At dawn the next day, Song Jie and the others left the cave, following the route marked by Ding Yumian.
The journey ahead would take more than ten days—if they were lucky and avoided danger, maybe less. The path, however, was treacherous. Still, none of them cared. At this point, all they wanted was to get out alive.
By afternoon, the scorching sun blazed overhead, and everyone was drenched in sweat.
"The path here is rough—watch your step," Song Jie reminded the group.
Ding Yumian glanced at the map, then said to him, "We'll come across a river soon. You might need your Summoned Beast to get us across."
"No problem," Song Jie replied.
By the time they reached the riverside, dusk was falling. The far bank was barely visible through the dim light.
The river stretched about thirty to forty meters wide, with turbulent waters that made it impossible to cross directly.
"Who wants to go first?" Song Jie asked as he summoned his Wind Riding Sky Eagle.
"Me!" Xu Mingliang immediately volunteered.
Zhuge Ru, the team's plump member, raised his hand as well.
"Zhuge Ru's a bit heavy. Let's just take two people this time," Song Jie said.
Normally, the Sky Eagle could carry three people if they squeezed in—but with Zhuge Ru aboard, that counted as two!
The Wind Riding Sky Eagle made a round trip in about two minutes. Soon after, Mu Lei and the others also climbed onto its back and crossed the river.
Just then, Dongfang Ming looked upstream, frowning. "What's that?" he asked, pointing.
Everyone turned to look. Though visibility was poor, they could make out a huge, dark shadow drifting in the water.
"Could that be a demon's corpse?" Mu Lei muttered uneasily.
Their hearts tightened at once. Something about this felt wrong.
Jiang Shaoxu frowned at the rushing current. "Hurry up!" she shouted urgently.
That was when they caught the stench—thick and metallic, the unmistakable smell of blood. It was coming from the river.
Song Jie's expression changed. The water was tinted red. Recalling Jiang Shaoxu's earlier warning, he cursed inwardly. "Not good!"
"Get on, now!" he urged, helping the others onto the Sky Eagle before sending it across at full speed.
If the corpse was drifting downstream, it meant it had been there a while. Such a strong scent of blood could only mean one thing—Bloodthirsty Ants. Worse still, that demon might've been killed by them.
Song Jie scanned the surroundings, raised his hand, and released a Gleaming Burst.
A flash of radiant light exploded overhead, illuminating the area in stark white.
In that instant, they saw it clearly—the demon's corpse was crawling with Bloodthirsty Ants, and countless more were spilling into the river.
"Damn it! Run downstream!" Song Jie shouted. His scalp prickled at the sight.
No one hesitated. Zhuge Ru and the others had seen it too—the sheer number of ants made their skin crawl.
The Sky Eagle dropped Mu Lei and the others on the opposite bank before circling back.
The moment Mu Lei landed, he ran. Behind him, a black wave of ants poured out of the forest.
Meanwhile, Song Jie and the rest sprinted along the bank, hearing the rustling and clicking sounds from behind grow louder and closer.
The Sky Eagle swooped down toward them. Song Jie barked an order to Ding Yumian and the others, "Once it lands, get on! I'll handle the crossing another way."
Ding Yumian understood the danger immediately—the smell of blood had drawn the swarm.
"They're coming!" Jiang Shaoxu yelled as the underbrush trembled.
"Get behind me! Prepare for battle!" Song Jie growled.
They stopped at the river's edge, leaving space for the Sky Eagle to land.
"Xiao Lu! Xiao Hei! Come out and help!" Song Jie summoned his two beasts. The Bloodthirsty Ants were too many—he had to go all out.
In moments, the forest floor seemed to move—an endless sea of red and black bodies surged toward them. Anyone with trypophobia would've fainted on the spot.
"Radiance!"
"Exploding Golden Rain!"
Song Jie unleashed his most powerful spells without hesitation.
The bursts of light and flame tore through the front ranks of ants, incinerating hundreds in seconds. But no matter how many he killed, more poured in to take their place.
"Damn it, there's no end to them!" he gritted his teeth.
Then he noticed something—a faint glow from the bronze necklace on his wrist. Every time he killed the ants, their remnant souls were absorbed into it.
He realized he had just slain hundreds.
"I'm rich!" he thought excitedly.
Before, he would've fled without bothering to harvest the remnants. But now—let them come! He'd kill them all!
"Xiao Lu, don't let them break through! The rest of you, hold your ground!" Song Jie commanded.
Ding Yumian and Jiang Shaoxu defended the flanks while Song Jie handled the front line.
He launched two more Exploding Golden Rains, vaporizing another swarm. The flood of remnant souls that followed made his heart race with exhilaration.
"What a blessed battlefield! This is my paradise!" he thought.
As an Intermediate Mage, third level, basic spells barely drained his energy. It was pure satisfaction.
But he still needed to get the others to safety.
"Get ready to board!" he shouted, spotting the Sky Eagle swooping back toward them.
The massive bird landed with a gust of wind.
"You've got the biggest chest, you go first!" Jiang Shaoxu called, finishing a Mind Element spell that stunned several Bloodthirsty Ants.
Huo Yumeng wanted to argue but couldn't—it was true. If she sat in the middle, they'd only fit two!
She quickly climbed on, and Jiang Shaoxu urged, "You too, Ding Yumian—cover me from the air!"
Ding Yumian nodded and got on beside her, channeling defensive magic.
"Song Jie!" Jiang Shaoxu called out suddenly.
He turned, caught off guard, just as she stepped close—
Their lips met. She bit lightly before whispering, "Don't die here."
Then she turned and leaped onto the Sky Eagle.
Ding Yumian saw it. For a moment, a strange feeling flickered through her heart.
With a powerful beat of its wings, the Wind Riding Sky Eagle soared into the air, carrying them toward the opposite bank.
...
Author's Note:
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