Chapter 64: Hmm, the backstage is quite tough!

  As expected, Wan Qi Chen's chanting voice suddenly slowed down, his face turned pale in an instant, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.

  Zhuge Mingyue didn't dare to hesitate, and with a ruthless kick, she kicked Wan Qi Chen's body. The unguarded Wan Qi Chen was kicked flying out, the curse was interrupted, and his eyes regained their brightness, but there was still no blood color on his face.

  "What a terrifying mental power!" Wan Xi Chen patted his chest, saying with 10,000th of fear. No wonder Wen Yi Qian had repeatedly warned him not to try it without being 100% sure, but he had only recited a small segment of the incantation and attempted to suppress the mind, yet suffered a mental backlash from the mutated bear, almost swallowing his entire spiritual world with an aura filled with frenzy and bloodlust. If it weren't for Zhuge Mingyue's intervention, he would have inevitably fallen into mental chaos or fallen into a deep sleep forever.

  "You idiot!" Zhuge Mingyue was both angry and annoyed, "Who told you to use spiritual suppression first?! If something happens to you, even if I can extract the skills of this demon beast, do you think I'll be happy?!" Wan Qi Chen hastily chanted the incantation, wanting to spiritually suppress it first to give Zhuge Mingyue an opportunity. The result was that this spiritual suppression was more ferocious than he had imagined.

  Wan Xi said weakly: "I, I just wanted... to help you suppress your spirit first."

  "The mutated land bear, its spiritual power is not comparable to that of an ordinary land bear, let alone a normal one. Even if it were a normal land bear, its spiritual power would be stronger than that of a summoner of the same level. How could it be so easily suppressed?" Zhuge Mingyue scolded with a bad temper. In fact, she was secretly worried, if something really happened to Fatty, how could she be at peace?

  "First, let's try to exhaust its physical strength. Once its spiritual power weakens, we'll give it another shot." Zhuge Mingyue said as she summoned a hurricane, while Wan Xichen regained his composure and also chanted an incantation to summon the Earthly Beast.

  When Yan Qingfeng saw Zhuge Mingyue summon the hurricane, he was shocked in his heart. Zhuge Mingyue, wasn't she not only an alchemist but also a summoner? Or should I say that she is actually a powerful summoner, because the wind leopard's body has already shown the auspicious cloud pattern that only the Wind Leopard King has. Is being an alchemist just a sideline? No, no, that's not right either. The potions in her hand are all top-notch.

  When Zhuge Mingyue was instructing Wan Qi Chen, Ling Feiyang had already taken the lead in raising his Broken Kill Sword to attack the mutated ferocious bear. Yan Qingfeng also sprang into action, and Cloud Pattern Wind Leopard and Earth Armor Beast both knew their master's intentions, pouncing forward like they had taken stimulants. Standing at the outer edge of the battle circle, Xue Zihao and Duanmu Xun shot arrow after arrow at the mutated ferocious bear's eyes, dispersing its attention. Whether it was a person or a magical beast, no matter how strong its defense was, the eyes were always the weakest link in its defense, without exception.

  Although the Variant Berserk Bear's physical strength far surpasses that of a normal Earth Berserk Bear, and its golden fur also has an unusually strong defensive power, how can it withstand the joint attack of four people and two powerful magical pets? Soon, wounds of varying depths appeared on its body, and even the oozing blood had a faintly golden color.

  However, Zhuge Mingyue and Wan Xi Chen did not dare to recite the spiritual fusion spell at this time. The current variant violent bear was in a state of frenzy, and the spiritual world was extremely unstable, even more so than usual. They didn't dare to play with their own lives.

  Two people focused on the Mutated Polar Bear's changes, waiting for an opportunity while reciting incantations. With enhanced strength, speed and endurance under the auxiliary incantation, a series of light rings enveloped Yunwen Wind Leopard and Dijia Beast in an instant, and mysterious glows flashed on the two magical pets' bodies, greatly increasing their power.

  The battered and bruised Variant Polar Bear finally showed signs of fatigue, its furious roar also sounded powerless, and the light in its eyes dimmed.

  Silence! The stone temple suddenly fell silent, the mutated violent bear suddenly petrified, not moving at all, its eyes a blank slate. Even Ling Feiyang and Yan Qingfeng's swords stabbing into its body had no reaction.

  "Clear Moon, directly merge the branding!" Wan Xi Chen opened his eyes, let out a loud roar, and then suddenly fell to the ground with a thud.

  Zhuge Mingyue suddenly reacted, and discovered that Wan Xichen had secretly stopped the curse while she wasn't paying attention, using spiritual suppression on the mutated bear. This fool! Zhuge Mingyue was both angry and annoyed in her heart. But now wasn't the time to scold him, they couldn't afford to waste any more time!

  Zhuge Mingyue looked deeply at Wan Qi Chen for a moment, without saying anything else, and quickly began to chant the spell. At this critical juncture, directly chanting the spell was still slightly faster than silently casting it.

  The extraction of inherited skills is divided into three steps: spiritual suppression, fusion and branding. Now that the most spiritually exhausting spiritual suppression has been completed, the next step is spiritual fusion and skill branding. Compared to this, the subsequent steps require a lower intensity of spiritual power, but more stringent requirements for precise control, and are also more dangerous, with no room for error.

  Wan Xi Zhen sat on the ground, suddenly pouring down a bottle of medicinal water. The mutated magical beast was so powerful that even though it was a violent bear that was injured and exhausted with declining spiritual power during the spiritual suppression, its spiritual power still instantly dried up.

  At this moment, the mutant bear suddenly let out a series of strange roars, and an eerie atmosphere instantly spread.

  Incantation! Could it be the Magic Beast Incantation? Zhuge Mingyue abruptly stopped, and she and Wan Qi Chen suddenly realized a problem - what exactly was the inherited skill of the Variant Violent Bear? Until now, they had not seen it being cast.

  A very uneasy emotion has been brewing in the hearts of both people.

