He pulled out a map from his bosom, squatted down and spread the map on the ground, saying: "I don't have any good ideas either, but this time we must go through the Tianyuan tribe to get to the Death Mountain Range. In the territory of the Tianyuan tribe, the four major tribes are mainly gathered. You should know that they are the Winged People Tribe, the Dwarf Tribe, the Elf Tribe and the Beastman Tribe. Among them, the Elf Tribe and the Winged People Tribe are both fond of peace and nature, our Puban Tribe has always been on good terms with the Elves and Winged People, so passing through their territory is not a problem. The Dwarves are hot-tempered, but they are also kind-hearted and generous, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue either. The most difficult to deal with is the Beastman Tribe's territory, their xenophobic mentality is no better than ours, and they are naturally cruel, relying on hunting wild beasts in the forest for a living.

  Xuan Yue Dao said: "Aren't they almost like beasts themselves? How can they still hunt and kill beasts?"

  "The rock looked at her and said, 'You don't understand the beastman tribe. So-called beastmen are just wild beasts with thinking ability and wisdom, similar to humans in some ways. In the beastman tribe, there are many ethnic groups, mainly the lion people, tiger people, leopard people, wolf people, and bear people. There are also smaller ethnic groups that won't be bullied because of their special abilities, such as the centaur tribe skilled in archery and the mysterious dark magic tribe.'"

  A'Dai was shocked and exclaimed: "What? There is still a Dark Demon clan among the Beastmen tribe?"

  The rock-like man nodded and said, "Yes, the Dark Demon clan is being hunted by all humans on the mainland, but within the Tianyuan clan's territory, they are not discriminated against. That's why they can survive there. However, their movements are still very mysterious, even other beastman clans rarely see them. The Dark Demon clan may be small in number, but their attack power is extremely strong. Let's hope we don't encounter them. They have a transcendent status among the beastman clans, and no one would dare to provoke them. Apart from the few clans I mentioned, there are many smaller clans within the beastman tribe, whose strength is extremely weak. Even slightly stronger mindless wild beasts can kill them. So, those forest wild beasts and these weak clans are the prey of the several major beastman clans."

  "Wow, they even eat their own kind!" Tsukihime exclaimed.

  "Yes, that's why I said the Beastmen are very ferocious. Their territory is right in the middle of the Tianyuan tribe and it's also a must-pass route for us to go to the Death Mountain Range. At that time, try to get the help of our friends from the Elf tribe and the Winged Human tribe. It's best not to conflict with the Beastmen, their numbers are too many, it's not something we can handle."

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay, no one had expected that they would encounter so many difficulties before even entering the Mountains of Death. Ah-Dai said: "Rocky big brother, what if we clash with the Beastmen tribe?"

  A cold glint flashed in Shi Yan's eyes as he said, "It depends on the situation. If there are few of them, we'll fight our way through. If there are many, we can only run."

  "It would be great if I could grow wings like a winged person and just fly over there directly."

  Tsukihime gave her a sidelong glance and said, "Aren't you a magician? If you can use wind magic to fly, then couldn't you just bring everyone over?"

  Kokutsu said disdainfully, "You don't understand, so don't interrupt. Do you think flying with wind magic is that easy? It's already extremely difficult to just fly with yourself, let alone bring all of us along. I doubt even the wind mages of the Ragrud Empire could do it. What a magical idiot."

  Yuuki's face turned red with anger, she stood up and said: "Who are you calling a magic idiot? If you're capable, don't use magic, I won't use my bow and arrow either. Let's have a fair fight."

  Xuan Yue showed no weakness, proudly standing up and staring at Yuuki who was half a head taller than her: "I'm afraid of you! You'd better defeat Ah-Dan first before coming to find me. Ah-Dan, you teach her a lesson for me."

  Yuè Hén grasped his sister's hand, furrowing his brow: "Alright, stop arguing. So many difficulties lie before us; let's get through these tough times first. We're all family, don't ruin the harmony. Yán Shí Dà Gē (Rocky Big Brother), we've never been to the Tiān Yuán tribe before and aren't familiar with that place either. Judging from what you said, it seems likely we'll clash with the beastmen."

