The Eternal Way

Li Qi looked at everyone and shared his plan: "Although that thing can't hurt us for now, this is a slow death. Once we're all exhausted, we won't even have the strength to run."

"I know a technique that you've seen before. It gives me the strength of a bull, adding my original strength, I can exert a force of 6,800 jin. This can also make my yang energy boil, preventing the black mist from approaching. I'll go in to fight, and you support me by making noise behind me. If I start to lose, you come forward, clash your weapons, sing, and drive it away!"

"This way, not only can we cause damage to the monster, but I will also be invincible. As long as we can defeat it before we're all exhausted, we can survive."

"It's better to take a chance than to sit here waiting to die. Those who agree, nod; those who disagree, shake your heads," Li Qi said to the group.

After speaking, he grabbed a water flask, took a sip to moisten his throat. Singing for an hour had left even the physically robust people of this world parched and hoarse.

His words caused everyone to exchange glances.

Li Qi didn't wait for their responses and continued with his preparations, drinking water and eating rice cakes to restore his strength.

However, he stood tall and proud, appearing completely unafraid of the surrounding black mist.

Seeing this, ADu gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

To show his support, he stopped singing and began resting, saying, "I also agree with Brother Li. This isn't working. We need to take the initiative. Let's stop and wait for that damned thing to come over!"

The merchants exchanged looks, and finally, the burly man—the one who had initially wanted to teach Li Qi a lesson and then warned him—nodded first.

Once he nodded, the others reached a consensus.

In times of crisis, there was no room for indecision. The merchants understood this well.

So, one of the big men prepared himself, while two companions beside him quickened their pace, taking over the rhythm of striking machetes so he could step out without disrupting the overall sound.

"We'll join you! You seem like a real man. Forget about what happened during the day. After getting through this, I'll buy you a drink!" The burly man walked up to Li Qi and said, holding a machete in his hand, looking fierce.

"Alright," Li Qi nodded in agreement, saying nothing more.

When lives were on the line, there was no time for petty grievances. They needed to act.

With everything settled, the merchants almost simultaneously set down their machetes.

At that moment, the black mist suddenly gathered and surged from one direction, like a giant mouth opening to swallow these unwelcome travelers.

Since they had agreed, Li Qi and the burly man didn't hesitate. They immediately charged out of the crowd, facing the black mist together!

Leading the charge was the burly man, who seemed even more anxious than Li Qi, with larger strides. Holding a machete high, he slashed at the black mist!

A red light flickered on the blade, carrying a stench, slashing towards the giant mouth formed by the black mist.

With a thud, the machete hit something solid, sounding like hitting a large copper block, causing a dull noise.

The burly man was thrown backward, losing his grip on the machete, tearing the flesh of his palm and spilling blood.

The black mist quickly split off a portion, attempting to catch and devour the blood mid-air.

But before the mist could catch the blood, Li Qi, already using the Bull Strength Technique, followed closely and delivered a precise punch to the split-off mist.

"Ha!" Li Qi roared, putting all his strength into the punch, combining his immense power and boiling yang energy. The split mist was shattered!

He didn't know what the mist was or what it intended, but through several encounters, he had learned one crucial lesson: during combat, if the enemy started a progress bar, interrupting it was key.

When the black mist attempted to consume the blood, a progress bar appeared.

Li Qi timed his punch perfectly, breaking the mist's attempt before the progress bar completed, letting the blood fall to the ground and soak into the soil.

"That thing craves blood!" one merchant shouted.

Li Qi's action seemed to enrage the black mist. More of it surged toward him, forming four or five giant mouths with sharp teeth, resembling beast maws.

The burly man had fallen to the ground, his machete flying away. Li Qi fared slightly better but couldn't defend against this attack either.

However, the setup behind them immediately came into play!

ADu stepped forward first, singing loudly.

The merchants followed closely, standing together, striking their machetes rhythmically.

Over a dozen people moved forward, shouting, singing, clashing weapons. The black mist scattered, all the giant mouths dispersing and retreating.

Even, Li Qi faintly heard cries of agony.

"Yes, that's it! We can wear it down!" Li Qi quickly got up, ran a few steps, picked up a machete from the ground, and threw it to the burly man who had just gotten back on his feet.

"Good! Looks like we're not doomed tonight!" The burly man became excited, catching the knife thrown by Li Qi and giving him a grateful look.

It seemed this method was indeed effective, and the once-scrawny Li Qi had surprising strength, far exceeding expectations.

Since the method worked, they just needed to keep implementing it.

The battle resumed. The merchants and ADu retreated, allowing the black mist to advance again.

Li Qi and the burly man faced it once more, ready to wear down or scare the demon.

Only this way could they find a path to survival.

However, at this moment,

not far away, by the roadside, stood an abandoned small temple.

It was the kind of common village shrine found in rural areas, often dedicated to deities like Huang Daxian or Wutong Shen, which weren't recognized by the government. Most were places where mountain spirits and wild creatures pretended to be gods, deceiving simple villagers.

Some did possess genuine powers but conflicted with official beliefs, such as heroes from previous dynasties or generals from enemy states. After their deaths, temples were built in their hometowns, statues erected, and incense burned. But after the state was conquered, these shrines wouldn't be officially recognized and thus fell under the category of illicit worship.

This small temple, however, looked like a dilapidated hut, unlikely to house any grand general's shrine. It must be one of those sham temples used by mountain spirits to deceive followers.

Inside, however, sat a beautiful and delicate woman.

She frowned, looking towards the source of the commotion.

"Baiyue's Great Priest's technique... Bull Strength Technique? Is there a shaman targeting me?"