582: Deep in the Forbidden Land

At the same time, in another corner deep within the Forbidden Ground, Jiang Lu's figure swayed precariously. Her fingertips clutched the last few empty Medicinal Pill bottles, which she casually tossed into the air, where they shattered completely.

She had been fleeing all this time, having already consumed all the Qi Gathering Pills, Spirit Condensing Pills, and other Medicinal Pills for replenishing Spiritual Qi she carried. The Golden Core in her Dantian was dim, her surrounding spiritual power was nearly exhausted, and even the strength to maintain her escape light was almost depleted. Every time she activated Spiritual Qi, it caused searing pain in her Meridians, and fine beads of blood had already seeped from the corners of her mouth.

The several bandits chasing her were not in much better shape.

The Medicinal Pills and consumables on them had long since run out. They were relying solely on their Golden Cores to forcefully activate Spiritual Qi and chase relentlessly. The fierce winds had torn their robes to shreds, their faces were flushed red like blood, their breathing was chaotic, and cold sweat rolled down their cheeks, soaking their masked black cloths.

If not for the fact that each of them was a Golden Core Stage Middle Stage Cultivator or above, a small stage higher than Jiang Lu, who was in the Golden Core Stage Early Stage, and thus possessed a deeper foundation of spiritual power, they would have long been shaken off without a trace. Now, they were merely the end of their rope, looking utterly disheveled.

"Damn it! All the Medicinal Pills are gone! My lungs are about to explode!"

The leading bandit cursed furiously, his eyes revealing a murderous glint, full of extreme resentment.

"This damned woman can really run! If I catch her today, I'll rape her first then kill her, then rape her again and kill her again, making her suffer every kind of torment before I can quell the hatred in my heart!"

The others also panted roughly, echoing his curses, their eyes filled with brutality and greed, only wishing they could immediately capture Jiang Lu and seize the supreme treasure.

Amidst these curses, Jiang Lu, who was ahead, suddenly paused. Her escape light abruptly dissipated, her spiritual power completely failed to keep up, and she plummeted from mid-air like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground covered in dead branches and fallen leaves, raising a cloud of dust.

"Haha! Finally can't run anymore, can you?!"

"The damned woman finally ran out of strength! Serves her right!"

Seeing this, the several bandits immediately slowed down, gradually descended, and stood with hands on their hips, panting heavily. They looked at Jiang Lu, who was sprawled on the ground, their faces full of mockery and derision.

"A mere Golden Core Stage Early Stage little girl, to be able to keep running for so long, you do have some ability. Unfortunately, it's ultimately like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

"Without spiritual power, let's see how you'll jump around! Hand over the treasure obediently, and perhaps you can die a quicker death!"

Jiang Lu, slumped on the ground, felt as if her bones were shattering, causing her to let out a muffled groan. Yet, she casually wiped away a mouthful of fresh blood from the corner of her lips, raised her eyes to look at the approaching figures, her gaze sweeping over their hideous faces, then slowly glancing around. Suddenly, she let out a low laugh, her voice carrying a hint of weakness, yet imbued with bone-chilling coldness.

"Hmph, a bunch of idiots. Haven't you noticed something is wrong by now? This place is the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground..."

These words struck like a clap of thunder. The mockery on the bandits' faces instantly froze. Only then did they belatedly come to their senses, hastily turning their heads to look around.

All that met their eyes were ancient trees that reached the sky, their trunks so thick that several people embracing them couldn't encircle them. Their branches and leaves intertwined, covering the sky and sun, not even a sliver of daylight could penetrate.

All directions presented the exact same scenery, and they had completely lost their bearings. Even more bizarrely, whether it was the sky above or the forest beside them, a layer of strange, hazy mist permeated everything. The mist was light and airy, yet it exuded a chilling, bone-piercing coldness. When inhaled, even the Spiritual Qi within their bodies began to stagnate and become sluggish. The surroundings were eerily silent, not even the chirp of an insect or the cry of a bird could be heard, revealing an unspeakable strangeness and danger.

"Damn it! This ghostly mist is problematic!"

The leading Big Brother suddenly snapped back to attention, his face drastically changing. He hastily circulated the Spiritual Qi within his body to investigate, and his heart instantly sank to rock bottom.