  As the mutated polar bear let out its strange, spell-like growl, the air seemed to be slowly solidifying, bringing with it a heavy pressure.

  The mutated bear let out a mighty roar towards the sky, lifted its thick legs like stone pillars, and stomped them fiercely onto the ground.

  "A deafening boom, the entire ground was shaking incessantly. With the mutated polar bear as its center, an invisible shockwave carrying destructive power surged out in all directions like a tsunami."

  Ling Feiyang and Yan Qingfeng were the first to be affected, feeling as if their bodies had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, sending them flying out of control. Those who stood a little further away, such as Zhuge Mingyue and Duanmu Xun, also lost their footing and were knocked to the ground by the surging air currents. They felt dizzy and disoriented, with their minds going blank. Even the Storm Bird and the Earthshaker Beast were unable to withstand the shockwave, being blown away a great distance.

  Inheriting skills! That's right, this must be the inherited skill that the violent bear understood after its variation. It's so powerful and terrifying. But now, neither Zhuge Mingyue nor Wan Qi Chen can get excited, only feeling a shock from the bottom of their hearts, as well as a hidden worry. Now, the headache is no longer how to extract the inherited skills, but how to resist the violent bear's crazy counterattack next.

  Zhuge Mingyue quickly stood up, drew out a dagger to protect herself in front of her body. Until now, her legs still had a slight feeling of weakness, as if she was standing on a small boat that was swaying with the waves.

  The Variant Polar Bear unleashed its inherited skill, and its originally massive body seemed to grow even larger. With a "huff huff" sound, it puffed out white air from its mouth, taking heavy steps towards Zhuge Mingyue as it slammed down its stone-mill-like giant palm.

  "Be careful!" Ling Feiyang and Yan Qingfeng took a step forward, blocking in front of Zhuge Mingyue. The Broken Kill Sword and the Slender Sword simultaneously chopped towards the giant palm.

  The hurricane and the earth beast also rushed up under the spiritual command of the host.

  A dazzling golden light flashed, so bright that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes. On the tip of the Variant Polar Bear's massive paw, five claws suddenly appeared, as if forged from gold.

  "Clang!" In the midst of the crisp sound, Yan Qingfeng's slender sword with a blade that could cut through gold and jade was actually sliced into two segments by the sharp claw. The broken edge was smooth and flat, just like it had been carefully polished, revealing just how razor-sharp the golden claw was.

  Passing on skills, that's right, this is also passing on skills. Who would have thought that this mutated polar bear had grasped two kinds of mutation skills? But now, no one can get excited about it.

  The body of the Variant Polar Bear still looks clumsy, but the golden claws waving in the air are swift and fierce, not under the hurricane, and the golden light is fast like a piece of golden fog.

  Yan Qingfeng and Ling Feiyang were blown away, Yan Qingfeng still grasping a broken sword in her hand, with five shocking bloodstains on her shoulder. If she hadn't reacted quickly and moved swiftly, her entire arm would have been severed. Ling Feiyang's feet were nailed to the ground, his Broken Kill Sword intact but unable to withstand the massive power that came like a tidal wave, his feet scraping out a deep trench in the earth. The Storm Beast and Earthshaker Beast were also injured, the Cloud Pattern Wind Leopard relatively lucky, having dodged the fatal golden claw with its speed, but still suffering a deep gash on its leg that exposed bone. The Earthshaker Beast wasn't so fortunate, its steel armor and iron back torn open by a deep bloody wound, fresh blood flowing out like a fountain. A mysterious light flashed, and the two injured magical beasts reluctantly returned to their magical beast space.

  The enraged variant polar bear swung its golden claws again, like a rainbow made of gold, slashing down at Zhuge Mingyue's head. Zhuge Mingyue slightly bent her body, gripping the dagger tightly, preparing for a final life-or-death struggle. Although she knew that the dagger in her hand was probably unable to withstand the indestructible golden claws, she had no choice, the distance was too close.

  At this moment, the body was suddenly and violently knocked open. Zhuge Mingyue turned around in surprise, Wan Xi Zhen standing in his previous position, fearless with his head held high, his entire body looking incredibly tall and majestic for a moment, his eyes burning with fierce flames were extremely determined. On the ground, seven or eight empty bottles were scattered all over the place, this fatty had actually drunk all the potions on his body in one breath.

  The curse sounded, and Wan Xi Chen's expression looked very painful, but his voice was so desolate, yet so resolute and determined, as if it echoed deep within people's souls.

  "Chubby!" Zhuge Mingyue's heart sank, as Wan Xizhen skipped the step of spiritual suppression and forcibly performed a spiritual fusion with his burning spiritual energy after drinking a large amount of messy medicine. He remembered that Wen Yi had once said that if he couldn't complete control first and rushed to fuse, there would be no possibility of stopping halfway. The summoner either successfully destroyed the magic beast's spiritual space or their own consciousness would be swallowed by the magic beast, with no other possibilities.

  The golden claws of the Variant Bear sliced into Wan Qi Chen's shoulder, blood gushing out like a fountain, but at that moment, its ferocious gaze suddenly froze, falling into a state of confusion and emptiness, completely ceasing all movement. Meanwhile, in Wan Qi Chen's eyes, a hint of madness flashed, accompanied by threads of blood, and even Xue Yue could clearly feel that his spiritual energy fluctuations had become abnormally violent and chaotic.

  Obviously, Wan Qi Chen's spiritual world is fighting against the mutated ferocious bear's spiritual world, or his spiritual world is being swallowed by the mutated ferocious bear bit by bit. However, he also won a thread of life for Zhuge Mingyue and others.

  "Run..." In a state of confusion, Wan Xi Chen unconsciously uttered this word, his body slowly falling backwards.

  "Fatty!" Everyone let out a worried cry, and their eyes became misty with a layer of blurry tears.

