In no time at all, Qing Muling, accompanied by Yu Lingzhou and the other two ladies, had visited most of the Thunder Feather Star Peng’s nesting area, spanning thousands of miles.

The final tally of their loot included over six hundred unhatched eggs, hundreds of unguarded fledglings, a large amount of spiritual herbs and grasses, and countless spiritual stones and rare materials.

As high-ranking spiritual birds, the Thunder Feather Star Pengs naturally chose not to skimp on their nesting materials. Thousands of massive nests were interwoven with countless precious substances, all of which now conveniently fell into Qing Muling’s hands.

Among the mountainous spoils were even nine adult Thunder Feather Star Pengs. They had just laid eggs and were in a temporary weakened state, dozing off in their nests when they were stealthily attacked and killed by Yu Lingzhou and Yueyi Heavenly Lord—an unexpected windfall.

Eventually, adult female Thunder Feather Star Pengs returning from hunting noticed their painstakingly incubated eggs had vanished, emitting shrieks of shock and rage, which in turn drew the attention of the patrolling male Thunder Feather Star Pengs.

Before they could investigate further, more cries of distress arose from other parts of the nesting area, attracting even more male Thunder Feather Star Pengs.

“…It’s about time to leave,” Ice Falcon Heavenly Lord whispered telepathically, her duty being solely to ensure Qing Muling’s safety, which is why she had not made a move until now.

“Alright, let’s move on to the next place,” Qing Muling agreed, aware that his actions had triggered the collective alertness of the Thunder Feather Star Peng tribe, significantly increasing the risk of exposure. It was time to quit while ahead.

However, having tasted success, he had no intention of giving up just yet. The plains were vast and boundless; as long as they found the next Thunder Feather Star Peng tribe’s nesting area, they could continue their plunder.

Thus, the three ladies escorted Qing Muling away from the nesting area silently, leaving behind a cacophony of furious roars and a swarm of Thunder Feather Star Pengs frantically searching the plains, an intimidating sight.

After traveling millions of miles, the group finally entered the territory of another Thunder Feather Star Peng tribe.

“Junior Brother, are you tired? Shall we find a place to rest?” Ice Falcon Heavenly Lord inquired. The three Supreme Elders were profound in their cultivation, with abundant magical power and enduring energy, making such long-distance travel a breeze. However, Qing Muling, currently at the Heart Demon realm and yet to condense the laws of immortality, might struggle to keep up.

“I’m fine; I can keep going for a long time,” Qing Muling said nonchalantly. His innate Harmony spiritual root could now draw on the essence of spiritual energy from many mysterious spaces, replenishing his reserves anytime, anywhere. Unless it was a life-or-death battle, there was little worry about depleting his magical power.

Ultimately, the three ladies could only marvel at his extraordinary talent. Yu Lingzhou even pondered whether she could implement some of her ideas sooner, considering Junior Brother’s endurance. Surely he wouldn’t refuse?

With the experience from the previous raid, Qing Muling quickly identified the Thunder Feather Star Peng’s nesting area and soon arrived at the destination without incident.

The process was repeated: with each sweep of radiant light, numerous eggs, slain fledglings, and precious spiritual medicines were collected into the Space Bracelets. Once one was filled, it was stored in his internal space, and he continued filling the next.

Thanks to Qing Muling’s foresight in preparing a vast number of large-capacity spatial artifacts before setting out, coupled with the number of external sect cultivators they had killed and the spatial artifacts collected from their corpses, these resources were now coming in handy.

This tribe had an even larger number of Thunder Feather Star Pengs, so when the group had only scavenged half of the area, they alerted a large number of the birds and had to abandon their efforts midway, quietly fleeing the scene.

A rough estimate afterward suggested that the haul from this round was even greater, leaving no room for regret. It was always wise to leave some leeway and not over-shear the same sheep.

As Qing Muling focused on locating the third Thunder Feather Star Peng tribe’s nesting area, the sounds of intense combat in the distance caught his attention.

“It must be cultivators from other sects entangled with the Thunder Feather Star Pengs, right?”

“Definitely. Let’s go take a look; we might find some easy pickings,” Yueyi Heavenly Lord suggested, and so Qing Muling changed direction, stealthily approaching the edge of the battlefield.

In midair, thousands of cultivators formed battle formations, desperately attacking the waves of Thunder Feather Star Pengs assaulting them. A myriad of powerful divine abilities and magical treasures illuminated miles around, and amid deafening explosions, bloodied feathers and mutilated limbs flew chaotically through the sky.

Qing Muling glanced over and recognized these were cultivators from the Nine Spirit Proto Gate, with generally strong cultivation levels. Their coordination was tight and orderly, giving the attacking Thunder Feather Star Pengs a tough time. Injured birds plummeted to the ground with blood spraying everywhere.

