The Magical Beast Mountain Range, Stone Sculpture Valley.
It was really just a nameless little valley, but because of Fang Yun's sculptures, it was now called Stone Sculpture Valley.
Some distance from the valley, a group of men dressed in black hid among the trees. They were dressed exactly like the men in black Linley had encountered the first time he entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range two years ago.
"Boss, it's that mysterious organization again."
Beibei spoke to Linley telepathically.
On his first trip into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Linley had obtained quite a few Magic Beast Cores, many of them from these men in black. But he still didn't know where they came from. They all used codenames instead of names, and were extremely cautious. Even when one of their members was killed, they wouldn't recklessly seek revenge.
Clearly, this was a method some organization used to train its new members.
The only clue was the short black blades they all carried. But it would be extremely difficult to trace the men in black to their origin based on those blades alone.
Linley nodded. He had naturally noticed them too.
Unlike two years ago, when he had encountered these men, he was now a Level Seven Mage, whereas back then he had only been a Level Five Mage. He had also awakened his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline in Mist Valley and obtained the "divine weapon," the Violet Blood Soft Sword.
But these men in black were about as strong as the ones he'd encountered last time. They weren't especially powerful.
"These guys really aren't afraid to die. They actually dare train near Stone Sculpture Valley."
Beibei looked at them and spoke telepathically.
He knew that a Saint-level Tyrannosaurus Rex lived in Stone Sculpture Valley. Anything that dared wander into the valley, whether a magical beast or a human, would be eaten by that big fellow.
If Linley hadn't been on familiar terms with the Doham brothers, Beibei wouldn't have wanted to come here either.
After all, he didn't feel comfortable around a Saint-level Magical Beast.
In Beibei's eyes, this place was much more dangerous than the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It was even more dangerous than Mist Valley, where there were only a Level Nine Spined Iron-Back Dragon and a foolish bear who had only just entered the Saint-level.
This Saint-level Tyrannosaurus Rex had lived for over a thousand years.
"They probably don't know what this place is like," Linley replied telepathically. "After all, this isn't really deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
Stone Sculpture Valley wasn't especially close to the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, but it wasn't very deep in, either. Any powerful expert might come here to gain experience.
Linley didn't pay the men in black much attention. They weren't strong enough to concern him anymore.
Right now, all he wanted was to visit Lord Fang Yun before returning to the Ernst Institute. It wasn't only because Lord Fang Yun was a Saint-level expert. His sculptures had also helped Linley greatly.
In Linley's eyes, if not for those sculptures, he might never have been able to create Dream Awakening perfectly. It could have affected his state of mind back then, and under those circumstances, it would probably have taken him longer to reach his current level of strength.
"Let's go around them."
Linley didn't want anything to do with the men in black, so he easily slipped past them.
With his current strength, quietly avoiding them wasn't especially difficult.
"Linley, the disturbance in Mist Valley may have been felt here in Stone Sculpture Valley."
Doehring Cowart's voice suddenly rang out in Linley's mind.
"I know, Grandpa Doehring."
Linley replied, "But even if Lord Fang Yun felt it, he couldn't possibly connect it to us."
Just as they reached the entrance to Stone Sculpture Valley, Doham came out carrying some broken stones. They were scraps left over from Fang Yun's carving, and the brothers had been cleaning them up.
"Doham!"
Linley greeted him with a smile.
"Linley."
Doham smiled when he saw him, then looked at Beibei on Linley's shoulder. "Beibei."
"Chirp, chirp!"
Beibei let out a couple of triumphant squeaks.
When they had first entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Beibei had already been about as strong as a Level Five or Six Magical Beast. Thanks to his speed and small size, even a Level Seven Velociraptor couldn't do much to him. In the end, the Velociraptor had fled after Beibei bit it.
But back then, when Beibei had sparred with Doham in Stone Sculpture Valley, he'd been completely suppressed. It had been an extremely frustrating experience.
Doham had only been a Level Seven Warrior at the time, roughly on par with the Velociraptor. But he was much more agile than a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and he had extensive combat experience from his time in the Dark Alliance's army. So it hadn't been difficult for him to suppress Beibei, who was only at Level Five or Six.
But now Beibei had the strength of an eighth-level magical beast, putting him a level above the Doham brothers back then.
Even Linley had reached Level Six as a warrior in human form. Once he transformed into a Dragonblood Warrior, he could reach the early eighth level. On top of that, Linley was now a dual-element Level Seven Mage, making him even stronger.
Together, the man and mouse now had some ability to protect themselves on the Yulan Continent.
"Hey, little guy. What, you want to spar with me again?"
Doham laughed when he saw Beibei's attitude.
He'd been curious about Beibei's strength back then, and the result had truly surprised him.
"Chirp, chirp!"
Beibei even stood up on his hind legs, looking rather "provocative."
Doham burst out laughing. He thought Beibei was adorable.
"Beibei."
Linley stopped Beibei's "provocative" squeaking, then asked, "Doham, is Lord Fang Yun here?"
"You came to see Lord Fang Yun?"
