As for Xianxian, her eyes also flashed with shock, but she quickly composed herself and responded, “Senior Han is absolutely right. This is no place to linger. Who knows what other demonic beasts might be lurking here? We should leave immediately.”
Yuezong, hearing this, snapped out of his daze and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Without delay, the three of them activated their flight techniques and continued on their way.
This time, after flying for less than half an hour, they emerged from the thin mist, finally leaving the area behind.
Without any intention of stopping, they pressed forward, heading deeper into the mountain range.
Unbeknownst to Han Li and his companions, just as they exited the mist, a faint silver streak shot across the sky from the opposite end of the mist. After a few flickers, it abruptly halted at the edge of the mist.
The light dissipated, revealing a petite figure with pointed ears, peach-blossom-like features, and a fluffy tail swaying gently behind her.
The seemingly beautiful woman scanned her surroundings before forming a hand seal and murmuring an incantation.
With a “bang,” a burst of silver mist erupted from her body, transforming into swirling runes that rapidly spread in all directions before vanishing without a trace.
“I was right to follow this direction! This is indeed the place. However, it seems to be the new dwelling of those mutated human-faced vultures. They possess the bloodline of the Golden Crow and are under Blood Arm’s command—not the easiest to deal with. But that’s fine; at least those outsiders won’t be able to escape easily from here,” the woman muttered to herself, a hint of satisfaction crossing her face as she dispersed the spell.
With a flash of silver light, she plunged into the mist.
Over an hour later, at the spot where Han Li had slain the demonic birds, the silver light dissipated once more, revealing the woman again.
After sniffing lightly, her expression turned suspicious. She formed another hand seal and repeated her earlier spell. Moments later, her face darkened with uncertainty.
After pondering for a while, she suddenly threw back her head and let out a long, piercing cry—a sound resembling both a tiger’s roar and a dragon’s call.
Yet, despite the prolonged cry, the surroundings remained eerily silent, with no response whatsoever.
The woman exhaled deeply, cutting off her cry abruptly, her brows furrowed in frustration. After a long pause, she shook her head, her eyes flickering with thought, before taking flight once more. Strangely, her direction aligned perfectly with the path Han Li and the others had taken.
…
Deep within the Demon Gold Mountain Range, in a secluded valley, the sky was densely packed with flying beasts while the ground teemed with shadows—thousands of demonic creatures had gathered here. Some were as large as small hills, while others measured only a foot in length.
At the center of this horde stood a massive rock, several dozen feet tall. Perched atop it was a giant toad-like demon, though its size had shrunk dramatically compared to before, making it almost inconspicuous among the more ferocious-looking beasts surrounding it.
The toad remained motionless on the rock, as if waiting for something.
The surrounding thousand or so demonic beasts, though visibly impatient, maintained an uneasy silence.
After a long while, the swarm of flying beasts suddenly parted, and a massive bat covered in golden patterns, several feet in length, descended from the sky. With a flap of its wings, it landed before the toad.
“My lord, the time has come. All who should be here have arrived.”
“Then let us begin. I will reiterate our objective once more: kill all outsiders who have entered the mountain range and seize the disk-shaped magical artifact in their possession. Use this artifact to locate the ‘Spirit Mushroom Immortal’ and present it to Lord Iron Demon as an offering. Whoever finds this Spirit Mushroom Immortal will be richly rewarded,” the toad declared succinctly, wasting no words beyond restating the mission.
The thousand demonic beasts in the valley, all possessing intelligence, immediately scattered upon hearing this. Some took to the skies, while others burrowed underground, all heading toward the outskirts of the mountain range.
The toad itself leaped into the air, joining the demonic horde.
However, it failed to notice a small black shadow hidden within an ordinary-looking gray cloud thousands of feet above the valley.
The shadow, with its blood-red eyes gleaming coldly, observed everything below.
Only after all the demonic beasts had left the valley did the shadow emerge from the cloud—revealing itself to be a foot-long, crimson parrot.
After circling in the air for a moment, the parrot let out a soft “pop” and exploded into a mist of blood, within which faint crimson runes flickered before vanishing.
At the same time, deep within the heavily warded underground stone chamber of the Demon Gold Mountain Range, a burly man in blood-red robes, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly let out a soft exclamation and opened his eyes.
The man’s face was pale, with a wide mouth and a flat nose, but his gaze was icy and calculating.
