Today, the night in the mountains was particularly dark, as if covered by a giant black curtain. Suddenly, five-colored mist erupted deep within the mountains, tearing through the night and illuminating everything around. The towering mountains were bathed in light, and even the snow-laden trees sparkled.
This scene shocked everyone. The entire mountain range was filled with swirling light and mist, creating a dazzling spectacle that made people yearn for more in this sunless era.
The mountains were thrown into chaos. Any expert who was even slightly close to the area of the five-colored mist wished they could sprout wings of lightning and fly over immediately to compete for the most mysterious treasures within the mountain range.
"So early, and it’s already matured!"
"Ah..."
Everyone went wild, rushing towards that direction. In the midst of their journey, screams echoed as some were attacked from the shadows.
Among the vast mountains, famous beasts roared, and strange birds soared. A large number of unusual creatures also began to go mad, heading towards the source of the five-colored mist.
Deep in the mountains, the five-colored mist lingered for a long time, reaching into the depths of the dark night, its dazzling light shining in all directions.
People understood that all these strange occurrences were just signs that the special treasures at the node had ripened. It was the mist swirling around that created this mysterious scene.
Ten meters tall, Wei Mo stood on a cliff, gazing at the colorful mist ahead. His dark red armor clinked like the scales of a dragon, radiating red light. With a powerful push, he stomped down, causing the cliff to collapse, rocks tumbling down, shaking the ground with a tremendous force.
He leaped down with a black spear in hand, charging into the depths of the mountains.
"Wei brother, you should stay back." A figure in white appeared, blocking his path. It was Ling Xu, the lord of Chixia City, a person of high status.
"Ling Xu, do you dare to stop me?" Wei Mo brandished his black spear, stepping through the forest. In a flash, he disappeared from his spot, suddenly reappearing with his spear like a black lightning bolt, tearing through a large area of forest and stopping right in front of Ling Xu.
In another part of the mountains, a three-foot-long tabby cat, carrying a red sword, was moving swiftly. It moved gracefully and silently, dodging many unusual creatures, heading straight for the center of the five-colored mist.
"Stop!" Suddenly, a strange creature shouted, rushing towards this side like lightning, clearly wanting to compete with the tabby cat for the precious treasure.
A mantis beast appeared, bringing a fierce wind with it. All the branches in its path snapped as it forcefully blocked the tabby cat's way.
It was entirely white, resembling a mantis but towering over a person, covered in fluffy white fur. Its long forearms looked like two serrated white blades, shimmering with a faint light.
The tabby cat didn’t waste words with it. It drew its red sword, instantly lighting up the forest like a sunset, the sword's aura shooting up into the night sky.
At the same time, the blade light cut through the darkness, weaving like lightning through the forest. Tall trees fell in droves under the invisible blade's pressure, some even exploding.
...
The usually calm old weasel, who often rode a donkey, abandoned its mount today and dashed through the treetops at high speed, like a flash of white lightning.
"Hmm?" It suddenly stopped, standing atop a towering larch tree, with its "left hand" resting behind its back and "right hand" wrapped around a string of beads, looking up at the sky.
"The rare treasure at that node has nothing to do with you!" A cold voice echoed from the misty night sky.
"It seems there are other outsiders watching besides those from Chixia City." The old weasel spoke more than usual, a rare occurrence.
"Stay back!" A voice came from the black clouds in the night sky, clearly trying to block the powerful old weasel and buy time for others.
The old weasel replied, "Have you considered that if you keep me here, your companions will also be stopped? There are more watchers than just your group. It would be better to let me pass and stir up the waters."
"There's no way I’ll let you through. I've wanted to test your strength for a long time. You even teamed up with those from Chixia City to injure my friends. Hmph!" A pair of wings appeared from the clouds, and a large claw covered in scales reached for the old weasel, resembling a dragon's claw reaching down.
The old weasel's right hand, wrapped around the beads, suddenly struck upwards. With a thunderous sound, it was like a clap of thunder, sending a blinding beam of light twisting through the night, deafeningly loud.
The clouds in the sky were dispersed, revealing a gigantic creature that flapped its silver wings, pushed back by the shockwave, creating a terrifying wind.
