Discovery of Treasure

After an afternoon of trekking, Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian followed the team hired by the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion to the entrance of the mountain path marked on the map. A mountain ridge lay to the left of the entrance, while a bottomless abyss stretched a hundred zhang deep to the right. Without the ability to fly, anyone who fell would likely be reduced to pulp.

"Everyone, you've worked hard. The road ahead is difficult, and night is coming soon. Let's set up camp nearby. We'll continue once daylight comes tomorrow," Xiao Yi Xian called out to the mercenaries.

"Alright, Miss Xiao Yi Xian." The old mercenary turned and went to set up camp. Before long, the area grew noisy, no longer as quiet as it had been while they traveled. As the mercenaries busied themselves, the camp gradually took shape. Herb-gathering parties differed from mercenaries. Mercenaries might simply find a cave or sleep in a tree, but herb-gathering teams had to set up camp to protect their medicinal herbs. Especially for forces from places like Qingshan Town, perhaps only the boss possessed a Storage Ring. When the team was out in the wilderness, they still needed a camp to keep magical beasts at bay.

"Today's luck was pretty good. We didn't run into any magical beasts. Looks like we can complete this mission smoothly," said a young mercenary beside Xia Mo. The instant he finished speaking, wolf howls suddenly rang out around the camp.

Hearing the howls, Xia Mo quickly ran toward Xiao Yi Xian, complaining as he ran, "Do you know what Murphy's Law is? Don't just say things carelessly when nothing's happened. We haven't even reached our destination yet."

"Stay alert! Take up your weapons! This is a Rock Wolf pack. There must be a Rock Wolf King behind them. Let's hope the Rock Wolf King isn't a Second-tier Magical Beast." It was Orn, the old mercenary from earlier, a Seven-Star Dou Master.

Only after reaching Xiao Yi Xian's side did Xia Mo begin examining the Rock Wolf pack around them. Rock Wolves were pack-dwelling magical beasts that mostly roamed the forests on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range. Every pack had a Rock Wolf King. Once grown, one was a peak First-tier Magical Beast and could break through to become a Second-tier Magical Beast at its peak.

"Miss Xiao Yi Xian, are you alright?" The surrounding mercenaries asked as they moved closer to Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian, surrounding the two in the center.

Xia Mo stood silently beside Xiao Yi Xian. Better not to expose his strength if he could avoid it. As long as he could protect Xiao Yi Xian, that was enough. The others should be fine, right? After all, their numbers were about equal. But if the other side had a Second-tier beast, these people probably could not be relied upon.

"I'm fine. Is everyone alright?" Xiao Yi Xian replied.

"The Rock Wolf pack has surrounded us without attacking. They should be waiting for the Wolf King's command. Under normal circumstances, a wolf pack won't charge a camp. The Wolf King is highly intelligent and knows such an attack would bring severe casualties, yet it still drove the pack here. That means these Rock Wolves may be short on food. This time, everyone may have to fight for their lives. We can't outrun them," Orn, the old mercenary, said.

Xiao Yi Xian was still young and did not know how to handle such a situation. But she knew that Orn was experienced and strong, so she said, "Uncle Orn, tell us what to do. You're strong, and you have more experience than I do."

"Alright. Everyone, gather into a circle. Don't scatter. Cooperate with each other, and we can definitely hold off the wolf pack." In truth, Orn knew this would be difficult. Besides these First-tier Rock Wolves, there was also a Wolf King hidden in the dark that might be a Second-tier Magical Beast.

"Awwooo, awooo~~"

"Stay alert! That's the Wolf King's signal. The pack is about to attack," Orn said.

Upon hearing the Wolf King's signal, the Rock Wolf pack cautiously approached the crowd. They accelerated from fifty meters away and charged toward the camp. Among the mercenaries, some younger men who had never seen such a scene shrank back in fear.

"Don't be afraid! The more afraid you are, the fiercer these beasts become! Pick up your weapons and kill them! Their hides, flesh, and even their Monster Cores are all glittering gold coins!" Orn roared.

In the blink of an eye, the Rock Wolf pack charged in, and both sides became entangled instantly. Their strength was not too far apart, but the Rock Wolf pack clearly coordinated better. Still, using the advantage of their weapons, the humans temporarily held the wolves back. The human formation was no longer an encirclement as the two sides pressed against each other, and Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian went from the middle of the group to the rear.

