"I assu you know this Wan Qiao?" Yan Xiaobao asked. Although posed as a question, it was more a statent, and Lan Feng nodded.
"I never thought that old witch was still alive," he muttered under his breath. His face was devoid of color, his feathers disheveled, as though they had been ruffled but refused to lie flat again.
’Who is she?’ Yan Xiaobao asked after waiting for a mont. He was curious as to what kind of woman could bring down the usually loud and arrogant Phoenix to such a petrified state.
’Who is she? Who is she? You want to know who she is? She’s a monster. Other than my father and a few other gods, I’ve never known anyone stronger than her. To say she’s invincible is an understatent. She finishes her tasks crudely.’ A sharp voice escaped Lan Feng, his eyes brimming with fear.
"I understand, but who is she?" Yan Xiaobao pursued further, eager to know what caused such a reaction deep in Lan Feng’s heart. In truth, Yan Xiaobao had never seen the woman who would strike so much fear. This was the first ti Lan Feng had displayed terror.
"She’s my caretaker!" Lan Feng nearly scread in despair. "When I was little, my father had no ti to take care of , so he found a strong woman he knew could easily handle a chick. Turns out, she was completely unsuitable for looking after children."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaobao was stunned to see the shocked reaction of such a majestic bird who had been deeply traumatized by the woman.
Although Lan Feng was haunted by the trauma, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t fathom the mories currently haunting the bird; instead, he found the whole situation quite amusing.
After so ti spent pondering, Yan Xiaobao understood that although it might have been traumatic for the bird, without a doubt, the peculiar bond between Lan Feng and this Wan Qiao might be exactly what they needed now.
Reaching his conclusion about what to do, a slight smile ford on Yan Xiaobao’s face. Though Lan Feng was still dwelling in his unpleasant mories, he quickly realized Yan Xiaobao and the white-haired youth’s plan.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Lan Feng insisted repeatedly, but Yan Xiaobao rely chuckled in reply. He had decided they would venture to the inner regions of the Divine Jungle where they could et Wan Qiao. Hopefully, with her help, they could figure out a way to escape this forest.
"Bla yourself," Yan Xiaobao shrugged and said, ’If you were stronger, if you could fly, then we could have left long ago. But even with my martial power wings and the martial power you’ve refined, we most likely can’t exit the mountains. The distance is simply too far.’
"It’s not that I don’t acknowledge my connection with her," Lan Feng began frantically, "but she won’t be keen on seeing again. Our past is quite unpleasant. I’m sure she won’t help us!" Lan Feng continued, but Yan Xiaobao largely ignored him.
"She’s our only hope. If she truly won’t help you, then we’ll have no choice but to challenge one of the Forest Kings."
"Let’s start with a Lord," Lan Feng suggested, fully confident in his ability to take down other Saint Level beasts, but Yan Xiaobao simply shook his head. "Imagine if we win—then we’d have to co back to this place again and again," Yan Xiaobao pointed out. "If anyone challenges us, we’ll have to fight them; victory or death."
Frowning deeply, Lan Feng found he had no other choice but to accept Yan Xiaobao’s decision. As he dwelled on his apprehension about reuniting with his caretaker, he sighed profoundly. Wan Qiao, the one woman Lan Feng truly feared in this world.
Agreeing to venture into the forest’s inner regions, Yan Xiaobao sat down to cultivate until he heard soone knock at the door. Rising and opening it, he found all the village children standing outside dressed in their best clothes. Their small faces smiled warmly towards the human.
"Co with us!" one of the older children said. Yan Xiaobao laughed and followed the children towards the chief’s house—a house large enough to contain the entire village. At a long table, they waited for Yan Xiaobao to sit at the seat of honor.
Spitted roasted pig and a variety of fruits and berries were laid out on the table, accompanied by cooked stews, vegetables, and roasted at. Though these creatures were magical beasts, their lives bore astonishing resemblance to human lives, and Yan Xiaobao felt the sa atmosphere as his hotown.
Letting go of worries about the future, Yan Xiaobao decided to spend the evening with the villagers, who had gone to great lengths to make him feel welco. He was deeply moved by their hospitality.
After celebrating with the villagers the entire evening, Yan Xiaobao prepared to leave as the sun began piercing the sky. Bowing respectfully to the villagers for the last ti, Yan Xiaobao turned and began moving towards the forest once more. This ti, he wasn’t searching for a way out of the mountains; instead, he headed deeper into the forest—towards the territory ruled by the One-Horned Jasmine Eagle.
While Lan Feng remained hesitant about encountering his old caretaker again, he also understood it was their only viable option for leaving this place. Accepting this, he cautioned Yan Xiaobao that eting her was the only path forward, though Wan Qiao was unlikely to offer them help. However, she probably wouldn’t kill him outright, as she harbored lingering feelings for Lan Feng’s father.
Though the sun broke through the dark sky within the valley holding the village, it hadn’t ward the forest yet. As Yan Xiaobao entered, he noticed the chill, as no heat had reached here. Dew still sparkled on the grass and small plants ahead of him.
Noting the coolness within the forest, Yan Xiaobao began moving at top speed, making sure to remain utterly silent as he advanced. His aura was retracted, detectable by only the rare magical beasts capable of sensing it. Fortunately, those that could were distant enough that his velocity made it easy to outpace them.
As he moved through the forest, Yan Xiaobao was grateful to have Lan Feng by his side—two sets of eyes and two souls were better equipped for detection than one. Moreover, without Lan Feng’s guidance and strength, Yan Xiaobao might have long succumbed to their enemies.
After battling a Lava Collared Chira that ambushed him, leaving him with a deep wound across his chest, Hui Hui sighed and decided to retreat from the path he had been following.
"You’ve finally given up?" Lan Feng asked, his tone tinged with mockery, as he had long told Yan Xiaobao he needed to grow stronger. He needed to improve through real combat, not just sprint forward, advance, and then almost lose every encounter he faced. Having relied on Lan Feng’s aura to fend off enemies for quite so ti, Yan Xiaobao’s pride had suffered imnsely.
Reflecting on this, Yan Xiaobao gritted his teeth, realizing the bird was right. Though Yan Xiaobao had spent considerable ti cultivating, his training base was deep, but his combat capabilities truly lagged behind.
When it ca to grueling battles—or those where Hui Yue knew he was at even a slight disadvantage—he had relied on his red fog or Lan Feng’s power, neither of which were truly his own strength. Realizing this, the young man’s gaze stiffened with resolve. With a flick of his hand, a black dagger appeared. As his sharp gaze focused, he unknowingly began spinning the blade, thoroughly attuned to his surroundings. Eventually, he caught movent out of the corner of his eye and slowly turned to see a strange small creature resembling a pig in front of him.
Though small in stature, the pig had a ferocity exceeding any beast Yan Xiaobao had encountered. Completely surpassing others in speed, it displayed astonishing agility.
Its mouth bristled with razor-sharp teeth, and its twin tusks glead with a vicious sharpness unlike any seen even among larger magical creatures.
From that instant, as the pig locked onto Yan Xiaobao and the white-haired youth, he activated the Velocity Flow, knowing full well he would need every ounce of speed to contend with the creature.
Luckily, he was situated in a zone where all beasts were roughly equal to him. There he and the pig—man and beast—stared down one another; neither claid an advantage before the first strike.
Understanding this, Yan Xiaobao wasn’t the type to wait passively for an attack. With Velocity Flow pushed to its absolute limit, he hurtled forward, a blur to the naked eye. In his hand, the dagger no longer spun; it gripped steadfastly.
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