This was the first time every member of Quiet Storm had moved as a cohesive unit. Successfully navigating the Seven Element Peaks would require them to work together, but their teamwork was far from effective.
When they split into pairs, Fall Night and Purple Night worked together, while Death Sword and Jagged formed the other team. Their coordination improved significantly when they fought alongside familiar partners. However, familiarity could sometimes breed contempt. Working with different teammates as a complete unit was an entirely different matter.
Nevertheless, Death Sword had begun turning the members of Unit 04 into a functioning team from the moment they entered the outer region of the first peak. This was not his first mission as a team leader. Having learned from his past mistakes, he understood the importance of teamwork.
One of the key points Death Sword emphasized was the ability to synchronize their attacks, create openings, and eliminate enemies swiftly. By coordinating their movements and striking at the right moment, they could end battles quickly while minimizing unnecessary injuries.
The Seven Element Peaks presented a formidable challenge to any cultivator who ventured into their depths. With every step forward, the monsters grew stronger, making each encounter increasingly dangerous.
In the outer regions of the first peak, cultivators faced monsters at the first tier of the Human Realm. As they progressed into the inner regions, these creatures could reach the peak stage of Tier 1. At the very heart of the first peak, near its highest point, the monsters revealed their true strength, beginning at Tier 2 of the Earth Realm.
Furthermore, the Seven Element Peaks were ranked numerically. The higher the number, the more dangerous the peak. The first peak was the weakest, while the seventh was the strongest.
Each peak possessed its own elemental affinity and was inhabited primarily by monsters of that element. These creatures gathered throughout the mountain, occupying the best locations for cultivation and guarding valuable treasures. According to rumors shared by several cultivators, multiple Terror-level ferocious beasts inhabited some of the peaks.
The first peak, for example, was associated with wind. It was home to numerous aerial beasts capable of generating powerful wind pressure, including Thundering Gales, Swift Hawks, Wind Wolves, and many other monsters that relied primarily on wind-based attacks.
That did not mean other types of monsters were absent. The elemental affinity of a peak merely determined the dominant types of creatures found there.
Of the four members of Unit 04, only Death Sword possessed the strength to challenge the monsters inhabiting the core region at the summit of the first peak. Even then, victory was far from guaranteed.
Fortunately, the rest of the team would only be approaching the inner region of the first peak. However, that did not mean Death Sword could simply march into the heart of every peak they encountered. Such recklessness would amount to suicide, and only someone like Jagged might willingly attempt something so foolish.
"Right now, we're in the outer region of the first peak. To reach the nearest peak, we must cross the inner region of this one. Passing through the fifth peak and then the third should take us where we need to go. If we stay near the farthest edge of the fifth peak's outer region, we should be able to cross into the third peak and descend toward the outskirts of Silver Lake City."
Death Sword explained the proposed route to the rest of Quiet Storm.
He glanced at Fall Night, wondering why he had agreed to this route back at the Elder's mansion. Unfortunately, it was too late to reconsider their options. For better or worse, Death Sword would have to focus on making the team work together.
"Why do we have to take that route?" Jagged demanded.
"Do you have a better route?" Death Sword asked irritably.
"I don't!" Jagged pouted.
"Jagged, if you don't have any ideas or a better option, shut your piehole!"
Purple Night walked over to Death Sword and examined the map.
"I see why Fall Night picked this route. It isn't necessarily the fastest, but it offers us the best opportunity to reach our destination without running into unnecessary trouble."
"Oh? Why do you say that, Purple Night?" Death Sword asked, turning toward her.
She pointed at the map.
"If we go through the second peak, we'll have to cross the sixth peak and then the fourth. If we choose the third peak directly, we'll still have to pass through the outer region of the first peak. Depending on the route we take, we might even have to cross the fifth and seventh peaks."
She paused to let her explanation sink in.
"However, if we look at it this way, we have a chance to lose any tails following us. I think that's the most important part."
"I see what you mean," Death Sword replied with an irritated sigh.
