Re-entering Stone Sculpture Valley

Magical Beast Mountain Range, Stone Sculpture Valley.

This valley was actually just an unnamed little valley, but because of the stone sculptures by Fang Yun, it is now known as Stone Sculpture Valley.

At this moment, a short distance from Stone Sculpture Valley, several men in black were hiding in the trees. The attire of these men in black was identical to the attire of the men in black Linley had encountered when he first came to the Magical Beast Mountain Range two years ago.

"Boss, it's those people from that mysterious organization again."

Beibei sent a direct mental message to Linley.

When Linley first entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he had obtained quite a few magical beast cores, and a large portion of them had been obtained from these men in black. However, the origins of these men in black remained unclear. These guys all used codenames instead of names, and they were extremely cautious; even if a member was killed, they would not recklessly seek revenge.

Clearly, this was a method used by some organization to train new members.

The only clue was the standard-issue black short blade they all carried. But trying to find the source of these men in black based on this black short blade was extremely difficult.

Linley nodded as well; he had naturally discovered these people.

Unlike two years ago, when he had only possessed the strength of a level-five mage upon meeting these guys, he was now a level-seven mage. Furthermore, he had activated his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline in Mist Valley and had obtained the "divine artifact," the Violet Blood Soft Sword.

However, the strength of this group of men in black was about the same as the previous ones; it was not very high.

"These guys really aren't afraid of death, actually daring to come train around Stone Sculpture Valley."

Beibei looked at these guys and sent a mental message.

It knew that Stone Sculpture Valley was home to a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus; anyone who dared to enter the valley casually, whether it was a magical beast or a human, would be eaten by that big guy.

If it weren't for the fact that the Doham brothers and Linley could be considered "acquaintances," Beibei wouldn't want to come here either.

After all, facing a Saint-level magical beast, it didn't feel at ease.

In Beibei's view, this place was far more dangerous than the deep regions of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It was even more dangerous than Mist Valley; Mist Valley only had a level-nine Spined Iron-Back Dragon and a clumsy bear that had just entered the Saint-level.

This Saint-level Tyrannosaurus, however, was a Saint-level magical beast that had lived for thousands of years.

"They probably don't know the situation here."

Linley sent a mental message, "After all, this doesn't count as the true depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

Although Stone Sculpture Valley was not particularly close to the outer perimeter of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it could not be considered a very deep area either; as long as they had some strength, experts might come here for training.

Linley did not pay much attention to these men in black; after all, their strength was no longer enough to concern him.

He only wanted to visit Mr. Fang Yun before returning to the Ernst Institute, not just because Mr. Fang Yun was a Saint-level expert, but also because Mr. Fang Yun's stone sculptures had been of great help to him.

In Linley's view, if it weren't for those stone sculptures, he might not have been able to perfectly carve the sculpture "Dream Awakening." It likely would have affected his state at the time, and under those circumstances, it would probably have taken him some time to reach his current level of strength.

"Let's go around them."

Linley did not want to have any interaction with these men in black, so he easily bypassed them.

With his current strength, it was not particularly difficult for him to avoid these men in black without making a sound.

"Linley, the tremors from Mist Valley earlier might have been felt in this Stone Sculpture Valley."

The voice of Doehring Cowart suddenly appeared in Linley's mind.

"I know, Grandpa Doehring."

Linley replied, "However, even if Mr. Fang Yun felt it, it's impossible for him to connect it to us."

Just as they reached the entrance of Stone Sculpture Valley, Doham walked out, carrying some rubble in his hands; these were the scraps left over from Fang Yun's carving, which they were always cleaning up.

"Brother Doham!"

Linley walked up with a smile.

"Linley."

When Doham saw Linley, he also revealed a smile, then looked at Beibei on Linley's shoulder, "Beibei."

"Zhi zhi~"

Beibei let out two squeaks in a showy manner.

When they first came to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Beibei's overall strength was only at level five or six. Relying on its own speed and physical characteristics, even a level-seven Velociraptor couldn't do much to Beibei, and it eventually ended up being bitten by Beibei and running away.

But back then in Stone Sculpture Valley, when Beibei "sparred" with Doham, it had been suppressed the entire time, feeling extremely stifled.

Although Doham was only a level-seven warrior at the time, equivalent to a Velociraptor, the flexibility of Doham's body was not something a Tyrannosaurus could compare to. Plus, having been in the Dark Alliance army, his combat experience was extremely rich. Therefore, suppressing the level five or six Beibei was not a difficult task.

However, now, Beibei possessed the strength of a level-eight magical beast, a level higher than the Doham brothers had been before.

Even Linley, in his human form, had the strength of a level-six warrior. Once he transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior, he could even reach the level of a beginner level-eight. Coupled with the fact that Linley was now a dual-element level-seven mage, his strength was even more formidable.

The combination of man and mouse now had some ability to protect itself on the Yulan Continent.

"Hey, you little guy, what? Still want to spar with me?"

Doham looked at Beibei's appearance and couldn't help but laugh.

He had been curious about Beibei's strength back then, and the result had truly surprised him.

"Zhi zhi~"

Beibei even stood up on its hind legs, looking somewhat "provocative."

Doham burst into laughter, feeling that Beibei was quite cute.

"Beibei."

Linley stopped Beibei's "provocative" squeaking, then asked, "Brother Doham, is Mr. Fang Yun around?"

