Mysterious Expert

In the silent forest, a large party of over five hundred people advanced quietly.

With more than five hundred people moving together, they were enough to deter scattered, weaker magical beasts. Even so, the Dou Zhes in the group gripped their weapons tightly, their vigilant eyes sweeping the surroundings without overlooking the slightest disturbance.

Nearly everyone in the party was an old mercenary who had spent many years in the Monster Beast Mountain Range. Although many of them were working together for the first time, they still possessed a basic understanding. They could read warning and safety signals from one another's eyes.

As he walked, Xiao Han felt conflicted. His appearance here had come a year ahead of certain events in the original storyline. He could not be sure whether Little Fairy Doctor had already discovered the Poison Master's Cave that contained the Dou Technique.

Without Little Fairy Doctor's guidance, Xiao Han was not confident he could find that hidden cave within the vast Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Thinking of this, Xiao Han could not help glancing at the graceful figure in white at the center of the group.

At that moment, Little Fairy Doctor happened to straighten up slightly. The scorching weather had brought faint beads of sweat to her forehead, and she occasionally wiped them away with her arm. Her delicate appearance, coupled with her lovely face, made people unable to resist feeling protective of her.

Just then, a young man approached her and said softly, "Little Fairy Doctor, don't worry. As long as I'm here, you'll definitely be safe today."

"Mm." Little Fairy Doctor nodded slightly and gave him a warm smile.

"Little Fairy Doctor, I recently acquired a medicinal herb that cost me a thousand Gold Coins. I heard you're very skilled at identifying herbs. After we return, why don't you come to my home and help me appraise it?" The young man smiled faintly, a crafty gleam flashing through his eyes.

"Um... let's talk about it later. I still have some matters to handle after we return," Little Fairy Doctor refused. This was not the first time the young man had invited her.

Although the young man was deeply infatuated with her, Little Fairy Doctor felt nothing for him.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a scream came from the front of the party. The group immediately erupted into unrest.

Following the sound, Xiao Han saw five snow-white Crimson Ice Serpents hanging upside down from tree branches. Taking advantage of the people below being off guard, they struck like lightning and bit five mercenaries on the necks.

The cold poison entered their bodies. The five mercenaries turned pale and shivered violently as a thin layer of frost began forming over their skin.

"Crimson Ice Serpents?"

Xiao Han's lips curled slightly, and joy rose in his heart. He remembered that Crimson Ice Serpents appeared around the cave. This meant he was already very close to the cave containing the Dou Technique.

However, sunlight filtered through the leaves in mottled beams, while layer upon layer of trees blocked his sight. Searching for that cave nearby was no different from looking for a needle in the ocean.

"It's fine, they've been stabilized. Everyone, be more careful." Little Fairy Doctor smiled faintly and kindly reminded the mercenaries ahead.

Crimson Ice Serpents were low-level, first-tier magical beasts active in the outer regions of the Monster Beast Mountain Range. They possessed the ice attribute, and because they were serpents, their ice carried poison. Though they were only low-level, first-tier magical beasts, if their poison was not treated within half a day, it would directly claim one's life.

Afterward, the party continued onward. But this was the Monster Beast Mountain Range; completely avoiding magical beasts was simply impossible.

Over the course of the journey, more than a dozen mercenaries were injured. Fortunately, Little Fairy Doctor was present, so none of the wounded mercenaries faced mortal danger.

"Everyone, hold on a little longer. We're almost at the herb-gathering area." With morale low, Little Fairy Doctor's voice was undoubtedly a catalyst that lifted everyone's spirits.

Suddenly, a visible ripple of energy came from the forest ahead. Immediately afterward, a fierce Gale Wind swept over them, making the trees sway clearly and uniformly in one direction.

Boom

A thunderous explosion made every mercenary prick up their ears and tighten their grip on their weapons.

"The sky!"

The experienced mercenaries quickly determined where the incident had occurred. One after another, they climbed the trees and stood on the branches, staring wide-eyed at the sky ahead.

Driven by curiosity, Xiao Han also pushed off with his feet, climbed a tall tree, and looked into the distant sky.

Within that expanse of azure sky were two figures. From afar, blue and cyan colors filled nearly half the sky. Even the white clouds several thousand meters above had been dyed in those two hues.

Boom

Following the first shockwave, another shockwave immediately spread through the surroundings. Looking down from above, the forest beneath that stretch of sky had already been leveled.

"Cyan Dou Qi?"

Xiao Han stared intently at the figure in the Moon White Robe. They were simply too far away; the person was only the size of a finger in his view. Xiao Han could not see their face, nor could he even tell whether they were male or female.

"Could it be Yun Yun?"

A name surfaced subconsciously in Xiao Han's mind.

"It can't be such a coincidence. Yun Yun was supposed to appear here a year later."

Xiao Han shook his head slightly, dismissing the guess in his heart.

A year later, Yun Yun, Sect Leader of Yunlan Sect, would seek the Amethyst Spirit Crystal of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, leading to a great battle in the Monster Beast Mountain Range. In the end, although Yun Yun cut off the Amethyst Winged Lion King's hard horn, she was also struck by its seal.

Only with Xiao Yan's help did she finally obtain the Amethyst Spirit Crystal. And the two of them shared an intimate memory.

Xiao Han had arrived at the Monster Beast Mountain Range a year early. Logically speaking, the person in the sky who had formed wings from Dou Qi might not necessarily be Yun Yun.

"So powerful. As expected of a Dou Wang expert capable of forming wings from Dou Qi, to actually be able to fight the White Winged Ice Serpent King."

Beside Xiao Han, a mercenary stared enviously and exclaimed in admiration.

Hearing the mercenary's words, Xiao Han sighed. "A Dou Wang? They must be some expert from Yunlan Sect."

The battle ended quickly. That Yunlan Sect expert seemed somewhat wary of the White Winged Ice Serpent King. They did not continue tangling with it, and with a flap of their wings, they left that patch of sky.

Disappointment filled Xiao Han's eyes as he jumped down from the tree.

Rumble...

Just as Xiao Han returned to the party, the ground beneath their feet began trembling lightly.

Before the members of the group could even catch their breath or take a sip of water, another change occurred. A flock of birds swept overhead.

Ordinary birds would have been one thing, but through gaps in the leaves, some sharp-eyed mercenaries discovered that the flying creatures were not all of one species.

Soon afterward, some low-level magical beasts darted out of the forest. When they encountered the mercenaries, they neither fled nor attacked. Instead, they ran in pairs toward a single direction.

With such abnormalities appearing in the sky, a cloud of dread hung over the entire herb-gathering party. The experienced mercenaries all looked as though they faced a great enemy, gripping their weapons tightly. Terror showed in their eyes, and their faces had turned pale.