Chapter 65: Fire Resistance +14 (Bonus Chapter 3/12 for Alliance Leader Zhibai)

Daybreak should have come, yet the world remained shrouded in gloom. For ordinary eyes, visibility could not reach beyond twenty meters. Only Wei Cheng and his companions, relying on profound inner strength, could see distances ranging from several hundred to over a thousand meters.

Throughout this night, they had not encountered a single demon squad, let alone a demon stronghold. It seemed that as one approached Floating Cloud City, those demons would vanish without a trace.

“Wei, I’ve been anxious all night, feeling as though disaster is imminent. Aren’t we getting too close to Floating Cloud City?” Liu Sui asked, and the others nodded in agreement, sharing the same unease.

“We are indeed too close,” Wei Cheng replied calmly, scanning the surroundings. At this moment, he could easily discern over a thousand meters of terrain, having become intimately familiar with the landscape and thus immune to losing his way. “But only by approaching Floating Cloud City can we mine more ore.”

They had now reached the collapsed mining district north of Floating Cloud City, less than ninety li from its gates. Their night’s harvest was considerable. They had excavated nine pieces of Flame Stone, all handed over to Wei Cheng, who used them to strengthen his Flame Ring up to +14—equivalent, in theory, to the combined defense of six Golden Bell Shields.

Four pieces of Jade Stone were unearthed and distributed to Liu Sui and Xu Shan, allowing each to upgrade their Thunder Rings to +7.

The most abundant was Black Iron Stone; over thirty pieces were found. Each took their share, Wei Cheng himself collecting twelve thanks to his far-reaching vision. With such wealth, he would not want for his first fortune upon arrival at Cangwu City.

“Let’s go. Before the third wave of Demon Shadow Curse erupts, we must find a demon stronghold and hunt.”

Wei Cheng led the way, quietly switching his cultivation technique to Spirit Swallow Method. Instantly, his entire body—from limbs to senses—became exquisitely attuned, Spirit Swallow inner strength flowing gently. With a little effort, he could leap as if flying.

But soon he reverted to Mountain Moving Method, for he had not yet cleared the first innate meridian of Spirit Swallow Method, and the accumulated inner strength would quickly be depleted. Such matters could only be pursued in safety, with time and resources to spare.

Now, within the perilous toxin zone, caution was imperative.

They pressed northward for about thirty li, but the sky grew even darker, the sense of foreboding intensifying. No sign of demons appeared in any direction; the silence was so complete that one might suspect hallucination.

“Something’s wrong. How could there be no demons this way?”

Wei Cheng himself felt uneasy, yet he did not halt his progress. After another fifty li, exiting the collapsed mining district, he finally spotted traces of an old road built by humans.

Following these remnants for another ten li, they came upon a checkpoint once constructed by humans, now occupied by demons.

Wei Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. Now he understood why they hadn’t seen a single demon squad: inside this stronghold, there were hundreds of demons.

His strength allowed him to see clearly: more than thirty antlered demons, ten boar demons, thirty black giant apes, and two flying demons circling above the checkpoint.

And these were only those visible; who knew how many lurked unseen—those capable of immobilizing their prey rarely showed themselves.

“I was careless. I didn’t consider that the demons’ deployment would shift with time, just as ours does. While we hunted and grew stronger, so did they. In just two days, this stronghold’s defensive force is at least twice that of Floating Cloud Pass.”

When Wei Cheng explained the situation, everyone’s expression changed. Their group numbered only eight; attacking a stronghold with hundreds of demons was unthinkable.

“Should I lure them out?” Xu Shan suggested. She was already a six-cycle Spirit Swallow, having mastered the visualization diagram; swift and responsive, her inner strength consumption minimal when kiting enemies.

Wei Cheng glanced at Liu Sui and nodded. There was no other choice—they couldn’t simply bypass the stronghold. This was not a survival game where staying alive was victory; they had to grow stronger through vanquishing demons. That was the essence of the true trial.

Otherwise, a single misstep would lead to perpetual disadvantage.

“Be careful,” Liu Sui said, embracing Xu Shan, who then leapt away like a nimble swallow, her toes lightly touching the ground before she propelled herself seventy or eighty meters ahead, her agility breathtaking.

“Everyone, prepare for combat,” Wei Cheng ordered. “If a swarm of demons comes out, you must retreat immediately. Liu Sui, stay calm—trust Xu Shan. She’s the fastest among us; even if things go awry, she can escape their pursuit.”

Wei Cheng’s voice was grave. He had never faced such a scenario and lacked experience, so he could only prepare for the worst.

Yet Liu Sui proved even steadier than he’d expected.

In an instant, Xu Shan had approached within three hundred meters of the stronghold. Suddenly, a great horn sounded from within, and Wei Cheng felt a vague sense of unease. He recalled that when they attacked Floating Cloud Pass, the demons had blown the same horn, yet no reinforcements had arrived.

So, what was its purpose?

As he pondered, Wei Cheng saw a black shadow shoot from the stronghold like a cannonball, striking Xu Shan with shocking speed and abruptness. For some reason, Xu Shan, advancing rapidly, failed to evade.

But almost simultaneously, a flicker of lightning appeared on her body, repelling the black shadow—it was her +7 Thunder Ring.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Shan advanced instead of retreating, her hand flashing cold as she slew the shadow midair. The swift exchange was dazzling.

Xu Shan had fully demonstrated the Spirit Swallow profession’s strengths.

At that moment, over a dozen black shadows rushed out from the stronghold, nearly surrounding her.

Fortunately, she turned and retreated quickly, narrowly avoiding them, though perhaps wounded.

Wei Cheng’s brow furrowed; he had clearly seen Xu Shan panic slightly when confronted by so many shadows.

Luckily, once she widened the distance, the dozen shadows slowed, yet their speed still rivaled hers.

Now he could see: they were creatures resembling snow apes, but entirely black and more slender. Their backs bore two rows of short, sturdy wings, their bodies exceedingly flexible.

Four broad, long claws could press against the ground and allow them to bounce dozens of meters high like rubber balls, their agility equaling that of a six-cycle Spirit Swallow.

So these were new agile demon soldiers from the enemy?

“Wei, attract the attention of these black monkeys head-on. I’ll ambush them from the shadows,” Liu Sui whispered urgently.

“Alright,” Wei Cheng replied. At this moment, no other demons emerged from the stronghold. Either the demons believed these black monkeys sufficient to deal with Xu Shan, or a commanding demon boss was overseeing the stronghold.

The situation was fraught with difficulties.