I Can Recognize Everything, But the Information is Wrong

"The Demon Forest is seldom entered; while the beasts on the outskirts are manageable, the deeper you go, the stronger the beasts become and the less tolerant they are of intruders."

After Ju Yunhai finished speaking, he took out four incense burners from his storage bag.

The ropes on the small burners were made of spiritual silk, and Ju Yunhai first hung one around his own neck and tapped the one strapped to his waist.

A spark ignited inside the burner, releasing a faint smoke.

The smell was unpleasant, and if an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator inhaled it, they would likely become dizzy and nauseous.

Fortunately, the six present all had formidable cultivation.

"This sulfur incense can repel insects, preventing us from being attacked by the toxins inside."

Ju Yunhai handed the other three burners to Tian Lin and two others, but ignored the two sword holders.

It wasn't because the sword holders had low status that he overlooked them.

Rather, the burners and the incense within weren't easily obtainable; he had limited supplies and was reluctant to share.

"When it comes to the cost of incense, Brother Ju, be sure to let me know."

Tian Lin didn't want to take advantage of a friend, but Ju Yunhai said, "Although I am not as wealthy as Brother Zhou, a bit of incense doesn't require you to fuss over the price, Brother Tian."

Tian Lin didn't bother arguing, but he decided he would repay him later.

Everyone hung incense around their waists, but aside from Tian Lin and Sister Jia, Mei Xiangu, while wearing incense, did not light the burner.

She seemed undaunted and led the way into the Demon Forest.

By now, darkness had fully descended, and though everyone was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, their vision couldn't compare to daylight.

The Goddess Sect apparently had a habit of not wearing shoes, and Mei Xiangu, though clad in a Taoist robe and long skirt, was barefoot on the grass and foliage.

Her pace was swift, moving straight ahead without caution to the surrounding chirps and rustles.

Tian Lin and the others didn't attempt to stop her, knowing Mei Xiangu was proud and didn't regard their mission seriously—

In truth, Mei Xiangu was an inner sect disciple. Ju Yunhai and Sister Jia valued Mei Xiangu's strength, which is why they invited Tian Lin to form a team.

The more confident Mei Xiangu appeared, the more relaxed they felt, not taking offense at her brazenness.

After walking several hundred steps, a rustling sound echoed through the forest.

Ju Yunhai softly warned, "Be careful," as several snakes darted from beneath the leaves, treetops, and bushes.

The snakes didn't attack Tian Lin and the group, mainly because they carried the incense burners and were several zhang away.

Their target was clearly Mei Xiangu at the front.

Almost as soon as Ju Yunhai warned them, Mei Xiangu turned her head and glanced at the incoming serpents.

With a sharp sound, three plum blossoms shot from Mei Xiangu's brow, slicing the snakes into segments.

"Be careful!"

This time, it wasn't Ju Yunhai but Tian Lin who shouted the warning.

High atop a giant tree, a creature resembling a Mountain Demon but larger leaped down.

The creature blocked the plum blossoms shot from Mei Xiangu's brow with an iron rod.

Then, a Wolf Fang Club smashed down heavily towards Mei Xiangu.

Mei Xiangu smirked disdainfully.

Everyone watched as, when the monkey demon neared half a meter over Mei Xiangu's head, a branch suddenly sprouted from the giant tree.

The sharpened wooden stake pierced the monkey demon's belly, tearing it open.

With a wave of Mei Xiangu's sleeve, the monkey demon's body split into two, falling into the distant shrubs.

The rustling grew, as the monkey demon's massive body, intestines included, was dragged away by several dark figures.

Yet, as the dark figures moved, more beasts gathered towards them.

In the pitch-black night, shining eyes emerged from the bushes, like countless demons staring at the group from the shadows.

They neither hurried forward nor yielded passage.

Seeing this, Ju Yunhai frowned and said, "There must be a late-stage Foundation Establishment beast controlling them, otherwise it wouldn't be so."

But Mei Xiangu didn't even flinch; she coldly said, "Stay close to me, lest I accidentally harm you."

Tian Lin and the others moved closer to Mei Xiangu, watching as she continued barefoot ahead.

Beyond five meters from her, vines emerged from the ground, incessantly lashing or piercing the space within ten zhang.

The forest erupted in beastly wails and bird cries.

Chaos ensued among the shrubs, with countless beasts fleeing, leaving a trail of corpses.

Sister Jia, impressed, commented, "Miss Mei's divine skills have reached mastery; with her, traversing the Demon Forest is as easy as walking on level ground."

Nonetheless, Mei Xiangu scoffed, finding Sister Jia's flattery excessive.

Tian Lin observed, "It seems Miss Mei has grasped the threshold of the Wood Dao."

Mei Xiangu responded with a cold snort, "Both of us have obtained the Dao Seed; I imagine your strength isn't inferior to your time at the Immortal Sinking Pond."

"This isn't the Immortal Sinking Pond, and I haven't touched the threshold of the Water Dao. In terms of true power, I am far beneath Miss Mei."

Tian Lin spoke truthfully; he only succeeded at the Immortal Sinking Pond by exploiting opportunities.

Now, though he has refined four Dharma Bodies, compared to Mei Xiangu who consumed the Dao Seed, Tian Lin is nowhere near her level.

Recognizing Mei Xiangu's formidable prowess, Ju Yunhai and the others extinguished their incense to conserve supplies.

Following Ju Yunhai's lead, Mei Xiangu walked ahead.

After roughly two to three hours, they finally spotted signs of human presence in the distance.

"Over there lives a late-stage Foundation Establishment hermit; we can ask him for directions."

Having said that, Ju Yunhai strode swiftly towards the hut in the distance.

Though the hut was built in the mountains, the surrounding area was cleared.

As they approached the hut, the lanterns in front grew increasingly bright.

Tian Lin and Mei Xiangu both looked up at the lanterns, raising their eyebrows involuntarily.

It wasn't that they hadn't seen human head lanterns before, but seeing this head lantern reminded them of the painted boat on the Immortal Sinking Pond.

The baby head lantern was swollen like a large basin.

The basin-sized head lantern loomed overhead, and from the left opening, it asked Ju Yunhai, "Mr. Ju, are you here for herbs again today?"

Ju Yunhai promptly replied, "You misunderstand; I completed that task last time. Today, I'm here to ask Mr. Pei for directions."

The head lantern said, "My master is asleep, but I can summon him for you."

Ju Yunhai expressed his thanks, and the head lantern floated into the yard, hovering in front of the window of the hut.