At noon, the heavy thunder of hoofbeats suddenly sounded outside Scarlet Cloud Mountain.
At first, the sound was still several miles away, like muffled thunder rolling through the mountains. Yet within a few breaths, it rapidly drew closer, each pounding beat making the encampment's wooden walls tremble and the loose stones on the ground bounce.
"What's that noise?"
The Martial Guards on the wooden walls stopped what they were doing, tightened their grips on their weapons, and watched the mountain pass warily.
After enduring two Ghost Tides, everyone had become a bird startled by the twang of a bowstring. The Martial Guards operating the Evil-Smiting Ballistas hurriedly cranked their bowstrings taut and aimed their thick armor-piercing bolts into the depths of the crimson mist.
Lu Chen stood on the wooden wall and looked up as well.
With his current Organ-Nourishing Realm senses, he could clearly detect an overwhelmingly powerful surge of blood energy approaching at tremendous speed. Like a moving volcano, it forcibly scattered even the chilling wraith energy permeating the forest wherever it passed.
Rumble!
The thick crimson mist suddenly billowed to either side.
An extraordinarily magnificent, towering mutant beast burst out of the mist first.
It resembled a horse, but stood over ten feet tall at the shoulder, with thick limbs and a coat of dark red scales. Two short black horns curved backward from its head, and every breath sent two jets of scorching white vapor from its nostrils.
A Dragonblood Steed!
These mutant beasts carried a faint trace of true dragon blood in their veins. Not only could they travel thousands of miles a day, but they crossed mountains and ravines as though treading level ground. An adult Dragonblood Steed rivaled an Organ-Nourishing Realm martial artist in strength. Charging at full force, it could smash even