Xiao Yan showed no hesitation at all. After briefly explaining the situation to Xiao Ding and the other two, he went straight to find Zǐ Yán in the manor and then quietly took her with him. As soon as they stepped out of the Imperial Capital, Xiao Yan was about to use his dual aura wings to travel ahead, when Zǐ Yán gently pulled at his sleeve, pointed forward with her small finger, and laughed lightly, her voice clear and bright: "Cai Lin is right there." Hearing this, Xiao Yan was instantly startled and quickly turned his gaze in the direction she indicated—there, indeed, he saw the graceful silhouette of Mei Du Sha, lazily leaning against a tree trunk, her eyes fixed on the two of them. "Wait—how are you here?" Xiao Yan asked, surprised. "Don't just try to take Zǐ Yán away on your own—I'm not comfortable with her being with you," Mei Du Sha said calmly, then slowly walked forward, ignoring Xiao Yan's stunned expression, and gently lifted Zǐ Yán. Seeing the situation, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly and said, "Alright, alright. You come along too. I'm going to meditate, not to take a trip. I'm bringing Ziyan because she needs a substantial amount of energy to advance her stage, and the place I'm going to is particularly suitable for her." As he spoke, a tremor passed through his shoulders, and gradually, a lush, emerald-colored fire wings extended from his back, eventually stretching out to nearly a zhang in width. "You take Ziyan and come with me," he said to Medusa. With a single flap of his wings, Xiao Yan rose into the air and swiftly flew toward the distant direction of the Beast Mountains. Later, Medusa watched Xiao Yan's resigned figure and a faint, barely perceptible smile curled on her cold, elegant face. Then, she took Ziyan's hand and stepped into the sky, her foot lightly touching the void, quickly catching up to Xiao Yan as he flew ahead. … Upon departing, Xiao Yan casually took a map of the Jamah Empire and swiftly flew toward the northeastern region, following the route he remembered from that time. Back then, the small valley where it all began was nestled deep within the mountains of the Northeast Dragon Beast Range—far from the capital. For ordinary flying beasts or carriages, it would take at least five or six days to reach there. But now, Xiao Yan was no longer the young combatant he once was. With his current speed, even making a round trip across the entire Jamah Empire would take no more than a single day. Following the route indicated on the map, Xiao Yan and his companions pressed on without stopping, and by dusk, they had arrived atop a mountain near the Dragon Beast Range. Slowly descending from the air, Xiao Yan stood at the summit of the mountain, his gaze carrying a touch of nostalgia as he looked upon this place, slightly familiar. He could still clearly recall that back then, he had been pursued and fled here by a mercenary company known as "Wolf's Head," and it was in that very place that he first met Yun Yin, who had adopted the name Yun Zhi. Immersed in memory, Xiao Yan remained silent for a long while, until finally, he let out a soft sigh—years had passed, and indeed, everything had changed. His gaze followed the mountain downward, settling finally on the small town nestled at its base. He vaguely remembered that town—Qingshan Town—being his first training destination after leaving Wutan City. It was here that he met his very first true friend, a kind-hearted girl named Xiao Yi Xian. In his mind, the image of the girl in a white dress, gently treating wounded mercenaries at the herbal medicine shop flashed by. Xiao Yan felt a quiet sense of admiration and concern—nearly six and seven years had passed. He wondered how she was doing now. The rare and formidable illness that even the senior herbalists had once feared—had Thinking of that kind girl—who had to take medicine every day to maintain her bodily functions—left Xiao Yan with a deep sense of sorrow. A cascade of emotions passed through his mind, and soon turned into a soft sigh that escaped his lips. He glanced at the beautiful Medusa and Zi Yan beside him, smiled gently, and said, "Let's go—first to the town." With that, he moved lightly, like a leaf drifting in the wind, gliding silently toward the foot of the mountain. Medusa and Zi Yan followed close behind. Arriving at the town's edge in mere breaths, Xiang Yan gazed at the slightly ancient script at the town's entrance, his expression momentarily hazy. "Qingshan Town," he murmured, "It's been a long time." Years ago, as a young man, he had journeyed with difficulty, his broad black measuring rod heavy on his back, perspiring all the way to this very place. Upon seeing the town, a youthful smile had bloomed across his face, full of relief. "This was where I first began my journey," Xiang Yan smiled, turning to the two beside him. "Back then, I was just a young contender, barely stepping into the realm of Battle Rank." Xiao Yan smiled, patting Zi Yan's head gently, then looked around. The scale of Qing Shan Town had clearly grown considerably since he had last been here, and the volume of people flowing through it had become much more robust. At the town's entrance, pedestrians and mercenaries preparing to hunt monsters in the Monster Mountains constantly passed by. Whenever they came near Xiao Yan and his two companions, they would naturally slow down or pause. Of course, the primary reason for this pause wasn't Xiao Yan himself, but rather the beauty of Mei Du Sha and Zi Yan beside him. Among the women Xiao Yan had encountered, Mei Du Sha's beauty was truly