Watching the stalemate, Xia Mo knew they could not hold on for long. Xiao Yi Xian beside him wore a worried expression. At this point, she was still that kind-hearted physician. Although she pitied the mercenaries, she did not ask Xia Mo to help. She knew that if Xia Mo exposed himself, his life might be in danger. A young magical beast with the bloodline of a transformed high-level magical beast was extraordinarily valuable. She did not want Xia Mo to be in danger.

Once the Rock Wolf King appeared, they would collapse instantly even without it attacking. "Not good, the Rock Wolf King has appeared!" Ever since the wolf pack had emerged, Xia Mo had been using his soul power to sense the surroundings. In his perception, a giant wolf three meters long and two meters tall had appeared. It moved extremely fast and entered everyone's sight before long.

"The Wolf King, a Second-tier Magical Beast!"

"We're finished!"

The instant the Rock Wolf King appeared, the mercenary team's defense froze for a moment, allowing the Wolf King to break through their defenses and charge toward Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian. This Second-tier Wolf King was quite clever. It knew the ones in the middle were more important. Unfortunately, it did not know that the one in the middle was not human, but possessed the most supreme magical beast bloodline in this world, an uncrowned sovereign.

Seeing the Rock Wolf King charge toward him and Xiao Yi Xian, Xia Mo instantly pulled Xiao Yi Xian behind him. As the Rock Wolf King was about to reach them, it seemed the pride in Xia Mo's bloodline had been provoked. His normally jet-black, lively eyes instantly turned purple-gold, and he glanced at the Rock Wolf King.

The Rock Wolf King instantly tucked its tail and lay prone on the ground. If one looked closely, one would find a purple-gold giant dragon with Phoenix Wings reflected in the Wolf King's eyes. Fortunately, the Wolf King was enormous, and with both sides locked in battle, no one noticed the change on their side.

Seeing the Rock Wolf King submit, the light in Xia Mo's eyes receded, returning them to their large black appearance. Freed from the pressure of his bloodline, the Wolf King sprang to its feet and fled at once.

The Rock Wolf King ran to the side of the mountain ridge. "Awwooo, awooo~~" Hearing its command, the wolf pack slowly backed away from the crowd. Once the pack had regrouped with the Wolf King, the Rock Wolf King slowly lowered itself toward Xia Mo, then rose, turned, and led the pack away.

Having just endured a battle, the mercenaries collapsed to the ground the moment they saw the wolf pack retreat. To them, it truly was an escape from death. Three people had died in this crisis. Other than Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian, everyone had been injured. Their spoils were five Rock Wolf corpses, though they did not know whether any contained Monster Cores.

Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian immediately began treating them. They personally treated the severely wounded, while giving Yellow Lotus Powder to those with minor injuries to treat themselves.

"What good luck. I wonder why the wolf pack retreated."

"Yeah."

"Uncle Orn, the wounded have all been treated. There doesn't seem to be any danger nearby. Xiao Yi Xian and I will go take a look by the cliff and see if there are any medicinal herbs. Please watch over the team here," Xia Mo said, finding an excuse to bring Xiao Yi Xian to the cliffside.

As they walked, Xia Mo twitched his nose and looked around. He spotted a White Orchid Fruit Plant at once, then said to Xiao Yi Xian, "Sister Xiao Yi Xian, see if this is a White Orchid Fruit Plant."

While Xiao Yi Xian examined the plant, Xia Mo's gaze slowly swept over the steep cliff face. After sensing carefully, he discovered that the feeling drawing him was behind a section of mountain wall concealed by a fallen log. Purple-Gold Light flashed through Xia Mo's eyes, and through the gaps in the wood, he saw a dark cave behind the cliff.

"Yes, this is a White Orchid Fruit Plant. Unfortunately, it only bears fruit in summer," Xiao Yi Xian replied.

Hearing Xiao Yi Xian's words, Xia Mo slowly withdrew his gaze. "It's alright. We can come back in summer. Hidden among all this wild grass, few people would notice it."

"Mm, it'll be dark soon. Let's go back. We still have to travel tomorrow," Xiao Yi Xian said.

"Mm, let's go back."

Xia Mo looked back at the mountain wall and firmly memorized the route.

"What good luck. Once I"