Within the palace residence of the Cloud Dream God of War, in the ancient city of Cloud Dream, Teng Qingshan, the Grand Elder, and the Cloud Dream God of War conversed for a brief moment.

"Qingshan, where exactly does that Cloud Dream White Fruit grow?" the Cloud Dream God of War inquired.

Teng Qingshan immediately pulled out a thread-bound book from his embrace, flipped it open to the map pages, located a specific page, and pointed to a spot on the map: "Senior, look here. The place where the Cloud Dream White Fruit grows should be around here, perhaps twenty to thirty li west of this 'Erui Mountain'."

The three thousand li Cloud Dream Marsh was too vast and boundless!

Even the Rising Sun Merchant Guild did not possess an entirely detailed map, only marking some prominent large mountains and bodies of water to judge locations.

"West of Erui Mountain?" The Cloud Dream God of War leaned in for a closer look, then shook his head and sighed, "This map is far too rough. Looking only at the map, it's genuinely difficult to pinpoint the exact location."

"It is inside a cave within a snake mountain."

Teng Qingshan continued, "Last night, I was on a low mountain within a lake and marsh. That low mountain was densely packed with countless snakes. Among them was a Snake King, a monstrous beast comparable to a peak Innate Golden Core expert—the Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent. Subsequently, I discovered the 'Cloud Dream White Fruit' within its lair."

"Terrible!" The Cloud Dream God of War's expression changed drastically.

"What is it?" Teng Qingshan was startled.

"Qingshan, did you kill that Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent?" the Cloud Dream God of War pressed.

"No," Teng Qingshan shook his head.

The Cloud Dream God of War was aghast, cursing under his breath, "Ah, Qingshan, you were mistaken! You entered its lair and discovered the Cloud Dream White Fruit. That Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent’s intellect is no less than a human's. It knows you found the immature fruit and will certainly return to pluck it later. Given the vengeful nature of monstrous beasts, it would surely destroy the Cloud Dream White Fruit and then abandon the snake mountain! Qingshan, you should have killed the Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent right then and there, and then collapsed the cave entrance, securing the fruit meticulously. That is what you should have done."

"Senior, rest assured," Teng Qingshan said. "That Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent must believe that I did not discover the Cloud Dream White Fruit."

"Oh?" The Cloud Dream God of War frowned.

"Brother Teng, are you so certain?" Mu Wang also asked in surprise.

Teng Qingshan nodded: "The cave was pitch black last night; even I could not see clearly inside. Moreover, the Cloud Dream White Fruit was concealed very carefully by the Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent. You could say... even if I entered a hundred times, it would be hard to find. Luckily, I had good fortune and stumbled upon it. I pretended not to have noticed and left the cave. With that serpent's intellect, it must assume there is a ninety-nine percent chance I missed the fruit, so it won't be willing to destroy it."

"Hard to find even after a hundred attempts?" The Cloud Dream God of War laughed in surprise. "It seems Qingshan is quite lucky."

Teng Qingshan grinned.

In reality, Teng Qingshan only found it by chance because he possessed Dark Vision. Without Dark Vision, it truly would have been difficult to find even after a hundred visits.

"There is no time to lose! To prevent any unfortunate events, we depart now," the Cloud Dream God of War stated. "Mu Wang, you and Qingshan ride that flying monstrous beast and hurry toward the Monster Mountain. I will employ my movement technique and travel alongside you both to the Monster Mountain."

The back of the Gale Eagle was not large; seating two people already pushed its limit.

"Yes, Teacher," Mu Wang replied respectfully.

"Qingshan, you have just arrived, and I'm asking you to leave again. I hope you don't mind," the Cloud Dream God of War said with a smile toward Teng Qingshan.

"It's fine," Teng Qingshan replied, asking with surprise, "Brother Mu is also accompanying us?"

"Indeed," the Cloud Dream God of War nodded. "Once we confirm the Cloud Dream White Fruit is there, someone must be arranged to watch over it... I will then return with you to retrieve the six Mountain-Splitting Stone Tablets for you. These tablets are extremely precious items kept in a secret treasury. Within the Mu Family... aside from the thirteen internal elders and the family head unanimously agreeing, only I can retrieve them!"

Teng Qingshan understood that the Cloud Dream God of War held an unparalleled status within the Mu Family!

"Alright, let's go," the Cloud Dream God of War commanded.

"Brother Mu, please,"

Teng Qingshan smiled and boarded the Gale Eagle's back alongside Mu Wang. Out of respect for Teng Qingshan, the Gale Eagle merely cried out a few times before acquiescing to carry both Teng Qingshan and Mu Wang as they set off.

...

Whoosh~~ Whoosh~~

A strong wind slapped against them. Teng Qingshan and Mu Wang were seated on the Gale Eagle’s back as it soared above the Cloud Dream Marsh. Its incredible speed created a fierce headwind.

Across the vast Cloud Dream Marsh, one could see steaming lakes and marshes, or rising hills; various aquatic beasts and weeds were visible everywhere in the water.

At this moment—

A streak of electric light was darting across the surface of the Cloud Dream Marsh, its speed in no way inferior to the Gale Eagle’s flight.

"Senior, your movement technique is truly formidable," Teng Qingshan exclaimed, looking down below.

"Teacher reached the Void Realm long ago to become a God of War! His movement technique is much faster than mine," Mu Wang observed below. "If I were traveling across the Cloud Dream Marsh at this pace... I could achieve it, but never with the ease and casualness Teacher exhibits."

"Moreover, using true essence for extreme speed consumes an astonishing amount. I couldn't sustain a run of two to three thousand li in one go. But Teacher's true essence seems endless," Mu Wang admitted, a hint of envy in his eyes.