Although he had clearly stopped moving and hadn't activated any Spiritual Qi, the Golden Core in his Dantian was slowly dimming. The surrounding spiritual power was silently draining away like a tide, and a sense of sluggish numbness spread through his Meridians, making even the circulation of Spiritual Qi incredibly slow.

Just now, he had been single-mindedly chasing Jiang Lu, his heart filled with greed for the treasure, and his perception had been disturbed by the high-speed winds, so he hadn't noticed any abnormality.

Now that he had suddenly stopped, this strange sensation of spiritual power loss clearly and completely swept through his entire body, filling him with dread.

" Big Brother! My spiritual power is also decreasing! It's getting slower and slower!"

"Me too! My Dantian feels heavy, and I can't gather any Spiritual Qi at all. This place is extremely sinister!"

The several younger brothers also cried out in alarm, their faces pale with panic. They hastily formed hand seals, attempting to stabilize their spiritual power, but after only a moment, they despairingly realized it was all in vain. Their spiritual power continued to leak out, completely unstoppable.

One of them's legs went soft, his voice filled with sobs and terror.

" Big Brother, what do we do now! If our spiritual power runs out, never mind encountering the dangers of the Forbidden Ground, we won't even be able to escape this cursed place!"

These words hit everyone's weak spot, and their faces grew even uglier.

They were all ordinary Qi Refining Cultivators, not Body Cultivators or Dual Cultivation Cultivators. Their entire cultivation relied on spiritual power for support.

Without spiritual power, their Golden Core Stage cultivation would be reduced to less than one percent. Not to mention fending off enemies and preserving their lives, even ordinary movements would be restricted.

A Golden Core Cultivator without spiritual power augmentation, whose Physical Body was already ordinary, might genuinely not be able to defeat a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator with abundant spiritual power!

Moreover, without spiritual power, they couldn't activate escape light to fly. In this vast and boundless Forbidden Ground forest, relying solely on two legs, they wouldn't be able to take half a step out even if they walked until their legs broke.

Even more critically, Cultivators nourished their bodies with Spiritual Qi year-round, having long since transcended the mundane needs of eating and drinking. Without spiritual power to maintain their body's Origin, within a few days, they would be overcome by hunger and exhaustion, eventually dying trapped deep within this mist, perhaps not even leaving behind their bones!

At this thought, everyone felt a bone-chilling coldness shoot from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads. All greed vanished, replaced only by despair and regret. They hated themselves for being blinded by the supreme treasure just now, actually daring to intrude into this man-eating Forbidden Ground!

"You damn bitch! Just for a top-grade Spirit Treasure, do you have to risk your life and drag us down with you?!"

The leading Big Brother's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He pointed at Jiang Lu and cursed, his face terrifyingly ashen. All his regret and fury poured out onto her. If not for this woman's insistence on entering the Forbidden Ground, how would they have ended up in this situation of spiritual power loss and uncertain life or death?

Jiang Lu, supporting her numb body, curled her lips into a sneer of extreme disdain. She coughed up a mouthful of bloody phlegm and retorted coldly.

"Heh... If you think it's not worth it, then why did you relentlessly chase me and insist on killing me to seize the treasure?"

One sentence rendered the several people speechless, their faces instantly turning purplish-blue, their expressions extremely ugly.

How could they not know the pros and cons? From the very beginning when they decided to intercept and kill Jiang Lu, they had no intention of leaving her alive.

She was a Disciple of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, her identity was clear. Once she escaped, the Immortal Sect's pursuit would surely follow like a shadow. With the strength of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect, this group of rogue bandits would sooner or later be uprooted and die without a burial place.

So, from the first step of the chase, it was a fight to the death. They were just blinded by the greed for the top-grade Spirit Treasure, which was why they stubbornly chased her deep into this Forbidden Ground.

"Damn it! Big Brother, why waste words with this bitch?!"

One of the younger brothers, stung by the painful truth, roared in exasperation, his eyes revealing a fierce glint.

"First, search her body! See if this slut has any Medicinal Pills or Spirit Stones left! Every moment we can last is a moment!"

Another person, driven to madness by despair, licked his chapped lips, his eyes swirling with brutality and filth, and he sneered.

"Exactly! Anyway, we're going to die no matter what! If worst comes to worst... damn it! If I can bed a female Disciple of the Lingxiao Immortal Sect before I die, it'll be worth it, not having lived this life in vain!"