Mist Valley (Part 1)

Lin Qin rested at the entrance of the canyon for about an hour, adjusting his state to its peak. During this time, the other groups also made their final preparations, remaining clearly divided from one another, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

The first to move were the five armored warriors. The eighth-rank warrior leading them gave a gesture, and the five immediately formed a small battle formation. Their battle qi glows faintly merged into one, and they stepped cautiously into the thick fog, their figures quickly swallowed by the rolling gray-white expanse.

Next were the three mages. The red-haired old archmage waved his staff, and a pale red flame barrier enveloped the three of them, insulating them from some of the fog's erosion before they followed suit.

The woman carrying a longbow glanced at the figure in the black robe. The black-robed figure nodded slightly, and the two slipped into the fog as silently as ghosts, moving with extreme speed.

Lin Qin was the last to depart. He did not employ any flashy protective measures, instead focusing his mental energy intensely, scanning the area within ten meters of his body like a radar. At the same time, the Earth Battle Qi within him circulated slowly, ready to erupt into his strongest defense or attack at any moment. He took a step into the thick fog.

The moment he entered the mist, his vision plummeted, with visibility dropping to less than five meters. The air was filled with a damp, cold aura. Even more unsettling was that the fog seemed to exert a certain suppression and interference on his mental energy, shrinking his perception range significantly and making it somewhat blurred. Various subtle sounds, difficult to trace to their source, reached his ears—like wind passing through stone crevices, or perhaps the crawling or whispering of some creature, disturbing his focus.

He gripped his broadsword, his steps steady, and pushed deeper into the canyon along a path that appeared to have been trodden by predecessors. Beneath his feet lay soft, slippery soil and jagged, strange rocks. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only his own breathing and heartbeat clearly audible.

After advancing about a mile, a sudden change occurred!

The fog to his front-side churned violently, and a black shadow lunged out like lightning, aiming straight for Lin Qin's neck! It was a creature, small in size but incredibly fast, shaped like a lizard but possessing two pairs of wings thin as cicada wings and a tail tipped with a poisonous barb—the sixth-rank magic beast, the Mist-Hidden Poison Lizard!

Lin Qin's mental energy had been projected outward the entire time, and he sensed the attack the moment the creature lunged. He did not panic; his body tilted slightly, avoiding the lizard's pounce, while the broadsword in his hand swept horizontally as if he had anticipated it all along!

"Clack!"

With a crisp sound, the broadsword struck the Mist-Hidden Poison Lizard's flank with precision. The immense force sent it flying directly into the nearby rock wall, where it let out a mournful cry. Before it could hit the ground, Lin Qin waved his left hand, and a sharp Earth Spike Spear instantly erupted from beneath it, piercing through its body.

The battle began and ended in a flash. Lin Qin stepped forward and skillfully removed the lizard's poison sac and magic core. This type of magic beast excelled at hiding and ambushing, posing a great threat in this foggy environment, but to Lin Qin, with his keen perception and rapid reactions, it posed little danger.

He continued deeper. The further he went, the thicker the fog seemed to become, and the suppression on his mental energy grew stronger. Along the way, he discovered traces of battles: marks of blades hacking into rock, charred spots from magic, and he even saw a skeleton picked clean, with broken weapons and clothing scattered nearby—clearly the remains of explorers who had lost contact earlier.

He also encountered several dangers unique to the canyon. One was a formless turbulence of energy that suddenly surged from the fog like sharp blades; had he not reacted quickly, blocking with his broadsword and shielding himself with battle qi, he likely would have been injured. Another was a hallucinogenic, exotic pollen released from some flamboyant, mushroom-like plants. He only avoided being bewitched by relying on his powerful mental energy and the slight calming effect of the amulet Aileen had gifted him.

During this time, he also heard the sounds of battle and explosions from other directions, clearly indicating that the other groups had encountered attacks. He had no intention of investigating, remaining focused on his own route.

