As Niu Niu finished speaking, a large fireball suddenly materialized before her. Upon seeing it, Wen Er's face clearly betrayed disdain. I thought it was some formidable magic, but it's just a simple Fireball spell!

But just then, Niu Niu's voice carried again: "Big Brother, be careful, I'm starting now!" A flicker of suspicion crossed Wen Er's mind. Hadn't it already started? Why would she say that?

That doubt was quickly resolved. The fireball, previously stationary before Niu Niu, began to change abruptly, splitting into five distinct streams of fire!

These five fire streams incessantly swelled their forms, weaving sinuously around Niu Niu, moving as if they possessed life! What kind of magic was this?

Wen Er's mind grew increasingly muddled. He was also a fire mage, yet he had never witnessed anyone manipulate magic with such marvelous intricacy!

Indeed, Niu Niu's current appearance was clearly play. As her hands continuously swayed, the speed of the five fire streams began to increase exponentially. By the end, only the glow of fire surrounding Niu Niu was visible! "Big Brother, don't be distracted, it's really about to begin!" Seeing Wen Er's slack-jawed expression, Niu Niu couldn't help but remind him once more.

The moment her words faded, one stream of fire shot out, transforming in the air into a fire dragon over ten meters long, lunging toward a massive boulder. A deafening boom echoed, followed by swirling dust and smoke. When visibility returned, the boulder had completely vaporized, leaving behind a massive crater where it once stood!

Even more terrifying was that the fire dragon did not dissipate; instead, it began to circle continuously above the crater! This indicated that the fire dragon still retained offensive power!

Witnessing this scene, Wen Er's jaw nearly dropped in shock. Was this magic? Could magic possibly be this monstrously powerful? Magic was supposed to vanish upon completion, so what in the world was happening?

This string of questions was close to driving Wen Er to collapse. After years of study at the academy, he suddenly felt like a frog at the bottom of a well!

Because the commotion was so significant, even the merchant convoy where Zack Jiu and the others were located was stunned silent by the spectacle! "Who... who cast that spell?" one of the mercenaries gasped, his eyes fixed on the fire dragon. "Heavens, could it be that little girl? Look over there, quick!" another mercenary pointed toward Niu Niu.

In a matter of moments, all the mercenaries who had been busy working stopped dead in their tracks, gazing up at the unbelievable magic!

Zack Fu and Ye Hute were now even more anxious to know what their Third Young Master was up to, causing such a massive disturbance. Surely they weren't just sparring, were they?

Simultaneously, Zhong Shenxiu's small merchant group was also dumbfounded. They never imagined that merely a little girl could be so incredibly powerful. Gods, what kind of mercenary group was this? Did they even have a weak member?

It was only now that John and Abel began to tentatively believe what Rachel had said earlier—that Rachel, someone so formidable, was supposedly the weakest member of the "Misty Mercenary Group." What a profound blow to the limits of human comprehension that was!

While everyone was reeling from the magic Niu Niu displayed, they remained oblivious that this was merely the prelude; even more shocking things lay ahead! Moreover, Niu Niu hadn't even exerted her true strength in this performance; it was just a slight demonstration!

Just as everyone's attention was fixed on the fire dragon, another stream of fire detached itself. This time, it morphed into a fire tiger whose massive body resembled a small building. A mere flick of its tail instantly pulverized a large stone into fragments.

Then, the fire tiger suddenly exerted force beneath its paws and began to leap nimbly in all directions, leaving four scorched footprints wherever it landed! One could only imagine the sheer terror if it were to truly attack; its wind-like speed alone would keep any enemy in perpetual dread!

Next, every single fire stream surrounding Niu Niu transformed into a different kind of animal, each possessing its own inherent characteristics alongside terrifyingly intense thermal destructive power!

What made this truly difficult to adapt to was that these flame-conjured beasts did not immediately dissipate. That alone would have been something, but they could actually grow stronger by continuously absorbing surrounding fire elemental energy!

This was simply too horrific, akin to casting spells while using a cheat code! It could no longer be explained by ordinary logic! "Alright Niu Niu, go on and play!" Just as Niu Niu was preparing to unleash a different school of magic, Zhong Shenxiu's voice suddenly cut through. Niu Niu had done enough; if she continued, it would be purely psychological torment for everyone! "Big Brother, I'll go over there first then!" Before departing, Niu Niu politely bid farewell to Wen Er.

