Leaving

"Ah~ So cute!"

Hearts seemed to bubble in Yun Yu's eyes as she clenched her fists and stared at the adorable, dazed-looking creature before her, shrieking nonstop!

She hurriedly clenched and unclenched her hands, slowly approaching Moss, who was calmly grooming her fur.

"Little one~ Come let Big Sis give you a hug!"

As she spoke, Yun Yu extended her claws and pounced at Moss, wanting to tease the cute and clever Spirit Beast.

However, just as Yun Yu's hand was about to touch Moss, Moss lightly leaped away, proudly refusing to be touched.

"Huh? Little one~ How could you do this!"

Yun Yu pouted sadly, but she did not try to touch Moss again.

Spirit Beasts were ultimately still magical creatures. The fact that they did not attack did not mean they could be handled however one pleased!

Once driven into a corner, Spirit Beasts were no different from ordinary magical creatures.

Moss glanced at Yun Yu and gently swished her tail, a trace of wariness flashing through her eyes.

She always felt that there was something off about this woman. If she fell into her hands, the consequences would probably be severe!

At the thought, Moss's body trembled several times.

To be honest, Moss actually hated having her body touched. She had even hated it in her previous life!

Especially her head, neck, and back. Being touched there always gave Moss a sense of danger that made her want to flee!

Of course, if Moss took the initiative herself, this reaction would not occur.

She glanced at the bonfire several meters away. The few captains were sitting around it, apparently discussing something.

However, Moss was not interested in what they were saying. She had already finished what she had come here to do.

She had saved Sun Lei, who had nearly died, and avenged Luo Wei and Huo Lian, who had once shown her kindness.

Next, Moss would continue searching for a way out and leave this place!

Having made up her mind, Moss prepared to bid Sun Lei farewell.

She looked around, found Sun Lei resting among the group, then rose and walked toward him.

"Ah... My little cutie..."

Yun Yu reached out her hand and murmured regretfully.

"All right, Yun Yu! Forget about that little one and come over here!"

Lei Yuanyun held up a piece of grilled flatbread and called to Yun Yu with her head tilted back.

Li Mengzhang also turned his head and said:

"That's right. Let's discuss our battle plan for what comes next!"

"Okay~..."

Yun Yu dejectedly withdrew her arm and sat down beside Lei Yuanyun.

"Want some?"

Lei Yuanyun took some flatbread from the bundle beside her and handed it to Yun Yu.

Yun Yu nodded and accepted the grilled flatbread, taking a small bite. She turned her head toward the distance, where Wu Ming was leading the team over.

Wu Ming's voice soon reached them from afar!

"Captain Li, those goblins have temporarily retreated. When should we continue forward?"

Wu Ming smiled as he spoke to Li Mengzhang, casually found a place to sit by the fire, and tossed the bag in his hand toward Li Mengzhang.

Li Mengzhang nudged the bag with his sword hilt. Seeing the bloodstained magic cores inside, he nodded and said casually:

"We'll continue advancing in thirty minutes!"

"Really... Ah, I want some too..."

Wu Ming accepted the grilled flatbread Yun Yu handed over and said indistinctly as he ate:

"Looks like those five ogres really gave you quite a bit of trouble."

"Yeah. We almost couldn't beat them. If not for Sun Lei, it wouldn't have been so easy for us to kill those ogres."

Li Mengzhang nodded, his eyes involuntarily turning toward Sun Lei.

Wu Ming noticed the direction of Li Mengzhang's gaze and followed it toward Sun Lei.

He raised an eyebrow and said with sudden understanding:

"Sun Lei... Then it seems my earlier feeling really wasn't wrong."

That was right. If Wu Ming had not seen Sun Lei charge alone into the goblin horde—

He would never have let Sun Lei go over. If Sun Lei's strength had been too weak, sending him over would only have caused trouble for Li Mengzhang and the others!