Purple Night had a point. The safest route was not necessarily the shortest, and the shortest route was not always the best choice when there was a chance they were being followed.
As Fall Night and Purple Night continued advancing through the first peak, they came across a small sand pit surrounded by blue grass. They were clearing the path while remaining alert for potential ambushes.
Purple Night wasted no time. She moved her hands through the air, using a wind talisman to establish a wind barrier around the team. She then tossed out a Tier 2 wind talisman to reinforce the formation and help them withstand the powerful winds sweeping across the mountain.
Meanwhile, Fall Night continued eliminating weaker monsters and collecting their cores to sell later.
Everyone looked at him strangely as he gathered everything of value, seemingly unwilling to let even the smallest resource go to waste.
Coming from a major clan meant understanding just how limited cultivation resources could be. If one wanted more, one had to seize every opportunity and make the most of whatever was available.
Although Fall Night disliked being assigned to this unit, that did not mean the arrangement offered no benefits. His need for resources was enormous. To advance his cultivation to the next level, he required nearly twice as many resources as someone else at the same cultivation level.
His battle prowess improved much faster than his cultivation realm, making the gap between his combat ability and cultivation level increasingly apparent.
Fall Night wasted no time collecting whatever he could use after their small-scale battles.
In the meantime, Death Sword surveyed the terrain of the first peak. The rough, uneven landscape of the outer region made traveling difficult and slow. Even so, Unit 04 was progressing relatively quickly.
Their current route was still preferable to circling the entire mountain range.
Venturing closer to the inner region, however, would be far more dangerous. They might encounter violent windstorms, cutting gales capable of leaving shallow wounds across their bodies, and hidden elemental dead zones that could kill even some of the strongest Earth Realm cultivators.
Death Sword called out to the group.
"Fall Night, you'll take the vanguard position. Purple Night, you'll cover him. Jagged and I will watch both of your backs."
Fall Night silently nodded without uttering a word.
Such an arrangement could be a double-edged sword. Benefits and disadvantages were two sides of the same coin, and a cultivator always had to remain cautious about who was watching them fight.
On the other hand, this was an excellent opportunity to acquire more resources and sharpen his combat skills.
Purple Night and Jagged both noticed Fall Night's indifferent attitude.
Purple Night thought to herself, *Death Sword is deliberately pushing Fall Night to reveal more of his skills and tactics. This should be intriguing, to say the least.*
Jagged had a different thought.
*Perhaps that little runt will get himself injured. Then I'll have a chance to cut off one of his limbs.*
"From this point onward, we need to move quickly and steadily. Staying in one place for too long will give the monsters time to regroup. They'll have the advantage in numbers and speed, so be prepared to eliminate enemies quickly."
Death Sword paused before continuing.
"We'll clean up the battlefield when necessary, but if the monsters are too weak to pose a threat, we'll leave their corpses behind and collect only their cores. Is that understood?"
He surveyed the group with a cold stare.
Fall Night merely stared back at him, as though thinking, *I've already been doing that.*
Jagged, Purple Night, and Fall Night nodded in agreement.
Fall Night took the vanguard position. Purple Night retrieved several seeking talismans, while Jagged drew his machetes.
The only one who did not draw a weapon was Death Sword.
Swoosh!
Fall Night abruptly halted when he spotted a pack of Storm Wolves surging toward him.
They were all in the middle stage of Tier 1. The Storm Wolves had an average growth rate, but they were renowned for traveling in large packs and possessing fierce dispositions.
These beasts stood approximately twenty-six to thirty-two inches tall, with bodies measuring five to six feet in length. Males could weigh as much as 150 pounds, while females could reach 120 pounds.
Fall Night glanced over his shoulder at the three people following him. After a moment's consideration, he pulled back his cloak, revealing what lay beneath.
The exterior was covered in scales from a young Emerald King Snake, while the interior was lined with dark reddish-golden bear fur.
Death Sword, Purple Night, and Jagged were taken aback by the unexpected revelation.
