Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 39 - Ruthless

 Yuan Ying instinctively felt that Zhang Yiyi, being only at the Qi Refining stage and weaker than all of them, would naturally need extra protection since she was unarmed.

However, she had forgotten that none of them could use spiritual power now, and their cultivation levels were meaningless.

No wonder her fellow disciples from the Yunxian Sect didn't plan to give Zhang Yiyi any special care. It wasn't just a lack of camaraderie as she had assumed—more likely, they understood Zhang Yiyi's true strength.

In their current state, all these cultivators were like ordinary people fighting. In such an environment, those with stronger physiques and harder fists had the advantage.

She must have misjudged Zhang Yiyi from the start. Although Zhang Yiyi appeared delicate and soft, she was far from useless. Even if she was only at the Qi Refining stage, she was clearly not weaker than someone at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Otherwise, the elders of the Yunxian Sect wouldn't have foolishly sent a personal disciple to die.

As more and more mutated sand rats appeared, both Yuan Ying and the others fought with bloodshot eyes, completely engrossed in the battle, focused solely on fighting for their lives with no time to worry about anyone else.

Just when everyone was on the verge of exhaustion, the last mutated sand rat finally fell dead. The desert was nearly stained red with blood.

Almost seven hundred mutated sand rats had been completely wiped out. The thick stench of blood was nauseating, and the corpses, mangled beyond recognition, were strewn everywhere, making the scene resemble a slaughterhouse in hell.

After a headcount, they found that, except for the disciples from the Yunxian Sect and Lishan Sect, who were unharmed, half of the members from the other sects had either died or been injured.

Most of the deaths occurred at the beginning when some panicked and were bitten to death by the mutated sand rats. Some even had their hearts gouged out and bellies torn open by the creatures' sharp claws, dying in horrific ways.

Fewer people died later on, mostly from exhaustion or excessive blood loss.

Regardless of how they died, those who lost their lives were all reduced to bare bones, devoured by the swarm of mutated sand rats. Dignified Foundation Establishment cultivators had become food for low-level demonic beasts, a truly unjust and humiliating way to die.

Of the original twenty-four people heading southwest, only fourteen remained.

The fact that a group of mere first-rank demonic beasts had caused nearly half their group to die or be injured was enough to send chills down the spines of the survivors.

They all knew this was just the beginning.

No one knew when they'd be able to regain their spiritual power. Until then, anything more dangerous that appeared in the desert could claim their lives.

What made it worse was that they were now no different from ordinary people and needed food and water to sustain their bodies. Although they had some supplies in their storage pouches, they couldn't open them without spiritual power, rendering the pouches useless.

It was possible they might not even encounter other dangers—they could simply starve or die of thirst first.

"Let's rest for a while!"

"I'm exhausted!"

Having drained their physical strength and pushed their mental endurance to the limit, these so-called elites no longer cared about maintaining appearances. They sat down right in the bloodied field of demonic corpses, gasping for breath.

"This place isn't safe. We'll rest for the duration of one incense stick and then leave immediately," Mo Yan instructed, his breath now steady. He quickly addressed the two junior sisters from his sect and the three disciples from the Lishan Sect.

When his gaze swept over Zhang Yiyi, he paused for a moment, a flash of surprise crossing his face before he quickly regained his composure.

That brief moment of surprise caused the others to instinctively glance in Zhang Yiyi's direction, and they too were momentarily stunned.

It was only now that they noticed the area around Zhang Yiyi was piled with the bodies of mutated sand rats. These bodies were completely different from the ones they had killed.

Not only had she killed far more than any of them, but the bodies were intact, with not a drop of blood visible on the wounds.

It was obvious she hadn't used any weapons—she had killed all of them with her bare fists, straightforward and brutal.

Yet the one responsible for this ruthless display was a soft, delicate-looking young woman who seemed no older than eighteen or nineteen, her face and body spotless, in stark contrast to their blood-soaked and disheveled appearances.

Most of them didn't know Zhang Yiyi, but the stark contrast made them quietly marvel. When had the Yunxian Sect produced such a formidable figure?

Zhang Yiyi immediately sensed the deeper meaning behind their gazes.

Not wanting to stand out too much at this moment, she voluntarily offered an explanation: "I have tempered my body and am a physical cultivator. When we can't use spiritual energy, my physical advantage naturally surpasses yours."

Her explanation was enough to convince them. If she was a physical cultivator, then it made sense that she was stronger in the current circumstances.

Aside from a few who gave Zhang Yiyi a second glance with other thoughts in mind, the rest of the group quickly stowed away their surprise and stopped paying attention to her.

"Daoist Mo, only fourteen of us remain. Would it be possible for us to join forces with you? At least until our spiritual power returns, it would be safer for all of us," someone politely asked Mo Yan, cupping their hands in respect.

Given the current situation, they didn't know what dangers lay ahead. The more people they had, the better their chances of survival.

Mo Yan understood this reasoning. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded without consulting the two junior sisters or the three disciples from the Lishan Sect.

"You may travel with us, but during this time, you must follow my orders. If we encounter danger, you are responsible for your own lives. Don't expect anyone to go out of their way to save you."

His words were blunt and realistic, but no one could argue with them.

To put it bluntly, even if they could still use their spiritual energy, no one would risk their life to save someone they had no personal connection to, especially in times of crisis.

The others had no objections. This arrangement was, after all, the most practical.

"Senior Sister, do you know who that person is?"

Zhang Yiyi sat beside Yuan Ying and whispered in her ear.

She was referring to the person who had first asked Mo Yan for permission to join their group and who had also been the one to calm everyone down when the mutated sand rats first attacked.

"Judging by his clothing, he's from the Nine Spirits Sect, but he's probably just an itinerant disciple," Yuan Ying replied, following Zhang Yiyi's gaze and understanding why Yiyi had taken special note of him.

She continued, "Itinerant disciples are essentially rogue cultivators hired by the Nine Spirits Sect at a high price to help them compete for the celestial artifact."

As for his name, Yuan Ying didn't know. But judging by his demeanor, he seemed far from ordinary.

Calm under pressure, experienced, and quite strong—it made her wonder where the Nine Spirits Sect had found such a valuable asset. If they safely made it out of the secret realm, she thought it might be worth trying to recruit him for her own sect.