Wen Er, however, was now practically petrified. He hadn't heard a word Niu Niu said, his mind looping over the monstrous and bizarre scene he had just witnessed!

This was the first time in his life he had suffered such a severe blow. The magic he had demonstrated was nothing more than the antics of a street performer compared to Niu Niu's display!

How could such a person exist? How did she learn magic? How could she employ it so magically?

The moment Wen Er recalled his own smug expression from moments ago, he desperately wished he could find an earth spoon, dig a hole in the ground, and crawl into it! Shameful, utterly shameful!

In the end, Wen Er slunk away. One could assume that after this incident, he would mature significantly more than before. That is, provided he could recover from the magnitude of the shock!

Now, the "Misty Mercenary Group's" image among the crowd became even more mysterious, transforming into a hot topic of private discussion among the other mercenaries!

The convoy pressed on, and the days slipped by! At this pace, they would reach the capital of the "Autumn Cloud Empire" in just a few more days!

The weather today was rather gray and overcast, hinting at impending rain. In order to find shelter from the wind and rain, the convoy sped up their pace. Their goal was to cross the mountain ahead! Although the mountain was visible from afar, reaching it would still take half a day at their current speed.

Just as the convoy hurried forward to save time, a large group of people suddenly rushed toward them from ahead, moving very rapidly, punctuated by sounds of alarm. What was happening?

John quickly ordered the convoy to halt. He certainly didn't want to be robbed by bandits again. But he soon realized that the rushing group wasn't bandits; they seemed to be ordinary travelers. Yet, it was strange why they were so frantic, almost as if they were being chased by something?

"What's going on?" Zack Fu hurried over from the rear, asking John.

"I'm not sure!" John stared fixedly ahead.

As the group drew nearer, they could finally make out faint shouts:

"Run! The Demon Bugs are here!"

Upon hearing the words "Demon Bugs," Zack Fu's face visibly changed. Their "Tiger Leap Mercenary Group" had fought the Demon Bugs two years ago and suffered devastating losses; it was from that encounter he profoundly understood the Demon Bugs' might! Why would Demon Bugs appear here? Weren't they supposed to only emerge in dense forests? Zack Fu voiced his doubt amidst the cries of the fleeing people.

"What are they shouting? Are they telling us to run?" John, being older, had far less acute hearing than Zack Fu. He hadn't caught the words "Demon Bugs," otherwise his face would have already turned ashen! "Wait here, I'll go see!" Zack Fu declared, urging his white tiger forward. Before long, Zack Fu was back, bringing with him a shocking piece of news:

Thirty li ahead, a "Demon Bug attack on humans" was in progress, according to witnesses! Those Demon Bugs had extremely bizarre forms, and they didn't fly with wings but advanced by leaping with their hind legs!

While John and Abel were still dazed, the fleeing group had already rushed past them, yelling loudly, "Run! The Demon Bugs are right behind us..."

Watching the terrified populace stream past, John's heart began to tremble too. Lost and helpless, he could only pin his hopes once again on the "Misty Mercenary Group!" "Cap... Captain Xia Luo, it seems there are Demon Bugs ahead. What... what should we do?" John's voice shook just like his body.

The only passable route nearby led straight ahead. If they turned back and took the long detour, it would add another month to their journey! They were so close to their destination, and now this! Truly, good things are never without hindrance! If Demon Bugs were truly ahead, John wouldn't mind the detour; his priority was safety first!

But would the "Misty Mercenary Group" agree? The mission clearly stipulated the route and timeframe when the contract was made. He had nothing to offer as compensation to the "Misty Mercenary Group." If they changed the itinerary on a whim, it would constitute a unilateral breach of contract—would it anger the "Misty Mercenary Group"?

It was due to these considerations that John asked Xia Luo inside the carriage so cautiously.

Zack Fu, standing beside him, also turned his gaze toward the carriage. He was immensely curious to see the "Misty Mercenary Group's" reaction upon hearing of the Demon Bugs. He wanted to gauge their level of strength through their response!

Just as he was speculating how Xia Luo might answer, Xia Luo's faint voice drifted out: "Don't worry. Just cut straight through!" Gaaak!

Not only Zack Fu but also John was stunned by Xia Luo's casual reply. Those were Demon Bugs; how could he be so unconcerned! Just as John was about to say more, a sharp cry erupted from Abel beside him. "Ah!" Then, Abel was seen pointing a trembling finger toward the distance, his mouth gaping wide, as if trying to utter something........mF