Chapter 78: Black Plague Bird

Above the water, black birds, one after another, opened their gaping mouths, exhaling powerful gusts of wind that transformed into a volley of wind-arrows.

Chen Mobai immediately crouched inside the spirit boat, activating two low-grade, first-tier Wood Shield talismans. Two azure, shield-shaped light barriers instantly appeared, completely enveloping his upper body.

With a succession of thudding sounds, the first Wood Shield talisman's power ran out, and the second one didn't last much longer. By then, however, the bulk of the wind-arrows had been blocked.

Only three wind-arrows managed to break through both layers of wood shield defense and reach Chen Mobai's head. His "Water Spirit Shield" activated at his thought, forming three ripples of water that blocked the arrows' path.

"Are you not ready yet?" Chen Mobai asked, pulling out two more talismans from his inner garment.

"Ready!" Qi Hou's voice rang out, followed by a burst of scorching energy behind Chen Mobai. A fiery red sword-light streaked across the sky like a flash of lightning, soaring past more than a dozen black birds above the water.

A shriek! With a series of piercing bird cries, the leading bird was sliced in half by Qi Hou's fiery red sword-light. The remaining water birds, leaderless, scattered instantly, though some were still slain by Ba Jiang and others who had been waiting.

"This Black Plague Bird meat isn't tasty, and it doesn't fetch a good price in the market." Qi Hou looked at the talisman in his hand, which had turned to ash, then at the bird carcasses floating on the water, a pained expression on his face.

This top-grade, first-tier "Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman" alone was worth 8 spirit stones. Leading new recruits on this trip had resulted in a loss.

However, he couldn't complain much; after all, in business, there are always gains and losses.

"Someone buys these birds' feathers; they can fetch some gold," Ba Xing said. Seeing Qi Hou's expression, the thoughtful Ba Xing immediately spoke up. As soon as she said this, Junior Brother Xi, who was nearby, looked up and glared at her; the task of plucking feathers would fall to him.

"No need, it's not worth wasting the time." Qi Hou, however, quickly accepted it. He took out another spirit stone, placed it in the spirit boat, and signaled Chen Mobai and the others to leave.

Black Plague Birds always travel in flocks, and some are even said to be second-tier. Having killed one flock but not completely eliminated them, Qi Hou feared several more flocks might come for revenge. Being experienced, he immediately instructed his team to flee after the attack.

Before leaving, Qi Hou also told them to take off and discard their bird-blood-stained outer garments, as Black Plague Birds used blood to track their enemies.

As expected, shortly after they left, a dense mass of Black Plague Birds flew over, circling continuously around the spot where they had killed birds and discarded clothes, unleashing a barrage of fierce winds.

"I didn't expect to attract the Bird King. We can't come to this area anymore." Qi Hou observed using a farsight talisman, feeling a powerful, ferocious spiritual aura far surpassing his own. He couldn't help but frown, then took out his map and marked an 'X' on that location.

"This time, we were truly lucky to have Senior Brother Qi leading us; otherwise, we definitely wouldn't have escaped the Black Plague Birds' pursuit." Ba Jiang, after taking a spiritual energy recovery pill, stood up and thanked Qi Hou.

"It's just a matter of mutual benefit." But Qi Hou shook his head. In truth, this location was chosen by him as the team leader. Previously, at this time, there would only be some Water Boa Cattle beasts, making it a good spot for new recruits and rogue cultivators to gain experience.

However, for some unknown reason today, there was such a large flock of Black Plague Birds, and even a second-tier Bird King nearby.

The Spirit Wood Sect's new recruit escort missions usually lasted for a month.

Chen Mobai had followed several other teams afterward, but he found Qi Hou more reliable, so he came out with him again this time. The Ba siblings were the same; this was their five-person team's third outing, and they had become somewhat familiar with each other.

"Tomorrow, let's go hunt Black-Armored Turtles again," Qi Hou said. He continued, explaining that he was only at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Although he was confident his combat techniques were top-notch among peers, having hunted demonic beasts in the Cloud Dream Marsh for many years, a second-tier Bird King was already at the Foundation Establishment level. Even ten of him would have no chance of winning.

He was leading new recruits, not risking his life, so seeing that this area was no longer safe, he immediately changed his plans.

"Um, Fellow Daoist Qi, I might need to go into seclusion to make some talismans in the next few days," Chen Mobai suddenly said. He stated that he had gained a lot from following Qi Hou these past few days, but his spirit stones had run out, and he really couldn't afford to join the team anymore.

The Ba siblings were startled for a moment. Although they weren't short on spirit stones at the moment, the Black-Armored Turtle hunting grounds held no more appeal for them after their previous experience there. They also found an excuse not to follow the team anymore.

Qi Hou listened and didn't get angry.

"Judging by your talismans, they lean towards the wood element. Do you plan to join our Spirit Wood Sect?" Junior Brother Xi, who had largely ignored them until now, suddenly asked.

"I do have that intention." Chen Mobai paused, hesitated, and then nodded slightly.

"You're Chen Guixian, right? I'll remember you." Junior Brother Xi looked up, regarded Chen Mobai seriously, and nodded as if in approval.

"With your talent, joining our Spirit Wood Sect shouldn't be an issue. Perhaps you two will be fellow disciples in the future; it's good to get acquainted now." Qi Hou's words greatly astonished the Ba siblings. They knew the Spirit Wood Sect's requirements for recruiting rogue cultivators: they must be under 30 years old and at least at the seventh level of Qi Condensation. Although they had teamed up several times recently, Chen Mobai had never revealed his cultivation level.

They had thought he was, at most, at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, like them.

However, his actions today in blocking the Black Plague Birds allowed Qi Hou to discern Chen Mobai's true cultivation level. Without cultivating divine sense, it would have been impossible for someone who struggled with Black-Armored Turtles to become as proficient as he was today in such a short time.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I didn't realize you were a talisman crafter! No wonder you have an endless supply of talismans, some of which my sister and I have never even seen before." After learning Chen Mobai's cultivation level, Ba Jiang became even more courteous towards him.

"Not at all, I merely have an interest in this area."

After landing on the island, Qi Hou and his junior brother departed first. Chen Mobai exchanged a few polite words with the Ba siblings, politely declined their invitation to treat him, and returned to his own wooden hut.

"Unconsciously, it's already been twenty days since I came here." Chen Mobai looked at the ordinary dark long gown he had bought on Qingguang Island, filled with emotion.

His antique-style set of clothing had long been worn out in battles. Although life in the Heavenly River Realm was difficult, he found himself somewhat addicted to the daily feeling of his own improvement.

If it weren't for today being the day to check college entrance exam scores, he would have almost forgotten to return to Earth Star.