  Yan Qingfeng gazed at the group of young people, gazing at the shoulders of Wan Qi Chen, who was already confused but still firmly determined, and suddenly had a feeling that these young people in front of him might not be truly qualified mercenaries yet, but one day, they would become the greatest mercenaries on this continent.

  Zhu Ge Mingyue began to recite the incantation, which was a fusion spell similar to Wan Qi Chen's. If Wan Qi Chen's individual spiritual power was not enough to destroy the mutated bear's spiritual space, then would two people be able to? Wen Yi had never mentioned the consequences of doing so, but Zhu Ge Mingyue wanted to try, even if there was only a slim chance, she still wanted to give it a shot.

  Listening to Zhuge Mingyue's incantation, everyone knew what she was going to do. Looking at Wan Qi Chen's appearance also guessed the possible consequences, but no one stopped her. If it were anyone else among them, they would absolutely not abandon their partner.

  Ling Feiyang adjusted his breathing, gripping the Broken Kill Sword tightly, but did not continue to attack. At this time, if he were to provoke the mutated ferocious bear further, it would only make its spirit even more frenzied, which would be detrimental to Zhuge Mingyue and Wan Qi Chen. However, if those two were to fail, he would use the sword in his hand to engage in a bloody battle with this mutated ferocious bear until one of them died, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

  In Zhuge Mingyue's spiritual world, it was a vast expanse of darkness, like the endless void. In this dark void, Zhuge Mingyue felt as if he were floating in the infinite universe like a grain of dust, without support or reliance, unable to see the end.

  A black nebula churned before her, waves of crimson surging out to engulf Zhuge Mingyue, as if about to submerge her in an instant. Zhuge Mingyue felt like a small boat on the waves, helpless and drifting with the current. In the distant dark space, a moon-colored nebula was also facing the same fate, its light growing dimmer as it was devoured by the crimson tide - that was the spiritual realm of Wan Qi Chen.

  Zhuge Mingyue summoned all her spiritual strength, struggling hard to resist the mental invasion of the mutated ferocious bear, but she felt more and more powerless. The surroundings were filled with a bloody red color, filled with a violent atmosphere. The mutated ferocious bear's strong mental power was indeed not something they could match.

  At this moment, in Zhuge Mingyue's spiritual space, a seven-colored light rose up, like a wave of fire, wherever it went, the blood-red and violent star clouds were purified into nothingness. In just a few waves of colorful tides, even the mutated ferocious bear's spiritual body, which was like a black cloud, was submerged by this seven-colored flame. Zhuge Mingyue could even hear its spiritual body let out a mournful scream.

  The entire spiritual space was shrouded in that sacred seven-colored aura, and the violent and brutal spiritual energy of the Variant Berserk was slowly disappearing. Only a segment of spiritual memory became exceptionally clear, even the seven-colored flame could not purify it immediately.

  "Could that be the skill memory that Violent Bear comprehended after its variation?" Zhuge Mingyue's mind flashed with insight, and she called out to Wan Qi Chen's spiritual space. Her consciousness covered that memory, and in just a brief contact, her consciousness gained a complex and lengthy incantation with strange pronunciation that couldn't be completed with human phonetics.

  The spiritual space of the Variant Polar Bear was finally completely destroyed by that seven-colored light, and there was no longer any breath left.

  Eyes open, the mutated polar bear was already lying on the ground, its round eyes no longer having any vitality. Its body gradually slumped down, becoming only about two meters tall, its golden fur losing its original radiance and turning a dull brownish-black color. The indestructible golden claws also disappeared along with it. The once invincible mutated polar bear had died right before their eyes.

  Zhuge Mingyue looked around, wondering who had saved her. It was definitely not something an ordinary person could do. In front of her, apart from a cold stone wall and her companions, there were no other people in sight. Zhuge Mingyue's mind was filled with doubts.

  "Sister!" Du Mu Xuan looked at Zhuge Mingyue with surprise and delight, tears streaming down her face as she rushed into Zhuge's arms, holding her tightly. Though there were a thousand words to say, she couldn't utter a single sentence, choking back sobs as more tears flowed out.

  "Silly girl, I'm fine, why are you still crying? If you cry again, you'll become a snotty worm." Zhuge Mingyue felt the deep concern and warmth in her heart, and looked at that small flower cat-like face with a playful tone.

  "I'm not too happy now?" Du Mu Xuan left Zhuge Mingyue's arms, embarrassed to wipe away tears and said.

  "Ah, Mingyue, you're fine... it's too good that nothing happened, I was worried to death just now, afraid that you..." Wan Qi Chen also opened his eyes at this time, and with a look of surprise and joy, he forgot about the wound on his shoulder. He rushed forward like Duanmu Xun, but when he reached her side, he opened his arms yet didn't dare to hug her, his face flushing red as he stood there awkwardly.

  "Thanks, fatty." Zhuge Mingyue smiled and gave Wan Qi Chen a light hug.

  Wan Xi's eyes widened in a daze, unsure if it was due to blood loss or some other reason, and suddenly felt dizzy. He hastily left Zhuge Mingyue's embrace, turned around, and his face turned red to the point of almost bleeding...

  The crisis is finally over, and everyone has a feeling of surviving a disaster. They start to bandage the wounds of Wan Xi Chen and Yan Qingfeng. Fortunately, Wan Xi Chen had drunk a large amount of medicinal water earlier, which caused his spiritual power to surge beyond its normal level, allowing him to timely cast the Spiritual Fusion Spell and momentarily stun the mutated bear, thus avoiding severe injuries. The wound looks frightening but is only a flesh wound.

  But at the same time, everyone was amazed and wondered what this fat guy had eaten to grow up like that. He drank a bunch of messy medicines, but it seemed like nothing happened to him. If someone else did that, they might have exploded and died already.

  Several people rested for a while and walked towards the seven-colored light in the middle of the stone hall, wondering what kind of treasure this mutated violent bear was guarding with its life.

  "What a beautiful necklace!" exclaimed Endo Katsuragi.

