The Wind Rises Overseas: The Green Spirit Sect

Except for the slightly salty sea breeze drifting gently over the low hills, the surroundings were utterly silent. This tranquility only emboldened the few people on the small peak, who dared to sit down cross-legged and enter meditation.

Time passed quickly. An hour later, the group had recovered most of their magical power, and their complexions had returned to near normal.

The middle-aged cultivator opened his eyes, surveyed the men and women around him, and gave an order without hesitation.

“Let’s go. We can’t stay here any longer. Those things are probably almost here.”

With that, he stood up and took the lead.

The Qi Condensation disciples, though somewhat reluctant to leave the relatively safe spot, did not dare to delay. They ended their meditation, pulled out their respective magic tools, and prepared to take to the air together.

But at that very moment, sharp cries suddenly rang out across the sky above the small island. A portion of the milky-white mist began to churn and boil violently.

“Not good!” The middle-aged cultivator’s expression changed dramatically.

The others turned deathly pale in an instant.

From the dense mist above, over a dozen enormous, gray-colored strange birds burst forth.

Each of these birds was over three meters in size. They had crimson fleshy combs on their heads, sharp beaks, and hooked talons. A faint azure light radiated from their bodies, giving them a ferocious and hideous appearance.

After appearing, they did not immediately dive toward the island below. Instead, they circled swiftly in the air once, then scattered, blocking every possible escape route. They seemed highly skilled at coordinated tactics.

Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator’s heart sank even further.

“Go! Into those woods. We’ll wait for a chance to flee separately!” Having some experience dealing with bird-type demon beasts, he immediately called for the others to head toward the nearby treeline at top speed.

The rest of the men and women, in a panic, had no objections. They followed, driving their tools close behind.

Up in the sky, the strange birds let out a series of harsh, grating cries. With the group as their center, they slowly began to close in from above.

Seeing the demon birds’ behavior only heightened the disciples’ panic, and their flying speed increased. In the blink of an eye, they reached the air above the trees and dove downward.

But an unexpected scene unfolded.

Just as the five of them flew into the low altitude of about ten meters above the forest, a patch of emerald-green light suddenly flashed. They felt a momentary dizziness, their vision swam, and then the scenery before them abruptly changed.

The original forest was gone. In its place appeared an entirely strange mountain range, and a shockingly dense spiritual Qi rushed toward them.

“This is an illusion formation!” Among the three female disciples, the one in the blue brocade—and the most attractive—exclaimed in surprise.

“Could there be another fellow Daoist here?” the thick-set youth said, his voice mixing surprise and delight.

“It’s possible. Regardless, this is a chance for us to survive. I just hope this illusionary formation can fool those Eagle Kite Beasts,” the middle-aged cultivator muttered in a low voice.

Hearing this, the others couldn’t help but look up at the sky above the formation.

Up above, the circling vicious birds, having suddenly lost their targets, became agitated. But after a few sharp cries to one another, they continued their slow descent, unchanged in direction.

“It’s no good. It looks like the Eagle Kite Beasts aren’t fooled by mere illusions. Head toward that mountain range. I can sense the presence of restrictive formations there. There might truly be another Daoist there,” the middle-aged cultivator said with a dark expression. His遁光 flickered as he shot forward.

The others exchanged glances, then nervously followed.

But they had only flown a short distance before a white light barrier suddenly appeared before them, blocking their path.

Seeing this, instead of being dismayed, the middle-aged cultivator was secretly relieved.

He immediately reached into his storage pouch and produced a voice transmission talisman.

After muttering a quick incantation, he tossed it into the air. The talisman transformed into a streak of fire and flew straight into the light barrier, disappearing without a trace.

The others watched nervously, not daring to speak.

A moment later, the dozen-odd strange birds finally entered the illusionary formation. Having found their targets, they did not hesitate. They dove ferociously at the group from all directions, their wings stirring up harsh azure light as they came.

The middle-aged cultivator’s face darkened. He glanced at the white light barrier behind him, gritted his teeth, and quickly gave a few low-voiced orders.

