Edited by Aelryinth

Zhang Xiaohou was on his way to becoming an expert of the Qinling Mountains. He had spent half his career fighting demon creatures in Qinling Mountains after he joined the army.

When he heard Mo Fan was coming to Qinling Mountains to look for a Totem Beast, he gladly volunteered to be their guide!

"This town is built to keep an eye on the Qinling Mountains. To be honest, you all have done me a huge favor. I have always wanted to investigate the deeper regions of the Qinling Mountains, but I'm currently short on men. I wouldn't dare to go too deep into the mountains, knowing that my men aren't strong enough," Zhang Xiaohou told them.

"Are you in charge of the town?" Mo Fan asked.

"Mm, my rank is the highest in this military outpost! I'm responsible for commanding the soldiers and preventing potential disasters. This mountain path is very close to the Qinling Mountains, and due to the complicated terrain, it's easy for powerful creatures to conceal their presence. If we failed to guard this place, it would severely endanger the Ancient Capital to the north, and several important cities to the west. If the demon creatures headed south, they might join hands with the White Magic Falcons at West Ridge to invade Jiangsu Province!" Zhang Xiaohou said grimly.

Zhang Xiaohou had been fighting the creatures of Qinling Mountains before the incident in Beijiang. The military had placed him fully in charge of this area of the Central Plains, so he was now carrying huge responsibilities!

"The demon creatures of Qinling Mountains are from Kunlun. The powerful creatures in Kunlun mostly stay deep in the mountains and forests. They rarely pose a threat to our cities, but the Qinling Mountains are different. They happen to be located between a few important cities and serve as the boundary between the northern and southern parts of our country. In the past, the north of Qinling Mountains was ruled by the undead, but ever since the undead were brought under control, the demon creatures of Qinling Mountains have been troubling us..." Bai Hongfei said.

Bai Hongfei had spent some time to the west of the Qinling Mountains, so he was familiar with the situation there.

"Let's head into the mountains then!" Mo Fan answered.

Mo Fan could not wait to achieve the Super Level. He did not want to waste any time!

"We can't go into the mountains right now," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Why is that?" Mo Fan asked, confused. Did they seriously need to choose a lucky day before entering Qinling Mountains? Were the mountains that dangerous?

"Is the wind seriously so deadly? The Qinling Mountains are indeed as scary as the people have always said!" Zhao Manyan muttered.

"The wind is currently at its strongest phase. We should wait for a while before entering the mountains. Otherwise, we won't be able to go in too far," Zhang Xiaohou explained.

"Have you figured out its pattern?" Lingling asked him narrowly.

Lingling had done some homework before coming here. She knew that the Wind of Sorrow was a deadly seasonal wind. No one knew the cause for it, but humans would have difficulty staying in the wind very long!

"I do not. I've been here for a long time, yet I still can't figure out when the Wind of Sorrow will occur. It always happens at random times," Zhang Xiaohou admitted.

Going into the Qinling Mountains was a challenging task. Zhang Xiaohou had been to the mountains many times over the years. Many Battlemages that had joined the army at the same time as him had stayed forever in the Qinling Mountains. He was quite lucky compared to them!

"The Qinling Mountains are indeed worthy to be called the Demon Mountains! It's difficult to interpret their temper. Many Hunters preferred to settle down near somewhere, because it's a lot safer for them to do their jobs when they can slowly familiarize themselves with the environments, regular patterns, and seasons of the place. It will give them a lot of advantages! But the Qinling Mountains are different. I've never heard of anyone that says they enjoyed searching for treasure in Qinling Mountains. I bet only the military can keep an eye on things here," Bai Hongfei chimed in.

"Is it really that dangerous?" Zhao Manyan had to ask.

"The Wind of Sorrow has been blowing for the past few days. We will have to hide under the trees if we enter the mountains now. You might as well get some rest in the town and wait until the wind calms down," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"If the Wind of Sorrow doesn't have any pattern, wouldn't that mean we might be caught in it in any second once we are in there? We might survive if it only lasts for a brief period, but what if it doesn't stop? Wouldn't we end up in a pile of bones? Are we really considering going into the mountains?" Zhao Manyan blurted out.

"There must be some way to deal with it." Mo Fan looked at Zhang Xiaohou.

"Yes, there is a way, but there's no reason to trouble ourselves, knowing the danger is right in front of us. Staying here for a few days won't hurt. Brother Fan, I can bring you around too," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Alright, we'll wait for a few days."

------

The town was oddly quiet at night.

Mo Fan was walking along the street alone. He noticed that there was not a single place open for him to get some supper.