  In the middle of the stone pedestal, a necklace was placed, made of unknown materials, with a whole body of flowing colors, like a rainbow, and upon closer inspection, the colorful light was not static, but constantly flowing and changing on the necklace, presenting a mysterious atmosphere.

  Everyone had a strange feeling in their heart, as if the flowing rainbow contained some special energy that resonated deep within their souls.

  "Sister, on your body..." Duanmu Xun suddenly looked at Zhuge Mingyue, speechless. Only to see that on Zhuge Mingyue's body, a light spot appeared, and it actually emitted seven-colored rays of light, connecting with the light from the necklace to form a beautiful rainbow, but it became even more holy and dazzling, and even faintly emanated an aura that made people dare not gaze directly at her.

  "Isn't this the seven-colored light that just appeared in the spiritual realm?" Zhuge Mingyue was also extremely surprised, carefully taking out a jade pendant from her body, which was the treasure map obtained from Luo Xiao's body back then. The star-patterned jade pendant had reappeared after being destroyed by the fierce flames. The seven-colored light was indeed emitted from this very jade pendant.

  "What's going on here?" Zhuge Mingyue asked in surprise.

  "Could it be Star Fantasy Guardian!" Ling Feiyang exclaimed in surprise, hardly daring to believe his eyes.

  "What is the Starlight Guardian?" asked Wan Xi Chen and Xue Zi Hao in unison. Zhuge Mingyue fell silent, she seemed to have seen such records in Cang Wuyue's private study. But could it be? Could it be that heaven-defying thing?

  "In some ancient and venerable royal families, a secret has been passed down for thousands of years. In a certain hidden place on this continent, a powerful force is sealed away, perhaps a divine artifact or an ancient relic left behind by the gods. No one knows exactly what it is, but whoever finds this place will possess the power to unify the entire continent. These ancient royal families have searched for generations, but to no avail. The Star Fantasy Guardian is one of the keys to finding and unlocking this powerful force." Ling Feiyang said as he put the necklace on Zhuge Mingyue, then continued speaking.

  "The Starlight Guardians are a set of ornaments, said to have five pieces in total, each with its own special function. When two or more of these ornaments come together, they can produce an even stronger and more magical effect. If all five are gathered, it is said that one can unlock the sealed power of legend, and also become much stronger themselves." Ling Feiyang continued to speak, while quietly observing Yan Qingfeng's expression. What would Yan Qingfeng think upon hearing about such a treasure? Among the people present, Ling Feiyang trusted everyone... except for Yan Qingfeng, whom he had met later on. However, there was not a hint of greed or unusual color in Yan Qingfeng's eyes; his eyebrows were only slightly furrowed as he listened calmly.

  "How wonderful! Sister, you try it quickly, what effect will these two have when combined?" Duanmu Xuan was still in a childlike state of mind, and after hearing Ling Feiyang's words, she felt very curious.

  "If it's really such a treasure, then, Mingyue, you absolutely cannot show it to people casually. It's too dangerous, you should know that 'guilty of possessing jade'. All of you must also keep it confidential. Don't mention it to anyone casually." Yan Qingfeng expressed his concerns. Ling Feiyang also put down his heart at this moment. It seems that Yan Qingfeng's character is indeed trustworthy.

  Zhuge Mingyue and the others all nodded, Yan Qingfeng's words were very reasonable. Such a legend, whether true or false, is full of great temptation. Especially for those ambitious and power-hungry people who love politics, they will probably flock to it as soon as they hear the news.

  "I understand now, if it wasn't for them, I and Pangzi would have been dead already." Zhuge Mingyue stroked the necklace, recalling the sacred and powerful rainbow light in the spiritual world just now, suddenly understanding that what saved her was this necklace and jade pendant, with a magical effect of soul protection. As for the separate effects, she hadn't discovered any for the jade pendant, but as for the necklace, if she guessed correctly, then the strange transformation of that violent bear might have something to do with it, she'll slowly figure it out later.

  When the necklace and jade pendant were all worn on Zhuge Mingyue's body, the seven-colored light on the two ornaments suddenly disappeared, except for being beautiful and dazzling, they looked no different from ordinary decorations.

  It's okay, Zhuge Mingyue was worried that if she went out with a seven-colored aura all over her body, people would think she's a monster. Now she can put her mind at ease.

  "In short, this matter must be kept confidential." Ling Fei Yang said with a serious expression.

  "I understand." Everyone nodded vigorously.

  At this moment, the entire cave began to shake violently, and even rocks started falling from above.

  "Bad! The cave is going to collapse, let's go quickly!" Ling Feiyang shouted loudly, grabbed the fatty and carried him on his back as he ran.

  Zhuge Mingyue also pulled the injured Yan Qingfeng and ran, while Xue Zihao directly picked up Duanmu Xun and followed closely behind.

  Just as they ran out of the cave, a loud rumbling sound continued to rise, and the entire cave collapsed. The rubble blocked the entrance, and nothing of its previous appearance could be seen again.

  The dust settled, and they could finally sit down and take a good rest.

  "Wow——" Wan Xi Chen let out a long sigh of relief, and suddenly smiled with his eyes gleaming, "This time it was really worth coming. The entire Variant Polar Bear actually had two skills, my little dumpling and Mingyue's hurricane each got one."

  "One for each person?" Xue Zihao was also slightly surprised.

  "Ah, from now on, whenever my little gang kicks up a fuss, the heavens will shake and the earth will split... Hahahaha... Ahhh, it hurts so much, my wound is going to kill me, it's splitting open!" Wan Qi Chen couldn't help but laugh triumphantly, but ended up laughing to the point of tears almost flying out, his wound splitting open in pain.

  "What about you, Mingyue? What is your skill in the face of a hurricane?" Everyone turned their heads to look at Zhuge Mingyue.

  "After that, the hurricane's sharp claws will be unstoppable." Zhuge Mingyue also smiled with satisfaction, and then sighed with some heartache, "However, the hurricane was seriously injured and needs to recover. It will take some time for the skills to merge."