  "Let's just say that although the Spirit Clan and Winged Clan love peace, it's unlikely they'll help us. After all, they're both part of the Tianyuan Clan, and they won't easily offend the Beastmen Clan. The Beastmen are extremely proud, so when we reach their territory, let's speed up our advance and avoid direct conflict." He sighed and continued, "The most complicated place on the continent is probably the Suo Domain Federation, especially the Tianyuan Clan. There are many forces at play there, making it difficult to deal with!"

  Wan Li said: "If it's really not possible, we'll just have to go around."

  "The detour is too much trouble, and it's hard to guarantee that nothing will happen in the territory of other races. Besides, since we're going on an adventure, we can't be afraid of difficulties."

  "What are you talking about? Why didn't you call me?" Yán Lì rubbed his sleepy eyes and ran over, stretching his waist to ask.

  Miao Fei smiled and said: "You can really sleep!"

  Yanli said with some embarrassment: "These two days have been exhausting, and I finally have a chance to rest. I'm not going to sleep for a while. Yan Shi big brother, what are you discussing?"

  Yanshi said faintly, "A Li, as a warrior, you must always be vigilant. The road ahead is very treacherous, and from now on, you should increase your vigilance. We were discussing passing through the Tianyuan tribe. Our Pu Yan tribe has never dealt with the beastmen before, and when we pass through their territory, I'm afraid we'll encounter some trouble."

  "Bring it on, if they dare block our way, I'll chop them down one by one with my axe, I don't believe anyone can stop me."

  "Are you quite skilled? One person against an entire clan, I'd love to see how you charge in."

  Yan Li was furious and said: "You dare to look down on me? I am one of the most powerful warriors in the Pu Yan tribe."

  Tsukihime was just infuriated by Gengetsu, and as soon as she heard Iwao call her "hag", her anger surged up, saying: "Who are you calling a hag, a sturdy three-inch nail with four limbs."

  Yan Li Meng drew out the battle axe from behind his back and said calmly: "You're calling me Three Inches Nail again, I'm going to duel with you."

  A'Dai stood up and said, "We've rested enough, let's get going. Yan Li big brother, your battle axe is really beautiful, can I take a look?" After speaking, he walked towards Yan Li, blocking the way in front of Yuè Jiāng.

  Because Ah-Dai awakened the rock, Prophet Pu Lin said he was a noble of the rock, so Rock Power had to be polite to him, handing over the battle axe to Ah-Dai's hand, and huffing: "That red whirlwind tribe woman has a really bad mouth, I hate it most when people call me Three-Inch Nail."

  Tsukihime had her longbow on her back and walked towards the carriage, muttering to herself: "I'm short, but I won't let anyone say it."

  Yan Li's ears were very good, and he naturally heard it. He roared with anger: "You insult me, I want to kill you." As he spoke, he snatched the battle axe from Ah Duan's hand.

  A'Dai turned around, his back to Yan Li, and rushed to Yuè Jī, saying: "Sister Yuè Jī, this is where you're wrong. How can you discriminate against others' shortcomings?"

  "Mind your own business," Moon Goddess said coldly. "You think I'm afraid of him? Bring it on." As she spoke, she unstrung her longbow.

  "Slap." Amidst the crowd's gasps, the rock-like body flashed once, and a slap sent Yueji flying out, crashing to the side. Wanli and Miao Fei hastily drew their own weapons after being shocked; they were also members of the Moon Mark Mercenary Group, and seeing their comrade get hit naturally filled them with great anger.

  The moon girl was knocked out several meters away, fell to the ground, and a clear big handprint appeared on her face. Fresh red blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. She had been punched silly. From childhood to adulthood, even her parents had never hit her, but the two-meter-tall giant in front of her actually gave herself a slap without mercy.

  The moon-marked hand grasped the hilt of his sword and angrily said: "Big Brother Rock, why did you hit my sister?"

  The rock-faced man said expressionlessly, "Because she deserved it. With her arrogant and domineering personality, she should have been taught a lesson long ago. As her brother, you don't care about her, so I'll take care of it for you. Someone like her who offends people with every word she says will probably get us all killed before we even reach the Death Mountain. Shouldn't I have hit her? The warriors of our tribe have very strong dignity and won't allow anyone to violate it. If you're not satisfied, come find me for revenge if you dare."