The larch tree beneath the old weasel broke, and nearby trees fell in large numbers, shattering, creating a horrific scene as it lightly landed on a rock.
In the distance, in the mountains, a moonlight-like creature appeared, confronting a woman in flowing, shimmering robes standing on a large blue bird, and then they began to fight.
...
"I wish I were in my prime, standing at the peak, to compete for the rare treasures born from the spiritual mountains. Alas, I can only watch helplessly, not daring to get close. It pains my heart!"
Outside the mountains, someone shouted, looking furious.
"You’re just a weak newcomer in our team. Wake up; it’s uncertain whether you’ll even be around in your prime."
Many people in the dense forest were envious, but after the initial impulse, they gradually stopped. Their strength wasn’t enough to venture deep into the mountains and compete for opportunities with the old monsters; that would be seeking death.
All teams calmed down. After all, if they acted recklessly, the high-level unusual creatures and those old monsters would easily cool their heads, leaving them completely frozen.
Cao Long stopped and began to search for that foul-mouthed sparrow, who dared to insult him.
"Special node discovered! Someone wants to hog it all!" The sparrow cried out again, sounding almost like it had become intelligent, trying to attract trouble and lure other teams over.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Arrow after arrow flew out, densely shooting towards the direction of the sparrow's voice.
"They're killing to silence it! Help! There’s a special node here, giving birth to mysterious treasures!" The mutated sparrow fled.
"Today isn’t suitable for deep exploration; we should retreat." Mu Qing said. The mountains were in chaos, with the five-colored mist emerging, where the greatest opportunities lay. The old monsters might go crazy, and who knows what might happen? Innocent people could get caught up in it.
Cao Long and Wei Zhirou nodded in agreement. Their three teams were cautious, preferring to leave empty-handed than to make mistakes that could cost them their lives.
"Alright, let’s familiarize ourselves with the surroundings outside. We won’t go deeper today and will wait until the higher-ups’ battle settles down."
Deep in the mountains, terrifying lights flashed as famous birds tore through the night, and human experts let out terrifying howls.
The battle in the deep mountains was extremely fierce.
Dog Knight Old Liu and Black Goat Knight Yang Yongqing, acting as guides, were now free to move since Mu Qing, Cao Long, and the others had retreated to the edges, waiting for the battle to conclude before considering their next steps.
Qin Ming enjoyed the leisure. He naturally wouldn’t venture deeper; rare treasures were great, but one needed to be alive to obtain them.
He wandered through the forest, looking for that sparrow he had promised to catch for Xiao Wenrui, which he hadn’t found yet. Today, this one had mutated and seemed particularly clever.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t find it again; this mutated sparrow was too smart and had completely vanished after offending Cao Long and the others.
Qin Ming paused for a moment, then headed towards the fissure that had once made him seriously ill, wanting to see how this special node had changed after the upheaval in the mountains.
"He left Mu Qing, Cao Long, and the others; now we might be able to weigh him." Someone informed You Liangyun in the forest.
"Really? Good, let’s follow him!" You Liangyun, clad in the finest armor, wielded a chilling sword, leading his group swiftly through the forest.
...
Deep in the mountains, experts were clashing, and it was indeed terrifying and brutal. Huge monsters were severely injured, blood gushing from their necks like fountains, and when their bodies fell, they shook the ground, knocking down trees in large numbers.
Here, purple light surged like clouds, long halberds crossed the sky, shining coldly, and strange birds emitted blinding divine light, crisscrossing the heavens and the earth.
The battlefield's center resembled a chaotic web of lightning, with unknown experts whose identities were mysterious, all going mad, and high-level beings had already perished.
However, some areas of the battle seemed "unusual."
In the forest, Ling Xu, dressed in white, sat on the ground, breaking the seal of a wine jar, pouring himself a cup, and then tossed the entire jar to Wei Mo, who caught it as if it were just a cup of wine.
The two silently drank, yet still held onto their long knives and a spear over ten meters long, emitting dazzling "heavenly light" that surged into the night sky.
In another part of the mountains, the tabby cat also sat on the ground with its sword, the blade glowing red, while the mantis beast nearby slashed at the night sky with its serrated-like forearms.
...
Qin Ming frowned. Dressed in animal skin, he clearly looked like a local young hunter. Why was he being targeted again?
