"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Numerous bursts of powerful energy swept over. Lan Ling's face darkened as several sword shadows streaked out to block them, unleashing a barrage of attacks that filled the air. The collision of forces created a series of explosive sounds, sweeping across the area and lighting up the sky like fireworks.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Just then, the ground began to collapse. The members of the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group fell first, with their three leaders and strongest members having already ascended.

"Quick, get to the canyon's stone walls!" Both Li Lin and Lan Ling weren't faring much better, their bodies rapidly falling with no place to hide or land.

"Go." In a moment of panic, Li Lin gripped his green longsword, channeling his qi explosively and using the momentum to thrust the sword into a crack in the canyon wall. Holding onto the sword, he hung in the canyon, setting up a protective qi circle around himself, deflecting falling debris.

Hearing Li Lin's command, Lan Ling did the same, forcefully inserting her blue longsword into a crack in the stone wall, temporarily stabilizing herself.

"Help me..."

Several screams echoed amid the roaring sound of falling rocks, as about ten members of the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group plummeted into the canyon, their fate unknown.

"Bang, bang..."

On the vine-covered tree, about a dozen people climbed up. The entire mountain was cracking and collapsing, and the vines, wrapped around a huge boulder on the mountain's summit, could no longer bear the weight of so many people and snapped, crashing down.

The people at the top of the vines turned pale with horror. In a panic, a few managed to jump up, but six or seven were caught off guard and fell from mid-air, hit by several large rocks, tumbling down into the canyon – likely to their deaths.

"Give me your hand, we'll leverage our momentum to climb up, quickly," Li Lin said to Lan Ling. The surrounding rocks continued to fall, but being close to the canyon wall meant fewer rocks were falling their way.

Lan Ling understood, grabbed Li Lin's hand, and pulled out her blue longsword.

With qi circulating, Li Lin pulled Lan Ling up with him. Lan Ling then reached the upper wall, inserting her longsword into a crack and stabilizing herself. Both held swords in their right hands and each other's hands with their left.

Then Lan Ling infused qi into her left hand and pulled hard, helping Li Lin climb up as well. He also inserted his green longsword into a crack in the wall above.

"Quick, let's climb up," Li Lin said, and the two of them continued to ascend step by step.

At the mountain's summit, the entire mountain trembled like an earthquake. The crumbling canyon affected the whole mountain, stirring up dust and echoing with thunderous sounds that were deafening.

"Brother, those two are probably dead," someone said, watching as rocks continued to fall into the canyon. The Savage Wolf Mercenary Group had initially numbered around fifty, but many died in a cave explosion, and nearly twenty more had just perished, leaving only about twenty, all of whom were among the strongest.

"Damn it, I want to see them dead or alive. Even if they're dead, the treasure will be in their spatial bags. We must get that treasure," a huge man said coldly. He had barely climbed up himself and was still shaken. The death of thirty men didn't concern him; getting the treasure meant fewer people to share it with.

"That's right, the treasure must be in their spatial bags. Even if they are dead, the bags remain. It's just a pity we can't have our way with that bitch," a skinny man added coldly.

"They must be above us, it will be troublesome to go up," Lan Ling said to Li Lin at the edge of the canyon. They had finally reached the mouth of the canyon, but they both knew that the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group might be waiting for them above.

"I remember there's a dense forest on the right. If we enter, we'll have a better chance of escaping," Li Lin said.

"Then let's head right. When the time comes, I'll have the Fire Eagle block the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group. They won't be able to stop us," Lan Ling said.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

"Retreat," the giant man ordered, as the entire edge of the canyon began to collapse and the ground on the mountain's summit started to crack open, threatening to fall at any moment.

"Shh, shh..."

Just then, two figures instantly leaped onto the mountain top and began to flee quickly. It was Li Lin and Lan Ling. As soon as

they reached the top, they didn't dare to stop and immediately fled according to their plan, heading to the right.

"It's them, chase them!" the giant man, the leader, ordered coldly, quickly pursuing them.

"Quick," Li Lin and Lan Ling fled at their fastest speed, with Lan Ling clearly faster. In terms of strength, Li Lin was still significantly weaker.

Behind them, the giant man leader came swiftly, his mighty speed causing a strong wind pressure that vibrated the air. Despite his somewhat bulky body, his speed was surprisingly fast.

