Hearing the burly man’s stance did not disappoint her, Liu Shui’er’s gaze softened slightly as she spoke in a gentler tone, “Since Fellow Daoist Shi has come to understand this matter, the three of us must work together to traverse the Dark Beast Forest. I believe that with our combined efforts, we will surely succeed safely.”
“Heh, let’s hope so,” Shi Kun chuckled softly in response.
After a brief discussion, the three of them changed direction and flew along the coastline. In the blink of an eye, the area was left completely empty, devoid of any trace of them.
However, not long after Han Li and the others departed, two streaks of red and yellow light flashed across the distant sea surface, appearing abruptly before landing on the shore in just a few flickers.
As the light dissipated, two aliens of different attire emerged.
Their appearances were peculiar. One was short and stout, clad in an oversized suit of pitch-black armor that covered most of his head. The other was tall and gaunt, his withered body resembling a mummy, yet draped in an excessively large robe, making him look equally bizarre.
These two were among the remaining members of the Tianyun group left behind after Han Li and the others had gone. Yet, upon their arrival, they were covered in dust, their expressions grim.
The stout alien wiped the sweat from his face, still shaken as he said, “How bizarre to encounter two ancient ferocious beasts at once. If they hadn’t been locked in fierce combat, we would never have escaped unscathed. Even so, just being slightly affected by their battle forced us to sacrifice several treasures to escape.”
His words carried deep regret.
“Hmph, escaping with our lives from two ancient ferocious beasts is already a stroke of luck. But this sea area is indeed strange. Not only were we trapped in a peculiar mist for over ten days, but we also ran into those two beasts right after escaping,” the tall and thin alien remarked gravely.
“At least we’ve finally flown out of that sea. This mountain range ahead should be safer,” the stout alien said, glancing uncertainly at the mountains before them.
“The positioning disk was useless in the sea. Let’s try it again here to see if we can determine our location,” the tall alien suggested after a moment’s thought.
“Agreed. I’ll activate it now,” the stout alien nodded, then opened his mouth to spit out an exceptionally smooth jade disk.
The disk hovered mid-air, expanding to about ten feet in size, its surface shimmering with white light as vague images began to appear.
The stout alien’s face flushed as he spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which transformed into a mist of blood in the wind. With swift hand seals, he directed the mist toward the jade disk, where it was absorbed entirely.
The disk glowed crimson, its images becoming clearer, revealing faint outlines of scenery.
The two aliens stared intently at the white jade disk, but after a while, their expressions darkened.
“What’s going on? The positioning disk still can’t determine our approximate location,” the tall alien muttered.
“Either this area is special, rendering the disk ineffective, or the residual energy from those two ancient beasts is still affecting it. Though this disk is marvelous, it can’t compare to the legendary artifacts,” the stout alien mused.
“Hmph, if I’d known it’d be this useless, I wouldn’t have spent so much on it at the auction. This thing cost us nearly half our savings,” the tall alien grumbled angrily.
“Though it’s unreliable in the Cold Moon Realm, without it, we’d have no way to navigate this world. Others had no choice but to buy it too. Only the Crystal Clan can craft these, and every time the Cold Moon Realm opens, they make a fortune. Rumor has it they can make even more advanced positioning treasures, but who knows if it’s true?” the stout alien sighed in frustration.
“Enough. What’s done is done. If the disk doesn’t work here, let’s just move on and leave this area,” the stout alien said after scanning the nearby mountains with his spiritual sense.
“I suppose that’s all we can do,” the tall alien hesitated before nodding.
With that, the two soared into the air, transforming into streaks of red and yellow light as they shot into the distance. Moments later, they vanished beyond the mountain range.
From that day onward, these two aliens disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.
—
High above a forest, three Tianyun aliens fled together as a tri-colored streak of light, pursued closely by over a dozen beasts with deer-like heads and lion-like bodies.
—
Far away, in a glacial land shrouded in a blizzard, several figures covered in foot-long white fur flew slowly just thirty feet above the ground. The freezing winds and snowflakes seemed to have no effect on them as they vanished into the storm.
—
Deep in a dense forest, two men in green robes, their skin as dry and yellow as wood, each wielded a small red banner, waving them at a towering tree dozens of feet tall. The tree, lush and vibrant, bore a ghastly face on its trunk, now engulfed in raging flames. The face shrieked horribly, spewing green liquid to fend off the fire.
A dozen thick, tentacle-like roots thrashed wildly from the ground, carving deep trenches. Yet, the flames surrounding the tree remained unshaken, as if impervious to the roots’ attacks.
Soon, the tree’s defenses weakened, its cries ceasing as it crumbled into black ash. The two men retrieved their banners and flew to the ashes, each plucking a vibrant green crystal from the remains. Their eyes met, filled with ecstatic joy.
—
In a remote corner of the Cold Moon Realm, above an endless desert, a group of men and women with strange horns clustered together, listening intently to a young man with three golden horns on his forehead. Their faces were a mix of shock and awe.
“The true objective of this mission is clear to you all. To ensure its success, our elders have sacrificed their own vitality to craft five transcendent treasures using the power of the Profound Heaven Artifact. They’ve also activated our spies in Tianyun to divert their attention. The significance of this mission for our clan needs no further explanation,” the golden-horned youth said calmly.
“Rest assured, Envoy, we will spare no effort to complete this task,” the others replied in unison, their excitement barely contained.
“Good. Though I’ve trained at the Heavenly Horn Sacred Mountain and only recently met you all, I trust everyone understands the gravity of this mission. Of the dozen teams we’ve sent into the Cold Moon Realm, only five carry these treasures—the rest are decoys to mislead other races. Now, let’s proceed as planned,” the youth commanded.
Under his lead, the group of Horned Race members flew deep into the desert.
—
Above a lake, two fish-tailed humanoids stood side by side, facing a monstrous whale over a hundred feet long, its forehead adorned with nine golden eyes. The beast exuded an overwhelming aura as it glared at the pair.
The male had silver-white eyes, while the female’s shone gold, resembling the whale’s own. As the beast roared, the female suddenly responded with similar sounds, causing the whale to hesitate.
Encouraged, the female intensified her calls. The whale ceased its roars, circled them several times, then allowed her to land on its back. Surprisingly docile, it carried her away, the male following closely behind.
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