A huge yellow willow-leaf arrow shot out and pierced the body of a four-winged white crow from afar. Then the willow arrow returned to the silkworm Gu floating in midair, around which layers of armor in the shape of palm leaves formed, along with extremely sharp currents of wind.
Fang Tian's group was surrounded by hundreds of four-winged white crows. Fighting in the air was extremely difficult for them, as they had to protect the flying silkworm Gu while battling the crows. A Gu Master from their group, named Wu Gao Yun, shouted.
He was pushing his defensive Gu worm to the limit, greatly increasing the burden on his primeval essence expenditure. Although he was at the middle stage, such violent usage of Gu worms placed enormous strain on his primeval essence.
"Fang Tian! Descend to the ground, we can't display our full strength in the air!"
Fang Tian was in a miserable state as well. He continued to pour primeval essence into the silkworm Gu while using the Palm Canopy Gu to completely envelop it. Even he began to feel the level of his primeval sea gradually dropping, and it wouldn't be long before it was exhausted.
"We're dropping now, get ready!"
Hundreds of crows struck the Palm Canopy armor every second, either shattering upon the shield or being shredded by the wind currents. Their group wasn't faring any better; although they unleashed attacks that looked powerful, they couldn't display their full strength, at most showing only thirty percent of it.
"Hurry up, you lazy idiot!"
Wu Ji urged impatiently. At that moment, Fang Tian withdrew all his primeval essence from the silkworm Gu, and Wu Ji pulled it into her aperture.
"Jumping Grass Gu!"
The group fell dozens of meters toward the ground, each of them using their own methods to land—some created wind currents, some emerged from the ground, while others simply crashed down. The crows followed at great speed, but the group quickly adapted and gained the advantage of solid ground.
Wu Ji unleashed explosive qi punches toward the flock of crows, while Fang Tian sent out giant swallow birds. One of the Gu Masters spat poisonous fog that moved according to his thoughts, and dozens of birds fell at once.
A loud caw shook the air as a four-winged white crow, twice the size of its peers, appeared. The crow let out another screech and charged.
"Tsk, you should've shown yourself from the start!"
Fang Tian sent out a willow arrow and easily cut down the Hundred-Beast King.
"This is getting annoying. This is the third beast group we've encountered while flying. The problem is that we can't display our full strength in the air; even a mere Hundred-Beast group becomes extremely troublesome, not to mention Thousand-Beast groups, or if we run into Rank Four or Rank Five beasts, and there are also wild Gu worms to worry about."
One of the accompanying Gu Masters complained with annoyance as he collected parts of the Hundred-Beast King. The man was right—this was the third beast group they had encountered, and even Fang Tian was starting to find it vexing. They couldn't escape due to the slow speed of the silkworm Gu, leaving them with no choice but to stop and fight every time. If they were to encounter a Thousand-Beast King with its group, their situation would be extremely dire, and they might lose one or two members of their team.
The group came to a unanimous decision to proceed on foot, where they held the advantage, even though it would greatly delay their expected arrival. There was no other choice, but Fang Tian felt somewhat dissatisfied. He wanted to hurry to the border with the Yang Clan to begin his plan, complete their mission, and then return to the Wu Clan.
Thus, the group moved on in three pairs. Fang Tian walked beside Wu Ji, while the stout Gu Master moved with Wu Gao Yun, and at the rear, the Gu Master who had spat poisonous fog earlier walked beside a woman in her thirties.
They moved through the vast forests of Southern Border for several hours until they entered a massive mountain shrouded in a veil of mist, where they could only make out hazy silhouettes of trees. Wu Ji raised her head, her sharp gaze seemingly seeing the mountain clearly.
"This is Yin Jin Mountain. The Yin Clan resides on this mountain. They are a large-scale clan led by a Rank Five Gu Master at the initial stage… They also have two Rank Four elders and several Rank Three elders, and they control the entire mountain. However, that's fine—the Yin Clan is an ally of the Wu Clan and won't make things difficult for us."
"Oh, the Yin Clan—aren't they the same clan that's attacking Ju Xian Mountain and waging war with the Yan Zu Clan?"
The female Gu Master mentioned some information she had heard somewhere, but to Fang Tian, it was like a bombshell. He barely maintained his composure and asked as if the matter didn't concern him.
"Strange. Why would righteous-path clans wage open war without clear reasons for the masses?.. The Yin Clan must be hiding some secret."
"I don't think there's anything hidden. The reason I know is that the grandson of the Yin Clan's leader was killed by a Gu Master of the Yan Zu Clan. The old man flew into a rage and gathered his clan's forces to attack."
Fang Tian listened in silence as they continued moving toward Yin Jin Mountain. When they drew within several kilometers, they detected a team of seven Gu Masters. The team was led by a Rank Three elder with a sallow face and a square jaw distorted by scars, his sideburns growing into an incomplete beard.
"We've already been noticed, and now a team of Gu Masters led by a Rank Three elder is heading our way."
The stout man laughed disdainfully.
"A Rank Three elder? These small clans really have a ridiculous system."
The Yin Clan Gu Masters quickly advanced and appeared before them. From their expressions, Fang Tian could tell they were extremely nervous. He couldn't blame them—their appearance was sudden, and the strength of Fang Tian's group was formidable. Even against Rank Four Gu Masters, they could fight and retreat if necessary. The elder stepped forward quickly and bowed in a flattering manner.
"Brothers, may I ask which clan you are from, and what is your purpose in approaching our Yin Clan?"
Wu Gao Yun stepped forward from their group, returned the bow with clasped fists, and spoke loudly.
"We are a team from the Wu Clan, dispatched to carry out a clan mission. As for why we came to Yin Jin Mountain, it is to request a few days of rest before departing!"
The Yin Clan elder's expression softened, and he nodded in thanks, while the Rank Two Gu Masters behind him relaxed.
"So they are honored guests—our Yin Clan welcomes you, and it is our honor to host heroes of the Wu Clan!"
The Wu Clan's influence spread throughout all of Southern Border, its power immeasurable. Even other super clans could not resist it alone, let alone a mere large-scale clan.
Thus, Fang Tian, Wu Ji, and their group found themselves welcomed as guests at Yin Jin Mountain.