The ax-wielding man followed closely behind, his speed also very fast. The skinny man and others followed, with the giant man getting closer and closer to Li Lin.

"Boy, you can't escape. Hand over the treasure, and I'll spare your life," the giant man shouted, his hand emitting a blazing palm print with a sharp whistling sound, sweeping toward Li Lin.

Li Lin felt the violent wind pressure coming from behind and quickly sidestepped. The palm print, carrying fierce qi, flew past his ear and hit a large tree in front, blasting a huge hole in it and scattering branches and leaves.

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"I'm not a bone, why are you chasing me?" Li Lin shouted back, his qi already at its limit, but still not fast enough to escape the pursuer.

The giant man then realized Li Lin's words were an indirect insult, calling him a dog. He furiously shouted, "Boy, let's see where you can run to. When I catch you, I'll chop you to pieces."

"You just wait, one day, I'll make you run like this too," Li Lin spat, continuing to run desperately, lacking the strength to confront his pursuer.

"Boy, stop right there."

The giant man laughed coldly, his distance getting closer and closer. A fist print infused with blazing energy condensed and swung out, the qi bursting forth and again targeting Li Lin.

"Gaga..."

In the sky, a familiar eagle cry sounded. A red beast flapped its wings, its mouth spitting a fireball at the giant man. It was Lan Ling's Fire Hawk.

Ahead, Lan Ling's face was pale as ash. She summoned the Fire Hawk, each summon taking a tremendous toll on her.

"Bang..."

The Fire Hawk's fireball collided with the giant man's fist print. A powerful explosive sound filled the air, and the violent energy swept through, halting the giant man, who had no choice but to pay attention to the Fire Hawk's obstruction.

"Let's go," Lan Ling said palely, sprinkling a powder into the air.

"Whoosh, whoosh..."

Li Lin didn't hesitate and fled quickly, gratefully glancing at Lan Ling, puzzled why she would save him.

During this brief delay, Li Lin and Lan Ling had run far. The giant man, furious, pursued them, but was blocked by the Fire Hawk. Man and beast engaged in fierce combat, the air filled with explosive sounds and scattering flames, the giant man unable to overcome the Fire Hawk.

"Second and third, you go after them. We must get the treasure," the giant man ordered the two subordinates who had caught up, while he continued to battle the Fire Hawk, qi and demonic energy swirling fiercely around them.

"Yes," the ax-wielding man and the skinny man immediately gave chase. The Fire Hawk, entangled with the giant man, couldn't stop the others.

"Quick, into the dense forest."

Li Lin and Lan Ling finally reached the dense forest at the foot of the mountain and quickly leaped into it. Inside, the dense trees and shrubs provided a significant advantage for the two.

"Chase." A moment later, the ax-wielding man reached the edge of the forest, and the others, without hesitation, also entered. But pursuing someone in a dense forest is much more difficult.

Li Lin and Lan Ling ran swiftly without stopping, heading straight into the thick underbrush, significantly reducing their chances of being found.

As they ran, Lan Ling didn't forget to sprinkle the dung powder of high-level beasts along the way, knowing that the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group had scent-tracking mice, to prevent being located by them.

After about a quarter of an hour, the sounds of the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group gradually faded behind them. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not stop and continued to run forward.

Perhaps because of summoning the Fire Hawk, Lan Ling's face grew increasingly pale, and her aura weakened.

"Are you okay? Do you need to rest?" Li Lin asked.

"Let's get to a safe place first. We can't be found by the Savage Wolf Mercenary Group," Lan Ling said, now virtually powerless to fight back. If they encountered the mercenaries, the consequences would be dire.

Half an hour later, the two had left the dense forest. Surveying their surroundings, they found themselves amidst a series of connected mountains, with a vast, continuous deep valley ahead.

"Let's go into the deep valley," Lan Ling suggested, and they both entered.

This valley, with its continuous mountain range, seemed endless at first glance. Several towering cloud peaks stood above the valley, their midsections shrouded in mist, but the mountainsides were lush with greenery.

The valley was also thick with trees, providing dense shade. Occasionally, the sound of flowing water could be heard. Li Lin didn't have time to take a closer look, as he and Lan Ling quickly made their way deeper into the valley.

"We should be safe for now," Lan Ling said half an hour later, under a steep peak, her face growing paler.