  "It will recover." Wan Xi Chen comforted Zhuge Mingyue.

  "Alright, while there's still time, let's leave this place first and find somewhere to set up camp and rest!" Yan Qingfeng spoke up.

  "Hmm." Everyone was worried about Yan Qingfeng and Wan Xi Chen's injuries, and they all responded in unison.

  Afterwards, everyone found a drier flat ground not far away and started pitching tents. Yan Qingfeng and Wan Qichen, the two wounded men, sat on one side to rest.

  After resting in place for a few days, Yan Qingfeng and Wan Xi Chen's injuries had improved somewhat, and they were ready to set off.

  "It's gone!" Yan Qingfeng gently touched the wound on his shoulder, and he didn't know what medicine Zhuge Mingyue had used, but the wound healed very quickly.

  "Where are we going?" Wan Xi Chen asked a bit nervously.

  "Of course we're going back, or do you want to live here for the rest of your life?" Yan Qingfeng asked with a smile.

  "Must we cross the snowy mountain again?" Wan Xi Chen's legs were starting to tremble, this was his main concern. He looked at Yan Qingfeng with pleading eyes, "Yan sister, can't we not cross the snowy mountain? Is there another way? Can we go around it?"

  Yan Qingfeng looked at Wan Kuochens pitiful appearance and burst out laughing: "Little fatty, weren't you so brave and fearless before? You didn't even fear death, yet you're afraid of heights?"

  "That's different." Wan Xi Chen shook his head like a rattle drum.

  "Actually, we can take another route, bypassing this swamp and going through the dense forest ahead. We can reach the border town of Dongsheng Kingdom and then return via the official road." Yan Qingfeng looked at Wan Qichen's bitter expression and couldn't help but smile as he suggested an alternative route.

  "Wow, that's great! Let's take this road." Wan Xi Chen was excitedly jumping up and down, he really didn't want to climb over that frightening snow mountain again.

  "Look at you, you're not even half as good as Xuan Xuan." Xue Zi Hao disdainfully rolled his eyes.

  Zhuge Mingyue also smiled and shook her head.

  Like this, the crowd prepared to cross the swamp. Yan Qingfeng led the way in front, she was also quite familiar with this swamp, holding a thick branch as a walking stick, exploring the road ahead, and Zhuge Mingyue and others followed closely behind.

  They walked a long way, crossing more than half of the swamp, before seeing other creatures. Zhuge Mingyue looked back at the swamp behind her and thought to herself that since there were no longer any mutated ferocious bears here, this place would soon become lively. Many creatures would come here.

  Generally speaking, crossing the swamp was smooth, except that Xue Zihao's foot sank in and then everyone pulled him out, there were no other accidents.

  Sitting by the marsh, Xue Zixiao shook his boots, fortunately they were not soaked through, just wet on the outside. Xue Zixiao was hastily wiping his boots with some dry leaves on the ground when he saw a small hand stretching out, holding a big pile of dry leaves. Xue Zixiao looked up and saw Duanmu Xian's eyes staring at him, her eyes were wet. Xue Zixiao smiled slightly, took the dry leaves from Duanmu Xian's hands and wiped his boots. "Xianxian is the most obedient." Xue Zixiao smiled at Xian again.

  Duanmu Xian pursed her lips and smiled cleverly.

  "Let's find a clearing to rest for a while and try to get through this dense forest before tonight." Yan Qingfeng looked up at the sky, calculated the time, and figured it should be possible to get through the forest before dark.

  "Uh, I'm also tired. Let's eat something." Ling Feiyang stood up and looked around, finally choosing a place for everyone to sit and rest. "Eat something, Mingyue." Ling Feiyang handed over the smoked meat in his hand.

  Zhuge Mingyue took it over, took a bite, and scrunched up her eyes because of the saltiness. She hastily grabbed her own water bag, only to find that there was no water left! Then she turned around and saw Ling Feiyang taking out his water bag to drink from it. She snatched it away from him and gulped down several mouthfuls, letting out a sigh of relief before returning the water bag to Ling Feiyang.

  "Fei Yang, your smoked meat is too salty!" Zhuge Mingyue disdainfully waved the smoked meat back at Ling Fei Yang.

  "Really?" Ling Feiyang was taken aback, tore off a piece and put it in his mouth, also furrowing his eyebrows, "It seems that this piece of meat has too much salt."

  "It is." Zhuge Mingyue nodded and then turned her head to look at Wan Qi Chen, "Fatty, give me the beef jerky you hid in your bag."

  "Ah! How did you know?" Wan Xi Chen let out a pained cry, clutching his stomach and staring at Zhuge Mingyue with wide eyes. "It's the last one, don't want it anymore."

  "Give it to me!" Zhuge Mingyue rushed up and snatched the meat away.

  Ling Feiyang looked at Zhuge Mingyue's smiling face, and the corners of his mouth also curled up. He picked up the water bottle, ready to take a drink, but hesitated. Just now, Mingyue had drunk from it... Ling Feiyang stared blankly at the water bottle in his hand for a moment before slowly taking a light sip. The feeling in his heart at this moment was very subtle, with a hint of secret joy and panic...

  A group of travelers set out again after resting.

  "This forest is called the Black Ebony Forest. During the day, it's fine, but at night, a highly venomous snake appears. It's called the Golden Snake, its entire body is golden in color, except for a black stripe on its back. Its attack speed is extremely fast. If you're bitten, even if it's just a small wound, your entire body will instantly turn black and swell up, the pain is unbearable. If you don't receive treatment within three hours, you'll slowly rot to death. The most troublesome thing is that these snakes are social animals, once they move, it's always in large groups." Yan Qingfeng walked ahead, explaining as he went why they had to hurry and cross this Black Ebony Forest before nightfall.

