As the group emerged from the mountain shrouded in thick fog, they noticed a faint light in the sky outside. Only then did they realize they had been running continuously all night. Exhausted, they all collapsed to the ground.

“The outside world is much better. I never want to set foot in Qiluan Mountain again,” Yan Wu breathed deeply, feeling a weight lifted off his chest upon leaving the suffocating fog.

Others shared his sentiment, their moods lifting upon leaving Qiluan Mountain.

At this moment, Han Wei, who had been leading everyone, suddenly asked, “Why am I here? When did we come out? What just happened?”

Everyone was alarmed by Han Wei’s question. Sitting up, one said, “Are you joking with us, brother? You led us out.”

“I brought you out? I only remember seeing the Wolf King. I can’t recall anything after that.” Han Wei scratched his head in confusion, unable to recollect the events.

Yan Wu looked at him in disbelief. “You just slew several gray wolves with one stroke. You can’t have no memory of it.”

“Me?” Han Wei was even more bewildered now. While it would not be an exaggeration to say he killed a wolf with one blow, but to kill several wolves with a single stroke, it was not something Yan Wu would joke about.

Hu Xin saw that Han Wei didn’t seem to be pretending and quickly asked, “Do you remember telling us that Li Tianyan and his wife ran in the opposite direction?”

“Li Tianyan? Didn’t they come out with us?” Han Wei glanced around and noticed that everyone in his team was present except for the young couple. Even Chen Fei, who had fainted, was carried out.

Hu Xin frowned slightly at his reaction. As she was about to stand up, she found something falling out of her clothes. She reached out to pick it up, and her pupils suddenly shrank. “Hanye Spiritual Grass.”

At her exclamation, the others turned their heads and saw Hu Xin holding an herb with yellow broken flowers in her hand. It was the Hanye Spiritual Grass they looked for.

“It’s truly magical. We must have encountered something evil,” Yan Wu said firmly, slapping his thigh.

“Why didn’t I know that battling evil was a good thing before?” someone nearby said dumbfoundedly. They had always heard that warriors entering Qiluan Mountain would surely perish. Could it be that they survived by combating evil?

Hu Xin gazed at Han Wei in a daze and asked, “Brother Han, do you think it could be Li Tianyan?”

Han Wei nodded. “It’s likely. A few of us nearly lost our minds earlier. We were probably awakened by the flute’s sounds. Their backgrounds are definitely not ordinary.”

“What’s next? What are your plans?” Having obtained the Hanye Spiritual Grass, Hu Xin had accomplished her mission for this trip, but she was concerned that Han Wei might not be ready to give up yet.

“It’s a relief to have made it out alive. The dangers in the mountains are beyond our capability to handle,” Han Wei said with a wry smile.

He realized things were far more complicated than he had initially thought. Without the help of those two teenagers, their group might have turned on each other like those warriors upon entering the mountain. Yet, he had a hunch that those young couple might hold the key to unraveling Qiluan Mountain’s disaster.

“What about Chen Fei?” the strong man who had carried Chen Fei asked.

“Take him back for now and wait until he wakes up,” Han Wei shook his head.

Chen Fei wasn’t his team; he had only joined temporarily upon hearing of their mountain expedition. Unfortunately, Chen Fei’s ambition had caused complications. Not only had he failed to assist, but he had also slowed them down.

No one dared linger on the mountain. After a brief rest to regain their strength, they hurriedly walked away.

.

After hearing that the ferocious beast intended to break through the magic treasure trapping it, Li Tianyan didn’t dare to delay. After instructing Tan Eyu to fend off the warriors, he and Cheng Qi swiftly departed from the wolf pack and headed up the Qiluan Mountain.

“Young master, did you find something?” Cheng Qi laid on Li Tianyan’s back, stretching his head forward in curiosity.

When Li Tianyan saw the scorched patch of earth from the lightning strike earlier, his reaction hinted at a revelation.

Li Tianyan nodded. “The area we just passed should have been struck by lightning caused by mature spiritual grass. However, in the secular world, the spiritual energy is weak, making it impossible for high-level spiritual grass to grow. Thus, it must have been nurtured by the energy of the dragon’s veins— Dragon Transformation Grass.”

“What is the Dragon Transformation Grass used for?” Cheng Qi blinked upon hearing the term. Li Tianyan had mentioned that anything related to dragons was likely a treasure, so the Dragon Transformation Grass must be valuable too.

“It’s an herb more potent than the shape-shifting grass. It’s not an exaggeration to call it heaven-defying. Even a beast with spiritual intelligence can transform into a human form and cultivate upon consuming it. With luck, it can even elevate one’s bloodline level.” Li Tianyan explained. “This could also explain why there are two lightning strike areas on the mountain.”

“So, the beast consumed the Dragon Transformation Grass, and when it transformed into a human form, it attracted lightning. Unfortunately, this time the lightning struck Zhenxian Tower, which sealed the beast, resulting in the disaster of Qiluan Mountain, right?” Cheng Qi asked, tilting his head.

“Yes, but there’s more to it,” Li Tianyan said with a slight smile. Cheng Qi’s conjecture was already close to the truth.

“I suspect the strike on Zhenxian Tower wasn’t accidental but deliberate. To transform, one must endure the tribulation of thunder. Beasts in the secular world can’t withstand lightning, so it used Zhenxian Tower’s protection from thunder, leading to this catastrophe.”