The Gale Eagle also noticed the humans running below.

The saying goes that four legs are faster than two, and birds are faster than beasts! Of course, this is a general assessment. The speed of a Void Realm human expert is still astonishingly exaggeratedly fast.

But the Gale Eagle was somewhat displeased; could a human keep up with its speed?

"Yoo~~" The Gale Eagle let out a high-pitched cry and increased its speed.

As the Gale Eagle accelerated, the figure below, which had turned into a blurred streak of lightning, the Cloud Dream God of War, also increased his pace. The Gale Eagle refused to be outdone and pushed faster! Yet, the Cloud Dream God of War merely maintained a speed roughly equal to the eagle.

A flying monstrous beast and a Void Realm expert kept increasing their pace in this manner.

After a while—

The Gale Eagle finally reached its limit and could not accelerate further. Meanwhile, the Cloud Dream God of War below seemed to maintain a similar speed with apparent ease.

"Haha, Little Gray, comparing yourself to a Void Realm expert shows either your confidence or your arrogance," Teng Qingshan laughed while stroking the feathers on the Gale Eagle's neck.

"This monstrous beast is quite amusing," Mu Wang chuckled as well.

The Gale Eagle let out a few cries, seemingly admitting defeat, and simultaneously began to lower its flight speed. Maintaining maximum velocity for a long flight was too taxing even for a flying beast.

"Brother Teng, look over there," Mu Wang pointed toward the northwest.

Teng Qingshan looked as well.

In the northwest, amidst the steaming mists of the Cloud Dream Marsh, stood a towering, majestic mountain that pierced the clouds. This mountain was incredibly tall; even its base spanned seventy to eighty li in circumference, and its height reached forty to fifty li. Such a colossal mountain was the single tallest peak in the entire Cloud Dream Marsh!

The Cloud Dream Marsh primarily consisted of lakes and marshes, with scattered hills; such a massive mountain was exceedingly rare.

"Monster Mountain!" Teng Qingshan praised.

"Yes, Monster Mountain," Mu Wang marveled. "This mountain has existed since ancient times. It is the place in the entire Cloud Dream Marsh where monstrous beasts are most numerous! Even the Divine Beast 'Dark Iron Horse' frequently haunts its depths."

"The king of Monster Mountain is the king of the Cloud Dream Marsh," Teng Qingshan remarked thoughtfully.

A mountain occupying less than a hundred li radius might seem insignificant compared to the three thousand li expanse of the Cloud Dream Marsh, yet this spot was the most perilous region within it.

Mu Wang nodded in agreement: "The king of Monster Mountain in the past was a Divine Beast named 'Ghost Dome.' The Dark Iron Horse was not yet a Divine Beast back then. However, after following the Sky God Duanmu, the Dark Iron Horse’s strength constantly increased. When Sky God Duanmu passed away, the Divine Beast 'Dark Iron Horse' returned to the Cloud Dream Marsh, actually defeating 'Ghost Dome' and driving it away, becoming the new king of Monster Mountain."

In the Duanmu Continent, the term Divine Beast referred to Void Realm monstrous beasts.

"The Divine Beast Ghost Dome?" Teng Qingshan asked curiously. "Where is that Divine Beast now?"

"It was driven away by the Dark Iron Horse, reportedly entering the great sea. More than two thousand years ago, someone spotted 'Ghost Dome' in the vast southern ocean! As for now, perhaps the Divine Beast Ghost Dome lives somewhere, or perhaps... it has simply died of old age. After all, the Divine Beast Ghost Dome was a creature that lived before the Sky God 'Da Yu' wielded the divine axe."

Though some monstrous beasts have long lifespans, it does not mean they are immortal.

...

About an hour later, Teng Qingshan and the others arrived at the snake mountain.

"It's right there!" Teng Qingshan pointed downward. "That's the mountain."

"Oh," a look of joy flickered across Mu Wang's face.

"I will go down first, just in case that Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent realizes we are back and decides to destroy the Cloud Dream White Fruit before fleeing." Teng Qingshan immediately leaped down from the Gale Eagle's back, landing on a hill very close to the snake mountain, and then sprinted towards it with incredible speed.

However, the Cloud Dream God of War had also caught up by this time.

"Qingshan, you've arrived?" the Cloud Dream God of War asked.

"Yes, Senior. I will go deal with the Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent first," Teng Qingshan replied.

Despite his immense power, the Cloud Dream God of War was unfamiliar with the snake mountain’s layout, so he let Teng Qingshan take the lead.

Teng Qingshan shot up the snake mountain like a streak of light. The Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent had no idea that the terrifying human from last night had returned!

"Awooo~~ Roar~~"

Piercing, frantic roars suddenly erupted from within the snake mountain.

The Gale Eagle also dove down, and Mu Wang jumped off, landing on the snake mountain beside the Cloud Dream God of War, both looking toward the cave entrance above with expressions of shock.

Teng Qingshan flashed out of the cave like lightning. He embraced the thick, long tail of the Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent with both arms. The serpent's fifteen zhang (nearly forty meters) long body writhed and struggled in mid-air, emitting harsh roars. Both massive serpent heads lunged towards Teng Qingshan.

"Haha, enjoy the ride!" Teng Qingshan gave a mighty heave.

The massive body of the Two-Headed Violet Ring Serpent was flung into the air, twisting violently, before crashing heavily into the misty marsh below. Within the mist, the terrifying giant serpent could be vaguely seen before it submerged into the lake and vanished. It dared not provoke that human again.