  "So toxic?" Zhuge Mingyue was shocked in her heart, and it would actually rot and die. Xing Linzhou had peeled off a lot of good things from her, and before leaving, Xing Linzhou also actively stuffed a lot of medicine into her, including many antidotes. It's not known whether the medicine given by Xing Linzhou can effectively counteract the venom of the Golden Snake. Zhuge Mingyue just thought about it, anyway, the Golden Snake group would only appear at night, and as long as she could pass through this black forest before dark, it would be fine.

  As they walked, Yan Qingfeng discovered that something was off. At first, it was just squirrels and rabbits darting out from in front of them, scurrying about frantically as if fleeing for their lives. Xue Zihao initially shot a rabbit with ease, but soon, it wasn't just these small animals anymore. Even deer, wild boars, and other large beasts were running towards them, not attacking them at all, but instead rushing past them in a panic. It was as if something terrifying was chasing after them from behind. Before long, the birds in the trees took to the skies with a loud fluttering of wings.

  "What's going on?" Ling Feiyang furrowed his brow, wondering if there was something unusual ahead. Was it another powerful fierce beast?

  "Go take a look..." Yan Qingfeng's words were not yet finished, when faint cries for help came from the front. And those cries grew more and more mournful.

  "Ah!" Suddenly, Wan Xi Chen let out a loud cry and abruptly retreated two steps back, almost stepping on Xue Zi Hao.

  Everyone followed his gaze and saw a golden snake as thick as a thumb hanging from the branch, suddenly drooping down, scaring Wan Ziqian to cry out. This snake was indeed as described by Yan Qingfeng, with a shiny black body and a dazzling golden line on its back. Wan Ziqian retreated backward, if he stood a little forward, he would be bitten by this golden snake. Too dangerous!

  "Golden Snake!" Yan Qingfeng's face changed. What was going on? Weren't golden snakes supposed to appear only at night? Was it just a coincidence that this golden snake came out during the day? But soon, this guess was immediately shattered. A rustling sound arose from all around.

  Zhuge Mingyue and others took a closer look, and suddenly they felt a chill run down their spines. All around them, golden snakes were crawling out, on the branches, under the roots of the trees, in the fallen leaves, and in the grass, densely packed golden snakes were spitting out bright red snake letters, hissing...

  "How can there be so many snakes?" Wan Xi Chen's face turned green in an instant.

  Duanmu Xian couldn't help but lean towards Xue Zikao, who wrapped his arm around her shoulder and comforted her softly: "Don't be afraid."

  Yan Qingfeng was also startled. The golden snake group, she had never seen them move during the day before. What exactly happened ahead?

  Zhuge Mingyue quickly pulled out several bottles of medicinal powder from her bag and swiftly sprinkled the powder evenly over each person, covering them from head to toe. Then, a miraculous thing happened: all the golden snakes detoured around them, while the surrounding area was filled with hissing golden snakes crawling everywhere, except for the small vacuum zone that had formed around Zhuge Mingyue and her companions.

  "Deputy commander, kill me, I can't take it anymore!" A mournful cry came from the front.

  "No, hold on, we can get out of here!" The faintly heard voice seemed somewhat familiar.

  Yan Qingfeng's face changed: "It's Liao Fei and his gang!"

  Liao Fei? The deputy commander of the Knife Edge Mercenary Group? The rude idiot with a Griffin as his Familiar? Zhuge Mingyue instantly recalled this person from his memory. No choice, Liao Fei had given him that impression after all.

  "I'll go take a look!" Yan Qingfeng heard the miserable cries from that direction and naturally wouldn't ignore it, so she quickly ran towards the front. Wherever she went, the golden snakes all retreated, which was due to the medicinal powder sprinkled by Zhuge Mingyue. Zhuge Mingyue and her group naturally followed along as well, although they didn't like Liao Fei, but since Yan Qingfeng had a relationship with him, Yan Qingfeng would definitely lend a hand to help. So, they wouldn't abandon Yan Qingfeng either.

  A group of people ran forward in a hurry, and the miserable cries got closer and closer. The golden snakes around them became more and more numerous, they slowed down their pace, afraid that those golden snakes would not dodge in time and be trampled by them. If they were stepped on, it would be miserable, they believed that those golden snakes would definitely want to kiss them fiercely.

  As they ran closer, they found that in front of them was a small open space, with more than thirty people forming a circle, struggling to resist the incoming golden snake swarm. Around them was a ring of golden snake corpses, layered and shocking. The bloody smell lingered in the air for a long time, and countless golden snakes were still rushing over desperately.

  "Shen Ruofeng is also here!" Yan Qingfeng was stunned, and saw one of the people surrounded by a circle. That was the captain of the Knife Edge Mercenary Group! He was a swordsman, and his face was also very solemn at this moment, wielding the giant sword in his hand to resist the surging golden snakes. In the center of the circle, someone was bitten by the golden snake, and the miserable cry was coming from that person. It must be unbearable pain.

  Yan Qingfeng no longer cared about that, she took out her spare long sword and started massacring the Golden Snakes from the periphery. At first, the Golden Snakes were hesitant to approach her due to the medicinal powder on her body. However, as Yan Qingfeng continued her massacre, the Golden Snakes began to counterattack. The speed of their attacks was extremely fast, and there were many of them, making it somewhat difficult for Yan Qingfeng.

  Zhuge Mingyue saw the situation, of course, couldn't just stand by and do nothing. However, looking at the numerous golden snake corpses, he felt that something was off. Why would the golden snakes, which usually only appeared at night, go crazy and attack people in groups during the day?

  Zhuge Mingyue took out a bottle of medicine and sprinkled it forward, the golden snakes dodged in all directions, and then directly opened up a path leading to the flat ground where Liao Fei and others were. Liao Fei and others saw this and were overjoyed, wanting to lead their people to escape from this gap. However, those golden snakes suddenly went mad, ignoring the harm of the medicine, and frantically rushed forward again, surrounding them inside once more, refusing to let them pass.

  Yan Qingfeng was getting anxious, watching the circle inside get smaller and smaller, while the resistance of those people inside also got weaker and weaker. If this continued, the people inside would inevitably be completely defeated.

