The timing was perfect when these two shadowy figures launched their attack. Upon realizing they might have been exposed and unable to ambush, they immediately chose to strike when Qi Ping and his companion were unprepared both for battle and communication!
Their goal was to catch Qi Ping and his companion off guard.
Qi Ping and his companion instantly guessed the enemy's intention to strike at this moment.
"Experts!"
"They are definitely assassination experts!"
These two could, without communication in unexpected circumstances, choose to act at that moment with such tacit understanding. Regardless of their strength, in terms of battle experience, they were certainly no pushovers.
At the very least, Qi Ping, who hadn't been through many life-and-death battles, couldn't compare to them.
Therefore, despite having the Golden Marrow Bees as a backup, Qi Ping dared not be the slightest bit careless.
The figures were clad in dark magical robes, which appeared to be lower-grade defensive magical artifacts from their texture and aura.
Judging by their physique, it seemed to be a man and a woman.
The man was at the Fifth-Layer of Qi Refining, and the woman at the Fourth-Layer!
Upon realizing the enemies' cultivation realm and equipment, Qi Ping and Sister Nan's expressions instantly turned grim.
These two not only had higher combined strength, but their defensive robes also halved the effectiveness of Qi Ping's poison tactics!
Though still quite useful, they were undoubtedly greatly restricted.
Such a situation was extremely dangerous for Qi Ping and his companion.
Perhaps life and death would be decided in an instant...
Faced with this situation, Sister Nan immediately prepared for a desperate struggle!
She planned to risk everything to delay the two, attracting the enemies' attention with the greatest commotion, thereby buying time for herself and Qi Ping to use poison.
Qi Ping's strength was not high, making him ineffective in frontal combat. Only by deploying poison from behind could he catch them off guard.
Only then would they have more chances of victory.
The moment Sister Nan took action, an overwhelming aura erupted from her, almost matching that of the Fifth-Layer Qi Refining man in dark robes!
This powerful aura surprised even Qi Ping, as Nan's current outburst far exceeded that of Wang Mountain.
However, despite Sister Nan's outburst, the two dark-robed enemies seemed to have long prepared a counter. From revealing themselves to assaulting, the Fifth-Layer male swiftly attacked Sister Nan.
The Fourth-Layer female circled around and attacked Qi Ping from behind.
This rendered Sister Nan's plan to hold off the two futile.
"Do these two know our information?"
Qi Ping and Sister Nan both had the same suspicion in their hearts.
If not, how could they implement such a targeted surround-and-kill strategy without revealing their aura? Especially since Qi Ping was still using the Breath Concealment Technique to hide his aura!
They recalled the beekeeper from Zone D, number 032, who was killed outside, and the mountain's wealth looted half a month ago.
It seemed their information might have been sold out!
Sister Nan even suspected her poisoning methods might have been exposed, as these dark-robed figures were clearly attempting to quickly kill Qi Ping, the novice, and then surround and kill her!
"Damn! Who sold our information!" Sister Nan cursed inwardly.
But with the situation this critical, she could only hope that with poison, she could unexpectedly kill the Fifth-Layer male in dark robes quickly.
Then, save Qi Ping before he's killed and deal with the remaining dark-robed woman together.
This was her only chance now; if Qi Ping fell first, she would likely perish under the pincer attack.
"Qi, hold on a little longer..." Sister Nan hoped inwardly.
Qi Ping had shown some signs today that made her believe he must have some hidden means.
And the Fifth-Layer dark-robed man before her, with the timing right, might not escape in one go under her full force!
The life-and-death battle commenced in the blink of an eye...
Sister Nan instantly engaged in a fierce battle with the dark-robed man!
Amidst flashing swords and cold clashes from magical artifacts, intense waves swept through all directions.
Both sides uttered not a word, nor questioned why, focusing solely on ruthlessly slaying the opponent!
