Chapter 85: The Trio Amidst the Tempest (Part Two)

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not close to this guy at all," Geng Xiao retorted, feeling his face flush with embarrassment as he cast his gaze up at the azure sky.

"What? Do you both think I'm just bragging?" Bai Ze, catching the look on Ji Mo and Geng Xiao's faces, immediately raised his voice in protest. Ji Mo and Geng Xiao turned their faces away in unison, pointedly ignoring the shameless loudmouth.

From that moment, the trio destined to shake the heavens and all realms—the Stormwind Three—was officially formed. Since Ji Mo had brought along a good amount of spices pilfered from Moon City, the three of them enjoyed a variety of delicious meals nearly every day thereafter. As for ingredients, with Bai Ze and Geng Xiao, two formidable powerhouses, there was never any need for concern.

Though both Bai Ze and Geng Xiao had long since reached the level where they could abstain from food, Bai Ze was a born glutton. Back in his sect days, unless he was in seclusion, he never deprived himself—if he could get his hands on something edible, he'd eat it. Geng Xiao, on the other hand, wasn't particularly passionate about food, but he couldn't resist the mouthwatering aroma of Ji Mo's roasted meats.

At first, he maintained a semblance of restraint, only sampling a little. But after a while, he became no different from Bai Ze. Ji Mo found himself having to roast several hundred pounds of meat each time just to satisfy these two bottomless pits. It had to be said—the people of the Moon Clan were born gourmets; no one could resist the temptations conjured by their seasonings.

"Geng Xiao, I never thought I'd see the day when the two of us would meet and not come to blows, but instead sit together, feasting and drinking," Bai Ze said, tearing into a chunk of freshly roasted beast meat. He and Geng Xiao had met in their twenties, and their friendship had begun with a fight. For over two centuries afterward, every encounter ended in a brawl, each parting ways afterward—never before had they sat together in such peaceful camaraderie.

"There are plenty of things you never imagined," Geng Xiao replied without looking up, his eating speed no slower than Bai Ze's. Though they no longer fought physically, their verbal sparring never ceased.

"Heh, there's a few gluttons here—You Yue, Zhao Yun. Looks like we haven't had a sparring match in a while. I hope these guys are worth our time." Just as Ji Mo, Geng Xiao, and Bai Ze were eating heartily, their faces gleaming with satisfaction, a discordant voice sounded behind them.

The voice was hoarse, tinged with excitement—clearly a battle-hungry soul. Ji Mo, sitting opposite Geng Xiao and Bai Ze, instinctively looked up. She saw three young men, looking to be in their twenties, some thirty yards away.

The speaker wore earth-yellow battle garb, chewing on a twig that was neither quite a grass nor a wood. Behind him were two others—one in black, one in a violet robe. These were evidently the You Yue and Zhao Yun he'd mentioned.

"Eh? Why is there a little girl at the Qi Refining stage?" The moment Ji Mo looked up, the trio not only saw her face but also pierced straight through her cultivation. The violet-robed youth looked at her in surprise. Ji Mo lowered her gaze, silently grabbing her unfinished roast meat and stuffing it into her storage pouch.

As expected, no sooner had she stashed away the remaining slab of roast meat than Bai Ze shoved the last of his into his mouth. A cold glint flashed in his large round eyes as he addressed Geng Xiao, "Geng Xiao, looks like some fools have come courting death. Let's deal with them first, then continue eating."

The newcomers, hearing Bai Ze and Geng Xiao's exchange, flew into a rage. But before they could act, an iron staff and a jet-black curved blade came crashing down upon them, thundering with overwhelming might. All three of the newcomers were peak Foundation Establishment cultivators. To be allowed into the Flame Domain, none were ordinary. Yet Geng Xiao and Bai Ze were even more domineering, attacking without a word of warning, striking to kill at first sight. Although shocked and angered, the three were undaunted.

They drew their weapons—a saber, a sword, and a hammer—and charged at Geng Xiao and Bai Ze, shouting battle cries. As for Ji Mo, the moment Bai Ze spoke, she pulled a blue shield over her head and fled at top speed, stopping atop a high sand dune several hundred yards away. There, she turned and watched the battlefield from afar.

With her current cultivation, she barely qualified to spectate from this distance, but she was protected by a fine defensive robe, and after the three had allied, Bai Ze—finding her realm too low and fearing that without her, there'd be no one left to cook—had given her a protective shield as well. With this double insurance, she could watch the battle from a safe distance without fear of harm.

