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"You just said you encountered the Heavenly Spirit Spring?"
Wang Liang paused slightly, then nodded.
"Yes, we encountered the Heavenly Spirit Spring in our first week in the Insect King Secret Place. That Heavenly Spirit Spring was of extremely high quality!"
"Unfortunately, Xu Yunqing and Su Yan are two cowards. They insisted there were powerful beasts there, causing us to miss out on a precious resource."
The Heavenly Spirit Spring was a top-grade basic resource, its value no less than the Spirit Concentration Liquid given by Beiming Lengyue!
It was formed from the liquefaction of heaven and earth energy. Soaking in it could wash away impurities from the physical body, and absorbing it was extremely beneficial for low-level martial artists like them to break through.
If they could seize the Heavenly Spirit Spring, Ling Qingxue could definitely achieve a breakthrough in Physical Cultivation level quickly!
Wu Liang's eyes lit up, a hint of excitement in them.
"Little Xuexue, let's go grab it! I will give it all to you. If you can break through to the Fourth Rank early-stage, I can also skyrocket to the Fifth Rank early-stage. Then, I'll be the one ruling the secret realm!"
"Of course we'll grab it, but we need to wait until we've recovered our strength," Ling Qingxue replied.
For martial artists, breakthrough resources were paramount. The further one progressed, the more resources and time were required.
While constant battles could help with level breakthroughs, nothing beat the speed of acquiring treasures.
This Heavenly Spirit Spring was coveted by almost everyone.
Now, they had practically exhausted all their strength to defeat the Steel Giant, and they still needed several more days of rest to get back in shape.
If their opponent's strength exceeded the Sixth Rank early-stage, it would be even more difficult for them to succeed.
"Everyone, get back to your best shape first. In a couple of days, Beiming Yan and I will take Wang Liang to assess the opponent's strength before we make a specific plan."
Zhou Weiwei gave a thumbs up.
"Our captain is so reliable! Once we've assessed the beasts' strength, we'll launch a full-scale attack and take down the Heavenly Spirit Spring in one go!"
"That's right, we have the Northern Sea Kunpeng here. Speed is our advantage. At worst, we can grab some of it first, then escape into the void, and repeat the same method a few more times."
"Wow, you're all such resourceful people! I think if the enemy is too strong, we can use the fifteenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems—'Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain.' Sister Yan can lead the Kunpeng to lure them away, and then we can take the Heavenly Spirit Spring in one fell swoop!"
...
After three days of rest and recuperation, everyone's strength had recovered to about 80-90%, and they would be fully recovered in about another day.
Ling Qingxue then decided to scout ahead with Beiming Yan.
Anyway, during the insect swarm battle a few days ago, the Northern Sea Kunpeng hadn't used its bloodline divine skill. With this backup plan, even if they encountered the Seventh Rank Insect King, they could escape into the void.
"Captain, be careful, don't get hurt."
Ling Qingxue and the other two boarded the Northern Sea Kunpeng and flew towards the sky, with Wang Liang responsible for pointing them in the right direction.
Ling Qingxue's spiritual power had broken through to the Third Rank peak after the battle, and the Concentration Liquid was still exerting its power. By the end of this month, she would definitely be able to break through to the Fourth Rank in one fell swoop.
However, the breakthrough in her Physical Cultivation level would require this Heavenly Spirit Spring!
While passing through a dense forest, Ling Qingxue's gaze met that of Xu Yunqing, who was hidden within.
Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, her spiritual power wouldn't have misled her.
"Well hidden, but too many clues," Ling Qingxue said with a faint smile.
Wu Liang scratched his head. "Xu Yunqing and the others are hiding there? They're such cowards. As top-tier geniuses of Great Xia, they've just been hiding..."
In his view, this was a lack of the fighting spirit expected of a martial artist. Beiming Feng had already promised to protect their lives; wouldn't it be more meaningful to attack than to hide?!
In the dense forest.
That brief eye contact caused Xu Yunqing's expression to freeze instantly, disbelief appearing in his eyes.
"That was the Kunpeng that just flew by, wasn't it? To have barely managed to survive a massive insect swarm, Ling Qingxue must have some skill," Su Yan joked.
"No! Ling Qingxue is far from simple!" Xu Yunqing said solemnly.
This statement genuinely puzzled Su Yan. "What do you mean? Are you telling me that their measly twenty-odd people can suppress a massive insect hive?!"
"Maybe...yes!"
Xu Yunqing sighed. "Just now, during the brief moment our spiritual energy touched, I could clearly feel her spiritual power surge. She should already be a Third Rank peak Spiritual Master. Not only that, she and Beiming Yan are not injured. Their condition didn't seem like they had just gone through a bloody battle; it's more like they had… won!"
"That's impossible! There are only a few of them. Even if Taotie is strong, it can only deal with Fifth Rank magical beasts. A Sixth Rank beast is far beyond what their small team could handle!" Su Yan gritted his teeth.
Xu Yunqing shook his head slightly. "Arguing with me is pointless. I'm just describing what I saw. The fact is, Ling Qingxue has become even stronger!"
Su Yan scratched his head, looking extremely frustrated.
Even in this situation, they still couldn't beat Ling Qingxue. This was ridiculous!
It wasn't easy for them to persist until now. What made Ling Qingxue's group of twenty-odd people so strong?!
Was it just because of Taotie and Kunpeng?
Did this actually make sense?
The others saw Ling Qingxue, and then they saw Wang Liang beside Ling Qingxue and Beiming Yan.
They all felt like the sky had fallen.
A few nights ago, they had witnessed Wang Liang sneak away with two people, and they had even mocked him...
The Northern Sea Kunpeng flapped its wings and swiftly streaked across the sky.
In that short time, they had already covered a distance of over twenty kilometers.
"Captain, the Heavenly Spirit Spring is halfway up that mountain directly in front of us. There's a large pool there, filled entirely with high-quality Heavenly Spirit Spring water!" Wang Liang pointed ahead.
Ling Qingxue's spiritual energy probed forward, sensing in all directions.
"Did you encounter any beasts while passing through here?"
Wang Liang recalled, "We were quite careful and didn't disturb any powerful beasts, but it seems there are more centipede-type magical beasts in this area. That's all I know."
"Centipedes? My least favorite kind of magical beast." Beiming Yan shuddered.
She had a natural fear of these long, leggy creatures.
Centipedes weren't even as much fun as the Steel Giant.
"Qingxue, what do you say? Should we go down directly, or should we test the waters first?" Beiming Yan asked.
Ling Qingxue smiled faintly.
"No need. Luring it out is too easy. Since it treats the Heavenly Spirit Spring as its private property, as long as we show even the slightest interest in it, it will reveal itself!"
Wu Liang flapped his wings and flew out, a fiery claw-like beam slamming downwards.
Earth and rocks flew everywhere, and a deafening explosion echoed through the sky.
Just a few breaths later, the ground began to tremble, and then a gigantic golden centipede crawled out from beneath the earth.
Its body was nearly ten meters long, covered entirely in a golden carapace that possessed extraordinary defensive capabilities.
The Golden Centipede!
Its aura was at least Sixth Rank mid-stage, emanating a terrifying raw power. Its blood-red eyes were fixed intently on Ling Qingxue and Wu Liang's group.
A hiss rang out, as if the entire mountain trembled.
Wu Liang swallowed hard. "This is a bit beyond expectations..."
The Golden Centipede was far larger than ordinary insect-like magical beasts, and its level had reached an astonishing Sixth Rank mid-stage, exceeding their team's capabilities.
Killing the Golden Centipede seemed impossible; therefore, obtaining the Heavenly Spirit Spring would be even more difficult.