Song Jie sat there comfortably, accepting their care like a young master surrounded by maids. If only they were wearing maid outfits, the scene would be perfect.
"Song Jie, are your shoulders sore? I can give you a massage," Huo Yumeng offered.
"They do feel a bit sore," Song Jie nodded, rotating his shoulders.
"I'll handle it," Huo Yumeng said, moving behind him and gently massaging his shoulders.
However, her large "assets" kept brushing against the back of Song Jie's head, making it hard for him to stay composed.
"By the way, where did everyone else go?" Song Jie asked. He hadn't seen Bai Liang and the others earlier.
"We got separated while running. We have no idea where they ended up," Ding Yumian replied.
Huo Yumeng's expression darkened at the memory. If it hadn't been for that fat Zhuge Ru pushing her, she wouldn't have fallen— they had almost died because of him.
"Then we can only leave it to fate," Song Jie sighed. "If they're lucky, they'll survive. If not, there's nothing we can do."
The forest was vast; even if he went searching, it was unlikely he would find them.
"Song Jie, you don't even know what happened! We almost died!"
Huo Yumeng vented her frustration, explaining everything that had occurred.
When Song Jie heard it, he was furious. "That really happened?"
Everyone nodded in confirmation.
"If we run into that pig again, just toss him to feed the demon beasts," Song Jie said coldly.
Later, Huo Yumeng told him about the silver-white flower and its use against the Bloodthirsty Ants.
Song Jie reminded them, "This flower's fragrance is effective only at night. Once it's daylight, the scent will fade."
Ding Yumian and Huo Yumeng both nodded, already aware that they would have to rely on themselves during the day.
"Wait, why does it look like this flower isn't withering anymore?" Huo Yumeng asked, staring at the silver-white blossom under the moonlight.
Ding Yumian thought for a moment, glancing at the bright moon above. "The reason it's not withering might be because it's absorbing moonlight."
Huo Yumeng realized it made sense. Earlier, when she had stored it in her backpack, it had started to wilt.
"Good thing we noticed early," Huo Yumeng said in relief. "If it hadn't absorbed enough moonlight, it would've withered completely by tomorrow."
To keep the flowers nourished, the group took turns standing guard through the night.
"Song Jie, you must be tired. We'll take turns on watch—just rest for now," Ding Yumian suggested.
"Alright. If anything happens, wake me," Song Jie said. He then sat cross-legged, entering a meditative state to cultivate.
Glancing at his bronze bracelet, he closed his eyes, and his consciousness slipped into its inner world.
He had killed countless demon beasts that night, so his harvest had to be significant.
When he appeared inside the bracelet's world, he was stunned to see a sky filled with bluish-green light—like an ocean of souls.
"Holy crap," Song Jie muttered. He hadn't kept track of how many demon beasts he'd slain, but this was far beyond his expectations.
"There must be at least ten thousand essence orbs' worth of remnant souls!"
He was momentarily overwhelmed. Killing hundreds with a single spell wasn't strange for him, but seeing all their residual souls gathered here was still shocking.
The problem was—how was he supposed to communicate with the bracelet?
"Ahem... can you condense these remnant souls into essence orbs?" Song Jie asked aloud.
The world around him responded immediately. The scattered blue-green lights began to gather and swirl together.
"It really works!" he exclaimed.
He watched as the spiritual lights condensed into solid essence orbs one after another.
"One, two, three, four…" Song Jie eventually gave up counting—there were just too many.
To strengthen a Star to the fourth level required seven Servant-level essence orbs.
To upgrade from the fourth to fifth level required seven Warrior-level essence orbs.
To reach the sixth, one needed seven Commander-level orbs, and to achieve the seventh, seven Monarch-level orbs were necessary.
With his current power, slaying a Monarch-level beast was still far beyond reach.
"Judging from the number of Servant and Warrior-level orbs I have, I can upgrade my Basic Level Star to the fifth level," Song Jie estimated.
He had also obtained several naturally dropped Warrior-level orbs during the hunt, which made this goal easily achievable.
However, he decided not to use them all for the Star upgrade. Those orbs could also be used to enhance his bronze bracelet, which he considered just as valuable.
He planned to first complete all six Absurd Transformations for his Intermediate Level magic, then strengthen his Basic Level Star.
The remaining orbs would be saved for future use.
After all, strengthening Basic and Intermediate Stars were two entirely different matters. The higher the realm, the greater the improvement.
A Basic Level magic at first tier, after six transformations, could rival an Advanced Level first tier.
An Intermediate Level magic at first tier, after six transformations, could rival a Super Level first tier!
The gap between the realms was already staggering.
Satisfied with his plan, Song Jie strengthened his Basic Level Star to the fourth level.
With his transformations, this fourth-level Basic magic could already rival a Super Level spell—or at least surpass an Advanced Level third-tier magic.
He smiled, content with the result, and withdrew from the bracelet's world.
Still, it wasn't enough—he needed more essence orbs.
The Bloodthirsty Ants were endless, which meant endless resources for him.
Unfortunately, all the ones he'd fought so far were Servant and Warrior-level; not a single Commander-level had appeared yet.
By early morning, Song Jie and the others woke up.
"There are enough of us to ride two Wind Riding Sky Eagles," Song Jie said.
He hadn't mentioned this before because, as the team captain, he couldn't abandon the others. But now, with Bai Liang, Zhuge Ru, and the rest separated, there was no need to hold back.
"That's right! I almost forgot you could summon two identical Summoned Beasts!" Mu Lei said excitedly.
"Finally, we can leave this hellhole," Huo Yumeng sighed in relief. She never wanted to see this forest again.
"Let's move. With the Wind Riding Sky Eagles' speed, we'll be back within three days," Song Jie said.
The Warrior-level essence orb he had Tang Yue prepare earlier was of the Speed-type, greatly enhancing the eagles' flight speed.
He planned to escort his team back first—then return to this area to hunt and gather essence orbs freely.
After all, those resources were secondary.
As a mage, he had a duty toward humanity's future.
Between him and the Bloodthirsty Ants, there was no longer room for coexistence.
...
Author's Note:
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