exceptional—especially her subtle, icy elegance that drew people's eyes involuntarily. As a being of mythical grace and allure, she exuded an otherworldly charm. Even knowing that she was a beautiful serpent known to devour her prey, people could not help but be drawn to her, as if irresistibly drawn to a flame. Although Zhiyan is still in the form of a young girl today, her delicate and refined appearance is exceptionally endearing, with her gem-like eyes sparkling constantly, making one feel as though they simply couldn't put her down—something clearly evident in Medusa's attitude toward her. Of course, after a while, the gaze that had been fixed on the two girls still lingers upon the dark-robed young man standing between them. Several strong-bodied mercenaries, after glancing at his slender frame, merely shake their heads and mutter under their breath about how such a frail, thin man could possibly enjoy such good fortune. Medusa's cool elegance drew many glances, yet perhaps due to her frequent near-misses and life-or-death encounters, some of the mercenaries, though their eyes burned with admiration, instinctively felt that this woman was rather intimidating. Their intuition proved accurate: under the steady gaze of the crowd, Medusa's brows had slightly furrowed, and the vibrant, multicolored energy pulsing within her sleeve had grown subtly visible. "Well," sighed Xiao Yan, shaking his head in resignation, feeling the subtle energy fluctuations around him. This woman was simply too formidable. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Medusa hesitated—though she said nothing, the energy in her palms gradually softened. Gazing briefly at the pedestrians around her, Xiao Yan then moved steadily through the town, leaving the others, who had just made a circuit of the edge of the brink of death, with wide, expectant eyes. As he walked through the town, the path paved with scattered cobblestones gradually calmed his mind—a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. Since leaving the Gamma Empire, he had been constantly rushing, racing against time, training without rest, day and night. After walking down a street, he turned around and, after a while, slowly stopped at the entrance of a large herbal medicine shop, his gaze drifting as if caught by a familiar scene. It was here, in this very place, that he first met Xiao Yixian. Though the shop had grown considerably in size since then, it now lacked the gentle, kind smile that once shone so brightly. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a bit listless. He waved his hand and turned to the two beside him, saying, "Well, let's go. Today, we'll enter the Beast Mountains." Medusa and Zhiyan didn't have any objections and simply nodded. Seeing the situation, Xiao Yan no longer hesitated and turned to head toward the street leading from the town into the Beast Mountains. However, just as Xiao Yan turned, chaos erupted on the street not far away. Two figures broke through the crowd, scrambling to escape. As they just cleared the street, several figures leapt down from nearby buildings and intercepted them. The middle-aged man fixed his gaze firmly on the scarred man across from him, his voice sharp and commanding. "Han Rui, after we've fought so hard and ceded most of Qingshan Town's territory to you, why must you go so far as to eliminate us completely? With He family backing you up behind, you're acting far too arrogantly!" "Upon receiving the command, several figures immediately responded with cheers, then grasped their weapons and charged straight at the middle-aged man. The man with the scar, meanwhile, advanced steadily toward the pale-faced woman, a lecherous smile playing at his lips. Hearing her cry, Xiao Yan sighed softly and finally recalled that fateful encounter in the Monster Forest years ago. Though many people had gathered to watch the scene on the street, none dared to intervene—clearly, everyone held deep respect and apprehension for the background of the man with the scar. Recognizing this, the scarred man acted with even greater confidence and boldness, his loud, obnoxious laughter drawing frowns from several onlookers. "Hah! Just calling out my name won't help," he chuckled lasciviously. "Ling'er, just follow me back. After my lord has had his fun with you, I'll take good care of you myself..." With that, his large hand moved straight toward the woman. At this moment, she seemed powerless to resist, watching helplessly as his hand drew nearer, her eyes filled with a deep, desperate sorrow. "You beast!" The middle-aged man known as Kagan instantly cursed, his voice rising in fury. As soon as his words fell, a figure launched himself, kicking Kagan squarely in the chest and sending him crashing to the ground, spilling another stream of blood. The scarred man coldly glanced at Kagan before suddenly extending his arm, intent on seizing the woman before him. Yet, as his palm still hovered half a foot away from her, his body inexplicably halted. Then, a powerful surge of qi erupted, slamming directly into his chest. "Pfft!" The sudden impact left the scarred man pale as a sheet, gasping out a gush of blood, his body collapsing like a lifeless dog and skidding across the street for over ten meters before finally coming to rest. The abrupt turn of events caused the entire street to fall silent. People stared in stunned disbelief at the scarred man, now lying motionless like a dead dog, their minds still struggling to process what had just happened. The graceful young woman known as Ling'er also微微张着嘴，凝望着那在地上不断哀嚎的男子，伤痕累累。片刻之后，仿佛有所触动，蓦然转身，一袭黑袍缓缓映入眼帘。