Parting ways with Mo Gui, the massive creature carried me westward, galloping at full speed! Twenty-five years had passed, and the brute’s speed was now worlds apart from before.
Astride its back, buffeted by the gale-force winds rushing toward me, and watching the indistinct landscape blur backward like a shooting meteor! What a glorious rush, like chasing the sun and moon, becoming wind and transforming into a dragon!
I was certain that in terms of light-speed velocity, the Mammoth King now was certainly no less than the Woma Cult Leader of Darkness! Yet, the faster we traveled, the more worried I became about the state of Xing Ye, Xing Zhan, and Yan Luo.
If the Mammoth King, possessing such cultivation, was still covered in wounds and looked so battered, then the enemy Yan Luo and the others encountered must be terrifyingly powerful! After running for about three hours, the Mammoth King brought me to the edge of a dense spruce forest.
It lowered its head, sniffing the ground repeatedly, seemingly searching for something! Soon, it selected a direction and bolted forward once more!
The sky was now darkening, yet the dense spruce forest remained perpetually gloomy and dim. The Mammoth King’s agile form weaved through the trees at an astonishing speed, pausing intermittently to search and discern things!
We spent a full three days plunging through the dense woods, having already entered the heart of the snowy expanse. Along the way, we frequently encountered strange creatures—like giant, snow-white wolves, and white ice beetles that strongly resembled massive, many-horned insects!
We even spotted numerous Beastmen figures, but in the face of the Mammoth King’s incredible speed, these creatures didn't even have time to react before we left them far behind! Consequently, we encountered no true dangers on this journey.
At this moment, the Mammoth King stopped again! Nothing was visible around us except the dense jungle!
Yet, the Mammoth King was unusually cautious. After ensuring its surroundings were safe, it let out a few low growls.
This was clearly its destination! But I couldn't make out what was happening here!
“Are Xing Ye and the others nearby?” I asked softly. The Mammoth King nodded slightly!
However, its expression betrayed a deep anxiety and unease! The Mammoth King had significantly slowed its pace along the way, and I, too, had begun finding useful clues from the trail markings.
A discarded healing potion bottle, several piles of completely burned ashes—all signs indicated that people had passed through here! Looking at the Mammoth King’s wary posture, my heart suddenly sank!
It was obvious the Mammoth King was apprehensive about something, having deliberately concealed itself and tracked them all the way here! All the evidence pointed to one thing: the group ahead were enemies, not friends.
And Xing Ye and Xing Zhan had very likely fallen into their hands! Otherwise, the great beast wouldn't have been tracking them so closely!
It was clear from the Mammoth King’s tense and anxious look that this group must include some overwhelmingly powerful masters, enough to make even the beast extremely wary! Who could it be?
Someone who could make the great beast so cautious... apart from the Feng Tian War God of the Seventh Heaven Gate, I truly couldn't imagine anyone else possessing such capability!
As we tracked them, the clues left along the route became more numerous and clearer. I also managed to deduce that this party consisted of at least thirty individuals!
Not long after, I finally sensed several strong energy fluctuations emanating from the distance ahead! Human auras!
My spirit soared; our days of tracking had finally paid off! The vast snow forest, ancient trees towering to the heavens, their dense foliage heavily obscuring the light, allowing only tiny specks of sunlight to pierce through the branches.
And these specks of light happened to fall precisely upon the pale yet exquisitely sculpted, jade-like face of a woman, albeit one looking slightly haggard. Several strands of fiery red hair were disheveled across her face for some unknown reason, obscuring almost a third of her features.
In that partial concealment, she seemed to possess an added layer of hazy, ethereal charm! If Xing Chen were here, he would surely be shocked—this woman was none other than his superior, the Eldest Miss Long Xin!
It was just that Long Xin currently had her hands bound behind her back, fastened to a tree, and the spot where she sat was the exposed root of a massive tree. Several unknown insects crawled near her feet, but her gaze was currently so vacant that she seemed utterly oblivious to the two bugs climbing onto her instep.
What terrible luck. She had been moved along by these people for over half a month, yet she had no idea where they were taking her!
More concerning to her, however, was Yan Luo, who had been captured along with her. She wondered desperately how Yan Luo was faring.
Long Xin could never understand why this group hadn't simply killed her, dragging her, a burden, along for so many days. But one thing was certain: these people were not benevolent.
Perhaps she had become the crucial hostage they needed! And perhaps it was the vital classified intelligence she held concerning the Demon Dragon Empire that kept her alive!