A day later, Lin Qin arrived at a relatively open area of scattered rocks within the canyon. The fog here seemed thinner, but the energy fluctuations were more chaotic and intense. He decided to rest briefly here and carefully sense the source of the abnormal fluctuations.

Just as he sat down, a burst of hurried footsteps and violent energy collisions echoed from ahead. The three mages rushed over in a somewhat disheveled state; one of the fire mages had charred marks on his robes and appeared to have suffered a minor injury. Behind them, the fog churned, and a scorching, violent aura pursued them relentlessly.

"Roar!"

A deafening roar erupted, and a massive beast, covered in dark red scales with a single horn on its head, broke through the fog and appeared in Lin Qin's field of vision. Its eyes were blood-red, it exhaled scorching sulfurous breath, and its powerful pressure was suffocating—the eighth-rank magic beast, the Crimson Flame Fierce Ape!

The fierce ape was clearly enraged by the mages and was pursuing them relentlessly. The red-haired old archmage continuously unleashed powerful fire magic, but it had little effect on the ape's scales, only further inciting its ferocity. The other two mages desperately cast defensive and restrictive spells, but they could only barely slow its pace.

They spotted Lin Qin sitting among the rocks. A flash of urgency crossed the red-haired old man's eyes, and he shouted, "Friend! Please, lend us a hand! This beast has thick skin and flesh; we cannot shake it off alone!"

Lin Qin's gaze swept over the battlefield with cold composure. This Crimson Flame Fierce Ape was incredibly powerful; even if he unleashed his full strength in a head-on confrontation, he might not gain the upper hand. But the situation was critical; if the ape finished off the mages, he would likely be the next target. Besides, fighting strong opponents (beasts) was his goal to begin with.

He did not hesitate, rising instantly with his broadsword in hand. His seventh-rank peak battle qi surged to its limit, and he shot toward the flank of the Crimson Flame Fierce Ape like an arrow released from a bow!

His arrival immediately changed the tide of battle. Lin Qin did not choose to clash head-on with the ape; instead, he utilized his relatively agile footwork and steady sword style to strike at the ape's joints, eyes, and other vulnerable spots. While he couldn't inflict a fatal wound, he greatly disrupted its movements, forcing it to divide its attention.

"Good chance!" Seeing this, the red-haired old man felt a surge of spirit. His chanting suddenly became high-pitched and obscure, and the magic core at the tip of his staff erupted with blinding red light! He was clearly preparing a powerful single-target attack spell.

The other two mages also gave their all, one releasing a barrage of Flame Shackles to entangle the ape's legs, while the other continuously used Earth Sink Technique to create pits, restricting its movement.

The Crimson Flame Fierce Ape was enraged by Lin Qin's harassment and, sensing the terrifying magic fluctuation from the old archmage, it suddenly reared up. Its massive fist, carrying destructive power, smashed fiercely toward Lin Qin, who was dancing around it!

The momentum of this punch was astonishing, the wind pressure causing the scattered rocks on the ground to fly in all directions.

Lin Qin's eyes narrowed; he knew he couldn't take this head-on. His feet tapped rapidly as he retreated, while his left hand slammed into the ground!

"Rumble—"

A massive stone wall, far thicker and wider than any he had constructed before, rose from the ground. The surface even shimmered with faint, earthy-yellow light—this was a defense constructed by channeling nearly all his mental energy and his deepest understanding of earth elements!

"BOOM!!!"

The Crimson Flame Fierce Ape's giant fist slammed into the stone wall! Amidst the deafening roar, the wall shook violently, spiderweb-like cracks instantly covering its surface, and gravel rained down like a downpour, but it did not shatter immediately, stubbornly blocking the terrifying blow!

Lin Qin felt his blood churn from the recoil, forcing him to retreat several steps, but he had successfully bought the old archmage precious time!

Just then, the red-haired old archmage's spell was completed!

"Flame Heaven-Burning Spear!"

A spear of flame, several meters long and composed entirely of highly compressed, searing white fire, appeared out of thin air. With a shrill whistle that tore through the air, it shot with speed invisible to the naked eye, precisely toward the ape's armpit—exposed by its swing and relatively weakly defended!

