Divine Grass Mountain.
"Divine Grass Mountain lies ahead!"
The spirit beasts' heavy panting and the dull thuds of hooves and claws striking the ground carried through the air.
The caravan leader gazed at the outline of the mountain range in the distance, swallowed by thick fog.
The spirit beasts burdened with heavy goods within the caravan suddenly stirred in unison.
The massive crimson horses, covered in hide as hard as rock, irritably lashed the ground with their thick tails, kicking up clouds of dust as they halted one after another.
Their ears stood erect and swiveled nervously, their nostrils flared, and they made uneasy noises, refusing to take another step forward.
"What's going on?"
"The spirit beasts are spooked!"
"Look ahead... that fog is too thick!"
The caravan members immediately sensed that something was amiss. They reined in their mounts or stopped where they stood, staring vigilantly toward Divine Grass Mountain.
An invisible pressure spread through the air, replacing the weariness of their journey.
The sight before them made their hearts pound. The entire Divine Grass Mountain seemed wrapped in a gigantic grayish-white cocoon, its fog so dense it could not be dispersed.
Their sight was completely swallowed after extending only several yards.
From the depths of that suffocatingly thick mist came faint bursts of beastly roars.
The roars were not from a single creature. At times, they rumbled low like muffled thunder rolling through the valleys, echoing for a long while and leaving their chests numb.
At other times, they were shrill and mournful, like sharp claws scraping across metal, carrying bloodthirsty madness.
"Awooo—!"
"Roar—!"
Besides the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves, the air was mixed with a powerful, nauseating stench of blood and beasts.
It was the unique smell of large predators, mingled with bloodshed and