Is that a Wisp?

"May I know how to address you?" While Krune had been staring at the backs of the group that ran in a particular direction, a voice resounded from behind him.

Turning around, Krune noticed the person named Gangli standing behind him, sporting a calm smile. The man had lean, if not thin, muscles. He seemed like someone suffering from a mild case of malnutrition.

But on a second note, he wasn't anything like that. In fact, his gaze was sharp like a blade. On top of that, Krune spotted a belt around Gangli's hip that felt odd at first glance. With careful observation, he noticed that it was actually a whip blade that had been worn as a belt.

It was apparent that Gangli wasn't a simple character.

'Right, this is how cultivators usually are. I shouldn't think like how I did when I was at the Qi Condensation Realm. The cultivators I faced there were only part of a backwater planet. They weren't like the cream of the crop that I might encounter here.' Krune thought before responding, "You can call me Krune."

"I am Gangli." Gangli cupped his fists in response before asking, "Are you interested in joining our Celestial Forge?"

"I just arrived at this place." Krune refused. "I have yet to kill the other apparitions."

"That would be easy. Unlike the Fear Serpents, killing the other two apparitions shouldn't be that much of a problem. They can be trapped with a bit of patience," Gangli replied. "If not for the Fear Serpents remaining within their den, they too would have been hunted eventually."

"Such a situation wouldn't have come about in the first place," Gangli said. "I have been observing your actions from the moment I walked out. I feel like you would be able to help us a lot."

"Let me consider it a bit more," Krune replied, not stating anything with assurance.

"We have a month before our scheduled departure. if you change your mind before then, all you need to do is bring a flag," Gangli said before waving his hand. "Even though I made it look simple, at least a couple of flags should remain until the end."

…

"This is indeed troubling." Having roamed for a couple of days, Krune was currently hiding beneath a table in a tavern where people frequented. He took the time to collect information, especially about the Poison Spectres.

After all, they were what posed him the greatest threat. Though, it seemed like he was the only one to feel this way. After all, the usual person threw a Sun Stone at the Poison Spectre and melted it into dust.

Although hard, obtaining a Sun Stone was possible. A Sun Stone was a simple material. It was a piece of gem-like rock that had absorbed the sunlight and trace Spiritual Energy for hundreds of years.

They were able to emit mild light and heat during the dark. Their only effective use was against the Poison Spectres. In fact, most times, a Sun Stone could be used to kill at least ten to twenty Poison Spectres.

Just throwing it at a Poison Spectre would do the job. So for everyone, Poison Spectres weren't a threat. Therefore, the topic of conversation always ended up about the Fear Serpents.

But for him, dealing with the Poison Spectres was troublesome, especially since he can't hurl a Sun Stone at them with enough force due to his ethereal form. But even if he managed to, he was still afraid that the resultant poison lingering in the area would corrupt him.

After all, based on what he heard, there were occasional gusts of air carrying the poison from the Poison Spectres. And those coming in contact with this would eventually turn into Spectres themselves. This was the prime danger in hunting the Poison Spectres.

'Let me deal with the Nightmare Demon Wolves first,' Krune thought, intending to think up a plan when he noticed a certain familiar figure enter the tavern. Upon seeing the person, Krune thought of something, hurriedly flying towards the other party. "Hey there."

"You…are?" The man was surprised to find a strange entity hovering before him. Though, upon gazing at the familiar core present within the center of Krune's Wisp form, he understood, having seen it a couple of times before. "So we've met before."

"Well, you could say that," Krune replied, introducing himself. "I'm Krune."

"You can call me Calveb." Calveb smiled, habitually extending his hand to offer a handshake when he paused, smiling awkwardly. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Let's combine forces and hunt together. I can help scout anything without any trouble," Krune said, mildly dancing in the air.

"Alright, I'm fine with that," Calveb said in response, gazing at Krune for a second before smiling. "I'll help you with the Poison Spectres."

"Thanks!"

"Shall we set off now?"

"Of course."

As Krune had already collected all the details, the two of them reached the northern exit of the city and noticed a lack of gates or even the city walls for the matter. After the final row of houses, it directly continued into the open patch of land, beyond which was a valley.

The valley was overgrown by trees and served as the habitat of the Nightmare Demon Wolves. Without any hesitation, the duo entered it, immediately hearing the howls of some wolves far away.

"There's a pitfall closer to this location. Let's just use that," Krune said, leading the way towards a pitfall that he had obtained the information of, gazing at it with a frown upon seeing it filled halfway up with the corpses of the Nightmare Demon Wolves.

"There's no way any wolf would ever fall prey to it now." Calveb pinched his nose. "The smell is unbearable."

He then thought of something, pointing at another place farther away. "That place is positioned headwind to us. So, the wolves won't sense anything amiss. I'll lay down a trap there. It should be enough to kill around three to four wolves."

"Alright, I'll lure them in," Krune said, flying past immediately.

"Don't lure in more than four wolves!" Calveb shouted, noticing Krune's figure had already vanished by now. "Damn, he moves fast."