  Tsukihime struggled to get up from the ground, her armor was a bit disheveled, her originally neatly combed hair was now scattered, and with the palm print on her face and the fresh blood at the corner of her mouth, she looked exceptionally wretched. Her pale lips kept trembling, and suddenly, she pulled out a longbow from behind her back, a silver light flashed, and a silver arrow shot towards the rock like lightning.

  A hint of surprise flashed across Yan Shi's eyes, and with a swift movement of his hands, he clamped the silver arrow between his palms.

  The rock hit Tsukihime, and even Gantetsu was stunned. After all, Tsukihime is a girl, and being hit by such a heavy blow, it's unbearable to think about, let alone the loss of face.

  Xuan Yue ran to Ah Dai's side, pulled Ah Dai's arm and whispered: "This rock brother has a big temper! In the future, if I say something wrong, you must protect me, I don't want to be beaten."

  Ah-Dai nodded and walked up to the rock face, blocking Miao Fei and Wan Li who were charging forward. "Stop fighting," he said. "We're all friends. If we don't unite, how can we retrieve the top-grade magic crystal from the Mountains of Death? Brother Yue-Heng, Brother Wan-Li, Brother Miao-Fei, calm down."

  Miao Fei shouted: "Ah Dai, get out of the way! What right does he have to hit Yuè Jī? Let him fight us together!"

  Yan Li also ran over and approached Yan Shi's side, saying: "Big brother, forget it."

  The Moon Princess's voice had changed, pointing at the rock with a long bow: "You, you dare to hit me, today is either your death or mine." While speaking, her right hand drew out three more long arrows from the quiver.

  The rock stood there, coldly staring at Yuè Jī, throwing the silver arrow in his hand to one side, saying: "Your archery skills are not bad, but wanting to kill me is probably still not that easy. Are you guys very impressive? A group of low-powered young mercenaries, do you think that with your skills, you can make a name for yourselves on the continent? Don't dream about it. Brother Ah-Dāi, step aside and let me teach them a lesson, so they know there are people outside of people, and skies beyond skies. Otherwise, when we get to Death Mountain Range, I'm afraid we'll all be trapped there."

  "Ah-Dai threw the battle axe in his hand to Yan-Li, turned around and grabbed the shoulder of the rock, hastily saying: "Don't, Brother Rock, don't be impulsive!" He turned around, blocking the way in front of the rock, and said to Yuè-Jī: "Sister Yuè-Jī, I apologize on behalf of Brother Rock. His wife just passed away, he's in a terrible mood, we should be more considerate of him. Brothers Yuè-Hén, Wàn-Lǐ, Miáo-Fēi, let it go, the road ahead is still long, do we have to fight each other first?"

  Yuehen let out a long sigh, released his grip on the hilt of his sword and walked up to Yuemei, snatching the bow from her hand. He pulled her along, saying "Forget it, little sister." Turning around, he coldly glared at Yanshi, "You hit my sister today, I'll remember this debt. Considering your wife just passed away and Ahdai's face, I won't settle accounts with you now. But if there's a next time, even if I die, I'll make sure to get justice from you." After finishing speaking, he pulled the unwilling Yuemei towards the carriage. Miao Fei and Wanli gave Yanshi a fierce stare before following them to the carriage. From inside the carriage came the faint sound of Yuemei's sobbing.

  A'Dai let out a sigh of relief, turned around and said to the rock: "Brother Rock, what's wrong with you? Although Sister Yuèji did something wrong, you shouldn't have hit her!"

  Xuan Yue also walked over and said in a low voice, "Exactly! She's just a girl, with so many people around, how can you make her lose face? Besides, she's so proud."

  Yan Shi let out a wry smile and said gloomily, "I don't know why I was so impulsive either. Sorry, Ah Dai brothers, get on the carriage. We should hurry along first." After that, he walked towards his warhorse with Yan Li.

  Xuan Yue pulled Ah Dai's big hand and said: "Ah Dai, let's get on the bus too. You go comfort Yuè Jī."

  Ah-Dai rubbed his head and said, "Yueyue, their relationship has become so awkward, what can we do about it in the future? I'm not good at comforting Moon Girl, you're also a girl, why don't you try to comfort her? That slap from Rocky Brother earlier was quite heavy!"

