Twelve hours of rest allowed the team to recover some of their strength. The pills took effect—the wounded had their injuries under control, and their spiritual energy was mostly replenished. When the time expired, the protective golden barrier quietly dissipated, signaling they must set out once more.
"Go up, or move horizontally to find other paths?" Margaret asked for opinions.
"Go up. Heading upward is always the right choice," one court cultivator suggested.
But Dustin shook his head slightly: "Buzhou Mountain's trials aren't necessarily just about height. I've observed that at our current elevation, there are many similar platforms and paths around us. Perhaps moving horizontally will give us a chance to meet up with other teams. There's strength in numbers."
Margaret adopted Dustin's suggestion and decided to explore horizontally along the mountain ridge at their current elevation.
The team advanced cautiously. The terrain here rose and fell, with occasional deep ravines and cliffs requiring detours or climbing. But compared to the earlier chaotic killing field, it was much quieter here. They occasionally spotted scattered cultivators or civilians who warily kept their distance.
After about four hours of travel, sounds of fighting came from ahead. Margaret signaled the team to take cover and sent scouts forward.
Moments later, the scouts reported: "Your Highness, it's General Scarlet Spanner and General Adam Spanner! They're being besieged by a group of independent cultivators!"
Margaret's eyes sharpened: "Prepare for rescue!"
The team quickly advanced. Rounding a mountain corner, they saw an open area ahead where Scarlet's signature crimson spear danced like flames, desperately holding off seven or eight independent cultivators. Her red clothes were stained with blood, her aura somewhat unstable—clearly she had been fighting for a long time. Adam protected over a dozen remnant soldiers behind him, directing formations while supporting his sister with sword light, but they were equally hard-pressed.
Leading the independent cultivators were three early Foundation Establishment experts, with the rest at peak Qi Refining. While attacking, they shouted: "Hand over that spirit herb! Give it up and we'll spare your lives!"
"In your dreams!" Scarlet shouted fiercely, her Liaoyuan spear sweeping to force back one cultivator.
"Attack!" At Margaret's command, the Dragon Guard elites instantly charged out.
The sudden reinforcements caught the cultivators off guard. Margaret's sword light was like snow—one strike beheaded an early Foundation Establishment leader. The other Dragon Guards fought one against ten, and in moments the cultivator group was routed and fleeing.
"Your Highness!" Scarlet's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise upon seeing Margaret, then her gaze fell on Dustin behind her, and she froze momentarily.
"Are you alright? Brother Dustin, why are you on the mountain too? Your cultivation..." Scarlet looked worried.
"It's a long story." Dustin briefly explained what had happened below.
Adam also came forward to pay respects. Far more composed than his sister, he quickly reported their situation: "We had already passed three trials and gained some opportunities, but lost nearly half our people. Then we encountered these cultivators who coveted a spirit herb we found at some ruins. They've been pursuing us ever since."
"Can your people still fight?" Margaret asked.
"We still have some fighting strength," Adam said. "Thank you for the rescue, Your Highness."
Margaret waved her hand: "No need for formalities. On this mountain, we're all on the same side. Merging our teams will make us stronger—we'll move together from now on."
After merging, the team numbered over thirty, significantly increasing their strength. But the accompanying problem was faster supply consumption—they needed to quickly find new resources and a safe place to rest.
Adam provided crucial intelligence: "During our exploration, we discovered a dense forest area about ten kilometers ahead. There may be demon beasts in the forest, but we also detected the scent of spirit fruits. If we can get through that area, we might find a better place to settle."
After discussing with Dustin, Margaret decided to head for the forest.
Two hours later, the team arrived at the forest's edge.
This was an ancient, dense forest with towering trees whose gnarled branches blocked out the sky. Faint mist permeated the woods, and occasional beast roars put everyone on alert.
"Maintain formation once inside. Don't scatter." Margaret ordered.
The team formed a combat formation and slowly entered the forest.
It was calm at first, but after penetrating only a few kilometers, a sudden change occurred!
The surrounding trees began shaking violently, and countless black shadows burst from the canopy.
They were a pack of demon beasts resembling apes but with sharp fangs—Iron-Arm Devil Apes!
Each one had strength ranging from late Qi Refining to early Foundation Establishment, and there were thirty to forty of them!
"Enemy attack! Form up and engage!"
Battle erupted instantly. The Iron-Arm Devil Apes possessed tremendous strength and agile movements, like fish in water within the forest, attacking from all directions.
The Dragon Guards held their formation desperately, blades and sword light clashing with the beasts' sharp claws, spraying blood in all directions.
Margaret's swordwork was fierce—each strike killed an ape. Adam directed formations, trapping several powerful enemies.
Scarlet was like a battlefield valkyrie, her spear driving the apes back wherever it pointed.
However, there were simply too many apes, wave after wave of attacks, and casualties began mounting.
Dustin was protected at the formation's center, watching the battle intently.
He noticed that while these apes attacked frantically, they consistently avoided approaching a certain direction deeper in the forest, as if fearing something.
"They're herding us!" Dustin suddenly shouted. "They're not trying to kill us—they want to drive us in a certain direction!"
Margaret's mind stirred at his words.
Indeed, though the apes' attacks seemed ferocious, every lethal strike deliberately veered off—more like forcing them to retreat.
"Break through toward the direction they fear!" Dustin pointed to the side the apes wouldn't approach.
Margaret made an instant decision: "Everyone, break through to the northeast!"
The team changed direction, charging northeast with all their might. Sure enough, as soon as the apes neared that direction, they began to hesitate, their attacks noticeably weakening. The group seized the opportunity to break through the encirclement, sprinting deep into the forest.
After running for who knew how long, the sounds of pursuit finally faded. Everyone stopped, gasping for breath, only then realizing they had passed through the forest and arrived before a hidden valley.
At the valley entrance stood a weathered stone tablet, inscribed with three large characters in ancient script: "Spirit Fruit Valley."
– Marinien
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