"Then let's rest here for a while," Li Lin suggested, observing their surroundings. They were now deep within the mountain range of the valley, surrounded by towering green mountains, with the dense foliage obscuring the sky above, leaving little else visible.

"That sounds good, let's rest and recuperate here," Lan Ling, seemingly exhausted, scattered some powdery substance around and said, "We must recover quickly, or we'll be in trouble."

Li Lin sat cross-legged on the ground. Having fled all this way, his Qi was nearly depleted, so he began to meditate and recuperate. This was the second time he had been chased by the Berserk Wolf Mercenary Group like a fleeing dog.

Lan Ling also sat cross-legged, swallowing a medicinal pill. Her Qi fluctuated as she began her own recuperation.

"Eh, what's wrong with Xiaolong?" Li Lin suddenly felt the little dragon on his arm becoming restless and uneasy. After calming it down, he managed to regain some peace.

As he meditated, Li Lin felt his Qi slowly recovering. However, after a while, his expression changed drastically. Something was wrong inside his body; his Qi solidified, and his meridians were obstructed.

He also felt dizzy and weak, his entire body flushed red. He then collapsed to the ground, realizing with a sense of dread that he had been tricked.

At that moment, Lan Ling, who had been meditating, opened her eyes, revealing a helpless smile. Her complexion had improved, though she still looked exhausted compared to before.

Li Lin wanted to say something but found himself completely immobilized, unable even to open his mouth. Looking at Lan Ling, he bitterly regretted not being more ruthless and cunning. He had had many chances to act against this woman, but now he had fallen into her trap. He recalled a saying from his past life about not trusting women, especially beautiful ones.

"You must be wondering why I need the sixth jade slip," Lan Ling said calmly.

Li Lin's eyes moved within their sockets, indicating his curiosity. He indeed wanted to know what was special about this sixth jade slip and why Lan Ling seemed familiar with it.

Meanwhile, he considered whether to let the little dragon in his sleeve unexpectedly attack her, but he hesitated, knowing the risks if he failed, especially since she was from the Beast Sect and might have a way to counter the dragon.

Lan Ling continued, "Remember when I told you about the White Wolf Mercenary Group? They were wiped out overnight, rumored to be the work of the Three Sects and Four Gates. After I became a direct disciple of the Beast Sect, I accidentally learned that the White Wolf Mercenary Group had ambushed and killed a direct disciple of our sect, who was the successor to our next Sect Leader. They also stole our sect's secret Beast Soul Technique and Soul Spirit Elixir.

This Beast Soul Technique is useless to outsiders. Only members of our sect can cultivate it, and even then, only the Sect Leader's successor and the inner elders can practice it. It's a powerful treasure of our sect.

The Soul Spirit Elixir is also divine, greatly enhancing one's soul power and benefiting future cultivation. Even direct disciples can't easily obtain it. Because of the loss of these treasures and the murder of the disciple, our sect was enraged, and the White Wolf Mercenary Group was annihilated overnight by one of our elders.

The Berserk Wolf Mercenary Group seemed to have anticipated our sect's retaliation and hid all the treasures. Our elders couldn't find their whereabouts. The treasure of the Berserk Wolf Mercenary Group is rumored to be hidden in these Misty Mountain Ranges. I came here partly for training and partly in the hope of finding the treasure, and I actually did."

Hearing this, Li Lin realized that he had been part of Lan Ling's plan all along. The story about Zhao Qing and her supposed fiancé was a fabrication to lure him into killing Zhao Qing, probably because she knew he might have the White Wolf Mercenary Group's treasure map.

"The fifth box contains our Beast Sect's Beast Soul Technique. The sixth box, which you obtained, contains our Soul Spirit Elixir. With these treasures, if I cultivate the Beast Soul Technique, which I came across by chance, I will have a place in the sect. I will have a chance to rise within the Beast Sect, so I had to get them. Sorry," Lan Ling said softly, lifting a blue sword, its blade shimmering coldly.

Li Lin closed his eyes in resignation, feeling dizzy. Just as he was about to signal the little dragon to attack, he lost consciousness. The poison had fully spread through his body.

Lan Ling raised her blue sword, aiming it at Li Lin's chest. Just as the blade was about to pierce his clothes, she withdrew the sword, her eyes showing a complex mix of emotions.

Again she raised the sword, but she couldn't bring herself to strike, her eyes filled with complexity.