It was precisely because he had watched the recordings that Shen Banxi put so much effort into taking on this escort mission.
He sincerely hoped Gu Ningyun would join Spirit-Attuning Peak.
It wasn't just because he had been entrusted with the hopes of the peak master and elders, nor was it just because wind spirit roots were so rare within the peak.
More importantly, he personally admired the strength, character, talent, and potential of this future little junior sister and future successor of Spirit-Attuning Peak.
But a recording was, after all, just a recording.
Even though he had seen the footage, seeing with his own eyes how Gu Ningyun step-by-step gained the trust of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yuebai Sect and reached a cooperation with them...
Seeing how easily and effortlessly she proposed strategies, turned the tide, overcame the strong with the weak, and lured the sea spiders into traps time and time again...
Even though he already knew of Gu Ningyun's intellect, Shen Banxi could not hide the shock in his heart.
Furthermore, a sense of vigilance and resolve arose from his primordial spirit.
Prodigies always invited jealousy and covetousness.
In this cultivation world, far too many geniuses perished before they could truly grow.
Even with the deterrent of being a Xiaoyao disciple, it was inevitable that some unscrupulous people would take risks.
Shen Banxi cast a fierce look toward the demon world and the demon realm, then coldly swept his gaze across the Five Continents and the four seas.
If anyone dared to harm the future successor of their Spirit-Attuning Peak...
No, he wouldn't even allow such a possibility to exist.
Once his little junior sister officially joined the sect, he would arm her to the teeth.
...
Deep on the seabed, the seaweed corridor flashed with spiritual light—the result of the rank two middle stage sea spiders clashing with the arrays.
The trapping and attack arrays only affected those inside; if sea beasts from the outside wanted to enter, they still could.
Gu Ningyun and her four companions were not as fast as the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
By the time the five of them reached the seabed, they saw the three rank two middle stage sea spiders, along with an endless swarm of small spiders, breaking through three sets of mysterious-rank mid-grade arrays.
Inside the arrays, the small spiders were piled thick in death.
The three rank two middle stage sea spiders were also injured. The most severely hurt one had a hole pierced through the hard shell on its back.
The hole didn't look like it was caused by the arrays; it was likely an attack from the Yuebai Sect cultivators from outside the arrays before they were broken.
As soon as the arrays shattered, the eight Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Yuebai Sect, who had been waiting for this moment, split into groups of two or three to face the three rank two sea spiders.
The aftershocks of the Foundation Establishment combat continuously crushed the nearby small spiders.
However, these small spiders only retreated slightly, forming a tight perimeter and creating a thick sphere in the seawater.
They were merely waiting for the Foundation Establishment humans to exhaust their strength or show a weakness, at which point they would swarm forward and devour them whole.
As Gu Ningyun's group of five approached this surrounding sphere, the small spiders sensed their arrival. A group detached from the main swarm and surrounded the five of them.
The strings were silent.
Spirit energy flowed through Gu Ningyun's fingertips as she continuously plucked the strings, yet not a single sound emerged.
The first few layers of small spiders swimming at the front of the surrounding swarm suddenly slowed their movements.
As if they had consumed blue sea coral, their long legs became stiff as they paddled, and the four simple eyes on their backs grew dull.
This was the divine sense attack from 《The Mountain Has the Thorny Elm》. Whether on land or in the sea, it was formless and soundless.
Although the Yuebai Sect cultivators had agreed to cooperate with Gu Ningyun's group, they were still somewhat uneasy facing so many rank one sea spiders.
Even as they fought the rank two sea spiders, their divine sense remained focused on the situation of Gu Ningyun and the others.
Seeing this scene, the goatee cultivator paused his spellcasting for a moment. “What kind of melody is this? There isn't any sound at all.”
“Looking at the state of those small spiders, it should be an attack on their divine sense.”
The beauty mark cultivator swept his divine sense over the small spiders and understood immediately. He couldn't help but offer some praise. “Most sea beasts have powerful physical bodies. For this little girl to think of targeting their divine sense, she is indeed clever.”
Upon hearing this, the goatee cultivator shook his head repeatedly. “Not so, not so.
“While sea beasts do not cultivate their divine sense, how strong can the sea of consciousness of a Qi Refining stage cultivator be?
“She didn't choose to kill them directly but chose to control them instead.
“However, many of these small spiders are stronger than her or at her level. There are thousands of them, enough to make even you and me wary. She is only at Qi Refining level eight; how long can she last? She probably won't even hold out for ten breaths.”
Hearing his analysis, the other cultivators also grew concerned.
If these small spiders couldn't be held back, how could they dare to give their all against the rank two sea spiders?
The beauty mark cultivator also frowned.
But remembering the five children's previous performance, he steadied himself slightly. “It might not be as serious as you say. The five of them are quite capable.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the situation with the small spiders changed.
The spiders were surging toward Gu Ningyun's group layer by layer. Now that the front layers had slowed down, the ones behind them maintained their speed and were about to crash into the front layers and swarm over.
The long legs of the controlled spiders at the very front twitched, looking as though they were about to break free.
“To save her divine sense, the duration she controls each spider is extremely short!”
The goatee cultivator's voice was fast and urgent. “This method is good, but it heavily tests the synergy with her companions. If her companions don't understand her intent, or aren't strong enough to clear these spiders in such a short time, her control rhythm will be broken. Once the rhythm is lost, the spiders will swarm her, and her divine sense won't be able to hold!”
The beauty mark cultivator wondered how this man could speak so quickly. He raised his hand to block a rank two sea spider's leg, and his divine sense couldn't help but sweep toward the small spiders again.
A nine-year-old child with a straight back and a slender frame had her eyes tightly shut, appearing to have focused her entire soul onto the strings.
Her back was completely exposed and defenseless.
His heart suddenly tightened. “If these small spiders really go out of control, this child will be the first—”
Before he could finish, a sharp golden light tore into the circle of small spiders, shredding the front layers of the encirclement.
Following this light was a black spear and a young boy wielding it.
That spear strike was like the opening of a battle, flashing brilliantly before the beauty mark cultivator's divine sense.
As his divine sense scanned elsewhere, he saw the mace, the folding fan, and the peach wood sword all striking out at once. Red, blue, and white spiritual lights erupted everywhere.
Just as the first layer of small spiders was about to lose control, they were all killed by the four of them.
Then came the second layer, the third... all the way to the final controlled layer.
With such synergy and in such a short amount of time, the four of them wiped out all the spiders that had lost their ability to attack and had their weaknesses exposed. Not a single one was allowed past to their rear, and not a single one was permitted to interfere with Gu Ningyun's playing.
“Even if they can strike the weaknesses directly, killing five layers of surrounding spiders in such a short time is definitely no easy feat.”
The goatee cultivator took a deep breath of the cold seawater, which was thick with the scent of brine and fish.
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