Edited by Aelryinth

Zhang Xiaohou was asking Mo Fan to stand his ground, but the winged beasts were the ones making the decision, not them. If the winged beasts refrained from attacking, nothing was going to happen.

The Mountain Crusher Ruler let out a loud cry, but this time, it was looking into the sky instead of directing it at Mo Fan and his crew.

The cry traveled a long distance. A while later, a deep thunderous rumble responded from above the clouds. The Mountain Crusher Ruler's gaze sharpened afterwards.

Meanwhile, the eyes of the winged beasts nearby began to emit a cold light. Mo Fan and the others immediately felt a great pressure from the winged beasts. Their gazes alone could easily shatter one's mind!

"Zhang Xiaohou, what are they doing now?" Zhao Manyan asked in a cold sweat.

"Isn't it obvious? They are going to tear us outsiders into pieces!" Mo Fan grunted.

The winged beasts were displaying great hostility. The humans' outstanding cultivation was unimportant when faced with the overwhelming numbers of the winged beasts. However, Little Moon Moth Phoenix beat her wings and flew toward the Mountain Crusher Ruler while everyone else was clueless about what to do!

The Mountain Crusher Ruler stared at Little Moon Moth Phoenix coldly. The rest of the Winged Patrol Beasts scattered after sensing Little Moon Moth Phoenix's formidable aura, not daring to get any closer.

Little Moon Moth Phoenix was confronting the Mountain Crusher Ruler. They seemed to be communicating with one another. The Mountain Crusher Ruler would occasionally lift its head and cry at the clouds.

Little Moon Moth Phoenix was not to be outdone, either. Her voice might be soft, but it still managed to reach the top of the clouds!

The deep thunderous rumbling descended from the clouds once again, delivering instructions to the winged beasts.

The unfriendly winged beasts suddenly stopped approaching the humans. The murderous looks in their eyes vanished, too.

Little Moon Moth Phoenix soon returned to the group. Mo Fan could only look confused. He had no idea what the Little Moon Moth Phoenix had done to nullify the winged beasts' hostility.

"Little Moon Moth Phoenix said we are here to participate in the ceremony with her. The fight with the Winged Patrol Beasts is only a personal conflict with the Mountain Crusher Ruler. It has nothing to do with the rest of the winged beasts," Yu Shishi explained.

"Oh, right, we are here for the ceremony. I have wings, too!" Zhao Manyan immediately Summoned out his fancy wings.

The truth was, his Magical Wings were considered high-quality when he first bought them, but the golden wings were nothing worth mentioning now, since any of the Commander-level winged beasts could easily outmatch him.

"What now!? We didn't agree to bet our lives on it!" Zhao Manyan yelled.

'We did kill many of the Winged Patrol Beasts. The Mountain Crusher Ruler won't let us go easily, so unless we can help Little Moon Moth Phoenix secure a higher status among the winged beasts..." Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Are you out of your mind? Why did you kill the Winged Patrol Beasts? Don't you know you should stay as far away from them as possible!?" Jiang Shaoxu swore at Mo Fan.

"The person who was so keen to save you is the one who was out of his mind." Mo Fan glanced at Li Dexin.

Li Dexin did not dare to speak, standing at the side with a grim face. He did not expect the Winged Patrol Beasts to be led by such a powerful Ruler-level creature!

"Damn it, we are supposed to be looking for the Tree of Vows! Why are we wasting our time fooling around with these winged beasts in a competition? There are at least ten thousand of them. Are you telling me we are all going to die if Little Moon Moth Phoenix loses?" Zhao Manyan said.

"Little Moon Moth Phoenix doesn't have to win the competition. She only needs to beat the Mountain Crusher Ruler to guarantee our safety. Besides, the Tree of Vows must be higher than we imagined. Isn't it in our favor if Little Moon Moth Phoenix can bring us up there!?" Yu Shishi said.

"Mm, the Little Moon Moth Phoenix isn't weak! I doubt she will lose to the Mountain Crusher Ruler!" Bai Hongfei said.

"It's hard to say for now. At least from what I can tell, that creature is still stronger than little Moon Moth Phoenix. Didn't you see its steel feathers? It's a sign that they have been refined by the Wind of Sorrow for many years. It clearly has adapted better to the environment than Little Moon Moth Phoenix. If it's a showdown between them, I don't think the Little Moon Moth Phoenix is going to stand a chance against the Mountain Crusher Ruler." Apas poured a bucket of cold water on everyone's head.

Apas was merely stating the facts. The Little Moon Moth Phoenix was still too young compared to the old Mountain Crusher Ruler.

Gusts of strong wind suddenly blew from all directions while the group was feeling troubled. The wind gathered at Mount Baiba and began to form a rising airflow, soaring into the clouds!

"It's the Wind of Sorrow, the ceremony is about to begin!" Jiang Shaoxu exclaimed in joy.

Different cries echoed across the sky. The winged beasts spread their wings as their feathers rose, like they had just received an order. Even the feathers on their crowns were following the direction of the airflow.

The winged beasts in the sky beat their wings and rode the rising wind to fly into the sky. Their colorful feathers formed a spectacular sight as the gales they produced from beating their wings clashed!

The Mountain Crusher Ruler had missed its chance to ride the initial rising wind due to the interlude involving the humans. It had no intention of wasting its time on humans when it saw the rest of the winged beasts soaring into the sky. It quickly beat its wings and gathered the Wind of Sorrow to launch itself around five hundred meters into the sky.

The Winged Patrol Beasts did not leave, either. They rode the wind that the Mountain Crusher Ruler had produced and followed behind their leader like a black cloud.

"It doesn't seem to care about us. Should we run away now?" Zhao Manyan blurted out in surprise.

"That's not a smart choice. The Qinling Mountains are huge. We can't make it out in a day or two. Once the ceremony ends, the Mountain Crusher Ruler can still hunt us down, especially since the Winged Patrol Beasts are everywhere in these mountains. We are really going to become the winged beasts' public enemy if we run away now," Zhang Xiaohou said.