  "Director Shen, Deputy Director Liao, hold on!" Yan Qingfeng shouted anxiously from outside.

  Shen Ruofeng and Liao Fei were overjoyed after seeing Zhuge Mingyue's skill, thinking they could escape. But now the golden snakes are rushing up again, making their hearts sink. Liao Fei is feeling complicated, he indeed underestimated Zhuge Mingyue earlier. Could this girl be a formidable alchemist? Is that possible? Liao Fei could have let his lion eagle carry him to safety, but in this situation, although the magical creature wouldn't let him ride it, it would agree to let him hold onto its limbs and be carried away. However, he absolutely couldn't abandon his companions and leave. The other people had the same idea as him. The summoners didn't dare to summon their magical creatures to fight against the golden snakes. If they weren't careful and got bitten by one of the snakes, their creature would die!

  "Go ahead." Zhuge Mingyue finally made a decision, it seemed that Yan Qingfeng would not abandon these people. She wouldn't just watch as Yan Qingfeng died. She had thought of a way.

  "What?" Yan Qingfeng hesitated, she had no reason to let Zhuge Mingyue and the others accompany her on this adventure!

  "I'll take care of it!" Zhuge Mingyue said in a low voice, her face calm and composed beyond her years.

  Zhuge Mingyue took out the medicine again, opened up a path, and the group finally reunited with the people in the circle. Along with the Golden Snake Gang, they instantly blocked the gap, not letting them escape.

  "Commander Yan, why must you do this!" Shen Ruo Feng anxiously shouted out, "You didn't have to come here at all."

  "Director Shen, no need to say more. I won't let you all fall into the snakes' nest like this." Yan Qingfeng's sword flashed, and in an instant, two golden snakes were killed.

  Zhuge Mingyue sized up Shen Ruofeng, who was wielding a giant sword in front of him. He looked to be twenty-seven or eight years old, and his features were very handsome, although there was a scar on the right side of his face. This scar did not ruin his good looks, but instead gave off a unique masculine charm.

  Zhuge Mingyue didn't speak, but instead silently chanted an incantation. Soon, the shadow of Ye Mei appeared before everyone's eyes.

  Suddenly, a curvaceous beauty appeared, leaving everyone stunned. She quickly regained her composure, realizing it wasn't the time to be dazed! However, many people noticed that this so-called beauty was actually a winged night demon! Who was she? Whose demonic pet was she? No one had heard anyone chanting spells. What's going on here?

  "What's wrong?" The Night Demon flapped its wings and flew beside Zhuge Mingyue.

  "Can it make these golden snakes hallucinate and help us leave?" Zhuge Mingyue and Ye Xie spoke to each other, and the people around them all took a cold breath. This Ye Xie was actually this girl's demonic pet? Then, what kind of strength did this girl have? And how did she summon it out? No one heard her recite any incantations.

  Liao Fei almost bit his own tongue at this moment. This is Ye Ya! That girl, actually has such strength!

  Yè Mèi listened to Zhūgě Míng Yuè's words, then turned her head to look around, seeing the golden snakes everywhere. Suddenly, she shrunk her body and sat on Zhūgě Míng Yuè's shoulder. Her small cherry lips opened slightly, and her soft voice made people's bones melt: "I can make these golden snakes hallucinate, allowing you to leave safely."

  Everyone heard this and a glimmer of hope rose in their hearts, they were overjoyed. The Night Spirit's song could cause living creatures to hallucinate, as was well known! This was a mental attack, a high-level attack among demonic pets.

  But before everyone's excitement had subsided, Ye Wei spoke again in a calm tone: "However, I refuse."

  What?! The crowd's eyes widened in shock. This demonic pet actually refused its master's command?!

  "How dare you, a demonic pet, refuse your master's orders? Are you out of your mind?"

  "Contract Acceleration Limit!"

  "Hurry up and let her sing!"

  ……

  Contractual restraint, that is a kind of punishment for the master to the demon pet. When the demon pet is disobedient, the master can urge this restriction to suppress the demon pet, and the demon pet will suffer from both spiritual and physical pain. That pain is so painful that it is unbearable. Few demon pets can resist it.

  Ye Mei's eyes sank, and she felt a sense of unease and annoyance in her heart. She turned to look at Zhuge Mingyue, but found that Zhuge Mingyue's face had also turned cold. What was going on?

  However, Zhuge Mingyue did not do so, but instead said coolly: "You'd better pay attention to the snake in front of you. My own magical pet, I know how to handle it myself, no need for your meddling!"

  Everyone was caught off guard and scrambled to respond to the golden snake's attack. In the meantime, someone else accidentally got bitten again. Their combat effectiveness decreased once more.

  "Why refuse? What's the reason?" Zhuge Mingyue slightly turned her head, looking at Ye Mei, and asked softly.

  Ye Mei was taken aback, she had never thought that Zhuge Mingyue would ask her reason in a soft voice!

  "Why?" Night Charm was stunned for a moment, and immediately asked back.

  "Huh?" Zhuge Mingyue was puzzled.

  "Why are you asking me for a reason, shouldn't you...?" The Night Demon's words trailed off. Shouldn't you be forcing me to carry out your orders?

  "You always have your reasons. And I, believe you." Zhuge Mingyue looked at Ye Xiao steadily, her tone sincere.

  Ye Mei's heart almost stopped beating at this moment. She stared blankly at Zhuge Mingyue, something in her heart slowly melting away.

  "What reason is there?" Zhuge Mingyue spoke again.

  "These golden snakes are looking for their precious things. They stole the thing that the golden snakes treasure the most!" The Night Demon's voice suddenly grew louder and flew to the top of Zhuge Mingyue's head, pointing at Shen Ruofeng, "There is a snake egg of the Golden Snake King in his backpack!"

  Yan Qingfeng, Zhuge Mingyue and the others were stunned, their eyes all fixed on the backpack on Shen Ruofeng's back.

