Entering the Monster Mountain Range, Encountering Xiao Yi Xian

"Hao Gege, don't worry. Xun Er promises she won't do anything."

Hearing Xun Er's words, Ye Hao's face darkened.

Why did that sound so much like the things creepy uncles always said when tricking people...

"I'll just hold you. I won't do anything."

"I'll just touch you. I definitely won't go too far."

"I'll just rub against you. I absolutely won't go in."

"I'll just go in and take a look. I definitely won't move around..."

Ye Hao nodded in agreement, and Xun Er was overjoyed. She hugged him and gave him a loud kiss.

Then she lay down on the bed with a giggle.

"Clap clap clap..."

She clapped her hands happily.

Outside the room, beneath the eaves, in the shadows.

Ling Ying's face went pale with fright.

"Oh no! Young Miss mustn't make a mistake!"

Ling Ying leaped out of the darkness and stood at the door like an ant on a hot pan. Several times, he raised his hand to knock, only to force himself to stop in the end.

What if he had misunderstood?

But...

What if they couldn't hold themselves back?!

Just as Ling Ying was about to knock on the door.

He saw a figure stand up.

Only then did Ling Ying breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness."

If it really came to that, he would become a sinner of the Ancient Clan and might as well die on the spot.

Then again, Ye Hao's talent was terrifying, and his young miss possessed such a rare bloodline.

If something really happened and they had a child, that child's talent might be even more terrifying!

Of course, he could only think about it.

With Xun Er in Ye Hao's room tonight, he could forget about sleeping!

After all, they were both young people brimming with vitality.

It would be all too easy for sparks to fly.

At that moment, the surrounding energy seemed to come alive and began surging madly into the room.

Once Ye Hao circulated the Saint Grade Heaven Swallowing Art, he became like a black hole—absorbing as much energy as there was.

On the bed.

Xun Er stared with her Beautiful Eyes wide open, utterly captivated.

Unconsciously, scenes of Ye Hao fighting multiple Soul Clan experts alone and risking his life to protect her resurfaced in her mind.

The smile on her face grew even sweeter.

She believed that if it happened again.

Ye Hao would still make the same choice!

Time passed, second by second.

Suddenly.

A muffled boom came from within Ye Hao's body!

Immediately afterward, a violent wave of Dou Qi swept outward like a hurricane!

The tables and chairs in the room rattled loudly.

Xun Er immediately sat up.

"Hao Gege!! Y-you broke through again?!!"

Xun Er's Beautiful Eyes widened as she exclaimed in delight.

Ye Hao nodded. "Just luck."

Just luck?

Hearing that from outside the door, Ling Ying nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!

He had cultivated for over a hundred years and was only an Eight-star Dou Emperor!

He had been stuck at the Eight-star Dou Emperor realm alone for more than a decade!

What about Ye Hao?

In just a few short months, he had leaped from a Da Dou Shi to a four-star Dou Ling!

The bottleneck that plagued countless people was utterly useless before him.

"Hao Gege, you're amazing! Xun Er loves you to death."

The moment Xun Er saw Ye Hao exit his cultivation state, she rushed over and hugged him, clinging to him like an octopus.

"Ah, Hao Gege, hold me up! Xun Er is going to fall! Hurry, hurry..."

Xun Er urged anxiously.

Ye Hao reached out and supported Xun Er's pert backside.

"Alright, it's getting late. Go back and sleep."

"No, I'm staying here. I'm not going anywhere."

"If you don't go back, Elder Ling will probably have to stand guard outside all night."

Ling Ying: ...

"Elder Ling, go get some rest. I know my limits."

"Yes, Miss."

Although Ling Ying agreed, he still did not dare go too far.

"Hehe, Hao Gege, I sent Elder Ling away."

Xun Er said smugly.

Ling Ying: ...

Then, Xun Er leaned close to Ye Hao's ear and whispered, "Hao Gege, Xun Er really wants to make up for the regrets of the past, but you know, my constitution is special. Before I reach the Dou Saint level, I cannot give myself to anyone, so..."

Xun Er's pretty face flushed crimson.

"I know."

"But since Xun Er is with Hao Gege, I naturally won't let Hao Gege suffer for nothing."

Xun Er smiled sweetly, then spoke mysteriously.

Ye Hao: "??"

"Xun Er can..."

Xun Er whispered into Ye Hao's ear.

Ye Hao's pupils dilated. "No, where did you learn that?!"

The next day.

When the sun was already high in the sky.

Under the ninety-degree bows of the attendants and the innkeeper, Ye Hao and Xun Er boarded a carriage and headed for their next destination...

The Monster Mountain Range.

Magical beasts ran rampant there, and danger lurked at every turn.

