The blazing sun hung high overhead, and scorching waves of heat seared the earth.
On the main road, a somewhat peculiar caravan raced onward despite the baking heat.
An azure ox at the fifth level of the Divine Strength Realm led six Earth Howlers also at the fifth level of the Divine Strength Realm—an odd and rare sight indeed.
Atop a perilous mountain peak stood six people, proud and aloof. At their head was a man riding a Snow Velvet Cloud Leopard at the sixth level of the Divine Strength Realm. His eyes were like an eagle's, fixed intently on the caravan racing below.
His name was Puyang Feng, an expert of the Puyang Clan, the imperial family of the North Martial Prefecture. His cultivation had long since reached the late eighth level of the Divine Strength Realm, and he had mastered the late stage of Subtlety Realm Divine Strength application.
This time, he had been ordered by the clan elders to secretly protect that boy named Jiang Feng.
Reliable information had revealed that a group called the Bai Clan in Fox Forest Town had set its sights on Jiang Feng and intended to intercept and kill him when he left the city. Their clan leader, Bai Xiuyao, was even a level above Puyang Feng, having reached the perfected peak of the eighth level.
"What a lucky little brat!"
"Who knows what kind of merits he cultivated to actually receive the favor of our clan."
Puyang Feng chuckled softly. Looking at the young figure atop the azure ox, his face held more than a trace of jealousy and disdain.
In his eyes, Jiang Feng might possess some skill, but he was ultimately only at the fourth level of the Divine Strength Realm. He simply was not worth the clan spending