Fall Night had deliberately turned his cloak inside out to expose the Emerald King Snake scales rather than the golden bear fur. The scales offered superior resistance to wind-based attacks, whereas the bear fur relied on its thickness to absorb impacts. Against the sheer cutting force of sharp winds, the fur would offer considerably less protection.
As Fall Night released his aura, the combination of the Emerald King Snake scales and golden bear fur gave him an unsettling, desolate presence.
The conflicting scents of the two beasts also made it more difficult for the Storm Wolves to distinguish their true enemies.
Fall Night engaged the pack while its leader watched from a distance.
Purple Night quickly noticed that Fall Night's movements were different from before. He slipped in and out of the Storm Wolves' attack ranges with the precision of a seasoned fighter.
Death Sword and Jagged also studied his movements closely, searching for weaknesses and techniques they could learn to improve their own combat abilities.
Death Sword came from a renowned village of swordsmen, while Jagged belonged to a small, obscure clan. Purple Night, meanwhile, came from a prestigious clan on a distant continent whose location remained unknown to most cultivators.
As Purple Night carefully observed Fall Night's subtle movements, she finally realized what had changed.
He had adjusted his fighting style.
Rather than charging aggressively into the battle from the beginning, Fall Night was kiting the Storm Wolves, drawing them into unfavorable positions and making the battle easier to control.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he plunged deep into the pack.
His fists, palms, and kicks struck with ruthless precision, crippling every Storm Wolf that attempted to attack him.
The pack leader watched without moving an inch.
Finally, it released a powerful howl.
The remaining Storm Wolves immediately abandoned their attacks and retreated toward their leader.
"Should we pursue them?" Purple Night asked.
"No," Death Sword replied. "Fall Night, finish cleaning up the battlefield and collect the cores. Jagged, secure our perimeter and search for any Storm Wolves still lurking nearby. Purple Night, prepare more low-grade Swift Talismans. Once we enter the inner region, we may need to retreat if the number of monsters becomes too much for us to handle."
Fall Night nodded and quickly began extracting the cores.
Death Sword, Purple Night, and Jagged each claimed one core for themselves, while Fall Night kept the remainder.
It took them approximately two hours to finish processing the corpses. Fall Night skinned the mature and young Storm Wolves, making sure to collect as much blood and meat as possible.
Nothing useful was going to waste.
Afterward, the group resumed its journey.
Fall Night encountered more and more monsters as they traveled through the outer region of the first peak. His combat prowess continued to improve, and he made significant strides in mastering the basic skills he had learned from the Midnight Clan.
The battles grew increasingly fierce, forcing Purple Night to participate more actively in combat.
As a result, the coordination between Fall Night and Purple Night improved rapidly. They began synchronizing their attacks and adjusting their tactics to complement one another, making their encounters considerably easier.
During one battle, the two executed a perfect combination attack.
Purple Night unleashed **[Heaven Earth Lock: Burial]**, while Fall Night followed up with **[Heaven Clever]**.
The battle ended in an instant.
For the first time, everyone witnessed the true destructive power of Heaven Clever when combined with another technique.
Jagged and Death Sword stared at Fall Night, their hands clenched tightly.
If either of them had taken the full force of that attack, they would have suffered serious injuries.
It probably would not have killed them, but who would willingly become someone else's punching bag? A severe injury could set back a cultivator's progress for months, if not longer.
Fall Night himself was just as shocked as Jagged and Death Sword by the full power of Heaven Clever.
He had known the technique was formidable, but seeing its destructive potential in an actual battle was an entirely different experience.
Eventually, Unit 04 entered the inner region.
Purple Night moved her hands through the air, unleashing one skill after another. She had finally begun using one of the new talismans she had created with the rune formations from the book she had obtained from Fall Night.
Jagged fought like a wild beast on the battlefield, charging through enemies without caring who stood in his way.
Fall Night adapted to the situation, adjusting his tactics to cover Jagged's blind spots and compensate for his reckless fighting style.
