Speed on the curve is true speed—anyone can floor it on the straight!

Under Du Yu's constant training, Xiaobai beneath him was growing at a phenomenal rate, and at an equally phenomenal speed, drew a perfect arc to run neck-and-neck with a Wolf Lake Dog!

"Woo?" The Wolf Lake Dog was dumbfounded.

Even though its brain was invaded by Cold Qi, it didn't stop it from feeling dazed.

At first, on the battlefield, the Wolf Lake Dog had been drawn to Du Yu, chasing after him furiously.

But alas, its speed wasn't enough, and it lost track of Xiaobai.

The Wolf Lake Dog fumed at its spot for quite a while, tearing up a pile of flowers and grass before it finally remembered the two girls it had been besieging earlier.

So it turned and sprinted back, ready to wreak havoc on the battlefield again, but…

Just halfway there, the Wolf Lake Dog noticed a white shadow suddenly appear by its side?

With a smooth turn, Xiaobai's body tilted, looking just like a motorcycle leaning into a curve—Du Yu's knee was nearly skimming the ground.

"Nai!" Xiaobai let out a deer's cry—not overtaking on the curve, but instead slowing down, matching the Wolf Lake Dog's sprinting speed.

"Yes, just like that!" On Xiaobai's back, Du Yu drew his bow and nocked his arrow—the flame groove on the bow handle lit up abruptly.

Speed is relative!

There was absolutely no need for Eye of Burning Sun; with Xiaobai expertly controlling their pace, Du Yu and the Wolf Lake Dog were able to maintain side-by-side movement for a short while.

"Whoosh~"

One Arrow, Two Beads!

After the Wolf Lake Dog's Demon Breath Battle Robe was shattered, the second Fire Arrow instantly pierced through the dog's head.

"Woo!" The Wolf Lake Dog's whimper was short—and abruptly silenced!

Its body tumbled, carving a long mark into the ground, grass clippings flying everywhere.

"Beautiful!" Du Yu's eyes shone bright, consumed by a feeling much like ancient warriors reveling on the battlefield.

No wonder Lu Bu loved his Red Rabbit so much!

Having a fine steed really adds a tremendous boost to your power!

"Nai~" Xiaobai cried out joyfully, straightened up, and this time didn't accelerate abruptly as before, but started to gradually pick up speed.

Truly a quick learner~

Du Yu's overflowing emotion broke through the barriers of language and race; he grinned and shouted back, "Nai!"

"Nai~"

The boy riding the deer dashed ahead like the wind, cutting through dense trees, leaving only a faint lingering Immortal Mist behind, like a beautiful dream slowly fading away.

Behind the trees, one by one, camouflaged figures emerged, silently watching the Immortal Deer youth heading off toward the battlefield.

Such a dashing figure hardly belonged in this Newbie Realm…

Suddenly, a torch chased after them, trailing a long emerald-green flame, streaking through the soldiers' line of sight as it pursued the Immortal Deer youth's silhouette.

Little You Ying's wide eyes were full of grievance: T^T

Master, wait for me…

The Little You Ying in the rear went all out, but couldn't even catch a glimpse of Bai Yujing's trail, no matter how fast she flew.

Up ahead, the Wolf Lake Dogs' howls rang out one after another, mixed with the taut twang of hunting bowstrings, resounding throughout the forest.

Immortal Deer Snow Hoof galloped ahead, the bowstring crackling like thunder!

"Nai!" Nearing the edge of the battlefield, hearing the booming explosions, Xiaobai leapt high, soaring with the wind!

Unyielding Silver· Wind Dance!

In truth, Xiaobai could already unleash a higher-grade Wind Dance, but clearly, having just leveled up, she still needed Du Yu's help to train the skill.

"Xiaobai?" Du Yu's heart skipped a beat, the sensation was like soaring through the clouds—he was about to crash headfirst into the dense branches.

"Nai~" Xiaobai's Snow Hoof lightly tapped on a leaf, a whirlwind lifted her belly, and with Du Yu on her back, she performed a double jump!

"Whoa~" The Immortal Deer beneath Du Yu soared and weaved ink-like mist into the air, overlooking the battlefield below.