“What is Iron Wing Demon up to? With the Sacred Ancestor about to awaken, why is he sending so many to kill outsiders? And what is this ‘Spirit Mushroom Immortal’ that warrants such a massive mobilization, with nearly all his high-ranking demonic beasts dispatched?” the man muttered, his expression shifting between doubt and suspicion.
After a moment, he clapped his hands twice.
With two soft “pops,” the stone door slid open silently, and a graceful woman in a blood-red gown entered. Her face was obscured by a faint haze of blood mist, making her features indistinct.
“Greetings, Father,” the woman said, bowing gracefully before the man.
“Rise, Xue Ying. During my meditation, have Iron Wing Demon and Many Eyes arrived at the underground palace?” the man asked coolly, waving a hand.
“Father, they have yet to appear,” the woman replied, her voice low but melodious.
“Still not here? That is indeed troubling,” the man mused, his eyes glinting thoughtfully.
“Has Father received some news?” the woman asked curiously.
“Yes. Iron Wing Demon’s forces have all left their stronghold,” the man said slowly.
“What? All of them? Could it be—” the woman gasped.
“No, not what you’re thinking. They’ve all headed toward the outskirts of the mountain range, intending to wipe out all the Spirit Realm beings who’ve recently entered,” the man said, shaking his head.
“Exterminate the Spirit Realm beings? What does that mean?” the woman asked, bewildered.
“That is why I summoned you. It seems to be related to something called the ‘Spirit Mushroom Immortal.’ With the Sacred Ancestor about to awaken, I cannot leave. Investigate this matter for me and report back as soon as you learn anything,” the man commanded, his eyes flashing coldly.
“As you wish, Father,” the woman replied, her heart tightening but her voice steady.
With that, she bowed and exited the chamber, the stone door closing behind her.
The man exhaled softly and resumed his meditation.
…
Above a grove of gray-white trees on the outskirts of the Demon Gold Mountain Range, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul level was desperately battling two bear-like demonic beasts with three red flying daggers.
The two beasts, each several feet tall, slashed through the air with their massive claws, sending countless razor-sharp arcs toward the daggers. The clash produced a series of sharp clangs, the attacks relentless and fierce.
The cultivator could barely defend himself.
Suddenly, a cacophony of strange cries echoed from the horizon, followed by a dark cloud—a swarm of hundreds of black, single-horned demonic birds.
Among them was a leader, over ten feet long, with emerald-green eyes that gleamed with a sinister light.
At the sight, the cultivator paled in terror. Trapped between the two giant bears, he had no chance of escape. Sweating profusely, he poured all his energy into the three daggers, which transformed into three streaks of light, forming a tight defensive barrier around him.
But with a screech from the lead bird, the swarm descended. The daggers managed to cut down a dozen or so before the cultivator was torn to shreds. Even the bear-like beasts were not spared, becoming food for the demonic birds.
In the end, one of the birds spat out a disk-shaped artifact.
The lead bird’s eyes lit up with delight as it inhaled the disk with a gust of light. Then, it led the swarm away in another direction.
…
Above a mountain peak, five leopard-like demonic beasts spewed gray-white demonic mist downward.
A yellow barrier hovered above the peak, trembling under the assault of the mist.
Beneath the barrier, two Spirit Realm beings frantically waved banner-like artifacts, channeling their energy to sustain the faltering shield. Their situation was dire.
…
Elsewhere, Elder Yan and the pale-faced youth streaked through the sky as two streaks of light, pursued relentlessly by a mass of greenish mist and a black tornado.
As the pursuers closed in, Elder Yan gritted his teeth and produced a tattered golden talisman. Murmuring an incantation, he activated it.
With a deafening “boom,” a blinding golden light erupted like a miniature sun. Wherever the light touched, the demonic mist dissipated, the spectacle awe-inspiring.
The green mist and black tornado hesitated momentarily.
But the golden light faded quickly, and Elder Yan and the youth vanished without a trace.
Similar scenes played out across the outskirts of the Demon Gold Mountain Range over the following days.
Most of the Spirit Realm beings who had entered perished at the hands—or claws—of the demonic beasts. Only a handful, fewer than ten, survived.
Those who did were no ordinary individuals. Realizing the anomaly of high-ranking demonic beasts appearing on the outskirts, they immediately went into hiding, moving with extreme caution.
Meanwhile, the demonic beasts, having obtained some of the tracking disks from the slain outsiders, fanned out across the outskirts in a sweeping search.
Yet, strangely, neither the remaining outsiders nor the demonic beasts could find any trace of the Spirit Mushroom Immortal.
By this time, after several days of arduous travel, Han Li and his companions had safely approached their target area.
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