Beyond the vast, densely forested Mountain Range of Magical Beasts stretching for tens of thousands of miles before them lay the mysterious territory of the Shadow Alliance on the western side of the continent. Shiheng and Kelin Xiaoman exchanged a glance. Neither hesitated in the slightest as they strode straight into the depths of the mountains, where the canopy blotted out the sky, choosing a shortcut across the range.
The Mountain Range of Magical Beasts had always been one of the continent's perilous regions. Ancient trees towered overhead, and miasma filled the air. Fierce beasts of every level, from low-ranking monsters to Saint magical beasts, occupied its forests, where survival of the fittest played out to its fullest. Even ordinary Saint experts dared not venture deep into it lightly, but to Shiheng, this dangerous land was nothing more than an ideal training ground for honing Kelin Xiaoman's practical combat abilities. As they traveled, he deliberately suppressed every trace of his Laws and cultivation fluctuations, drawing all his spiritual energy deep within himself until he looked no different from an ordinary traveler with no cultivation at all. He walked slowly at Kelin Xiaoman's side throughout, leaving every combat opportunity they encountered to her. He only protected her from the shadows, helping her refine her control over magic and accumulate experience in life-and-death battles.
As they ventured deeper into the mountains, the surrounding woods grew denser, and sunlight could barely penetrate the overlapping layers of treetops. A violent gale suddenly swept through the air, tearing leaves from the branches in a furious shower. An ink-black afterimage streaked through the shadows of the forest with astonishing speed before abruptly circling overhead. A piercing dragon's roar shook the valley, frightening countless nearby low-ranking magical beasts into trembling and prostrating themselves on the ground. A