The lights in the town were switched off before the clock struck nine. The whole town was dark, apart from the patrols and the sentry towers.

The Qinling Mountains were right in front of Mo Fan. The mountains here looked different from the mountains in the south. The mountains in the south were stacked up like cones, so it was easy to identify the different mountains looking down from a great height.

Qinling Mountains were connected, instead. An obvious line forming the tops of the mountains stretched across his vision and blocked his view. He had to lift his head just to see the night sky.

It felt like the little town was leaning against a heavenly wall...

The wind kept blowing, its howls coming from high up in the sky. Mo Fan could easily tell how unusual the wind was, even though he was not inside it.

Mo Fan remembered the wind at Kunlun was fierce and terrifying, too. He was surprised to hear that the Qinling Mountains also had a special wind. It had greatly increased the difficulty of their expedition!

---

---

Three days later, the howling Wind of Sorrow finally calmed down.

The group was packing their stuff before entering the mountains when a bunch of Mages in military outfits suddenly arrived at the town. Their ranks were quite high, judging from the badges on their shoulders.

The soldiers were led by a special commander. The color of his uniform was slightly different from the uniform Zhang Xiaohou and the others were wearing. He was riding a golden brown Earth Element dragon. Its muscular build was a clear indication of its outstanding strength. Its imposing bearing immediately grabbed everyone's attention when it set foot in the town.

"A Great Lesser Earth Dragon?" Zhao Manyan blurted out in surprise when he recognized the beast.

"Are you sure it's a Lesser Dragon?" Mo Fan stared at the mount. He had to admit that the creature did have an imposing and imperious aura. Even the Flying Creek Snow Wolf was a few levels weaker than it!

Dragons had long lifespans, but their reproductive ability was extremely weak, especially the true dragons with noble lineages. The number of true dragons in the world had a tendency to remain the same. It neither increased nor decreased.

As a matter of fact, dragons were quite lusty. When they could not find their own kind to fulfill their desires, they would look for species similar to them. The most common species that the dragons ended up mating with were lizards.

As a result, there were many dragons with mixed lineages in this world. If one was strictly referring to their lineages, those with only a slight relation to dragons were normally referred to as crossbreed dragons.

They were many kinds of crossbreed dragons. Their strength ranged from the Warrior-level to the Commander-level, and they usually had very sturdy flesh.

The dragons with purer lineages were called pseudo-dragons. They were a lot stronger. The weakest among them was at least a Commander-level creature, and the strong ones could even reach the Ruler-level. The pseudo-dragons had insane vitality and strength, as their blood had truly inherited the power of the dragons!

The level above the pseudo-dragons was very close to the real dragons. They were called the Lesser Dragons!

The Lesser Dragons were very strong, ranked at the top among demon creatures. The number of Lesser Dragons was slightly higher than the true dragons. Almost every adult Lesser Dragon would be a Ruler-level creature. Not only did they possess a dragon's scales and draconic might, they could even unleash dragon breath that was very close to the level of a True Dragon!

In Europe, having a Lesser Dragon as a Contracted Beast was considered an utmost glory!

They could not help but wonder who the Mage riding the Great Lesser Earth Dragon was. The Lesser Dragon had not grown into an adult, yet it was already unleashing the imposing aura of a king of beasts!

As a matter of fact, if Mo Fan had the chance, he would rather quickly trade Apas for a Lesser Dragon. He could not stop imagining how cool he would look when he showed up on certain occasions atop a Lesser Dragon!

The master of the Lesser Dragon looked down and asked the soldiers at the entrance, "Who's the chief commander here?"

The soldiers were left in awe by the beast's imposing aura, losing their bearing as soldiers. They subconsciously looked to Zhang Xiaohou.

"I am!" Zhang Xiaohou stepped forward. He looked at the man and noticed he was not saluting.

Regardless of a soldier's rank, saluting was a must in the military. The guy had come to the town under his jurisdiction without notifying him beforehand. He was expected to salute and explain his purpose of coming first!

"We are going to the Qinling Mountains to save an important person. You will take charge and gather your elites to come with us. I'm giving you half an hour to make the preparations!" the man on the Lesser Dragon uttered, as if he was giving an order.

"Do you have the official documents for the order?" Zhang Xiaohou asked him.

"My words are enough!" the master of the Lesser Dragon replied haughtily.

Zhang Xiaohou frowned. He could see the badge on the man's shoulder; it showed the man's rank was only the same as his own.

If the man's rank was higher, it was acceptable for him to give orders. However, if he was only the same rank, what right did he have to act so full of himself?

"If you don't have official documents, I won't be taking orders from you," Zhang Xiaohou replied.