Edited by Aelryinth

Zhang Xiaohou glanced at the female officer named Ling Fei. He was surprised that the woman was familiar with the demon creatures of the Qinling Mountains.

"Indeed, the powerful creatures can easily hide themselves, while the lesser creatures are tricky to deal with. These Winged Patrol Beasts are extremely cunning. They are not strong on their own, but they won't attack intruders right away. They will keep sending out signals to the other beasts nearby with their cries, while staying in the area. Not only are they going to summon more Winged Patrol Beasts, they might attract the attention of other powerful creatures too!" Zhang Xiaohou confirmed.

"Other powerful creatures? Why would they do that? It won't do them any good!" Zhao Manyan protested.

"The Winged Patrol Beasts are lowly creatures. They will wait until the greater creatures are done feasting before eating the remains left behind. Therefore, we have never had to worry about burying corpses in the Qinling Mountains. These Winged Patrol Beasts will always clean them up," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Aren't they like vultures, then?" Apas asked.

"Except they are more disgusting," Zhang Xiaohou agreed.

A few piercing shrieks came from above while they were talking. It sounded like the Winged Patrol Beasts were right above them!

"Did they notice our presence? We should leave at once," Bai Hongfei said worriedly.

"Don't panic. The cries do not necessarily mean they have found us. These Winged Patrol Beasts like to make noise for no reason, just to intimidate timid intruders. We just need to stay on the path. We will be fine once the cries fade away," Zhang Xiaohou said.

Zhang Xiaohou had entered the Qinling Mountains many times. He could easily identify the meaning behind the cries of the Winged Patrol Beasts and determine if they were bluffing or if they had truly found intruders.

"They are just a bunch of weaklings, we shouldn't be worried about them. Our time is running short, let's hurry!" Li Dexin said impatiently.

"General, we are currently in the Qinling Mountains; we should be more respectful," the advising officer said.

"Respectful? If we bother wasting our time on the lesser creatures patrolling the canopy and the mountains, we are not being respectful, it's called making a big fuss over minor issues! We are going straight as fast as we can. If they dare to bother us, I'll handle them!" Li Dexin said.

"We all agreed beforehand that I'm in command!" Zhang Xiaohou was once again displeased by Li Dexin's arrogant behavior.

"Forget it, let him be. Besides, he did say that he will handle it," Mo Fan said.

Several more cries were heard. The group lifted their eyes and saw shadows beating their wings along the top of the mountainsides and the huge trees along the edge.

"They did find us this time," Zhang Xiaohou judged.

"Humph, they won't be a threat!" Li Dexin scoffed.

The group continued on their way. More shrieks came from above the walls on both sides. They would occasionally see one or two creatures with gray feathers flying from one side to the other. They took quick glimpses at the unwanted guests while they were flying past above them.

"Their numbers are increasing!" Ling Fei noticed.

"My ears are hurting," Zhao Manyan added right after Ling Fei's comment.

Unfortunately, Ling Fei did not even bother to look at Zhao Manyan. He had tried flirting with her cheekily, yet all he received in return was an icy expression that clearly indicated the woman's disinterest in talking to him.

"They are always like this, disturbing and annoying their prey; they might even make noise for the whole night around the spot where we camp, making it difficult for us to rest and recover our energy. The strange thing is, no matter how calm a person is, their cries will still influence them," Zhang Xiaohou informed everyone.

"The cries of these Winged Patrol Beasts are enchanted with magic. They aren't just normal cries," Apas spoke up.

Apas was most familiar with Psychic Magic. The ability to disturb and unsettle the minds of an enemy with sound might not be effective with just one or two creatures, but when the cries stacked up as their numbers increased, it would severely impact their targets!

"You know quite a lot, little girl," the advising officer noticed.

"I've learned them from big brother. He knows a lot. He always sits on my bed and shares his knowledge with me before I sleep," Apas smiled like an innocent vixen, purposely leaning closer to Mo Fan.

On the bed...

Before sleep...

The soldiers of the Violent Imperial Battalion immediately fixed their eyes on Mo Fan, including the advising officer.

Mo Fan immediately saw the word 'jerk' in the look in their eyes. How could such an adorable little girl fall into the hands of a perverted man like him!?

