CHAPTER 440: CHAPTER 410: ABNORMAL DEMON BEAST GROUP

Especially upon learning that Xuu Qingci was the team leader, everyone couldn’t help but give her an extra glance.

Besides Liiu Qiumei leading an Earth-level team fighting at the front lines, this was the second female team leader they encountered.

Upon hearing Xuu Qingci’s inquiry, Lu Yuanshan responded with a faint smile, "Since Sect Leader Xuu has such an intention, let’s immediately head to the south of the town for a reconnaissance."

"If the situation aligns with what Fellow Daoist Zhao said, we will act directly."

Gathering information on the enemy situation before acting is a basic operation, and Song Minghui and other disciples from the Cyan Mountain Sect, as well as all the disciples from the Cold Moon Palace, secretly nodded in agreement, feeling that what Lu Yuanshan said made sense.

"Since all of you are ready to act, I will lead the others stationed here to accompany you."

Zhao Wanling said with a serious expression.

"Alright."

Xuu Qingci nodded slightly.

To the south of Pingyao Town lies a vast river area, where residents used to gather and live by fishing. But ever since the beast tide broke out in the Southern Wilderness, it gradually became a deserted place.

In the entire Pingyao Town, not a single mortal could be seen now.

As a consciousness body, Lu Ping was most suited for reconnaissance missions. As Lu Yuanshan and his group were getting ready to move, he floated south of Pingyao Town to investigate the gathered demon beasts.

This reconnaissance indeed surprised Lu Ping a bit.

The group of demon beasts in Pingyao Town, just as Zhao Wanling mentioned, consisted of Tier One and Tier Two demon beasts, with no Tier Three demon beasts appearing.

However, there were not just four Tier Two demon beasts, but an astonishing twelve! Three times what Zhao Wanling reported!

How many Foundation Establishment Cultivators were in this team led by Eldest Son?

On the Cyan Mountain Sect side, there were Eldest Son and Young Daughter.

At Cold Moon Palace, there was Xuu Qingci and two mid-stage Foundation Establishment female disciples.

As for Nine Cold Mountain, it consisted entirely of Qi Cultivators, with not a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

In other words, including Zhao Wanling, six Foundation Establishment Cultivators had to deal with twelve Tier Two demon beasts, meaning each would have to face two Tier Two demon beasts.

Don’t be fooled by the team of over four hundred Qi Cultivators, including Song Minghui and Lin Han, as their Qi Cultivation powers are merely cannon fodder against Tier Two demon beasts.

What was Zhao Wanling scheming? Did he misreport the enemy situation?

Pondering this, Lu Ping immediately communicated with Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei.

"The enemy intel is incorrect; there are twelve Tier Two demon beasts."

"Do not act rashly."

As they were heading south of Pingyao Town, both Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei paused upon hearing this.

This scene caught the attention of Xuu Qingci.

"What’s wrong?"

Xuu Qingci asked, her expression extremely calm, though her brows knitted slightly.

"The enemy situation is inconsistent with what Fellow Daoist Zhao reported."

Lu Yuanshan and Lu Zhiwei exchanged glances and then spoke.

Xuu Qingci turned her gaze south upon hearing this.

How did the Cyan Mountain Sect Sect Leader know about the changed enemy situation when they hadn’t even sighted any demon beasts yet?

Could the Cyan Mountain Sect Sect Leader possess such great divine techniques?

"Lu Daoist, what’s wrong?"

Hearing about the changes in the demon beast group, Zhao Wanling couldn’t help but ask.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao previously mentioned four Tier Two demon beasts were roaming the area south of the town. In fact, the number of Tier Two demon beasts is now twelve."

Lu Yuanshan said, knowing his father had scouted the area, so the information was undoubtedly accurate.

"Moreover, among these demon beasts, four have reached the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment strength."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wanling’s expression changed.

There were evidently not so many twelve Tier Two demon beasts initially.

Unconsciously, realizing his mid-stage Foundation Establishment power, Zhao Wanling felt an inclination to retreat.

Seemingly noticing Zhao Wanling’s apprehension, Lu Yuanshan didn’t directly mention it but instead looked at Xuu Qingci.

"Twelve Tier Two demon beasts, does Daoist Xuu think it’s manageable?"

Xuu Qingci’s expression remained calm as she looked at Lu Yuanshan without answering, instead asking back: "Does Lu Daoist think it’s manageable?"

This inquiry, naturally in the same vein as Lu Yuanshan’s, questioned whether he was confident in dealing with those demon beasts.

Four Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment demon beasts—disregarding how Lu Yuanshan, accompanying him here, discovered the number and strength of those demon beasts—at the very least, now that a discovery has been made, a coping strategy must be devised.

Should this group of demon beasts be eliminated or left alone?

Considering Lu Yuanshan’s power, although at the Eighth-Layer Foundation Establishment, as the sect leader, his true strength was certainly not as simple as it appeared. If facing a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment demon beast, he might still achieve victory.

However, against four Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment beasts, this Cyan Mountain Sect Sect Leader might find it overwhelming and even lose his life.

This opening battle would not be so easily fought.

Lu Yuanshan understood the implication of Xuu Qingci’s words and with a wry smile said, "If Daoist Xuu has no issue with proceeding now, of course, I will join in."

"Frankly speaking, the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment beasts don’t pose a significant threat to me."

Xuu Qingci’s expression changed slightly, giving Lu Yuanshan a more profound look.

Evidently, this Sect Leader Lu’s power was indeed as she surmised, not as straightforward as it seemed.

"Alright, let’s proceed."

Xuu Qingci responded, not saying any more.

Even if Lu Yuanshan could not handle the four Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment beasts, her additional efforts could potentially slay them.

It’s not that she must rely on his assistance to eliminate the beasts.

If not for the orders from the Dubhe Institute to form a combat team, the Cold Moon Palace acting independently might feel more liberated.

In battlefield team operations, if a team lacks cohesion, they not only risk falling apart but also cannot leverage the team’s advantages to form a robust combat force.

Moreover, in life-and-death crises, lacking easy trust in teammates can also lead to desertion in critical moments.

To make it simple, if a formation is set against an enemy and suddenly a team member flees, abandoning the rest, the formation collapses, undoubtedly putting the whole team in danger.

It’s like a rat spoiling the whole pot.

Xuu Qingci’s primary concern was the inability to organize these surrounding teammates.

The Cyan Mountain Sect might fare better, being a single sect, whose disciples through unified cultivation techniques could cooperate in techniques, divine techniques, and magical artifacts, inherently possessing team combat advantages.

But what about the other members of the team?

The over a hundred loose cultivators from Nine Cold Mountain are unpredictable.