Wu Ming looked at Sun Lei, who was half-crouched and talking to Moss, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"That Spirit Beast is the reason Sun Lei possesses that level of strength, right? It seems rather unusual."

"Ah~ It is. Very strange!"

Yun Yu spoke with a beaming smile, curiosity and inquisitiveness shining in her narrowed eyes!

She propped up her chin and stared intently at Moss, who was sitting in front of Sun Lei, speaking softly:

"She has extremely high intelligence, and her abilities are also very special. She doesn't look like an ordinary Spirit Beast. Instead, she resembles those mutated races!"

"A mutated race?"

Li Mengzhang nodded, then shook his head. He had noticed Moss ever since earlier, after all, since she had watched him throughout the battle.

The emotions in that gaze, along with her faintly humanlike movements, truly did not seem like those of a magical creature.

"But calling her a mutated race would be going a bit too far, wouldn't it?"

Li Mengzhang remembered a young member of a mutated race he had once encountered. That boy was nearly eighty percent similar to a human, unlike Moss's appearance.

"I'm not talking about her appearance, but her abilities. That's what's worth studying!"

Yun Yu's eyes sparkled as she looked at Li Mengzhang, speaking rapidly:

"Have you ever seen a Spirit Beast that could raise a Silver Rank Awakened One's combat power to the Gold-grade level?"

"Besides that, she can also heal fatal injuries and control flames!"

"I learned all this from Sun Lei. And she's only a Bronze Rank Spirit Beast. It's simply unbelievable!"

Wang Xin sat alone to the side. Looking at Yun Yu's infatuated expression, she gave a sinister little laugh and said:

"Hehehe... She's like those naturally extraordinary members of mutated races—in other words, beings with multiple abilities."

"Exactly, exactly. It's just a shame my little cutie won't let me touch her..."

Yun Yu licked her lips and stared at Moss with a burning yet regretful gaze.

"You're leaving?"

Sun Lei half-crouched on the ground and looked at Moss with reluctance.

"Mo!" (Now that everything here is settled, there's no reason for me to stay!)

Moss shook her head and gave Sun Lei a soft cry.

"I see..."

Sun Lei nodded, disappointment appearing on his face:

"Little Mo, will we be able to meet again in the future?"

"Mo!" (If fate brings us together, we will meet again!)

Moss gave a soft cry, nodded at Sun Lei, then turned and ran without the slightest hesitation!

"Little Mo..."

Sun Lei stared blankly at Moss as she gradually disappeared into the distance and murmured.

"Ah, my little cutie is leaving!"

Yun Yu immediately stood up when she saw Moss heading away, watching her retreat with regret.

"Isn't that normal?"

Lei Yuanyun glanced at the departing Moss and said calmly:

"Spirit Beasts are ultimately magical creatures. Unless a Beast Tamer has tamed them, there's no way they would remain beside humans forever."

Yun Yu stomped her foot and sighed:

"Alas, what a pity. It would have been wonderful if I could have studied and observed her."

"All right, we're on a mission right now! Let's keep moving. We're not far from the World Gate."

Li Mengzhang checked his pocket watch and rose to his feet:

"I hope that World Gate hasn't solidified yet. Otherwise, we may have to stand guard here until the seal master arrives!"

"Okay, I'll gather the team right away!"

Wu Ming nodded and rose to summon the nearby groups.

Lei Yuanyun stood up, rolled her neck, hefted her hammer, and said to everyone with a laugh:

"Hahaha—don't worry, we still have plenty of time! It's only the middle of the night, so we still have six hours before a full day passes!"

"Six hours. Isn't that enough time for us to destroy the World Gate?"

Wang Xin let out a cold laugh and said pointedly:

"Hehe, let's hope so... Having a screw loose can actually be a good thing sometimes."

"What did you say..."

"Who agreed..."

Moss stopped after running out of the light's range. She turned her head and heard the sound of arguing coming from the distant group.

She silently watched for a while, then once again slipped into the darkness and disappeared.