The ground was littered with the massive corpses of Star Pengs, and, of course, there were many fallen cultivators as well. The spiritual grasses within a thousand miles had been incinerated by the aftermath of the divine abilities, leaving bloodstains everywhere. The surviving spiritual beasts had long fled, with occasional groans of the severely wounded and dying echoing through the air.

These cultivators’ response was quite methodical, but the number of Thunder Feather Star Pengs involved in the assault was simply too great. Each cultivator faced no fewer than ten birds, and more were rushing over from the distance to join the fray.

Without a miracle, the defeat of the Nine Spirit Proto Gate cultivators was inevitable; being completely overwhelmed by the Thunder Feather Star Peng tribe was not out of the ordinary.

“How did they manage to get here?” Qing Muling asked, somewhat surprised.

“They must have sneaked in too, but without our sophisticated divine techniques. By the time they got here, they might have run low on magical power or made some other mistake that exposed them, and that’s when these feathered beasts took notice,” Yueyi Heavenly Lord explained.

“Most likely that’s the case.”

Qing Muling nodded, leisurely watching the spectacle. From Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace’s perspective, it would be ideal if all these Nine Spirit Proto Gate folks perished. Even if they didn’t all die, he would have to find a way to secretly deal them a fatal blow!

A dead enemy is the best kind of enemy. As the sworn enemy of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, how could you not die?

“But… we could collect some interest first, right?”

Yu Lingzhou eyed the corpses scattered on the ground. Whether they were Thunder Feather Star Pengs or cultivators, they were all valuable. It would be a shame to just leave them there.

While the battle raged on in the sky, they could fish in troubled waters and quietly collect some to take with them, especially the meat of the adult Thunder Feather Star Pengs, which was incredibly delicious and nourishing. Whether for personal use or to sell to the Dao Court later, it was a fine choice.

Qing Muling had no objections, and the four of them stealthily approached a recently deceased Thunder Feather Star Peng. Yueyi Heavenly Lord raised her hand slightly, and with a sweep of light, the bird was effortlessly collected into the Space Bracelet.

The fierce battle in the sky continued, oblivious to her subtle actions.

Qing Muling also reached several dead cultivators, expertly stripping them of their Space Bracelets and any decent magical treasures, and stowed them in his internal space.

In truth, if it were practitioners of the demonic path, they might not even spare the corpses of these cultivators, as they could be used to create zombie puppets or cultivate various malicious and evil magical techniques.

In the Great Void, there were certain shady organizations that dealt in such dark and sinister trades, with cultivator corpses, blood, souls, and other resources all up for trade, the more powerful the cultivator had been in life, the more valuable they were.

However, Qing Muling considered himself to have some principles, so he did not plan to disturb these corpses.

“We should take them with us,” Yueyi Heavenly Lord said. “If they remain here, their ultimate fate is to be devoured by those feathered beasts, which would be even more tragic. By taking them with you, whether you sell them or simply find a place to bury them, it’s more appropriate than leaving them here.”

“Alright.”

Qing Muling nodded, collecting the bodies into the Space Bracelet, which didn’t take up much space.

The bloodbath in the sky persisted, with blinding flashes of light appearing as severely wounded cultivators charged into the depths of the Peng flock, desperately self-detonating in earth-shattering explosions. Groups of Thunder Feather Star Pengs screamed as they fell from the sky like raindrops.

Those closer to the center of the explosion turned into charred chunks of flesh, unrecognizable as they scattered to the ground.

The fight was spectacular, keep it up! Don’t stop…

Qing Muling heartlessly mused, picking up corpses with the three ladies at a leisurely pace, silently making a fortune.

The melee lasted for half an hour, and the number of Nine Spirit Proto Gate cultivators dwindled from over a thousand to seven or eight hundred, then to less than three hundred…

Of course, the Thunder Feather Star Pengs also paid a heavy toll, with the number of casualties roughly ten times that of the cultivators, mostly due to those who self-detonated in desperation.

“The situation is getting dicey; let’s keep our distance,” Qing Muling suggested, sensing the imminent danger. He quickly led the three ladies to retreat until they were hundreds of miles away.

Sure enough, when the number of cultivators in the sky dropped below one hundred, realizing escape was hopeless, they let out roars of despair and charged into the Peng flock to self-detonate. The plains were suddenly lit up with hundreds of suns, and terrifying hurricane clouds formed, turning the sky dark and obscuring the sun and moon.

On the ground, Ice Falcon Heavenly Lord and the other two ladies promptly erected a protective barrier around Qing Muling, shielding him from the successive shockwaves of the explosions.

When the aftershocks finally dissipated, a giant crater nearly three hundred miles in diameter and dozens of miles deep had formed in the distance. The crater’s walls and floor, under the influence of extreme heat, had turned into a deep green, glass-like substance, smooth as a mirror.

—Off-topic—

Updates will continue tonight, seeking monthly and recommendation tickets.