But the more this was true, the more intense Long Xin’s feelings of helplessness and humiliation became! The deep-seated enmity between the two major Churches and the Demon Dragon Empire was not something that could be resolved in a few simple words across the continent!
Because of this, Long Xin knew perfectly well that she had no chance of survival. There were many moments she wished to simply end it all, but a strong sense of unwillingness finally made her suppress the thought of suicide!
Perhaps a miracle would still occur! It certainly would!
If Xing Ye and Xing Zhan, those two youngsters, had managed to escape safely, they would surely find a way to rescue her! This was what Long Xin hoped for, and simultaneously, what she dreaded!
What Long Xin could conceive, these bastards could also anticipate. Long Xin was certain that this group intended to use her to lure out the Xing Ye siblings!
She prayed that Xing Ye and Xing Zhan would not fall for their trap! Two streaks of blue shadow flashed past Long Xin’s peripheral vision—two powerfully built warriors who burst from the shadows of the woods.
In the dim light, they appeared somewhat indistinct and eerie, like a pair of predatory shadow leopards! These were the two Seventh Heaven Gate experts from the Church who had abducted Long Xin: Mo Luo Yinfeng and Mo Luo YinZhi!
Accompanying them were over thirty peak experts from the Sixth Heaven Gate, all currently standing alert as if facing a formidable foe! This was not paranoia on their part.
In fact, two days prior, Mo Luo Yinfeng had vaguely sensed a mysterious power lurking in the shadows, watching their every move! Though invisible and intangible, Mo Luo Yinfeng would never be naive enough to believe it was his imagination!
This elusive aura even caused Mo Luo a familiar sense of heartache and trembling! Who could it be!
Mo Luo Yinfeng was certain it wasn't the Xing Ye siblings! Because the energy fluctuations felt different!
But who then? “Could it be your imagination?” Mo Luo YinZhi asked uncertainly, looking at the grim-faced Mo Luo Yinfeng.
Considering that, at the level of the Seventh Heaven Gate, the Feng Tian War God's sensory abilities were astonishingly keen; even without sight, no rustle of wind or grass within a thousand meters could escape their perception! Yet, Mo Luo YinZhi had not sensed the aura Mo Luo Yinfeng described.
However, Mo Luo YinZhi also knew perfectly well that Mo Luo Yinfeng was not the type of person to be overly nervous or chase after shadows! “No,” Mo Luo Yinfeng asserted firmly.
“Someone is definitely following us.” “Who could it be?” Mo Luo YinZhi hesitated. “Could it really be the Xing Ye siblings?” “Qing He and Qing Ming will be back soon; then we’ll know exactly who is tailing us!” Mo Luo Yinfeng stated in a deep voice.
“No matter who it is, if they dare to show themselves, they will never leave here alive.” Someone was following them? The bound Long Xin’s spirits lifted.
Only then did she understand why Mo Luo Yinfeng and the others were so tense, looking ready for battle. No wonder they had halted their journey two days ago to busy themselves setting up various mechanisms and traps!
It seemed they were beginning to set their net for prey! Long Xin analyzed inwardly.
Could it be Xing Ye and Xing Zhan? If not them!
The most likely candidate would be Luo Hou! Among the experts of the Demon Dragon faction, Luo Hou possessed the greatest skill in stealth and concealment!
Thinking of this, Long Xin felt a flicker of hope for escape! It was certain that Mo Luo Yinfeng’s movements had been exposed!
Of course, these men didn't care much about that. In fact, they had planned all along to use her to lure the Xing Ye siblings into a trap, so they could initiate their ambush plan right now!
With Mo Luo YinZhi, Mo Luo Yinfeng, and over thirty Sixth Heaven Gate experts! This combat strength was more than enough to kill the Xing Ye siblings!
Therefore, facing the current situation, Mo Luo Yinfeng felt shock, but even more so, a wild delight and anticipation! But Long Xin was filled with anxiety—don't act rashly!
They have laid traps waiting for you to walk right into them! “Ah…” Suddenly, a sharp, piercing scream echoed from the distant dense woods!
“We have movement!” Mo Luo YinZhi’s expression changed drastically! Long Xin was also startled, a strange surge of excitement rising in her heart.
It seemed Mo Luo Yinfeng’s worries were not groundless; someone really was tracking them! “Everyone, be careful,” Mo Luo Yinfeng commanded cautiously, looking toward the direction of the scream!
But the dense forest blocked his view, making it impossible to see what was happening far away. However, the seasoned experts did not rush toward the source of the scream; instead, they quickly moved closer to Long Xin!
