Sparrows burned and fell from the sky, but more followed. They seemed enraged, swarming toward Fang Yuxin. Just then, the branches of Red Powder suddenly stretched out again, rapidly intertwining into a large net, creating a barrier in front of Fang Yuxin.
The sparrows crashed into the net, some lucky enough to slip through the gaps that had not yet closed, but most were impaled by the spikes. At that moment, Red Powder vigorously extended its tender shoots, entwining the speared sparrows tightly. The thorns on the shoots, though softer by comparison, still mercilessly pierced the bodies of the sparrows.
Immediately after, a bud formed on the branch, blooming rapidly. The pistil shyly emerged from the petals and then, without hesitation, opened its mouth and clamped down on the sparrows, incessantly absorbing their flesh and blood.
However, it wasn’t long before more sparrows descended. They didn’t attempt to rescue their comrades but instead opened their sharp beaks and claws, viciously devouring the unlucky ones among them.
With Red Powder’s obstruction, Fang Yuxin again performed a hand seal, preparing a new "Starfire." At this moment, Lan Re on her wrist transformed into a beam of white light, releasing both its main body and its clone, serving as Fang Yuxin’s protector. Whenever a sparrow approached, it charged without hesitation!
Lan Re’s body was sturdier than Red Powder’s, but unlike Red Powder, it could not continuously produce tender shoots. To Lan Re, the sparrows were always too small; it could only attempt to capture them with its bud tips.
After a while, Fang Yuxin completed her magic, and countless fireballs shot out, targeting the flock of sparrows in mid-air. Watching the sparrows hit by fireballs falling like dumplings, she breathed a sigh of relief and then subconsciously glanced toward Bai Ye.
Upon looking, she discovered that a thick layer of sparrow corpses had piled up around Bai Ye. Not a single sparrow dared approach him anymore, forcing Bai Ye to use his Sword Qi to attack those in the air.
By now, the number of sparrows in the sky had dwindled to less than a third of what it was originally. Some were still greedily pecking at the corpses of their kind, and unfortunately, some became impaled by Red Powder while feeding.
Soon, the remaining sparrows in the sky started to fear, no longer attacking proactively. After circling for a while, they turned and flew away. As these took flight, the sparrows that were feasting on the corpses also flapped their wings, preparing to flee.
Seeing this, Bai Ye suddenly unleashed a huge electrical net, capturing those that were about to leave.
The "crackle" of electricity didn’t stop; the sparrows inside were instantly charred. In the end, less than a quarter of the original number of sparrows managed to escape.
Once the sparrows were gone, Red Powder’s body moved again. The trapped sparrows each shrunk into palm-sized mummies, and with a spike’s flick, the Crystal Cores fell out, clattering in a pile on the ground.
Having absorbed the sparrows, Red Powder and Lan Re promptly shrunk back to their original size, transforming into spirit light that returned to Fang Yuxin’s wrist, affectionately seeking her approval through thoughts.
Thinking of their vigorous assistance, Fang Yuxin smiled softly and sent a stream of pure Wood Energy to each. Both rejoiced and showed even more affection toward Fang Yuxin.
With a wave of her hand, Fang Yuxin collected all the Crystal Cores from the ground. The sparrows’ bodies were too small, and the Crystal Cores they produced were also much smaller than those of zombies. Fang Yuxin did not mind and purified all the Crystal Cores, then said to Bai Ye, "I’ll keep these Crystal Cores and give them to you after I’ve purified them."
Bai Ye had no objections, simply stating, "Keep them."
Fang Yuxin conjured a ball of fire to burn the remaining sparrow corpses, and the two continued on their journey.
They quickly arrived at a junction, which they could cross to return to the highway soon. However, the intersection had been diagonally severed in the middle.
The split was not as wide as the one they had encountered before, but it still spanned a width of about two hundred meters. Fang Yuxin frowned at the crack, hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said to Bai Ye, "We’ll find a way to cross here!"
The road was broken here, and if they had to detour, it would take an even longer route. Doing so would be far too time-consuming.