Exotic beasts were gathering!
What did that mean? It meant there might be more than one exotic beast on Fire Forest Mountain—and a vast amount of origin essence!
If it were just one exotic beast, Lin Chen might not have thought it worth his while. But if there were enough of them, it would still be a considerable haul. With that in mind, Lin Chen immediately accepted the mission.
"Two people have already accepted the mission?"
Only after accepting it did Lin Chen realize that two people had beaten him to it. After all, Fourth Order missions no longer restricted cultivators from taking them on alone, so others could accept them at the same time.
Lin Chen went to the cafeteria for breakfast, then immediately set off for Fire Forest Mountain. The reason for the mountain's name was simple: it was covered in maple trees, and every autumn they turned as red as flames. That was how Fire Forest Mountain got its name.
It was only June, and the mountain's maple woods were still lush and green, not yet tinged with red. It wasn't the best time to climb the mountain and enjoy the scenery.
After driving all the way there, Lin Chen soon entered Fire Forest Mountain. He parked his car and continued on foot toward the mountain's depths. After all, exotic beasts wouldn't foolishly wait by the road—unless they were attacking passing travelers.
There weren't many tourists on Fire Forest Mountain this time of year. Along the way, Lin Chen barely saw any people, and he'd spotted only a few small animals. There was no sign of exotic beasts at all.
Lin Chen moved quickly, weaving through the mountain forest. When it was nearly noon, he took out the provisions he'd brought, ate a little, and continued on his way.
"That's..."
Seeing smoke rising from the depths of the forest, Lin Chen couldn't help but pause. "There are people up here?"
Even in this era, people still lived in the mountains, but most mountain villages were connected by roads. It was almost unheard of for a family to live alone, deep in the woods.
After all, living in such a place came with all sorts of inconveniences. The smoke was clearly rising from the forest, where there were no roads at all.
Whoosh~
Lin Chen pushed off the ground and headed toward the smoke. Whether or not anyone lived there, smoke meant people were nearby.
He might be able to ask a local about the exotic beasts he was searching for. Fire Forest Mountain was vast, and if he had to search it all by himself, it could take three or five days—and he might not even finish.
Lin Chen didn't want to waste three or five days on the mountain, so he decided to check out the smoke first. If he found nothing, he would continue investigating.
The smoke looked close, but the mountain paths were difficult to traverse. Even Lin Chen needed nearly half an hour to reach it.
It was a stream running through a mountain ravine. Beside it, several young men and women were chatting and laughing, with a bonfire burning nearby. These weren't mountain folk at all—they were hikers who'd come to climb the mountain!
The sight disappointed Lin Chen somewhat, but he still walked over to the young men and women.
"Someone's coming!"
At the same time, a bespectacled young man by the stream spotted Lin Chen emerging from the maple woods and immediately warned the others.
Everyone turned to look at Lin Chen as he approached.
Lin Chen looked at the young men and women and asked coolly, "Who told you that you could light a fire in the mountains?"
"Sorry! We'll put it out right away!" a quiet young woman hurriedly replied.
A handsome man wearing sunglasses looked at Lin Chen with a slight frown. "Hold on. Who are you? We only lit one little fire. What's the big deal?"
"What's the big deal? Didn't you see the sign before entering the mountain? It says no fires," Lin Chen said coldly.
The man in sunglasses was about to say more, but the bespectacled young man beside him quickly pulled him back. "Sorry, we were in the wrong. We were in the wrong!"
Lin Chen glanced at them and reminded them, "And don't linger in the mountains. Leave as soon as you can. It hasn't been safe here lately."
The investigation mission had been issued by the Demon Suppression Division. The Division wouldn't issue a mission for no reason, especially not a Fourth Order one. That meant one of the exotic beasts might be a powerful Fourth Order creature.
If a group of ordinary people wandered around the mountain and ran into an exotic beast, only one outcome awaited them: they would become its next meal.
"Don't try to scare us. We looked into it before coming here. There aren't any large animals on Fire Forest Mountain, so what danger could there be?" The man in sunglasses wore a look of disdain.
"Believe it or not. It's up to you!"
Lin Chen's gaze swept over them. He said nothing more, turned, and left. He'd only warned them because they were young. If they died here, their parents would be left to bury their children. Their families would be heartbroken.
But if they refused to listen and insisted on staying on Fire Forest Mountain, then whatever happened was on them. They were adults, after all, and had to take responsibility for their actions.
The quiet young woman watched Lin Chen walk away, looking worried. "Maybe we should leave after all. There's something strange about these woods. I haven't heard a single insect or bird."
"Relax. We looked into it. Fire Forest Mountain is completely safe. There's no danger here." As the man in sunglasses spoke, he watched Lin Chen leave, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes. "Qianqian, don't listen to what other people say. If you ask me, you're more likely to run into danger from people than animals in these mountains."
As he spoke, the man in sunglasses gave the bespectacled young man beside him a meaningful look. The bespectacled young man quickly chimed in, "Exactly. We're in the mountains. If we weren't in a big group, you girls might be in more danger from other people than from wild animals!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"Brother Hui wouldn't put us in danger, would he?"
"His family owns a factory. If there were really any danger, Brother Hui wouldn't have come!"
Seeing everyone take the man in sunglasses' side, the quiet young woman felt a little displeased, but she didn't show it. Since no one else was willing to leave, going alone would only put her in greater danger.
Left with no choice, the quiet young woman continued the trip with the others.
Seeing this, a hint of a smile appeared in the man in sunglasses' eyes. He'd come on this hike intending to win the quiet young woman over. He'd already won over the men and women in the group with small favors, so of course they would take his side.
Whoosh~
Lin Chen raced through the mountain forest and quickly reached a hillock. He planned to climb up for a better view, which would make it easier to find the exotic beasts. According to the Bounty Mission, there was more than one beast gathered here.
"Ah~"
Just then, a terrified scream rang out from the direction of the ravine, breaking the silence. Lin Chen's expression immediately darkened. "Those people really are unlucky. They've run into an exotic beast!"
"Let's hope you have the luck to survive!"
Lin Chen pushed off the ground and hurried back toward the ravine. In just a moment, he arrived at the spot where he'd been earlier. On a nearby stony riverbank, fresh blood still stained the ground. As for the young men and women, they had already vanished.
"Over there!"
Lin Chen quickly used the bloodstains on the ground to determine which way they had fled. He shot off after them.
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