Death Sword carefully observed the teamwork of the three.
The weakest link in their formation was Jagged's tendency to rampage across the battlefield. His reckless movements created too many openings and disrupted the team's overall coordination.
If this continued, someone might suffer hidden injuries before they ever reached the Everlasting Continent.
Death Sword sighed in disdain at Jagged's behavior.
Their combined strength could be far more explosive. With proper coordination, they could eliminate enemies almost instantly. Yet their current teamwork was being undermined by a single loose cannon.
Death Sword took control of the formation and reined in Jagged's wild rampage. He also made several adjustments to their positions.
Jagged would now take the vanguard, with Fall Night supporting him. Purple Night and Death Sword would assume supporting roles.
Although this arrangement limited Fall Night's freedom of movement, it gave the team greater flexibility when dealing with monsters.
"We're leaving the inner region of the first peak and heading toward the outer region of the fifth peak. We'll rest between the two peaks. Jagged, you'll take the first watch, followed by Purple Night, then me, and finally Fall Night."
"Sounds good to me, Death Sword," Purple Night replied.
"I have no objections to the arrangement," Fall Night added.
"Why do I have to take the first watch?" Jagged complained.
Everyone stared at him as though he were an idiot.
Yet no one bothered to answer.
"Jagged, can you stop rampaging through every battle?" Fall Night asked, his voice carrying a hint of irritation.
"I do what I want! I dare you to stop me!" Jagged barked back.
A cold chuckle escaped Fall Night's lips.
The seal within him flared, and an eerie sensation crept across Purple Night's skin. The hairs on Jagged's arms stood on end.
"Fall Night!" Purple Night called out sharply.
"What?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Purple Night asked, visibly shocked by Fall Night's attitude.
"Obviously, I'm talking to my captain." Fall Night sneered.
Jagged's expression darkened.
"Listen here, you immature brat! I'll crush you until your bones ache!"
"Hahaha! Now this is more like it!" Jagged exclaimed, his excitement growing.
"All of you, stop! Now!" Death Sword commanded, fixing them with a cold stare.
"You got lucky, Fall Night," Purple Night sneered.
"Hahaha. Right, right. Perhaps I am." Fall Night's voice remained cold.
Before anyone could say another word, Death Sword drew **Noble Death**.
He moved like a crimson blur, slashing Jagged across the chest with a shallow cut that drew blood. He immediately reversed direction and struck Fall Night on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword.
Fall Night crumpled to the ground, knocked unconscious.
In the next instant, Death Sword stood directly in front of Purple Night, Noble Death resting against her neck.
"Are you going to do it, Death Sword?" Purple Night asked playfully, a hint of mischief in her voice.
"Don't tempt me to rip off your mask."
Death Sword suddenly slashed downward across her chest, cutting through her cloak and outer garment without breaking her skin.
Purple Night stumbled backward, her expression turning cold as she stared at him.
After the brief altercation, Death Sword simply continued making arrangements for the team as though nothing had happened.
Purple Night and Jagged both nodded in acknowledgment.
When Fall Night finally regained consciousness, he instinctively reached for the back of his head. His fingers found a painful lump where Death Sword had struck him with the hilt of Noble Death.
Purple Night approached him and explained Death Sword's arrangements.
Fall Night listened before turning his head toward Death Sword and giving a small nod.
Death Sword said nothing. He merely stared coldly at everyone, and they returned his gaze with equally stern expressions.
The next peak would be the most difficult and dangerous one they would encounter on this journey. Death Sword knew that once morning arrived, their best option would be to move quickly through the fifth peak and reach the third.
Spending too much time fighting on the fifth peak would be equivalent to asking for a coffin.
However, as the old saying went, there was no treasure without risk.
Sometimes, the price of that risk was one's life. Since none of them wanted to die before their time, knowing when to retreat was essential.
After all, discretion was the better part of valor.
In the cultivation world, however, nothing was ever as simple as one might wish.
Cultivators would kill for resources just as gangsters would kill for money and wealth.