "Her cultivation is a bit low..."

He was hoping to find a medical cultivator who had transitioned to a Heaven-tier cultivation technique. After all, they would be going deep into the Myriad Poison Forest, and a higher-cultivation medical cultivator would offer greater security.

"I am skilled in detoxification techniques," Hua Ci said calmly.

The young man looked at Hua Ci with some suspicion, then walked aside and found a man with a sharp chin and monkey-like cheeks. He whispered a few words into the man's ear. The man chuckled and took out a pink spiritual pill from his storage bag.

The young man took the pill and came back to Hua Ci, offering it to her: "If someone is poisoned by this, can you cure them?"

Hua Ci picked up the spiritual pill, didn't even glance at it, and immediately popped it into her mouth and swallowed it.

The few people nearby watched in astonishment, and the young man was dumbfounded!

His original intention was just to test Hua Ci's detoxification ability. Who knew Hua Ci would just eat the pill?

The owner of the spiritual pill, the man with the sharp chin and monkey-like cheeks, couldn't help but lean closer, carefully observing Hua Ci's reaction. After a good while, he asked in disbelief, "You... you're fine?"

The spiritual pill wasn't a potent poison, but for women, it was something not to be lightly consumed. Even female cultivators who had transitioned to Heaven-tier cultivation techniques would inevitably become disoriented and infatuated if they took it. Such items were meant for private use. Who would brazenly consume it in public, without fear of embarrassment?

"Any more?" Hua Ci looked at the man with the sharp chin and monkey-like cheeks, appearing as if she hadn't had enough.

The corner of the man's eye twitched involuntarily. For the first time in his life, he had met such an extraordinary woman!

"Sister's detoxification skills are truly remarkable!" The young man who had called out earlier burst into laughter. "You're the one! Once we're in the forest, we'll be relying on you, Sister."

Hua Ci showed a gentle smile: "Senior Brothers, just rest assured and entrust your lives to me!"

These words sounded a bit strange, but the young man didn't overthink it. He waved his hand and said, "Everyone's here, let's go!"

At his call, a group of over twenty people gathered, and under the young man's lead, they delved deeper into the Myriad Poison Forest.

Although the Myriad Demon Ridge was certain that Lu Ye would not live much longer, to prevent him from making any moves in the forest, they periodically sent people into the Myriad Poison Forest to search for his whereabouts and restrict his movement.

Even if they couldn't find Lu Ye, they absolutely couldn't allow him to escape from the depths.

The dangers in the Myriad Poison Forest were not just the omnipresent poisonous mists and barriers; it also harbored numerous poisonous creatures. Fortunately, the Myriad Demon Ridge had been continuously sending large numbers of people in and out recently, so the poisonous creatures in the outer areas had mostly been cleared out.

Upon entering the Myriad Poison Forest, the group of over twenty people did not spread out too far. Having learned from their previous experience at Fog-shrouded Mountain, they truly dared not disperse their forces too widely, to avoid being ambushed by Lu Ye.

Hua Ci was undoubtedly a key person to protect. She was the only medical cultivator in the entire team, and she hadn't even transitioned to a Heaven-tier cultivation technique. How could these people not be careful with her?

"Sister, you should use your spiritual power to protect yourself." The leading young man inadvertently noticed that Hua Ci wasn't activating her protective spiritual power at all; she was just naturally breathing in the poisonous mist of the place. He quickly reminded her.

"Mm." Hua Ci casually replied, and slightly activated her protective spiritual power.

Seeing this, the young man finally relaxed.

They continued to delve deeper. After traveling several miles, the poison in the mist became very potent. Even though everyone had taken some antidote pills before entering, they were starting to struggle.

The leading young man began to consider retreating. Such searches had been conducted many times by the Myriad Demon Ridge in recent days, and they had never yielded any results.

However, for the Myriad Demon Ridge, no results was the best result. This meant that Lu Ye was still deep within the Myriad Poison Forest and hadn't escaped.

Just as the young man was about to order their departure, a soft thud suddenly came from nearby.

Immediately after, someone exclaimed, "Oh no, Junior Brother Wang has been poisoned!"

No sooner had he spoken than several more thuds of bodies falling to the ground resounded.

One person, before collapsing, shouted incoherently, "Run! The poison is fierce..."

Their words cut off, and they fell silent.

This sudden turn of events greatly alarmed everyone. They had entered and exited the Myriad Poison Forest several times before, even reaching this depth, but never had they encountered something like this. This time, for some unknown reason, such a drastic change had occurred.

The sounds of people collapsing continued one after another. From a team of over twenty, only a few barely remained standing in the blink of an eye, but they too were dizzy and their minds blurred.