Forcibly sent down the mountain, Long Feng spoke to the Huyan family elder who escorted him as he reached his vehicle. Having an escort had significantly sped up Long Feng's descent; he reached the base in just over half an hour.

"Take me with you. I'll return after you drop me off," the Huyan elder replied with a cold glance, his words clipped.

Judging by his demeanor, he was absolutely determined to see Long Feng completely clear of the Tian Shan range boundaries.

Long Feng couldn't help but shake his head, but he ultimately allowed the elder into the car. With the guide, they drove away, though Long Feng felt significantly more at ease once they departed.

Regardless of whether the miserable state of the Huyan family guardian was connected to Zhang Yang, at least Zhang Yang should be safe for now. He had noticed the guardian’s eyes held endless hatred when Zhang Yang was mentioned. If he had killed Zhang Yang, he wouldn't display such persistent animosity or such a reaction.

Aside from this elder, no one else in the Huyan family posed a threat to Zhang Yang. Proving Zhang Yang was alive, or at least safe, was sufficient for him. At this moment, his mind was filled only with suspicion: who could have reduced the Huyan guardian to such a pathetic state? Could the old ancestor of the Zhang family have come along, leading to a massive battle, perhaps resulting in mutual injury?

With these conjectures swirling, Long Feng left Overlord Peak.

He maintained a calm exterior, but the highly paid guide was quite surprised. He hadn't expected Long Feng to return from the mountain so quickly, nor had he anticipated Long Feng bringing someone down with him. Overlord Peak was known as Death Peak and was certainly not a place for residence; escorting anyone down from there was no small feat.

As Long Feng departed, Zhang Yang was moving swiftly along the mid-slopes of Dragon Attraction Mountain.

The Phantom Mouse had summoned the Shadowless spirit beast away, and hours had passed without any news. Zhang Yang decided to leave Shadowless to watch over the sleeping Wind Chaser and began prospecting on the mountainside himself. Dragon Attraction Mountain had been free of outsiders or animals for so many years that even common medicinal herbs growing here, once they reached sufficient age, turned into supreme quality treasures.

During his last visit, Zhang Yang had primarily focused on finding Dragon Attraction Grass and hadn't picked much. Since he was here now, he naturally intended to gather a significant haul. In any case, the Phantom Mouse had no use for these common items; they were leftovers to a Tier Five spirit beast, making them perfect for him.

In no time, Zhang Yang had collected a large sack filled with various deeply aged medicinal herbs. Some were auxiliary components for important medicines, while others were primary ingredients for certain non-spirit herb prescriptions. Although these prescriptions did not involve spirit herbs, they still offered considerable benefits to cultivators and even greater advantages to ordinary people.

After gathering for a while, Zhang Yang felt a subtle shift and hurried back the way he came. He sensed Shadowless’s call; it was near where they had last been situated. That location was not close, and in the past, the distance would have rendered their mental link ineffective—they had never been this far apart before.

"Shadowless?"

Upon rushing back, Zhang Yang paused slightly, then called out with a hint of uncertainty. Before his eyes was only a spirit beast of the rodent family with pure white fur, though this one was noticeably larger than the previous Shadowless, at least double the size. The larger form was clearly still Shadowless; Zhang Yang could distinguish it by its aura.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Shadowless immediately leaped onto Zhang Yang. Previously, it occupied only a small portion of his shoulder; now, it covered half of it. Sitting on Zhang Yang's shoulder, Shadowless chirped excitedly.

Listening to what Shadowless conveyed, Zhang Yang’s eyes slowly widened, soon filling with a sense of pleasant surprise. Shadowless had broken through the constraint of Tier Three and reached Tier Four. Shadowless becoming a Tier Four spirit beast meant Zhang Yang’s strength had increased significantly, making it hard not to be delighted.

Through Shadowless’s explanation, Zhang Yang gradually understood how it had suddenly advanced to Tier Four. Its promotion was not due to the Phantom Mouse forcibly transferring power to engineer a breakthrough, as Zhang Yang had initially suspected. The key to Shadowless’s advancement to Tier Four lay primarily with itself.

Treasure-seeking rats consumed countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Because they hadn't previously had the opportunity to utilize the energy within these resources, that power hadn't been wasted but accumulated within their bodies. One could say treasure-seeking rats were energy compressors, packing vast quantities of power. The Phantom Mouse helped release a portion of this energy, leading directly to its successful evolution into a Tier Four Treasure-seeking Rat. Since treasure-seeking rats rarely possessed offensive capabilities, very few ever reached Tier Four, and Shadowless might well be the world's sole Tier Four treasure-seeking rat at present.

After its advancement, Shadowless gained a new offensive ability in addition to spitting inner force. It was currently showing off proudly to Zhang Yang but refused to reveal what the new ability was, promising a surprise later. Shadowless’s promotion was undeniably a major cause for celebration, but what surprised Zhang Yang most was that even after advancing to Tier Four, Shadowless had consumed less than half of the energy accumulated within its body. Zhang Yang was well aware of the massive energy required for a Tier Four breakthrough, which underscored the terrifying amount of energy Shadowless had stored. Treasure-seeking rats were truly heaven’s favored creatures; their freakish treasure-finding ability was enough to make all other spirit beasts envious.

"Where are Lightning and Wind Chaser?" Zhang Yang suddenly asked. Wind Chaser was resting here, and Zhang Yang wasn't worried about its safety. This was Dragon Attraction Mountain—a place where even a Great Perfection Tier Four expert would flee in panic. No person or spirit beast dared approach this mountain. Zhang Yang had gained a profound appreciation for the Phantom Mouse’s strength. As long as Wind Chaser remained on the mountain, it was safe. Zhang Yang had deliberately left Lightning behind to look after Wind Chaser, yet both little fellows were now nowhere to be seen.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Shadowless chirped again, a hint of pride coloring its call. It informed Zhang Yang that the Phantom Mouse had taken Wind Chaser away, and Lightning had followed along. The Phantom Mouse took Wind Chaser to heal its injuries; Wind Chaser’s body had been severely damaged from running continuously with power exceeding its capacity. The energy Zhang Yang borrowed through sword techniques primarily supplemented the physical body, having minimal effect on damaged bones and internal organs. If Wind Chaser wasn't treated properly, even if it survived, it would be crippled afterward, incapable of achieving such speed again.

The Phantom Mouse took the initiative to save Wind Chaser for only one reason: Wind Chaser had brought Shadowless to Dragon Attraction Mountain. Without it, Zhang Yang, Shadowless, and perhaps even Lightning would have perished. Wind Chaser had indeed saved Shadowless; in this escape, Wind Chaser was the greatest contributor to their success. The Phantom Mouse clearly understood this, and upon hearing Shadowless’s request, it agreed without hesitation. Currently, both Wind Chaser and Lightning were on the summit receiving treatment from the Phantom Mouse. Zhang Yang didn't know the exact method the Phantom Mouse used to heal Wind Chaser, but he held immense confidence in it. A Tier Five spirit beast—an invincible existence in this world—if it could help Shadowless advance to Tier Four, it could certainly heal Wind Chaser’s body completely.

This chapter is a bit short; I will make up the word count later.