"Squelch!"

The flame spear pierced into the Crimson Flame Fierce Ape's body without obstruction! The extreme heat erupted instantly!

"Awoo—!!"

The Crimson Flame Fierce Ape let out a heaven-shaking wail, its massive body convulsing violently. The wound was charred black, and one could even see the scorched internal organs within! It swung its arms wildly, smashing the surrounding rocks to dust, its aura rapidly withering.

Opportunity!

Lin Qin suppressed his churning blood, a flash of light in his eyes. He pushed off the ground with explosive force, his body and broadsword becoming a line of earthy yellow. Man and sword as one, he condensed all his battle qi and strength into the tip of the blade, piercing toward the ape's massive head, which was tilted back in agony, like a drill!

"Shing—!"

The broadsword, carrying Lin Qin's full-force strike, pierced precisely into the ape's wide-open mouth, running through to the back of its skull!

The Crimson Flame Fierce Ape's roar stopped abruptly. Its massive body stiffened for a moment before crashing to the ground, kicking up a sky full of dust.

The battle was over.

Lin Qin pulled out his broadsword and leaned on it, breathing slightly heavily. The continuous high-intensity bursts and that final, decisive strike had taken a significant toll on him.

The three mages also let out a sigh of relief, their faces showing the joy of surviving a disaster. The red-haired old archmage walked up to Lin Qin and performed a solemn mage's salute: "Many thanks for your help, friend! I am the fire archmage Herbert, and these two are my companions. Had you not held this beast back, we would likely have been in grave danger."

"Lin Qin." Lin Qin stated his name and nodded, acknowledging the greeting. His gaze fell upon the corpse of the Crimson Flame Fierce Ape; as an eighth-level Magic Beast, its entire body was a treasure.

Herbert was a wily old fox and immediately understood Lin Qin's intent, smiling as he said, "This Crimson Flame Fierce Ape was slain through the combined efforts of Your Excellency Lin Qin and ourselves, so the spoils should naturally be shared. The Magic Beast core, the single horn, and the heart blood essence are the most precious parts; how about we split them equally among our three parties? As for the fur and bones, if Your Excellency Lin Qin needs them, you may take them all." He proposed a relatively fair plan, clearly intending to befriend this powerful warrior.

Lin Qin had no objections to this. He valued the gains from actual combat more, and as long as the material distribution was reasonable, it was fine.

Just as they were preparing to divide the spoils, a sudden change occurred!

Deep within the canyon, that persistent, abnormal energy fluctuation suddenly became incredibly violent! It was as if something had been awakened, or had reached a certain critical point. A pressure far more terrifying and vast than that of the Crimson Flame Fierce Ape swept over like a tidal wave from the very heart of the canyon, shrouding the entire rocky area!

Within this pressure, there carried a rhythm of ancient, vast, and pure earth element laws!

Lin Qin, Herbert, and the other two mages all had their expressions change drastically under this pressure!

"This... this is..." Herbert felt those heart-palpitating law fluctuations, his voice trembling slightly, "Could it be... an earth element Saint Realm Magic Beast? Or... is some heaven and earth treasure manifesting?"

Lin Qin's heart also began to beat faster uncontrollably. The battle energy within his body, especially his sensitivity to earth elements, became exceptionally active under this pressure. He felt that his cultivation bottleneck, which had been stagnant for some time, seemed to show signs of loosening!

An opportunity! A massive opportunity was right before his eyes! But at the same time, it was accompanied by unimaginable danger!

"Let's go take a look!" Lin Qin did not hesitate, his gaze fixed firmly in the direction from which the pressure originated. He took the lead and dashed toward the core area of the canyon.

Herbert and the other two exchanged glances, seeing both desire and fear in each other's eyes. In the end, the desire for opportunity outweighed the fear.

"Follow him!" Herbert gritted his teeth and, along with his two companions, quickly followed.