At the same time, on the not-so-distant battlefield—

Li Mengnan held her Three-foot Qing Peak sword high, brimming with spirit, "Explode!"

"Ying!" Xiaoyan squatted on Li Mengnan's shoulder; following Princess Li's sword tip, a Spark Splash shot forward.

The Fireball met a wall of water with a "zzz" sizzle and then exploded with a boom.

"Woo woo~ wooo~" The Wolf Lake Dog howled in pain—even with a Water Iron Curtain defense skill, hiding behind the water wall, it was still blown away by the swirling shockwave.

Radiant with confidence, Li Mengnan shifted her sword tip, aiming at her right front, "Blade!"

Unyielding Silver· Tornado Blade!

Wind Witch dropped from the sky, having waited for this moment!

Spinning at high speed, the end of her Wizard Robe twisted into a disc, drawing an arc in midair.

With a dull "thud," the Wolf Lake Dog slammed hard into a big tree.

"Zzzt!"

The spinning Wind Witch swept past the Wolf Lake Dog, flashing by in an instant!

In an instant, a long bloody gash ripped open, carried by the robe's hem and flying off into the distance…

"Ying!" Suddenly Xiaoyan raised her head and chirped happily.

"Hmm?" On the battlefield, Li Mengnan and Lin Shiwei both looked up—only to see the Immortal Deer youth leaping overhead from the sky.

The Illusory Blossom hanging from Bai Yujing's deer antlers shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight—so beautiful it took the breath away.

On its back, Du Yu had his bow drawn, shooting arrows diagonally downward at full force.

The two girls both looked to the right; in the distant treetops, a Wolf Lake Net stretched to the sky, trying to ensnare the drifting misty silhouette of the Immortal Mist.

But the problem was...the Wolf Lake Net has holes…

A Continuous Pearl Arrow instantly pierced one gap, heading straight for the scarlet beast eyes of the Wolf Lake Dog!

Precise, fierce, swift!

"Nai~"

Bai Yujing by name, the deer sings in the sky.

A pair of snowy hooves lightly stepped on the leaves, the snow-white figure bounded lightly, leaping aside and leaving only swaying branches and the rustle of leaves.

The incoming Wolf Lake Net landed on the branches of the giant tree.

Meanwhile, Xiaobai, carrying Du Yu, hopped across the leafy branches of two trees, circled back to the battlefield, and landed smoothly.

"Nai!" Bai Lu cheered in celebration, stepping forward to meet them.

The little one in the herd has finally grown up!

Judging from Bai Lu's reaction, there shouldn't be any more enemies nearby.

"My god…" Li Mengnan's eyes glazed over, unable to believe what she'd just witnessed.

The sight was simply too fantastical.

"Ying!" A dissatisfied noise came from beside her cheek; the furry little head of Xiaoyan nudged Princess Li's face.

"Hehe~ Xiaoyan is beautiful too." Li Mengnan laughed softly, rubbing her cheek against Xiaoyan's head, "No, Xiaoyan is the most beautiful."

"Mmm." Wind Witch flew back, her knitted little face full of grievance.

"Wind Witch is adorable too." Li Mengnan extended a finger, helping to wipe the bloodstain off Wind Witch's robe tail.

Unfortunately, that bloodstain was hard to wipe clean—it'd have to wait to be washed later.

Lin Shiwei stepped forward and whispered, "My Aunt really should see this—she'd love it."

"Hehe." Du Yu smiled sheepishly, swung off the deer—but his legs buckled, "Eh?"

Lin Shiwei, quick-eyed and deft, caught Du Yu with one hand; the Rose Double Spirit on her shoulder was even quicker and wrapped itself around Du Yu's waist.

Du Yu: "..."

Might as well have stayed on the deer—I could at least keep up the image of an expert for a little longer.

Also, why are my legs so weak?

Lin Shiwei guessed, "Xiaobai was running too fast; you had to keep your legs tensed and hold your balance. Now that you're suddenly down, it's only natural to feel a bit wobbly."

"Ah." Du Yu stamped his foot—only to be lifted slightly by the Rose Double Spirit wrapped around him, as if afraid he'd fall.