  Xuan Yue pouted, originally intending to refuse, but seeing Ah Dai's pleading gaze, she couldn't help but soften in her heart and said: "I'll try, but if she ignores me, I won't be able to do anything about it."

  As they spoke, the two got on the horse carriage, and Wanli went to drive in front. In the carriage, Yuexing sat silently with a gloomy face, while Yuemei was crying beside her. Miao Fei kept fiddling with his soft sword. Seeing Ah Dai and Xuan Yue get on the carriage, Miao Fei angrily said: "Ah Dai, you judge for yourself, is there anyone as stupid as him? He actually hit Yuemei! You know, Yuemei is a princess in our mercenary group that everyone dotes on! Yuemei, don't cry, I'll go avenge you right now." As he spoke, he drew out his soft sword and was about to get off the carriage.

  Yuè Hén grabbed Miao Fei's arm and coldly shouted: "Enough, don't make a mess. Just sit there honestly."

  "Ah-Dai smiled wryly: "Yue-Heng big brother, Yan-Shi big brother has been in a bad mood lately, so don't blame him. I'll find an opportunity to make him apologize to Yue-Jie sister."

  Yuehen snorted, "His wife is dead, what does that have to do with us? Even if he's in a bad mood, he can't hit Xiaomei! I admit, Xiaomei has been spoiled a bit, but it's not up to him to discipline her. Ah-Dai, this time I'll let it slide because of your face, but they shouldn't provoke us again. Maybe we can't beat Yanshi, but we'll fight to the death for our own dignity."

  Xuan Yue smiled and said, "Alright, you're all great heroes, you all have dignity, don't be angry anymore. We still need to go to the Mountains of Death together." As she spoke, she sat down beside Yuuki and patted her back, saying, "It must hurt a lot being hit by that big lummox?"

  Mei got up abruptly, her left cheek already swollen. She glared at Xuan Yue and said: "Don't gloat over my misfortune, if you have the guts, go let him hit you too."

  Xuan Yue stuck out her tongue and said, "He's in a bad mood now, I don't dare to provoke him. Ah, Moon Goddess originally had such a beautiful face! It was actually beaten like this. If there are any sequelae left in the future, it will be ugly if you get a crooked eye and mouth." Although Ah Dai kept making eyes at Xuan Yue, she still said what she wanted to say.

  Miao Fei exclaimed: "What did you say? Will there be any aftereffects?"

  "Of course, it's only natural. The power of the rocks is obvious, no need for me to explain. Perhaps Tsukihime's skeleton has already been broken by him, and her face will be crooked from now on."

  The moon lady might have thought of her own appearance being ruined, tears kept flowing out, and with a "wa" sound, she fell to the side and started crying again. The moon mark on her forehead twitched, saying: "Miss Xuan Yue, my sister is already heartbroken enough, don't stimulate her anymore."

  Gengetsu's face revealed a mysterious smile, saying: "I'm actually kind-hearted! Originally, someone saw Tsukihime being beaten so badly and wanted to help her recover, but you said that, so forget it. I'll just sleep instead. Ah-dou, come, let me lean on your shoulder and sleep, although you're silly, your shoulders are quite comfortable."

  Tsukihime heard Gengetsu's words, and her crying suddenly stopped. She sat up again, grabbed Gengetsu's hand and said: "Gengetsu sister, what are you saying? Can you really cure the wound on my face?"

  Xuan Yue played with the magic wand in her hand and said, "Of course, don't you remember that I'm a light system magician? Healing is my specialty. Now you know to call me Sister Xuan Yue?"

  For her own appearance, Tsukino had to say in a low and humble tone: "Gengetsu sister, please help me treat it. I...I..."

  Xuan Yue grasped Yuuki's arm, chuckled and said: "Alright, sister Yuuki, don't worry, it won't take a few minutes for me to restore your appearance. This time, although brother Iwao was wrong, you also had faults, didn't you? Don't hold grudges against him, okay? We're fellow travelers, we still need to support each other in the future."

  Tsukihime looked at Gengetsu for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. Tsukishiro's expression changed instantly when he heard that Gengetsu could treat his sister's facial injury, and he said earnestly, "Miss Gengetsu, please help my sister."

  Xuan Yue gave him a glance and said: "No need for you to say, I already know. If Moon Sister's beauty is ruined, it would be such a pity!"

