Edited by Aelryinth

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The group finally arrived at Mount Baiba after crossing the mountains.

Mount Baiba was made up of countless peaks. The mountains were special because each peak was actually isolated from the next, with their tops soaring into the clouds!

These mountains were covered in ancient vegetation, so when the group reached the vicinity of Mount Baiba, they did not see exposed peaks of various heights, but vines dangling in the sky!

The thick branches of the trees in the dense woods extended from one mountain to the cliffs of another. The plants of these hundreds of mountains intertwined with one another, forming a floating forest!

The spectacular natural scene was hidden deeply in the Qinling Mountains. It was difficult to imagine something like it without seeing it in person. The plants were at the same height as the clouds, while the mountains were like pillars connecting the sky and the ground. The group could see tiny colorful dots circling the tree and flower-covered cliffs when they looked up. They were none other than the demon sparrows, hawks, and monster bees of different levels residing on the mountains...

"Mount Baiba is a paradise for winged beasts. From the bottom of the Qinling Mountains to the Sacred Waterfall at the top, the higher the altitude that the creatures are residing at, the greater their status is in these mountains. Many tribes of demon birds come here at certain seasons to pay homage to the Emperor of Feathers!" Zhang Xiaohou glanced thoughtfully at Mount Baiba, which was only revealing the tip of an iceberg.

Zhang Xiaohou had been to Mount Baiba many times, yet he was still impressed by the breathtaking sight every time he was here.

"The Emperor of Feathers?" Yu Shishi was confused.

"An old man living close to the Qinling Mountains told me this. The winged beasts are very strict with their social classes. The heights they occupy directly reflect their status. They are restricted to that altitude even when flying. Ones that break the rule will be punished by the Emperor of Feathers!

"It is the creature with the highest status among the winged beasts. It isn't just the ruler of the Paradise of Winged Beasts on Mount Baiba, it also rules over the winged beasts in the mountains both north and south of the Qinling Mountains, one with great authority," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"That's crazy! I never heard of that before," Zhao Manyan admitted.

The soldiers of the Violet Imperial Battalion focused to listen to Zhang Xiaohou's explanation, too.

"The Emperor of Feathers is different from the demon creatures that keep expanding their territories. It strictly orders the winged beasts under its lead to stay within the boundary of their habitat. The flying creatures are actually very powerful, yet they rarely take the initiative to attack other species, including humans. We are used to paying attention to the species that keep invading our lands, so many people assume that the flying creatures of the Qinling Mountains are weak and not much of a threat to us. The military also thinks the Qinling Mountains are insignificant when compared to the West Ridge, the Dongting Lake, and Shengnongjia. However, our view changed completely when we first discovered Mount Baiba!" Zhang Xiaohou said firmly.

He had dealt with the Qinling Mountains for many years, but the more he learned about the Qinling Mountains, the more unfathomable he felt the mountains were.

"So you were promoted to major general just because the safety level of the Qinling Mountains were reevaluated?" Li Dexin harrumphed coldly.

The safety level of the Qinling Mountains had indeed changed a few years ago. There was never a major general stationed at the Qinling Mountains before. The person-in-charge was only a brigadier general in the past, but the army had now appointed a major general to keep an eye on the Qinling Mountains. Many people assumed the role was deliberately set up for someone with a formidable background.

Not many people knew the truth, since they had never been to the Qinling Mountains!

Zhang Xiaohou's role was extremely important, but others did not think highly of it. However, that did not bother Zhang Xiaohou. He was determined to stick to his responsibilities in the Qinling Mountains, regardless of his rank. The Ancient Capital had suffered great losses during the calamity, so it desperately needed a few years of peace. Zhang Xiaohou would not allow the flying creatures of the Qinling Mountains to cause any trouble while the Ancient Capital was recovering!

Luckily, the leader of the flying creatures was keeping an eye on its subordinates, too. He just needed to keep an eye on a few species with rather hot tempers to keep the peace!

"Mount Baiba is broken into different levels. The lowest level is the Vine Canopy Level that we are seeing right now. The Vine Canopy Realm is slightly higher than the majority of the Qinling Mountains. We can see most of the Qinling Mountains once we are at the Vine Canopy Level," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Those trees are only the lowest level?" Mo Fan blurted out.

"Yes, we aren't able to see the higher levels from here!" Zhang Xiaohou answered.

"So what is the level above it?" Yu Shishi asked.

"The Ashwood Wind Layer. It is made up of a few dozen mountains covered in Ashwood Forests. The reason it's called the Ashwood Wind Layer is because the Wind of Sorrow doesn't stop blowing at that altitude, and it's a lot stronger than the Wind we encounter in the Qinling Mountains. Lesser creatures aren't able to endure it. Only the more powerful winged beasts can fly in it," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"So there are only powerful creatures at the Ashwood Wind Layer?" Bai Hongfei asked.

"Mm, only powerful creatures!" Zhang Xiaohou confirmed.

"Is there a level above it?" Mo Fan asked.

"Yes, but I have only heard about it from rumors. It's called the Skycloud Realm," Zhang Xiaohou said.

Lingling immediately pulled Mo Fan aside and whispered to him after hearing that name, "Jiang Xia mentioned the Skycloud Realm. He said that the Tree of Vows is the ancient tree connected to the Skycloud Realm!"

"So that means Jiang Xia and Yan Shi reached the highest level of the Winged Beasts' paradise in the past, and brought a seed of the Tree of Vows back and established the Enforcement Union?" Mo Fan speculated.

"More or less, Jiang Xia didn't really tell me the details. It looks like we will have to climb the mountains," Lingling said.

"But, if it's the paradise of the Winged Beasts, will we actually find the Deer God here?" Mo Fan said.

"It might be the paradise of the Winged Beasts, but there should be other species, too. I believe we are on the right track," Lingling said confidently.

Lingling had read a lot of ancient records that briefly mentioned the Deer God. Many of them were related to the Qinling Mountains, but Lingling could not tell for sure, since the information was never verified. Only people that had been to the Skycloud Realm like Jiang Xia would know the precise location of the Deer God!

"Mm, a mystical place like this does fit the sacredness of a Totem Beast..." Mo Fan nodded.

They were very close to finding a Totem Beast!

They were very close to reaching the Super Level!