Doham sounded a little regretful. "If you'd arrived two days earlier, you could've seen him."
Lord Fang Yun had left and hadn't returned for two days. They only knew that after Stone Sculpture Valley felt the disturbance, Lord Fang Yun had said he was going to meet some fellow who had escaped.
Anyone Lord Fang Yun took that seriously had to be a Saint-level expert.
But Linley really was unlucky. He'd come by several times over the past few years and never once managed to see Lord Fang Yun.
"Lord Fang Yun went out?"
Linley asked.
"That's right. He's been gone for two days and hasn't come back yet."
Doham answered directly.
"Two days?"
Linley's heart stirred. Two days ago was when he had obtained the Violet Blood Soft Sword in Mist Valley.
Doham nodded. "There was a strange disturbance here two days ago, and Lord Fang Yun went to meet the expert who caused it."
"A strange disturbance. An expert?"
Hearing this, Linley suddenly felt worried.
He knew what had caused the disturbance. It was probably the destruction of the Magic Array when he pulled out the Violet Blood Soft Sword.
After all, that Magic Array had been more powerful than even a forbidden spell, and the Violet Blood Soft Sword might well have been a "divine weapon." Even if it wasn't, any weapon that needed blood to recognize its master was no ordinary weapon.
If the Magic Array had been damaged, it was entirely possible that it had unleashed power greater than a forbidden spell...
As for the expert Doham mentioned, Linley didn't know who that was. But he was worried that Lord Fang Yun had mistaken the disturbance for the work of some powerful expert.
"Yeah, Lord Fang Yun said some lucky fellow had escaped."
Doham didn't hide anything. "Anyone capable of causing such a huge disturbance must be a Saint-level expert."
A Saint-level expert?
Linley had a bad feeling. Had he released some powerful Saint-level magical beast?
"Don't worry. Lord Fang Yun is powerful. Even if the expert really is strong, he won't be a match for Lord Fang Yun."
Doham spoke confidently. "You can stay here until he comes back."
Then Doham looked at Beibei with a smile and changed the subject. "As it happens, I can spar with Beibei again."
As he spoke, Doham turned to Beibei. "Well, little mouse? Let's see if you've improved over the last two years."
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
Beibei stood on his hind legs and bared his teeth at Doham, acting just as "cocky."
Seeing this, Linley gave a wry smile. "Doham, Beibei is an eighth-level magical beast now."
He knew how strong Doham was. Although he was powerful, he was still only a Level Seven Warrior. Against Beibei at the eighth level, he'd just be "bullied."
Although a long time had passed, the Ultimate Warrior Clan couldn't advance any further without its family secrets. So, in Linley's view, the Doham brothers were still at Level Seven.
"Chirp!"
When Linley spoke, Beibei looked at Doham provocatively, clearly trying to goad him.
"Oh? An eighth-level magical beast?"
Doham was quite surprised. He couldn't help taking another look at Beibei.
Beibei was a rodent magical beast. Even among rodent species that could reach the eighth level, it was rare for one to advance so quickly.
After all, it had only been two years since the last time they met, and Beibei had gone from Level Five or Six to Level Eight?
That rate of progress was terrifying.
No wonder Linley had gone back to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gain experience. With an eighth-level magical beast by his side, there was no danger as long as he didn't venture too deep.
For ordinary people, the Magical Beast Mountain Range was extremely dangerous. For experts, it was little more than a place to earn gold.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"
Beibei proudly squeaked at Doham, then spoke telepathically to Linley. "Boss, this time I'm definitely going to bully Doham properly."
A few years ago, when he had sparred with the Doham brothers, he hadn't been completely helpless, but he'd been firmly suppressed. Back then, he'd said that once he got stronger, he'd challenge Doham again.
"Now that Beibei is an eighth-level magical beast, his defenses must be even stronger."
Doham spoke up as well.
A few years ago, Beibei had only been at Level Five or Six, but his defenses had already far surpassed those of magical beasts at that level. Even when Doham had been a Level Seven Warrior, it had been difficult for him to hurt Beibei.
Doham was curious about Beibei's bloodline. His defenses rivaled those of a Stone-Eater Mouse, and his speed was no worse than a Shadowmouse's. This little guy really was a freak.
With those two advantages, now that Beibei had reached Level Eight, even a Level Nine Magical Beast might not be able to do anything to him.
"Beibei's defenses really are impressive."
Linley nodded. He could only marvel at Beibei's defenses. Beibei had taken a full-force blow from a Level Nine Spined Iron-Back Dragon and suffered only a minor injury.
"Come on, an eighth-level magical beast with powerful defenses is just what I need for some practice."
Doham was eager.
In Stone Sculpture Valley, he could only spar with his younger brother, Dohar, or occasionally go hunt magical beasts. He didn't have many opponents to practice against. At first, he had also sought out Prequet, but even after transforming, he was only at the peak of the ninth level. Against Prequet, who was at the Saint-level peak, he'd been easily subdued.
After that, he decided he wouldn't spar with Prequet again until he reached Level Nine in human form.
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