Several hourglasses later.
At the border between Soft Yin Valley and True Flame Valley, a thirty-meter-tall troll with a lion's body and a human face held a giant fork. After casting a contemptuous glance at the Lust Flame Fairy elder leading the way, it turned its attention to the three dark creatures.
"Those three?"
The fairy elder stepped forward obsequiously and respectfully offered up the crystals.
The crystals transformed into shimmering lights and flew into the giant lion's claw.
"Those are indeed the three. Please, be so kind as to make an exception."
"Very well."
The giant lion swallowed the crystals whole, then turned around under the gaze of the tens of thousands of bizarre, variously sized monsters stationed there.
It let out a clear, resonant roar.
The monsters scattered in every direction, and soon the ground shook with heavy footsteps. The giant led the way into the mighty valley shrouded in fiery clouds, followed by a smaller shadow giant, a Rat Demon wearing a helpless expression, and a nimble canary Painted Skin.
From time to time, enormous birds flew overhead, peering down through the fiery clouds.
Their heads alone were more than ten meters long.
"They're Ancient Flame Holy Birds, unique to True Flame Valley. They've been guardians of the great Ancient Flame Demon God since ancient times. We're at war right now, and without me guiding you, creatures like you—with no special pass and no aura of True Flame Valley—would be captured and eaten by these birds in no time if you wandered off alone."
The lion-headed troll sounded rather pleased with itself.
Reilo and the canary Painted Skin were quite interested in the giant birds.
The difference was that Reilo was considering their value as biological specimens for his collection, while Painted Skin was appraising them as