  "Shen Tuanzhang, why did you steal the Golden Snake's egg? This will bring harm to yourself and your team members!" Yan Qingfeng said with a mix of pain and urgency, as everyone present were elite members of the Knife Edge Mercenary Team.

  "I must get this egg." Shen Ruofeng was exposed by Ye Mei, but his face remained calm.

  At this time, Ye Mei suddenly sang a song, and the heavenly music-like singing voice rang out. The golden snakes temporarily stopped attacking, retreated several meters back, but all shook their bodies without leaving.

  "Go back!" Zhuge Mingyue said sternly, "Return immediately, do you want all these people to die with you?"

  "No!" Shen Ruo Feng's body stiffened slightly, but his tone was firm and resolute. "I just can't let so many brothers of the Knife Edge Mercenary Group die with me. I must take this snake egg back, I must!"

  What's going on? Zhuge Mingyue didn't understand.

  "Why? What's going on?" Yan Qingfeng was anxious, originally thought he had found a solution to the problem, but Shen Ruofeng's attitude made him wonder how they could still resolve it.

  "We follow the team leader, without complaint or regret."

  "It's worth dying for."

  Other team members also expressed their views.

  Zhuge Mingyue slowly walked to the middle, looking at the few team members who were bitten by the golden snake. They were in severe pain, but they endured it without screaming loudly, only whimpering softly. However, the distortion of their facial features showed the suffering they were going through at that moment. Zhuge Mingyue sighed and took out a medicine from her bag, feeding it to each of them to drink. Soon, the symptoms of these people improved.

  Shen Ruofeng and Liao Fei stared blankly at Zhuge Mingyue's actions, and for a moment the surroundings were silent.

  "Everyone has someone they care about, maybe it's your family, maybe it's your lover, or maybe it's your friend. It's really irresponsible to say something like 'go die' so casually." Zhuge Mingyue stood up and turned her head to look at Shen Ruofeng, "Commander Shen, can you tell me what's bothering you?"

  "I... didn't!" Shen Ruofeng's eyes darted around, blurting out these words.

  "Now that it's come to this, we still don't know if we can safely get out of here, and yet you're still reluctant to speak up. We came with good intentions to rescue you, but looking at the situation, it's likely we'll end up dying with you. At least let us die with some understanding." Ling Feiyang finally spoke up lazily, his tone carrying a hint of unyielding harshness.

  Shen Ruo Feng hesitated for a moment, looking at the injured members, then at the snake group not far away, and finally at the determined eyes of the people standing beside him. He let out a long sigh: "It's the Crown Prince... If I don't bring this snake egg back to him, my father, our Blade Edge Mercenary Group will face his wrath. We can't withstand his wrath, because we're just a mercenary group with only two hundred people... He is the Crown Prince, he..."

  "He has many ways to find trouble for you, strike at you, and make it so that you have no foothold in the capital again." Ling Feiyang slowly took over.

  "Director Shen, your father is an official under the Crown Prince...” At this time, Yan Qingfeng remembered that Shen Ruofeng's father was a minor official, seemingly affiliated with the Crown Prince faction.

  "Yes." Shen Ruofeng nodded slightly, with a hint of despair. He was the leader of the renowned Blade Edge Mercenary Group. He had led his brothers step by step from the lowest E-level mercenary group to their current status, finally gaining recognition and glory in the mercenary world. But all of this was about to be destroyed; how could he give up?

  “His Highness the Crown Prince?” Zhuge Mingyue furrowed her brow, she had met the Crown Prince at a palace banquet before. The Crown Prince gave people a feeling of being courteous and refined. However, you can't judge a person by their appearance. Hearing Shen Ruofeng say this, Zhuge Mingyue understood. Ordinary people don't fight against officials because they will never win. The Knife Edge Mercenary Team is an A-level mercenary team, but no matter how famous or strong it is, it's impossible to surpass the military or imperial power. But what does this Crown Prince want with the Golden Snake King's egg? Thinking of this, Zhuge Mingyue asked, "What does the Crown Prince want with the Golden Snake King's egg?"

  "I don't know." Shen Ruofeng shook his head, his face very heavy. Because he thought that this time not only would the task be impossible to complete, but his father would also be implicated by him.

  Zhuge Mingyue's eyebrows were tightly locked, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Ling Feiyang: "Feiyang, do you have a way?"

  "I can't. No matter what our family is like, it can't affect the prince," Ling Feiyang shook his head, seeing the desperate look on everyone's face, but smiled and said, "I can't, but you can."

  "Huh?" Even Zhuge Mingyue himself was puzzled.

  "Don't you know your master's status?" Ling Feiyang smiled, "Your other master, Xing Dashi, do you know what his other identity is?"

  "What?" Zhuge Mingyue asked in confusion.

  The people around them listened to their conversation, shocked and suspicious. What were they talking about? Master Xing? The girl's master? Did she have more than one master?

  "What's your other master's surname?" Ling Feiyang asked in a very calm tone.

  "Xing." Zhuge Mingyue replied simply.

  "What is the surname of the current emperor?" Ling Feiyang asked again.

  Everyone's heart is racing at this moment. The current emperor also has the surname Xing, as everyone knows! Is there any connection between them?

  "Your master is the president of the Summoner Association, and even the emperor has to show respect. Your other master is Master Xing Linzhou, who is the emperor's uncle!" Ling Feiyang said calmly.

  A burst of gasps sounded around, and Yan Qingfeng's eyes widened as he stared at Zhuge Mingyue. He never expected that the bright and proud girl in front of him would have such a big background. Liao Fei felt like he should dig out his eyeballs. He was truly blind!

  "So you're saying I have a strong backing?" Zhuge Mingyue burst out laughing directly.

  So it seems like everything is going to be alright then.

  By the way

  Thank you, dear ones, for the flowers, diamonds, monthly tickets and evaluation votes. I like them all. No thanks to the update prompt tickets, because I don't like them. Hmph! If you want to ask for updates, then throw out 3,000 words, haha...