The others were equally grim, but they raised their hands and summoned various magical tools, preparing to make a stand.

Just as the Eagle Kite Beasts reached the air above them and were about to descend into close combat, another unexpected event occurred.

From within the white light barrier, over a hundred beams of light suddenly shot out. Though each was only as thick as a thumb, they were incredibly sharp. In an instant, they pierced through every one of the low-flying Eagle Kite Beasts, leaving countless holes.

The sound of bodies hitting the ground followed in rapid succession.

Without even letting out a death cry, the demon beasts fell dead to the earth.

“This is…”

The middle-aged cultivator and the others were overjoyed. They couldn’t help but turn and look back into the light barrier.

What they saw first startled them, then left them stunned.

Inside the light barrier stood a dozen or so giant apes.

At first glance, they thought it was another pack of demon beasts, and their hearts chilled.

But then they noticed something unusual. Looking more carefully, they realized these apes were pitch black and glossy—they were actually mechanism puppets! The ape puppets had their arms raised simultaneously; the light beams must have come from their hands.

The group’s spirits lifted even further.

Then, without any sound, the puppets lowered their arms. A flash of light appeared, and the puppets vanished from sight.

While the group was still in a daze, the white light barrier in front of them flashed several times. Then, of its own accord, it split open, forming a passage about three meters wide.

Seeing this, they exchanged uncertain glances.

“I am currently in seclusion and cannot welcome you in person. You may rest briefly within the formation, then leave on your own,” a man’s voice came from within the barrier, unhurried. From the tone, the formation’s master seemed unwilling to meet them.

“Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives. Since those demon birds have been dealt with, we will simply rest here a while. We would not dare to disturb your cultivation further,” the middle-aged cultivator replied respectfully. Though he sensed no ill intent from the other party, he dared not enter a strange formation without knowing the master’s true nature. He steeled himself and said this, risking the possibility of offending the hidden cultivator.

“Heh. Seems you’re quite cautious. Very well, then. What exactly happened to you? How did you get driven to this state by a group of second-rank demon beasts?” The man chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned. But his following words carried a hint of curiosity.

The middle-aged cultivator relaxed slightly. He quickly replied respectfully:

“We are disciples of the Green Spirit Sect. We came out to sea to gather some spirit herbs, but carelessly drew the attention of these Eagle Kite Beasts. They’ve been hunting us the entire way. If not for Senior’s timely intervention, we would surely have perished.”

After this grateful speech, the man gave no response. He merely let out a soft “mm” and fell silent.

This made the young cultivators a little uneasy again.

The middle-aged cultivator was also anxious, but he did not dare to leave immediately. He signaled the others to stay calm.

“Are these the only ones the Green Spirit Sect sent out? Why was no master or elder leading you? Don’t you know that with your level of cultivation, coming out to sea is simply suicide? Even without a Core Formation cultivator, sending a few more Foundation Establishment ones could have prevented you from being hunted by mere second-rank beasts,” the man’s cold voice came again after a moment of silence.

At this question, the middle-aged cultivator was momentarily taken aback. After hesitating for a moment, he gave a bitter smile.

“Senior. Our Green Spirit Sect is a small, minor sect. We once had a Core Formation elder, but he fell in the Beast Tide over twenty years ago. Within the sect, there aren’t even many Foundation Establishment cultivators,” the middle-aged cultivator said, somewhat hesitantly.

Even as he spoke, he worried that the man was trying to probe the sect’s weaknesses with ill intent.

But then he thought it over: with this person’s formidable cultivation, if he wanted to destroy them, he could simply have sent those puppets. There was no need for all this effort. If he tried to lie or conceal the truth and angered the man, that would truly be a death sentence.

Making up his mind, the middle-aged cultivator took a risk and honestly revealed the sect’s situation.

He found it hard to believe that their dilapidated little sect had anything worth coveting.

“Beast Tide! Which year did that happen? Was it related to demon beasts?” A hint of surprise crept into the man’s voice.

Hearing this question, the middle-aged cultivator was inwardly alarmed. The other young men and women also looked stunned.

(End of Chapter)