The group crossed the edge of the lush green grassland, as if stepping over an invisible watershed.
The scenery before their eyes changed abruptly.
The leisurely, open pasture vanished, replaced by a stretch of undulating, dark green low hills, covered with scraggly shrubs and jagged rocks.
The air was thick with a damp scent—a mix of decaying plants and soil, occasionally punctuated by the rough grunts of wild boars rooting for tree roots in the woods.
“We’ve entered the Middle Sleep Domain. Everyone, be careful.”
Yong Huai spoke up.
The others remained silent. The team, which had been somewhat lively before, grew tense in an instant, and all laughter ceased.
The four soldiers who had accepted spirit stones instantly wiped the smiles from their faces. Their eyes turned as sharp as hawks’, and their spiritual energy surged quietly around them.
The five of them closed ranks in perfect tacit understanding, shielding Lu Qiancha even more securely in the center.
In the dead silence.
“Rustle—”
A faint sound of branches and leaves brushing together drifted from a clump of dark green trees not far away.
“Who’s there?!”
The captain’s harsh shout thundered out like a sudden crack in a drought, erupting instantly.
“Clang—!” The screech of metal rang out.
With a twist of spiritual power, the Heixuan Spear in his hand transformed into a Frostwolf wreathed in ice, its spear tip pointed straight at the source of the sound.
The immense pressure of his Unity Realm aura crashed down like a mountain, locking onto that patch of ground. Guided by spiritual energy, even the air seemed to freeze in an instant.
“Don’t attack! I’m one of you!” a slightly panicked female voice called out hurriedly.
The bushes parted with a loud rustle…
A delicate face, dusted with bits of grass and dirt, emerged—it was the eldest princess, Ling Shuāngxue. Her signature gray-blue hair was a bit tousled.
“The Eldest Princess?”
The captain’s pupils contracted sharply beneath his helmet as he forcefully reversed his spear, the heavy shaft cutting through the air with a piercing whistle.
He immediately dropped to one knee, his voice full of respect: “Your servant Ping Feng greets Your Highness.”
“At ease.”
Ling Shuāngxue waved her hand casually, her gaze swiftly sweeping over the five members of the team.
Finally, her eyes landed precisely on Lu Qiancha, who stood at the center of the formation.
It was him.
Ling Shuāngxue’s blue eyes, cold as an icy lake, immediately flashed with undisguised, intense disgust—like someone seeing filth.
But that disgust lasted only the briefest instant.
Ling Shuāngxue smoothly shifted her gaze away, as if even a moment longer would be unbearable.
“May I ask, Your Highness, why you are here alone in such a dangerous place?” Ping Feng rose, his voice still steady, yet tinged with incomprehension.
“Father sent me to fetch something. Coincidence, really—I just happened to run into you all.”
Ling Shuāngxue crossed her arms in front of her chest, the fluffy tail behind her swaying lightly.
Ping Feng’s frown deepened, the strangeness in his heart growing even stronger.
How could His Majesty allow the Eldest Princess to enter the Middle Sleep Domain alone?
He spoke in a low voice: “What is Your Highness here to retrieve? This place is fraught with peril. Allow your servant to escort you, just in case—”
“No need, I already have a protector.”
Ling Shuāngxue shook her head, then asked, “Where are you all heading?”
“The heart of Myriad Phenomena Heartland.”
Ping Feng replied.
“Oh? Then it’s right along my way. Let’s go together.”
Ling Shuāngxue nodded lightly, then started to walk ahead.
“Your Highness, please wait.”
Ping Feng hurriedly called out, “Please, Your Highness, let me walk behind you, so we may properly fulfill our duty as your escort.”
“I said it’s not necessary!”
Ling Shuāngxue’s brows immediately furrowed in impatience, her voice rising with clear annoyance, “You’re so naggy. I told you, I already have a protector! If you keep on, I’ll tell Father!”
Ping Feng: “…”
A heavy sigh came from beneath his helmet, and he said no more.
He silently retreated to his original vanguard position, his long spear held low, the tip still pointed warily ahead.
At the center of the formation, Lu Qiancha’s gaze sharpened slightly at the words “I already have a protector.”
Silently, Lu Qiancha spread her spiritual sense like mercury, soundlessly enveloping dozens of meters of the low wooded hills.
But apart from the rustle of wind in the leaves and the faint scurrying of insects beneath the earth, there was not the slightest ripple of spiritual energy from any living being.
This protector was hidden deep indeed.
Lu Qiancha quietly flicked a Recovery Pill into her mouth, pressing it to her palate as its medicinal power slowly dissolved.
She remained vigilant and kept pace with the group.
As the team was about to leave the low hills, with the terrain opening up ahead—
“Hiss—!!”
A sharp, chilling screech shattered the brief peace without warning.
A gigantic snake’s head, thick as a centuries-old tree and covered in gleaming dark green scales, burst through a dense thicket, bringing with it a fetid, nauseating gust.
It lunged straight at the completely unsuspecting Ling Shuāngxue at the head of the group.
Its fangs were vicious, venom dripping.
It was dangerously close, and moving incredibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, those fangs, gleaming with an eerie blue light, were about to sink into the pale nape of Ling Shuāngxue’s neck.
“Your Highness, look out!”
Ping Feng roared, his spear humming as it erupted with a burst of icy light sharp enough to tear through the air. His body shot forward like a cannonball, trying to intercept before the snake’s fangs struck.
Yet even faster than his spear was a thread of razor-thin white light, appearing out of nowhere—so swift not even a trace of sound could follow its path.
“Swish—”
The cold light flickered.
***
In the next instant!
The huge, snarling snake head slipped silently to the ground along a mirror-smooth cut, thudding heavily against the cold, bare rock at Ling Shuāngxue’s feet.
The headless snake body, still carrying its forward momentum, crashed into the nearby bushes with a tremendous boom, sending leaves and twigs flying.
Ping Feng’s charge was halted mid-motion. He forced down the shock raging in his heart.
If it had been him, he could never have acted so swiftly and cleanly.
Ping Feng turned his spiritual energy, the Heixuan Spear shooting back to his palm like a returning crow with a hum.
He took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice steady as he looked at Ling Shuāngxue, whose expression hadn’t changed at all.
“Just now, the one who protected Your Highness with that sword light—could that be the protector you mentioned?”
“It is.”
Ling Shuāngxue nodded slightly, her tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather, showing not the slightest surprise or gratitude for the slash that had destroyed the giant snake.
Ping Feng was silent for a moment, then bowed deeply toward the shadowy depths of the forest where the sword light had flashed.
When he straightened, he waved his hand. “Let’s move on!”
His voice returned to its cold, hard cadence.
The whole team, wound as tight as bowstrings, pressed on toward the heart of Myriad Phenomena Heartland with even greater vigilance.
The rocky forest trail opened up abruptly.
A huge valley, surrounded by steep ring-shaped cliffs, spread out before them. At the back of the valley rose a solitary peak, its body dark as iron, exuding a chilling, somber air.
But what caught everyone’s eyes first was the terrifying giant shadow lurking at the foot of the peak.
It was a Unicorn Rhinoceros Beetle, its body as large as a small house.