Mo Fan was utterly speechless at Apas' behavior. Once again, she had successfully used her charm to seduce the men into directing their anger at him!

For some reason, Apas enjoyed watching Mo Fan being isolated and picked on while she pretended to be a harmless sacred little angel, as if she could finally be free once the great demon was annihilated.

"Should we keep going? The place ahead is a spacious valley. I believe the Winged Patrol Beasts will reach a certain number there. Powerful creatures are going to show up there," Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Of course we aren't stopping! I told you, I'll handle the demon creatures!" Li Dexin declared.

"I wasn't asking you!" Zhang Xiaohou snapped. He was seriously unfond of Li Dexin.

"Let's go. The Winged Patrol Beasts are tailing us, it's meaningless to hide any further," Mo Fan said.

Li Dexin immediately glanced at Mo Fan. He noticed that Major General Zhang Xiaohou kept asking Mo Fan for suggestions along the way. It was very likely that Mo Fan was the leader among them!

A man with only a wolf as his Summoned Beast was acting like the boss in the group. How naive!

The cries suddenly became noisier and more piercing. The group felt like their heads were about to explode. The Winged Patrol Beasts were extremely annoying. They had the urge to jump into the sky and eliminate them all, just so their ears could enjoy some peace.

"Humph, a bunch of lowly creatures dare to act so impudently in front of me? Great Lesser Earth Dragon, time to teach them a lesson," Li Dexin snorted disdainfully.

The Great Lesser Earth Dragon was covered in golden-brown scales. Despite its name, it actually resembled a ferocious machine dragon made of metal!

The Great Lesser Earth Dragon had no wings, but its height was still shocking when it stood up on two legs.

It lifted its head and let out a blasting roar. The dragon's cry swept across the space above the walls like a cannon shot, creating the equivalent of a huge shockwave after a great explosion. The Winged Patrol Beasts circling in the air scattered like a frightened school of fish. Scattered feathers fell from the sky as they fled into the woods further away.

The hundreds of Winged Patrol Beasts that had gathered fled in an instant after the roar. The stronger creatures hiding among the trees were left in awe. They did not dare to make any move for the time being.

"The aura of a Lesser Dragon is indeed pretty fierce!" Zhao Manyan exclaimed.

The dragon's roar alone had driven the lesser creatures away. It did smooth out the journey significantly, as they would have otherwise wasted a lot of time on these Winged Patrol Beasts, who would cry continuously if they did not find a way to kill them all.

"I told you, we shouldn't waste our time on them!" Li Dexin smiled when he heard the others' compliments.

"It's not that simple," Zhang Xiaohou scoffed.

"Those lesser creatures do not stand a chance against our absolute strength. The method you normally use to enter the Qinling Mountains is too gentle!" Li Dexin retorted.

Li Dexin did not think much of Zhang Xiaohou's experience in the Qinling Mountains. Experience did not matter if a person was strong enough. Would a lion be hesitant to enter a forest just because a bunch of ants was blocking its way?

---

Everyone was in a better mood after their ears were able to enjoy a moment of peace. Having a Lesser Dragon with them did save them a lot of trouble. The low-level creatures sensibly cleared a path for them after sensing the Lesser Dragon's intimidating aura.

They had been journeying for the whole day without realizing it. The temperature on the Qinling Mountains dropped significantly as the night fell, and the strong wind was chilly.

The howls of the wind sounded like people crying sinisterly. The group initially decided to set up their tents under the cliffs, but the wind kept growing stronger. Its howls were soon covering the mountains.

"The wind sounds so eerie," Zhao Manyan said.

"How unlucky are we, to encounter the Wind of Sorrow on our first night?" Zhang Xiaohou smiled wryly.

"Didn't the Wind of Sorrow just occur recently?" Mo Fan asked quickly.

"The Wind of Sorrow isn't seasonal. It doesn't occur on a regular pattern. I initially thought it would be gone for quite a while, since its previous occurrence has lasted for more than a week, yet it has returned in such a short time..." Zhang Xiaohou murmured.

Li Dexin walked to the edge and purposely stuck his hand outside the edge to feel the wind.

"It doesn't seem that scary," Li Dexin declared.

"This is only the beginning. We can't set up camp here, we have to find a Curtain Tree. Otherwise, we'll use up half of our energy before daylight!" Zhang Xiaohou stated.