  Tsukihime's face suddenly looked much better after being praised by Gengetsu, an hour ago she still treated Gengetsu as an enemy, but now her heart was filled with gratitude.

  Actually, Gengetsu was just scaring them. Although the slap from Iwao was not light, he still held back, and even if she didn't receive treatment, Tsukihime would be able to recover in a few days. Of course, those few days would definitely be painful. Seeing how Gengetsu had eased the atmosphere in the train car with just a few words, Aho finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Xuan Yue smiled and said: "Moon Sister, you'd better sit properly, I'm about to start. You guys aren't allowed to speak."

  Miao Fei and Yue Hen hastily sat up straight, not daring to make a sound. Yue Ji also sat up straight, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears on her face. Xuan Yue smiled slightly and said, "It's starting now." She raised her magic wand and deliberately sang out loud in a showy tone: "Great God of Light! Please lend your great divine power to your loyal believer, use the light of recovery to heal the pain before us!" As she chanted the spell, Xuan Yue's angelic wand emitted a faint white glow, and a sacred aura filled the carriage. Xuan Yue controlled the recovery light with her own spiritual energy, making it float gently towards Yue Ji like silk threads.

  The moon princess dodged slightly, and her originally hot face suddenly had a cool feeling under the penetration of the recovery light, and the pain eased a lot.

  The glow gradually intensified, and everyone could clearly see that Tsukihime's swollen face was slowly returning to normal, and the palm print was also slowly disappearing. When the carriage interior returned to calmness, except for the bloodstain at the corner of her mouth, Tsukihime's lovely face had completely recovered to normal, as if she hadn't been hit at all.

  Gengetsu put down his magic wand and looked around, smiling: "Alright, Tsukihime sister, touch it, it's fine now."

  Yuè Jī felt that her face was no longer painful at all, and a cool sensation spread from the wound, making her feel extremely comfortable. Miǎo Fēi was surprised and leaned in close to Yuè Jī's face, staring at it carefully. Yuè Jī's pretty face turned red as she pushed him away, scolding: "How annoying, haven't you seen a beauty before?"

  Miao Fei fell onto Ah Dai's body and said: "Wow, Xuan Yue sister, your magic isn't just talk. There isn't even a single trace left, Moon Princess, I was just trying to help you check it out! Isn't this biting the hand that feeds you?"

  Yuemei Bai looked at Miao Fei with a glance, and her hands touched her own pretty face. The wound not only didn't hurt anymore but had also recovered to its original state. She couldn't help but say gratefully: "Xuanyue sister, thank you! In the past, it was all my fault for always arguing with you. From now on, you are my best sister, and I will definitely help you with anything."

  Xuan Yue smiled and said, "I used to be bad too! Mainly because Moon Sister is too beautiful, people are jealous."

  The silly man stared blankly at the pair of beauties who had been quarreling just a while ago, unable to utter a word. A woman's heart, how could he possibly understand it?

  Yuexiang smiled and said: "This time little sister doesn't need to break her vow, it's all thanks to Miss Xuanyue. Thank you so much."

  "Since Moon Princess has recovered, let's just forget about what happened earlier. Rock Brother is a good person originally. This time..."

  "Considering it's for the sake of my sister, Yuèyuè, I won't bother with him this time. But in the future, I don't want to have anything to do with that barbarian! áidāi, you'd better take good care of my sister, Yuèyuè. If you bully her or make her suffer, I won't forgive you!"

  "Me? Bully her? As long as she doesn't bully me, that's good enough. Ow, Yuèyuè, why are you pinching me?"

  A storm was calmed under Xuan Yue's low-level healing spell, and the crowd once again set foot on their adventure journey to the Death Mountain Range.

  Three days later, the group finally left the Puyan tribe's territory and entered the Tianyuan tribe's domain, which was covered with hills and forests. Over the past three days, due to their relationship with Yanshi and Yanli, they received warm welcomes every time they passed through the Puyan tribe's villages. There was always a sense of distance between the four members of the Yuehen Mercenary Group and Yanshi and Yanli. They rarely spoke to each other normally. Yanshi had become even more silent. Except when Ah Dai actively initiated conversations with him, he wouldn't open his mouth. Ah Dai hadn't intentionally practiced the Mingzi Jiu jue, but he had already completely understood the techniques. In her free time, Xuan Yue would also look at the magical notes given to her by Pulin Xianzhi or secretly teach Ah Dai some incantations to stimulate the Dragon's Blood. Among the spatial magic, a type of instant teleportation had piqued her interest, and this mischievous little girl had actually started practicing it as an exception. Ah Dai also continuously memorized those not-so-complicated incantations. The incantations for the Dragon's Blood and Phoenix's Blood were almost identical except for a few words, and although Ah Dai was a bit slow-witted, he had already memorized several simple incantations over the past few days. With his current abilities, he could only use these low-level incantations to stimulate the Dragon's Blood.