"Are you two here to see Lord Fang Yun?"

Doham said with a hint of regret, "If you had come two days earlier, you would have been able to meet him."

Since Fang Yun had left, he hadn't returned in these two days. They only knew that after the Stone Sculpture Valley felt a tremor, Fang Yun had mentioned going to see some fellow who had broken free.

Anyone who could be taken so seriously by Lord Fang Yun must surely be a Saint-level expert.

However, Linley was truly unlucky; he had come several times over the past few years and had yet to see the man even once.

"Mr. Fang Yun went out?"

Linley asked.

"Yes. He left two days ago and hasn't returned yet."

Doham replied directly.

"Two days?"

Linley's heart stirred. Two days ago was exactly when he had obtained the Violet Blood Soft Sword from the Mist Valley.

Doham nodded, "A strange tremor occurred here two days ago, and the Lord went to see the expert who caused the disturbance."

"A strange tremor? An expert?"

Hearing this, Linley suddenly felt a bit worried.

He naturally knew the reason for the tremor; it was highly likely that the magic array had been destroyed after he pulled out the Violet Blood Soft Sword.

After all, that magic array was something even more formidable than forbidden magic, and this Violet Blood Soft Sword was very likely a "divine artifact." Even if it wasn't a divine artifact, any weapon that required a drop of blood to recognize its master was no ordinary weapon.

If that magic array were damaged, it wasn't impossible for it to cause power exceeding that of forbidden magic...

As for the expert Doham mentioned, Linley wasn't sure. But he was worried that Fang Yun had mistaken the tremor for something caused by a powerful individual.

"Mm, the Lord said it was some lucky fellow who had broken free."

Doham didn't hide anything, "To be able to cause such a massive tremor, it must be a Saint-level expert."

A Saint-level expert?

Linley had a bad premonition. Could it be that he had released some powerful Saint-level magical beast?

"Alright, don't worry. The Lord is incredibly powerful; even if there really is a formidable expert out there, they wouldn't be a match for him."

Doham said confidently, "You two can just stay here and wait for the Lord to return."

Afterward, Doham looked at Beibei, smiled, and changed the subject, "As it happens, I'll spar with Beibei again."

As he spoke, Doham said to Beibei, "How about it? Little mouse, let me see if you've made any progress in the last two years."

"Zhi zhi zhi~!"

Beibei stood on its hind legs, baring its teeth at Doham with a very "arrogant" attitude.

Seeing this scene, Linley gave a wry smile, "Brother Doham, Beibei is already a level eight magical beast now."

He knew Doham's strength well; although he was strong, he was only a level seven warrior. Facing a level eight Beibei, he would only be "trampled" by it.

Even though so much time had passed, for a member of an Ultimate Warrior family, without the family's secret manuals, one could not advance further. Therefore, in Linley's eyes, the Doham brothers were still at the level seven realm.

"Zhi zhi!"

Hearing Linley speak, Beibei looked at Doham with "provocation," clearly trying to goad him.

"Oh? A level eight magical beast?"

Doham was extremely surprised and couldn't help but take a closer look at Beibei.

Beibei was a rodent-type magical beast; even among rodent species that could reach level eight, it shouldn't be possible to advance this quickly, right?

After all, it had only been two years since they last met, and Beibei had gone from level five or six to level eight?

This rate of progress was simply too terrifying.

No wonder Linley had come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train again; with a level eight magical beast, as long as they didn't head into the deepest regions, there was absolutely no danger.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range, which was extremely dangerous for ordinary people, was merely a place to earn gold coins for the strong.

"Zhi zhi zhi~"

Beibei squeaked proudly at Doham, while simultaneously sending a telepathic message to Linley, Boss, this time I'm definitely going to give Doham a good thrashing.

A few years ago, when it sparred with the Doham brothers, while it couldn't be said that it had no power to resist, it had been firmly suppressed. At the time, it had vowed that it would challenge Doham again once its strength improved.

"With Beibei reaching level eight, its defensive capabilities must be even more formidable now."

Doham remarked.

A few years ago, even though Beibei was only at level five or six, its defense far exceeded that of other magical beasts of that level. Even though he was a level seven warrior at the time, it had been a very difficult task to even injure Beibei.

Therefore, Doham was also curious about Beibei's bloodline. With defense comparable to a Stone-Eater Mouse and speed that didn't lose to a Shadow Mouse, this little guy was truly a freak of nature.

With these two advantages, now that Beibei had reached level eight, it was likely that even a level nine magical beast might not be able to do much to it.

"Beibei's defense is truly formidable."

Linley nodded. Regarding Beibei's defense, Linley could only marvel; one had to know that Beibei had previously withstood a full-force strike from a level nine Spined Iron-Back Dragon, and even then, he had only sustained minor injuries.

"Come on, a level eight magical beast with powerful defense—it's perfect for me to spar with."

Doham became interested.

In the Stone Sculpture Valley, he could only spar with his younger brother Dohar, or occasionally go out to hunt some magical beasts. There were not many targets for combat practice. At first, he had sought out Prequet, but even when he transformed, he was only at the peak of level nine; facing Prequet, who was at the peak of the Saint realm, he was easily suppressed.

Afterward, he decided that until his human form reached level nine, he would not go to Prequet for sparring.