Nearby, Xiaobai was beside herself with excitement, hopping up and down, "Nainai"-ing at Bai Lu, as if recounting how amazing she just was.

Bai Lu wasn't Xiaobai's father; his response was more like that of an elder brother.

His eyes brimmed with doting pride, nodding along in approval at Xiaobai's accomplishments.

Lin Shiwei beckoned to Li Mengnan, "Let's go gather the Demon Crystals…"

Just as she finished speaking, Bai Lu suddenly turned his head, leaving the bouncing Xiaobai to celebrate alone.

Following Bai Lu's gaze, Lin Shiwei and Li Mengnan looked off into the distance to see a few camouflaged soldiers emerging.

Three of them carried four Wolf Lake Dogs in hand, while another came from behind carrying one more corpse.

Counting the four Wolf Lake Dog corpses on the field, that made nine in total—a powerful clan indeed, not the sort of group just any team could clear out.

"You three are the ones Master Qing sent for the mission, right?" the lead soldier asked.

The other soldiers collected the bodies, quietly assessing the young group.

A Dust Spirit Deer is not something just anyone can possess. But if these kids were Master Qing's disciples, it all made sense.

Lin Shiwei: "Yes."

The middle-aged soldier nodded, "We'll notify the study hall and make sure the points go to you. We'll take the bodies back with us."

"Okay." Lin Shiwei nodded but couldn't help asking, "These Wolf Lake Dogs…"

"What about them?"

Lin Shiwei: "They're not usually like this. Wolf Lake Dogs rarely have their minds clouded by raw power."

The middle-aged soldier hefted his bleeding Wolf Lake Dog silently, then said grimly, "Maybe it wasn't power that corrupted them. Maybe they just wanted to protect themselves."

Li Mengnan: "Huh?"

"For Demon Beasts, there's only one way to get stronger quickly—and that's to let Cold Qi into your body."

Du Yu frowned deeply, asking, "What exactly happened here?"

Middle-aged soldier: "A week ago, the Twin Trees trembled."

Du Yu: ???

What does it mean, the Twin Trees 'trembled'?

Who could possibly shake the Twin Trees…—shit?

Du Yu was shocked. He'd only just come back from the Bottomless Battlefield yesterday and seen the Divine Tree and the Tree of Cold Qi tangled together.

Anything that could make the Twin Trees tremble must have been the Tree of Cold Qi from the Otherworld playing its tricks!

Middle-aged soldier: "After the Twin Trees trembled, the Cold Qi in this realm thickened a lot. Some already aggressive species started getting hit, one after another."

The soldier gestured at the Wolf Lake Dog in his hand. "This clan has always lived here—bitter rivals to a den of Moonlit Bears. They'd occasionally fight over territory.

After the Cold Qi passed through, the Moonlit Bears changed completely. Not only did they lose their minds to the Cold Qi, they even advanced to Heavenly Level·Initial Stage."

Li Mengnan: "Ah…"

Middle-aged soldier: "When faced with enemies invading their home, the Wolf Lake Dogs stood their ground. They didn't run. They chose to fight to the death.

By the time we got here, both the Wolf Lake Dog Clan Leader and the Moonlit Bear were dead. The remaining Wolf Lake Dogs all had blood-red eyes. There was no saving them."

Du Yu felt a heaviness within. No wonder the entire clan had turned this way—it turned out the Wolf Lake Dogs had willingly let Cold Qi into their bodies.

The middle-aged soldier nodded to the three young people. "That night, the whole Demon Spirit Realm was aflame—Demon Beasts swallowed by Cold Qi everywhere. We didn't manage to help the Wolf Lake Dogs in time."

Clearly, the middle-aged soldier didn't need to explain all this to Du Yu and the others.

It sounded almost like he was saying it for the benefit of the younger soldiers in his squad.

This also showed the Wolf Lake Dogs' true standing in the hearts of Great Xia's people—no ordinary Demon Beast could take their place.

Even though these Wolf Lake Dogs existed for people to form contracts with, even for training and cultivation, it didn't stop the soldiers from caring deeply about their clan.

Middle-aged soldier: "Go ahead. There are still more Cold Beasts to clear."

"Mm…"

...

There's still more at eight o'clock.

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