If the intruder was indeed the Xing Ye siblings, their only goal would be to rescue Long Xin! And by guarding Long Xin, they could force the intruder out into the open!
The sound of footsteps in the forest suddenly became clear and disorderly. “Ah…” Another scream pierced the air, this time coming from another direction within the woods.
The forest suddenly seemed saturated with murderous intent, as if unseen enemies lurked everywhere, making the atmosphere intensely tense. “Damn it, who is it?” Mo Luo Yinfeng stared fixedly in the direction the sound had come from!
“Rustle… rustle…” Another set of hurried footsteps rapidly approached, and suddenly, a dozen figures burst out of the dense woods! They ran quickly toward Mo Luo Yinfeng, clearly terrified!
And among this group were two bodies being carried back—presumably the owners of the previous screams. “Ah!
Qing He, what is going on?” Mo Luo YinZhi’s face darkened to an alarming degree! The one addressed as Qing He was a Daoist priest!
The blue Fiery Demon Robe clearly indicated his cultivation level—a super expert of the Sixth Heaven Gate! But now, this master was pale with terror, as if he had witnessed the most dreadful sight: “I don’t know, the magic traps and mechanisms were triggered, but we didn't even see how it happened before they were struck down.” The dozen-plus men were dusty and disheveled, looking utterly defeated, but they quickly set down the two corpses!
“What terrifying sword energy?” Mo Luo Yinfeng’s dark eyes were fixed on the chest wounds of the two deceased—cuts that had almost pierced entirely through their bodies! “Who exactly is it?” Mo Luo YinZhi was nearly frantic.
He couldn't believe that the traps and mechanisms they had painstakingly set up had not only failed to scratch the enemy but had instead cost them the lives of two comrades! “Could it be the Xing Ye siblings?” someone immediately speculated.
Qing He was still deeply shaken. “No!
His speed was incredibly fast; even the Illusory Demon Eye couldn’t keep up. We didn't even see him make a move!” “And he was wearing the blue Thunder Battle Armor!” Qing Ming added, his composure still shaky!
“You didn’t see him?” Mo Luo Yinfeng and Mo Luo YinZhi could hardly believe what they heard. “How can such a person exist?
Not wearing the Feng Tian Demon Armor, yet moving so fast that even the Illusory Demon Eye can’t track him.” Long Xin was also greatly surprised! Even the Luminary Daoist, who had reached the Sixth Heaven Gate, hadn't seen this person attack!
Such astonishing speed—perhaps Xing Ye could manage it, but only if he was wearing the Feng Tian Demon Armor! Yet Qing He said the man was clad in Thunder Battle Armor, meaning this person was definitely not Xing Ye!
Not Xing Ye! Yet seemingly more terrifying than Xing Ye!
“What divine being is this?” Mo Luo Yinfeng’s underlying unease grew stronger! Long Xin was also inwardly startled but couldn't figure out who it could be either!
“Who in the Demon Dragon Empire could be stronger than Xing Ye and Xing Zhan?” Mo Luo Yinfeng muttered to himself. “Could it be an expert from Bi Qi or Cang Yue, not the Demon Dragon Empire?” Mo Luo YinZhi suggested.
The intruder could not be an expert from Bi Qi or Cang Yue! Long Xin analyzed internally, though her mind was a mess!
After all, there was no record of anyone from Cang Yue or Bi Qi managing to pass through the Seventh Heaven Gate! Despite her chaotic thoughts, Long Xin knew her chance for survival had finally arrived!
She forced herself to calm down. She would escape the moment an opportunity presented itself!
“Everyone, remain vigilant!” Mo Luo Yinfeng carefully scanned their surroundings. “Qing He, Qing Ming, Qing Huan, you take ten men each, now!” Mo Luo Yinfeng stated firmly.
“Remember, under no circumstances are you to separate.” Since the magic and mechanical traps had been triggered, it proved someone was indeed trailing them. The next task was to capture this person!
After the painful lesson just learned, Mo Luo Yinfeng dared not risk scattering his forces carelessly again! As for the mechanisms they had previously set up, there was no point relying on them now!
After all, those traps had only served as alarm devices to pinpoint the location of the pursuer. Now that the intruder was revealed!
That was sufficient. The group formed a semi-circle, encircling Long Xin in the middle, each person cautiously surveying all directions!
Silence reigned around them! Four hours passed, yet the hidden enemy still showed no intention of emerging!
“Is he trying to play a game of patience with us?” A cruel smile suddenly flickered across Mo Luo YinZhi’s grim face! “In that case, let’s see how long you can endure!”