Chapter 1064: A Meager Harvest

"Crack!"

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, startling Yi Feng.

This cursed place, the weather changes in an instant.

Seeing dark clouds gathering overhead, he temporarily set aside his grudge against the bald bandit and continued forward, heading toward the bright valley in the distance.

After a quick sprint, he soon entered the valley.

The dark clouds were left far behind, and the sky ahead was clear and bright.

Basking in the sunlight, Yi Feng's mood improved slightly.

With renewed vigor, he searched for the path ahead and soon had some good luck.

At a bend in the valley, a new ice fortress appeared.

From a distance, it looked quite well-built, with doors and windows intact. Even though it was made of ice blocks, it was fully equipped.

In this icy river valley, having such an ice fortress gave it a bit of a fairy-tale vibe.

Standing beside the ice fortress were some long-eared demons, their small figures sneaking around.

It looked a bit out of place.

Yi Feng didn't mind, though. In fact, his eyes lit up.

"Finally, some monsters."

Although the demons looked quite ordinary, with nothing special about their appearance or size, there were over a hundred of them, densely packed around the ice fortress.

Quantity over quality.

At least, he felt motivated to take action, and it seemed like he was about to score his first victory of the day!

Having experienced a robbery, Yi Feng had become more cautious.

He quietly surveyed his surroundings, making sure there were no other competitors around.

Then, gripping his machete, he charged forward at full speed!

Yi Feng rushed toward the ice fortress with his machete.

The group of long-eared demons wasn't even as tall as him. Suddenly encountering a human attack, they were both shocked and furious, cursing and brandishing their weapons.

But after witnessing Yi Feng cutting through them like vegetables, all that remained was a chorus of wails.

The fierce human chased after the little demons, creating a ridiculous and absurd scene.

After a series of howls and cries, the little demons lay dead all over the ground.

Yi Feng sheathed his machete, feeling a bit of consolation.

His experience had finally increased a little, so at least he hadn't come back empty-handed.

But looking at the small demon corpses scattered across the ground, he couldn't feel much of a sense of accomplishment. At most, it was just a bit of consolation.

These demons were about three feet tall.

Aside from their long ears, there was nothing particularly special about them. Their experience value was mediocre, so they probably weren't powerful demons.

Recalling Zhongli Meng's words.

Resting his chin on his hand, Yi Feng pondered for a moment.

"Hmm..."

"That bald bastard is probably the girl's competitor. Shamelessly stealing others' monsters, he's probably not a good person either."

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and Yi Feng's impression of the bald old man deepened.

Thinking back to Zhongli Meng's earlier promise about collecting monster corpses.

Yi Feng had made up his mind, his eyes showing a bit more determination.

"That bald bastard is really shameless. The girl probably can't compete with him."

"It seems I'll have to take these corpses back. They're small, but they should still be of some use. I absolutely can't let that bandit win over the girl!"

No sooner said than done, Yi Feng immediately got to work.

The little demons were easy to collect, requiring almost no effort. It was as simple and clean as picking cabbages, and he didn't even leave behind any severed limbs.

Just as he finished collecting his spoils, Yi Feng was about to continue forward.

A familiar voice rang out, ethereal and gentle, as if coming from a great distance.

"Everyone, night is about to fall. Please return to the place where we separated earlier to regroup!"

Yi Feng was startled.

He hadn't gone far, and yet the day was almost over.

He had only collected a few small demons, and his experience hadn't increased much. It was an unlucky start, and he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

But since the girl had already sent the message, there was nothing he could do.

He chalked it up to the bald old man and had no choice but to retrace his steps.

...

At the crossroads of the Bloody Hills.

Zhongli Meng and the others had already returned safely, with only Yi Feng missing.

Just as she was anxiously looking around, Yi Feng emerged from the river valley.

Zhongli Meng breathed a sigh of relief and gestured for Yi Feng to sit down and rest.

Then, she looked at everyone with anticipation.

"Since everyone has returned safely, let's tally up our harvests!"

As soon as her voice fell, a young junior brother smiled and bowed.

A flash of light came from his storage ring, and more than ten giant corpses lay on the ice!

Immediately, there were exclamations of surprise and praise.

"Junior Brother Feng is truly remarkable! In such a short time, he's already killed thirteen demons!"

"It seems Junior Brother Feng's cultivation has improved greatly. Congratulations!"

"Now that we see it, Senior Sister Zhongli's strategy is indeed effective!"

"With Senior Sister Zhongli's brilliant plan and talented individuals like Junior Brother Feng, we might still have a chance!"

"Not at all, it's all thanks to Senior Sister Zhongli's divine calculations. I dare not take credit. You flatter me, senior brothers."

Several fellow disciples praised him in succession, also complimenting Zhongli Meng with high emotional intelligence.

