Edited by Aelryinth

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The altitude of the terrain quickly increased after the group left the Luling Rift Valley. The mountains were lofty and imposing, blocking their view of the spacious valley. One could not help but feel minuscule standing before them.

"We'll reach Mount Baiba after crossing these mountains," Zhang Xiaohou told everyone.

"We are very close to it then! That's great!" Advisor Xu exclaimed. The trip was no longer torturous after they lost the harassing Winged Patrol Beasts. Advisor Xu was in a great mood after learning they would soon reach their destination.

It was true that not everyone could trespass into the Qinling Mountains. A team could easily suffer a mental breakdown if they did not have an experienced leader who was familiar with the Qinling Mountains!

The mountains were incredibly high, but the group had no choice but to keep climbing them.

"The Qinling Mountains strictly follow level boundaries. The high-level demon creatures occupy the higher altitudes. We will no longer face the Winged Patrol Beasts at this altitude. Other strong beasts are going to show up soon, however. The Winged Beasts are very united, and they are a vengeful group, too. Therefore, you will only engage them if I give you the permission," Zhang Xiaohou warned the Violet Imperial Battalion sternly.

He only had to remind the Violet Imperial Battalion, since Mo Fan and his group were strictly following his instructions already. They preferred to save themselves as much trouble as they could, as they had no idea what they would stumble into at the Tree of Vows. After all, it was the habitat of a Totem Beast!

"Don't worry, we will follow your orders," Advisor Xu agreed quickly.

"Your words don't count!" Zhang Xiaohou glanced at Li Dexin sharply.

"Fine, we'll listen to you! Just hurry up, we are running out of time!" Li Dexin cursed impatiently.

Luckily, Li Dexin had learned his place. He had realized they might actually fail their mission if he kept behaving stubbornly. He had stopped making a scene after the smooth journey through the Luling Rift Valley.

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The mountains were looming above them. The sky was a little dark, as the gray clouds were right above the group's heads; it felt a little oppressive.

Their view was mostly blocked off by the tall mountains. They could only see endless steep cliffs leading into canyons. They were unable to see the bottom of the canyons, which were deep, meandering, and dark. If they accidentally fell into the canyons, they would find themselves in a giant maze, and struggle to find the way out!

Their vision was restricted most of the time. However, if they accidentally fell into the canyons, the lofty walls would further limit their sight; they would fear losing their way and feel helpless, surrounded by the mountains!

He had the habit of talking to others when he was struggling to stay calm. However, the only response he received was his own echoes.

"Don't you feel it's too quiet here?" Zhao Manyan asked when no one in the group responded.

"Silence is never a good sign," Lingling said.

"I agree."

"Let's hurry up and climb higher. It should feel a lot safer when our view opens up."

The rises and falls of these mountains were extremely steep, and every time they crossed a ridge, they had to travel across a canyon. Zhao Manyan felt uneasy whenever he was surrounded by the mountain walls.

A piercing cry suddenly sounded above them.

The group cautiously halted in their tracks. They lifted their eyes and looked around sharply.

In front of them stood a peak separated from a huge mountain wall. It was almost tall enough to reach the clouds. The group found it hard to see its top.

A long-tailed bird covered in golden-blue feathers perched on a rock sticking out of the peak. Its feathers were perfectly smooth, without a single ripple despite the strong wind blowing at it, as if the creature was wearing gleaming gold-blue armor. The special lines of the feathers formed an elegant curve from the creature's neck to its tail.

The golden-blue creature on the rock was staring down at the group with a noble, imperious bearing!

"It...it saw us!" Zhao Manyan blurted out.

"I can see that!" Mo Fan snapped.

"What do we do now?" Bai Hongfei asked.

The creature's level was obviously quite high, judging from its sacred golden-blue coloration and Aura, which slightly exceeded their group. The group could not tell if they had accidentally trespassed into the creature's territory. They would be in great trouble if that was the case, since they were unable to use their spells properly in the limited space in the canyon.

"Stay calm, these high-level Winged Beasts usually treat height as the boundary of their territory. It won't trouble us as long as we stay below a certain altitude," Zhang Xiaohou said calmly.

"Are you sure? Aren't all demon creatures hostile toward humans?" Ling Fei asked.

"We can just walk past it slowly. Don't look at it. In their eyes, outsiders, including humans like us, are just some lowly creatures. We should withdraw our Auras and try not to alarm it," Zhang Xiaohou replied.

"Humph, lowly creatures? It doesn't look that strong to me, either! Perhaps it can't even endure a single breath from my Great Lesser Earth Dragon!" Li Dexin exclaimed.

"Stop bringing us trouble, do you want to rescue your target or not? Why do I feel like you are here just to stir up trouble instead?" Zhao Manyan grumbled loudly.

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The group made their way past the peak the Golden-Blue Sparrowhawk was standing on without provoking it.

The Golden-Blue Sparrowhawk kept staring at them, but as Zhang Xiaohou had told them, it was simply glancing down at a few weaklings. It had no intention to attack them. It had an indifferent look as it watched the group of lowly creatures walking through the canyon like a bunch of monkeys, observing them until they slowly faded into the distance.

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Bai Hongfei could not help but ask after they left the Golden-Blue Sparrowhawk's view, "What level was that creature?"

"Judging from the altitude it was keeping, it was at least a Great Commander-level creature," Zhang Xiaohou told him.

"Great Commander-level… it's not really that strong."

"If the Wind of Sorrow is blowing, Winged Beasts are two or three times stronger than usual. They might only be Great Commander-level creatures when we aren't in the Qinling Mountains. However, if we are in the Qinling Mountains, they are still a threat to us! Besides, there's more than one around here!" Zhang Xiaohou pointed out.