  The horse carriage stopped, and Wan Li's voice came from outside, "Old Master Yuè Hén, there is no road ahead, blocked by a large forest, what to do?"

  Everyone got off the horse cart and looked ahead. Indeed, in front of them was a vast forest that seemed to stretch on forever, with tall trees and lush branches and leaves, and at first glance, it was clear that they had a long history. Yán Shí and Yán Lì also jumped down from the horse, and ā Dāi walked up to Yán Shí's side and said: "Big brother, why isn't there a road here? Did we take a wrong turn?"

  The rock shook his head and said, "We haven't gone the wrong way. The biggest feature of the Tianyuan tribe is that there are no roads in their territory at all. So, even if a large army comes to attack, it's probably very difficult to break through their defenses. From here on out, we can't ride horses anymore. This forest in front of us is the Tianyuan tribe's famous Spirit Forest."

  Everyone had gathered around the rock, and Miao Fei frowned: "We can't ride horses over, so what about our horse-drawn carriage?"

  "The rocks said faintly: 'We can only stay here, our horses are the same. I will let the elf tribe's friends help us take care of them. When we come back, they won't be lost.'"

  Ah-Dai looked at Yue-Hen, and Yue-Hen nodded to him. In the past few days, due to the awkward atmosphere among everyone, Ah-Dai had become a messenger for everyone. Anything that needed to be done was coordinated through him.

  Xuan Yue hastily approached and excitedly said: "Yan Shi big brother, are there many spirits in this Spirit Forest? I've never seen a spirit before! What do they look like?"

  "The rock still expressionless said: 'Wait a bit and you will see them. Elves can be said to be the most kind-hearted race, as long as they do not harm their survival, they never lightly start a war. You guys pack up your things, we are going into the forest now.'"

  He gazed at the vast expanse of ancient forest before him, and couldn't help but think of the Mystic Forest. He sighed, "After all, nature is still the most beautiful! This vast forest is truly breathtakingly beautiful."

  Yan Li snorted and said, "This is nothing impressive, this is just the outermost facility of the Spirit Forest. When you see the village of the Spirit Clan, you'll know what a paradise on earth looks like."

  "Ah-Dai said: "Aren't spirits supposed to live in the forest? What village is this? Are they also destroying the forest?"

  "You're really ignorant, heh heh, just wait and see, you'll know what a Spirit Village is later."

  The moon mark walked to Ah Dumb's side and said, "Nowadays, the spirits on the mainland are becoming increasingly scarce. They simply don't want to have anything to do with humans. You know, even a random male spirit from their tribe is far more handsome than us humans, and those female spirits are truly breathtaking beauties. Many nobles offer high rewards to the Thieves' Guild to help them capture young or adult spirits. From what I know, a mature female spirit can be sold for around 10,000 gold coins on the black market. That's why the spirit tribe is often harassed by the Thieves' Guild and those bounty hunters. Even when dealing with these people, the spirit tribe rarely takes lives, showing their pure kindness."

  Xuan Yue angrily hummed: "Even the spirits are being hunted, they're too detestable. If I encounter them, I'll eliminate these hidden dangers for the spirit tribe. Yue Hen big brother, what do those nobles want from the spirits?"

  A faint smile on his face, he said in a low voice: "Be a servant or a plaything."

  "What is called 'bondage'?"

  Miao Fei was originally drinking water, and when Xuan Yue asked this, he suddenly sprayed it out, spraying Wan Li's head and face. Wan Li was startled and grabbed Miao Fei's collar, angrily saying: "What are you doing?"

  Miao Fei coughed repeatedly, obviously choked, "I, I... didn't mean to... it's just that... Xuan Yue Miss... she really is..."