Black Wind Rift, the garrison's Forward Base.
The deep and shadowy Black Wind Valley was dominated by rugged mountains. The strange Rift into the spirit world opened at the very heart of the gorge.
Taking advantage of the terrain, the garrison had built simple but sturdy bases on the cliffs on either side of the Rift. Facing one another, they were like a pair of pincers clamped around a throat.
Commander Lou Ming stood at the observation window of the command post, his keen gaze sweeping over the assembled troops below.
They were all new recruits who had just arrived to report for duty. Most were recent graduates of the country's top martial arts universities, with an average cultivation level of the professional rank.
Being assigned to a mission zone like Black Wind Rift was proof enough that they were all prominent figures at their respective Martial Universities. And yet here, there were more than three hundred such "prominent figures."
Lou Ming furrowed his brow slightly. "The numbers don't add up. Why are we short a few?"
An officer immediately stepped forward to report:
"Reporting! The Third Squad was intercepted by the Blood Blade mercenary group before arriving. A small-scale clash broke out, and they may be delayed by several hours."
Lou Ming snorted, disgust showing in his eyes.
"Hmph. Those jackals catch a whiff of blood and can't wait to come tearing in for a bite. They're getting more and more brazen."
He paused, then pressed on. "What about the others? The two sent from Jiang City were supposed to arrive yesterday."
The adjutant's face grew slightly grave. He lowered his voice. "Sir, the two special envoys from Jiang City did set out yesterday and entered their planned route."
"But at present... we've temporarily lost all contact with them."
He hesitated before adding, "Their route takes them through the Thunder Cloud Eagle King's traditional habitat."
"According to our monitoring, an unusually violent beast surge broke out in that area last night. I'm afraid..."
Lou Ming's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he issued an emotionless order:
"Process it as a battlefield disappearance. Notify their original units and have them make the necessary arrangements."
"Sir," the adjutant said, lowering his voice with some hesitation, "one of the two seems to have close ties to Grandmaster Wang Anguo."
"If we directly list them as killed in action, would that... be inappropriate?"
The words "Grandmaster Wang Anguo" caused a flicker in Lou Ming's eyes.
Wang Anguo was the commander of Black Wind Valley before the previous one, a highly respected elder with formidable strength and influence that still resonated throughout the military.
Lou Ming clicked his tongue and rubbed his brow, muttering to himself that this was a nuisance.
They couldn't afford to slight a grandmaster. They had to make a show of doing everything they could.
"In that case," he ordered again, his tone decisive.
"Dispatch an elite reconnaissance squad at once. Have them search along the route the two were supposed to take."
"Alive or dead, we need to find them. At the very least, we have to show that we're taking this seriously."
(To avoid confusion, the clone will be called Chen Yan from now on, and the original Chen Xiaoyan.)
Chen Yan took some time to get used to this body.
To his surprise, the clone formed by Mirror Flower Water Moon had been modeled entirely on his soul's original appearance, not his current infant body.
My point of view's suddenly so much higher. This'll take some getting used to... Chen Yan thought.
He pushed Shadow Concealment to its limit.
His aura, body heat, and even his presence almost completely vanished, as if he had truly merged with the shadows among the ruins.
The pressure radiating from the giant snake before him was almost on par with that of his father, Chen Kefa.
Fortunately, his Shadow Concealment was close to mastery. Avoiding the beast's senses was an easy task for him.
The colossal creature was in the middle of shedding its skin. Though it still gave off a terrifying, hair-raising aura, it had no idea that danger was right beside it.
Chen Yan kept himself on edge...
The carnage from last night's battle was still fresh in his mind. He had watched from inside the painting and already learned just how fearsome this beast was.
Even weakened by shedding its skin, it was no reason to let down his guard. His instinctive caution would never allow him to approach so recklessly.
But Chen Yan sensed something in the creature—a near-burning desire rooted in the instincts of a living being.
When do you ever get a chance to eat the meat of a vicious beast snake?
The thought came to him without warning.
He quietly took out a plain wooden brush, channeled his spiritual power into its tip, and began to paint in midair.
A moment later, a lifelike beauty snake appeared among the ruins.
Even by Chen Yan's exacting standards, the snake was a peerless beauty among its kind.
Its body was white and lustrous as jade, glowing softly.
Its scales were so delicate they seemed carved from the finest white jade, their gentle sheen flowing in the dim light.
Its curves were sleek and graceful. It held its head slightly raised, and its vertical pupils, lightly touched with color, had a bewitching, almost human charm.
Its tongue flicked out, silently exuding a strange, alluring aura.
Chen Yan guided the "White Jade Beauty Snake" to slither to a spot in front of the Earth Scale Python, neither too close nor too far.
Then it gently swayed its body, striking one graceful pose after another in an attempt to draw the beast's attention.
I refuse to believe you won't be tempted!
But he had still underestimated the beast's temper.
It was suffering through the pain and weakness of shedding its skin. On top of that, it had only just fought a bloody battle and claimed dominion over this area by trampling its way across a heap of corpses. Its fury was several times greater than usual!
The Earth Scale Python's vertical pupils locked onto the sudden intruder—one of its "own kind."
A flash of cold light, and its tooth-filled maw lunged forward to bite. A stench-filled gust swept toward the snake, carrying murderous intent.
Chen Yan instantly controlled the "White Jade Beauty Snake" and sent it diving. It narrowly dodged the deadly strike.
The python's jaws grazed the "White Jade Beauty Snake's" scales and snapped shut on empty air.
"Hss—ha!"
Its attack missed, and the Earth Scale Python let out a hiss from deep in its throat.
The sound mingled the pain of its unfinished molt with fury at its escaped prey and a destructive urge powerful enough to tear everything apart. Loose stones shook from the surrounding ruins.
The Earth Scale Python completely abandoned its molting. Its massive body writhed and thrashed wildly!
The moment it went berserk, the already unstable old factory could no longer hold together!
Rumble—!
The supports snapped, and the roof and walls collapsed with a grating groan. Huge chunks of concrete and steel rained down!
"Damn!" Chen Yan cried out. He hadn't expected this!
Godly Movement erupted at full force on instinct. His figure flashed rapidly between gaps in the falling rubble, dodging.
He avoided the largest chunks, but a flying brick still clipped the hem of his clothes, leaving a conspicuous smear of dirt.
He appeared somewhat disheveled in a relatively safe corner.
That movement completely broke Shadow Concealment.
His aura and figure were now fully exposed to the Earth Scale Python, which had stopped thrashing, shaken off the rubble, and emerged even more battered than before!
Man and snake stared at each other.
The air filled with awkwardness and swirling dust.
Chen Yan looked at the Earth Scale Python's vertical pupils, full of fury, pain, and... a hint of confusion, and gave an awkward laugh.
He tried to ease the tension, pointing at the "White Jade Beauty Snake," which had lost its energy in the collapse and dissolved back into a puddle of ink.
"Well... since I painted you such a beautiful bride, could you pretend none of this happened?"
"If you still want one, I can paint another!"
Added a bookshelf grouping feature, so you can add multiple books to a group for sorting. If you have any suggestions after trying it, feel free to share them, and we'll make adjustments.
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