Almost no one dared enter alone. Most entered in groups alongside mercenaries.

Ye Hao and his group were an exception.

Ahead of them.

A large group was walking quietly.

Thirty mercenaries gripped the weapons at their waists, prepared to deal with any sudden situation at any moment.

At that moment, someone noticed Ye Hao's carriage.

One young man patted his companion on the shoulder.

"Look, that guy's got some nerve. He actually dared come to the Monster Mountain Range without hiring mercenaries for protection."

"Maybe he's from out of town and doesn't know how dangerous the Monster Mountain Range is," the Bearded Man guessed.

They had encountered this sort of situation before.

The young man clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. A newborn calf really isn't afraid of tigers."

"It's no big deal. If anything happens, we're close by. There are plenty of us, so we can go help them."

"Big Brother, our job is to protect Xiao Yi Xian. He didn't pay us."

"When you're out in the world, help when you can. Can you guarantee there'll never be a time when you need someone's help?"

"Fair enough."

They were veteran mercenaries who had spent many years in the Monster Mountain Range.

This might have been their first time working together.

But they were highly alert to danger.

With just a meeting of eyes, they could read signals of danger or safety in each other's gaze.

Near noon, when they stopped, they discovered that the carriage behind them had stopped as well.

Further in, the road turned entirely into narrow trails.

The carriage could go no farther.

Several mercenaries drank water while staring unblinkingly at the carriage, wanting to see what kind of person was inside to be so arrogant.

When they saw a young man and woman step down from the carriage, the mercenaries nodded in sudden understanding, with no surprise in their eyes.

However, as they drew closer, the girl's appearance made several of them breathe heavily, their eyes shining brightly.

The mercenary at the front called for them to continue onward.

And so, the two groups once again continued toward the Monster Mountain Range, one after the other.

At that moment, most of the mercenaries' attention was focused on the woman in the white dress among them.

"Xiao Yi Xian, have you heard? Mu Li seems to have been beaten to death."

"That's right. They say some young man smashed his head apart!"

"What a pity. I didn't get to witness such a historic scene."

"Shh!! Keep your voice down. Mu She isn't dead yet! If word reaches his ears, you'll lose your life!"

Several mercenaries chattered away.

The delicate beauty known as Xiao Yi Xian leaned against a large rock.

Her left hand supported her slender waist.

With the back of her right hand, she gently wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.

Her soft panting, paired with that gentle, beautiful face, made her seem especially pitiful and endearing.

A bold mercenary stepped forward and offered to carry Xiao Yi Xian to their destination.

But Xiao Yi Xian declined with a smile.

Just as Xiao Yi Xian handed her waterskin to her maid, she seemed to spot something.

The color suddenly drained from her rosy cheeks.

Then she lowered her head and immediately urged the others onward.

No one noticed anything unusual about her.

After crossing a small hill, they encountered an attack by a Magical Beast.

A Third-order Magical Beast known as the Crimson Flame Snake burst out of the bushes, its forked tongue spitting sparks!

With lightning speed, it sprayed a pillar of flame from its gaping maw, instantly engulfing several mercenaries.

Before they could even scream, they were reduced to ashes.

At the sight of such a terrifying scene!

Some of the mercenaries were scared out of their wits. They abandoned the main group and fled so frantically that they even lost their shoes.

Only a small number remained, protecting Xiao Yi Xian as they retreated.

A Third-order Magical Beast possessed strength equivalent to that of a human Da Dou Shi.

It was simply not something mercenaries at the Dou Zhe realm could contend with!

The Crimson Flame Snake twisted its massive body and chased after them like lightning.

Pillars of fire continuously shot from its mouth!

Grass and trees turned to ash the instant they touched it, while stones became charred dust in moments.

"Don't worry about me! Run!"

Xiao Yi Xian tripped over some vines. With a flick of her delicate hand, she scattered the white powder in her hand at the Crimson Flame Snake.

The Crimson Flame Snake twisted aside and easily dodged it.

An even larger pillar of flame blasted toward Xiao Yi Xian and the others!

Despair appeared on the Bearded Man's face.

Xiao Yi Xian also closed her eyes as though she had accepted her fate, seemingly waiting for death to descend.

Yet after waiting for a while, she seemed not to feel any pain.

She slowly opened her eyes.

She saw a not particularly burly figure standing before her, blocking the pillar of fire.

At the same time, a mass of terrifyingly hot green flame reduced the Crimson Flame Snake to ashes.

"Are you alright?" Xun Er asked with a smile.

Xiao Yi Xian glanced at Ye Hao beside her and shook her head somewhat awkwardly.

"No, I'm fine."

"Bosses, is this image worth a like?"