The trio had been allied for over three months. In that time, whenever they encountered Foundation Establishment-level beasts, none could withstand Bai Ze and Geng Xiao. Thus, Ji Mo had yet to witness them fight at full strength. Now, three cultivators from the Ten Great Cultivation Realms had appeared. Who knew how the battle would end? If Geng Xiao and Bai Ze were defeated, then the Stormwind Three, just three months established, would meet its demise. Ji Mo, standing at a distance, couldn't help but let her thoughts wander.

Boom! As Ji Mo drifted into speculation, Geng Xiao and Bai Ze clashed head-on with the three challengers. A deafening roar thundered out, waves of red sand blasting dozens of yards into the air, instantly engulfing the five combatants.

Even a hundred yards away, shielded by her defensive gear, Ji Mo felt her blood surging from the shock. Alarmed, she retreated even farther. Fortunately, the three opponents were fully occupied by Bai Ze and Geng Xiao, leaving her unnoticed—a mere small fry able to observe in peace.

The battle raged for over half an hour, red sand billowing skyward, the very heavens swirling. Any beast that strayed within a hundred miles fled in terror at the commotion. Though Ji Mo continually adjusted her position and was protected by both robe and shield, her strength was far inferior to the fighters. More than once, she failed to evade the aftershocks and was sent blood spraying from her mouth.

At last, with an earth-shattering crash, three figures were hurled from the sandstorm, each landing far apart and rolling away before vanishing from sight. As the three disappeared, the flying sand slowly settled.

Ji Mo hurried over to the battlefield, where she saw Bai Ze and Geng Xiao slowly emerging from the sand. She looked closely—their faces were ashen, blood streaking their lips. Clearly, they too had sustained serious injuries in the fierce contest.

"Brother Bai, Brother Geng, are you all right?" Ji Mo couldn't help but ask, seeing their condition.

Bai Ze wiped the blood from his lips, responding nonchalantly, "It's nothing, just some minor wounds. The cultivators from the Ten Great Worlds are truly formidable—not a single one is simple."

"If they were weak, they wouldn't have been sent into the Flame Domain," Geng Xiao replied calmly.

"Hehe, I think you two are already amazing—two against three and still forced them, wounded, to flee," Ji Mo laughed, giving them a discreet thumbs-up and a little flattery. Geng Xiao shot her a cold glance that made her shiver, while Bai Ze shrugged and asked Ji Mo to bring out the rest of the roast meat, so the three could continue their meal.

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, a year slipped by. During this year, Bai Ze and Geng Xiao had fought fifty-eight battles, more than thirty of which were deadly struggles against other cultivators. The ferocity of these fights often left Ji Mo's scalp tingling. In over twenty-five of those encounters, their foes were slain to the last, while Bai Ze and Geng Xiao suffered grievous injuries. The rest ended in stalemates.

More than twenty other battles saw them facing spirit beasts. At first, Ji Mo couldn't gauge just how formidable the two were—she was only a Qi Refining cultivator and had never seen higher-level combat. But after witnessing them take on spirit beasts of the Transformation stage, she could form a basic judgment: Though both were only Foundation Establishment cultivators, their true strength far surpassed her own master, who, while a high-level Nascent Soul cultivator, was renowned for her prowess among peers.

Realizing the true extent of their power, Ji Mo was left in shock. Could it be that the cultivators from the Ten Great Worlds were that much stronger than those from Qingxuan Realm? According to Bai Ze and Geng Xiao, the geniuses of the Flameborn Clan were a cut above even them. With her current self, would it not be suicide to enter the Flameborn Clan's Qi Refining tournament?

It wasn't that Ji Mo lacked confidence—she knew herself well enough. With her cultivation technique and innate affinity for the five elements, she didn't feel inferior to any talent of her rank. The problem was, her cultivation was still too low—still at the fourth stage of Qi Refining. Her body tempering had advanced by a minor realm in the past year, reaching the fifth stage of Mortal Transcendence.

Now, having reached the fifth stage, Ji Mo dared not push further. If she broke through to the sixth stage, she'd be forced into the Foundation Establishment tournament. She lacked confidence even for the Qi Refining tournament; to be thrown into the Foundation Establishment stage would be certain death.

"Ji Mo, don't fret. There's still two years left. We'll help you search for a five-element spiritual vein. If you can push your spiritual cultivation up two minor levels, with your strength, you might really shine," Bai Ze said one day after they had eaten their fill, burping as he tried to reassure the lately anxious Ji Mo. (To be continued...)