The once oppressive and gloomy atmosphere gradually eased.

Yi Feng also stood up and looked over, seeing the more than ten giant demon corpses on the ground.

The corpses were over ten feet tall, with sharp teeth and claws, and their faces were hideous. They looked extremely terrifying, clearly much more impressive than the small demons he had collected.

With a glance, Yi Feng also gained a new respect for the young man who had bowed politely.

Then, the others also began to display their harvests.

Various demon corpses were laid out on the ice, all of them large in size, including some terrifying silver-white skeletons.

Exclamations of amazement rose one after another, and the old man also waved his Taoist robe sleeves.

Nearly thirty giant demon corpses appeared, pushing the atmosphere of excitement to a new height!

Amidst the joy, the team was filled with expectant and delighted faces.

All eyes turned to Zhongli Meng.

Zhongli Meng's face was calm, her confident smile pleasing to the eye.

With a flick of her jade finger, a stream of light flashed from her storage ring.

A burst of golden light exploded on the ice before them. When the light faded, more than thirty demon corpses were revealed, directly igniting the atmosphere!

"My heavens!"

"A full thirty-four demons, almost as many as Elder Song!"

"Not just that! That long-faced demon seems to be from a powerful demon clan, stronger and more valuable, equivalent to ten ordinary demons!"

"Senior Sister Zhongli's skills are truly extraordinary!"

"Who wouldn't say so? Compared to Senior Sister Zhongli, we are far behind!"

Amidst the excited praises, everyone's eyes were filled with excitement.

The fellow disciples spoke with reverence, and the old man also smiled and stroked his beard.

The previous oppression and frustration had transformed into immense joy after this adventurous expedition. Everyone's eyes now held a bit of confidence!

Zhongli Meng's clear eyes shone with hope as she smiled and encouraged her fellow disciples.

"You all are too kind. I was just a bit luckier. As long as we work together, there's still hope for this disciple competition!"

Everyone's spirits were lifted, and they nodded in agreement.

In this uplifting atmosphere, even Yi Feng, who had been quietly watching, felt a sense of relief and感慨.

These people are truly impressive.

Everyone had their own harvests, and the spoils were all massive, each more impressive than the last. Especially the girl, who had collected so many powerful demon corpses.

This is truly a battle of gods, with experts everywhere!

Compared to them, my measly little harvest is really too embarrassing to mention. It's a miracle I'm not being laughed at.

The more you fear something, the more it happens.

Just as Yi Feng was quietly trying to blend in, Zhongli Meng turned to him with a smile.

"Mr. Yi, where did you go? If you have any harvest, feel free to hand it over. I will surely repay you generously in the future."

Her gentle voice fell, and all eyes turned to him with kindness.

Everyone knew Yi Feng came from an ordinary background, but his willingness to take risks and help was already admirable. No matter how much he had harvested, he would be respected.

Even if he returned empty-handed, no one would mind.

But under everyone's gaze, Yi Feng felt awkward.

"Uh..."

"I do have a little harvest."

Feeling embarrassed, Yi Feng scratched the back of his head and forced a smile.

"It's just that my harvest is small and ordinary. A few of them together aren't even as big as one of your demon corpses. It might not meet your standards, which is really quite embarrassing..."

As soon as he spoke, everyone smiled encouragingly, as expected.

Zhongli Meng nodded magnanimously and comforted him gently.

"It's alright. I'm already grateful that you came to help. Any harvest must have been hard-earned. Even if it's just one demon, this act of righteousness will be remembered by me!"

The others also chimed in with words of encouragement.

In this harmonious atmosphere, the elderly Song Xugu felt deeply moved.

Most people chase fame and fortune, and those who vie for vanity are countless. It's rare to find those who support each other in times of hardship, and even rarer to find someone who helps out of the blue.

Looking at the awkward Yi Feng, Song Xugu spoke with calm encouragement.

"Mr. Yi, there's no need to belittle yourself."

"In my many years, I've rarely seen someone as righteous and passionate as you. We are all helping Zhongli girl together. How can there be any distinction of high or low among us?"

Seeing the old man offer comfort, Yi Feng could only nod helplessly.

"Alright then, you can see if it meets your standards."

With that, a faint light flashed from his storage ring.

The ice before them was bathed in light, though the area wasn't large, seemingly confirming Yi Feng's words that his harvest was quite ordinary.

But when the light faded, everyone's eyes suddenly widened.

"Huh?"

Zhongli Meng's clear eyes grew larger, filled with surprise and disbelief!

On the ice before them.

There were actually over a hundred demon corpses, a dark mass of them, reaching a staggering number. Although their size was indeed small, in terms of quantity alone, it was almost equal to the combined harvest of everyone present.

The entire place fell silent, shock written all over their faces!