The brutal nature at the bottom of the Immortal Cultivation Realm was laid bare at this moment—no questions, no reasons, just a bloody battle for survival where the weak fell to the strong!
Victory meant life, defeat meant death!
Just like the life-and-death struggle between the dark-robed man and Sister Nan now, a slight misstep could lead to decapitation or death by poison.
If Tribulation Cultivators didn't use poison, Sister Nan wouldn't believe it even if she were beaten to death.
Amidst their focused battle, a shrill scream suddenly resounded...
This made Sister Nan's heart involuntarily turn cold—had Qi Ping fallen so quickly?
She quickly realized the scream actually came from the dark-robed woman!
Joy surged within Sister Nan's heart!
Did Qi Ping win?
Though this outcome seemed unbelievable, she didn't know how Qi Ping achieved it, but it was undoubtedly great news!
She immediately calmed herself and focused entirely on the ongoing battle.
She wanted to see if the scream would cause the dark-robed man to make a mistake, providing her with an opportunity to use poison...
"Here it comes!"
Sure enough, after the dark-robed woman's scream, the man in dark robes showed a slight gap in shock.
Due to this small opening, in the next moment, a poisoned needle-shaped magical artifact sliced across the back of the dark-robed man's hand!
The highly poisonous substance instantly alerted the man in dark robes to the imminent danger.
Acting decisively, the dark-robed man pulled out a dark Jade Cicada from his wrist, causing Sister Nan's expression to change dramatically!
A lethal sense of crisis arose within her!
How did the dark-robed man possess such an item!
Luckily, in this critical moment, hundreds of golden bees instantly surrounded him!
Under their sharp and powerful stingers, the man's robe—only as strong as a lower-grade magical artifact—was rapidly pierced! Amidst the agony and poison invasion, screams followed!
Sister Nan seized this opportunity, rushing forward to decapitate the dark-robed man with a swift strike! Preventing him from using the Jade Cicada with sheer will, which would result in her demise!
After killing the dark-robed man, Sister Nan exchanged a glance with Qi Ping, and they tacitly stripped the dark-robed individuals of their magical robes, weapons, and storage bags.
The bodies were tossed with all their might into the dense forest nearby, and Qi Ping and Sister Nan quickly left the area.
...
After covering a considerable distance, the two found a relatively safe place to hide.
At this moment, they finally breathed a little easier.
They didn't flee farther because the more they feared and panicked, the easier it was to fall into new traps.
Sister Nan let out a long breath, then looked at Qi Ping with a complex expression.
"Qi, are these Golden Marrow Bees your pet beasts?" Sister Nan asked, still finding it hard to believe.
"Yes, Sister Nan, I've contracted their Bee King..."
Qi Ping nodded; denying it now would be futile as Sister Nan wouldn't believe him...
Moreover, during the recent life-and-death battle, Sister Nan had stood by him, setting him behind while she held off the two mid-stage Qi Refining dark-robed individuals alone. Although the plan failed,
it showcased Sister Nan's character.
"You really are... I didn't expect you to be hiding the deepest among us. I was completely fooled... But luckily, you were here, or else we might have perished!"
Recalling her earlier worry for Qi Ping, with this swarm of Golden Marrow Bees, her concern was clearly misplaced.
Despite the relief from surviving a deadly encounter, her heart was filled with joy and a hint of hesitation.
After a long while, Sister Nan seemed to have made a decision, pulling out a somewhat tattered ancient manuscript from the storage bag and handing it to Qi Ping.
Qi Ping, puzzled by the worn-out manuscript, asked:
"Sister Nan, what is this?"
"It's for you; it should be useful. You'll know once you look at it. Consider it a token of gratitude for saving my life earlier. If it weren't for you, that Jade Cicada would have ended me."
Curious, Qi Ping took the torn manuscript from Sister Nan, and upon opening it, seven large characters were written on the first page:
Spirit Beast Cultivation: Demon Insect Chapter!