He stopped as two groups of people, one in front and one behind, seemed to be blocking him.
One group was chasing him from behind, quickly closing in.
"Qin Ming?" You Liangyun arrived, looking at the tall, handsome young man before him, his expression quite complex.
Because this young man could very well block his path forward.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Qin Ming asked, gripping his long black hammer.
You Liangyun looked at him expressionlessly, silent for a moment before finally saying, "You Liangyun from Chixia City. Someone asked me to test your strength. Go ahead."
Qin Ming frowned, wondering what was going on.
At the same time, he cautiously eyed the other four. Their weapons were heavy but not overly so; they should all be second-time newcomers.
"Come on!"
You Liangyun wielded his obviously valuable sword and launched an attack, drawing a blinding light in the dim forest.
Clang!
In the next moment, he felt a slight pain in his palm, a bit numb, as the crystal-clear sword almost slipped from his grip.
Qin Ming didn’t speak. The opponent, being a first-time newcomer, had decent strength, likely able to lift over six hundred pounds.
There was no doubt he wasn’t going all out; he was holding back, mainly focusing on the other second-time newcomers.
You Liangyun attacked again, but after three consecutive blocks, his right hand trembled slightly as he sighed and retreated.
"My strength isn’t as good as yours, nor is my speed. I’m definitely not your match." He said, disappointed, shouldering his sword. "Someone will be looking for you soon; I’m leaving."
"I won. Did it seem to affect you?" Qin Ming asked.
"I lost to you, so I’m no longer qualified to stand beside that noble person. You’ll replace me." You Liangyun replied.
"And you? Where will you go?" Qin Ming asked, frowning.
"What else can I do? Since I can’t progress, I can only go home and inherit my noble title." You Liangyun said as he walked away.
Qin Ming had something to say but swallowed his words upon hearing the last part.
"You Liangyun's character is indeed commendable. It’s just a pity you lost and can only return to Chixia City." Qi Huai'en stepped out from the forest.
You Liangyun, who was about to leave, stopped and turned around.
"The noble person asked me to come and see. I’m here to weigh him." Qi Huai'en drew a long knife and walked towards Qin Ming with a faint smile.
The harsh sound of metal scraping filled the air as Qi Huai'en struck three times, then withdrew, shaking his head. "What a pity, still lacking a bit, not meeting the noble person's requirements."
"Is that not enough?" You Liangyun was surprised.
"Yes, the noble person is looking for a candidate. He’s still a bit short. Let’s go." Qi Huai'en left with him.
Qin Ming felt confused. If it weren’t for the concern that others were watching from the shadows, he would have let loose by now. Was Qi Huai'en really that strong? What qualifications did he have to judge him like that?
As Qi Huai'en walked away with You Liangyun, he secretly pondered. Although he was holding back, he could still feel that the young man, being a first-time newcomer, was extraordinary, at least capable of lifting eight hundred pounds—quite impressive.
"Hmm? I hear fighting." You Liangyun turned back.
Qi Huai'en replied, "You all go back first. I’ll take a look. The mountains are chaotic right now. If he dies at someone else's hands, and the noble person suspects you, that wouldn’t be good."
"I'll go with you." You Liangyun said.
Qi Huai'en shook his head. "My strength far exceeds that of ordinary second-time newcomers. You can’t help. If there’s danger, it would likely be a waste of lives. You should go see the noble person; perhaps after assessing your character, she might change her mind."
"Alright." You Liangyun led his group away.
Qi Huai'en, with a well-proportioned figure and taller than most, swiftly moved through the forest like a tiger, quickly reaching the scene.
He was surprised to see the people there. "Haven’t you dealt with him yet?"
Qin Ming, holding his long black hammer, faced another group of people emerging from the forest, now certain that no one else was watching from the shadows.
He looked at Qi Huai'en and said, "You Liangyun didn’t intend to kill me, but it seems you want to eliminate me?"
Surrounded by six people, all with murderous intent on their faces, they had briefly clashed earlier.
"And so what?" Qi Huai'en said calmly.
Qin Ming threw his hammer, instantly smashing the head of the person in front of him, then snatched the spear from their hand, charging out at a frightening speed. With a thud, he pierced another person, blood splattering as he lifted that person high with one arm.