Zhao He said, "It's just a pity, I had high hopes for him originally."

"Indeed." Lou Fei Qiong couldn't say much else, only calculating silently in his mind.

Zhao He then thought for a moment, summoned two martial artists in the bone-forging phase and gave them an insignia.

"With the insignia, no matter the Human Race or Demons, they won't attack you."

"You two should record the terrain map while searching. If you find Zhou Leng..."

Lou Fei Qiong breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Zhao He was quite decent.

"...either report to me, or find a way to inform Aiden or his subordinates, letting Aiden corner him. If he can hold on for a while longer, I'll negotiate with Aiden."

"Understood."

Once the two left, Lou Fei Qiong asked, "He Bro, what are you..."

Zhao He smiled and said, "You mentioned, Zhou Leng is one of the first to enter the Ancient River Sect, and also has a good relationship with my cousin. These two points are very important to me. But without putting some pressure on him, how can I make him grateful to me?"

Lou Fei Qiong said helplessly, "What if Aiden kills him?"

"Aiden owes me a favor."

Lou Fei Qiong remained silent.

Zhao He said calmly, "Fei Qiong, I know you have a kind heart, but this place is extremely dangerous; I'm just doing what's most beneficial for me."

Lou Fei Qiong nodded, sighing inwardly. Among the ambitious Martial Clans, nine out of ten are like this; he's already accustomed to it.

He used the Ancient Tree Fossil to advance to Blood Shock, but his realm is unstable, rendering him incapable.

Radiance of the Bright Candle split into multiple teams, with each team having a demonic mage, maintaining contact.

Gong Futian and Rao Mingxian were in one team.

Jax and Tu Rong, already advanced to Innate, were in another team.

As the search expanded, each team's demonic mage kept receiving information.

Jax and Tu Rong first let others lead the way while they whispered in the back.

Jax whispered, "Zhou Leng is in a bit of danger now; the instances where he's been found are increasing."

Tu Rong sighed and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, he will be caught."

Jax glanced at him, saying, "A pity, I invested quite a bit in him, didn't expect it to end so abruptly."

The two walked silently for a while, Tu Rong took out his phone, flipping through a family photo of Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng's parents, Zhou Leng, Ma Xingkong.

Memories of a few years back appeared before Tu Rong's eyes, a young high school boy stood before him, helping him adjust his collar.

"You look as thin as a twig, how did you end up in the dark?"

"You're so young, not suited for a place like this."

"Come, I'll take you to see Principal Lu; he's a good person, will surely release you."

"Live well."

Tu Rong's eyes reddened, placing the phone down, he took a deep breath.

He still remembers when half of Rucheng lined up in a grand procession, sending Ma Xingkong off at the banks of Longyou River.

That day, many forums and video sites, broadcasted the funeral, before being frantically deleted.

That day, people nationwide understood something significant.

Tu Rong remained silent for a long time, then quietly spoke, "Boss Jax, your investment can't go to waste. I think we should join up with Radiance of the Bright Candle. If we don't find Zhou Leng, so be it, but if we do, I will find a way to warn him in advance."

Jax gazed at Tu Rong, with a complex look.

He never expected this ordinary vagabond, to have more courage than himself.

Jax contemplated for a moment before softly saying, "Alright, let's find Radiance of the Bright Candle. If anything happens, I'll ask Aiden for leniency on your behalf."

In the passage.

The crowd slaughtered another batch of demons, interrogating them for information.

Zhou Leng said, "Their people keep showing up, we must return. If we encounter their Grandmasters, we're surely dead."

"Yes, for safety, we should return. Too bad, we didn't find any clues related to the exit."

"The return path will certainly be under magical surveillance; we should try another direction. Look at the map's blank area; there should be a route back here..."

After a brief discussion, they avoided the old path and headed for a new route.

Aiden and Radiance of the Bright Candle continually communicated using spells, each transmission taking minutes.

After multiple failed attempts to locate him, the revenge-driven Radiance of the Bright Candle said, "Aiden, deploy the Grandmaster. Their speed is fast enough and can better find them."

"Without the Grandmaster, who guarantees my safety? What if we run into an opposing faction's Grandmaster?"

"This might be the best opportunity to capture him; miss this chance, if he escapes back to Blue Star, you and I won't be able to act."

"I'll consider it more."

Aiden frowned, thinking he has no enmity with Zhou Leng and sees no need to jeopardize his safety.

This place is so perilous, encounter a Grandmaster here for a hunt, it's certainly fatal.

On Zhou Leng's team's return, they kept finding Ancient Tree Fossil and encountering demons, as well as forest tribes.

The team gained five new members.

Two Tree-men, two Elves, one Giant Bear Druid.

That Giant Bear Druid was the strongest, an Upper-Rank Sanctuary, equivalent to a Bone-Forging Martial Artist.

Seeing Zhou Leng's terrifying destructive power, the Druid was sincerely convinced.

His bear transformation didn't fall short of Zhou Leng in strength but far less in destructive force.

Others were puzzled in their hearts; why were the Elves so respectful to this human, had he used a charm spell?

Suddenly, a squad of demons and giant insects rushed over like mad.

They didn't glance at Zhou Leng and others, sticking to the passage as they fled.

Zhou Leng and his team exchanged glances, their hearts pounding, turning to run along with the demons.

In the Demon Language, Zhou Leng asked, "Demon friend, I am a Priest of the Ice Snow Divine Sect, what's happening?"

"Giants, Grandmaster."

Upon translating this, all the Tree-men cursed in unison.

"Damn."

Everyone quickened their pace.

Behind them, a sudden roar erupted, and a violent wind swept through.

The powerful sound of something breaking through the air made everyone's eardrums ache.

A terrifying Grandmaster's pressure descended, freezing everyone's bodies; they were utterly unable to move.

Zhou Leng and the others watched, wide-eyed, as a ten-meter-tall Grandmaster Giant charged towards the demon horde, not attacking, as if just passing through, trampling the earth.

All the demons fell like wild grass.

The Grandmaster Giant stopped, turning his head to look back.

No one dared to breathe.

Two frail elves trembled, devoid of any elf-like arrogance.

Zhou Leng was stunned for a moment, unable to recognize the figure from a distance, but upon seeing the face, realized immediately.

Mountain River Celestial Peak, the father of Mountain and River Origin, whom he had met several times during the Giant Trial.

"Hello Uncle Mountain River," Zhou Leng greeted obediently and politely.

Mountain River Celestial Peak nodded and asked, "Do you have anything to eat? I've only eaten giant insects and demons recently, and it's disgusting."

With that, he rummaged through the giant insect's body, peeling away its shell to extract the meat and juices.

"Yes."

Zhou Leng generously took out some food he had bought on Blue Star, and the tense bodies of those present slowly began to relax.

Cyan Flame busily ran back and forth, helping to heat the food like a lackey, attentive and considerate, displaying none of the airs of a Demon Spirit family descendant.

Seeing the hot food, Mountain River Celestial Peak was delighted and began to eat and chat with Zhou Leng and the others.

Zhou Leng asked, "Why did you come here? Is it for the Blood of Tyranny?"

"I hold no grudge against the Blood of Tyranny. I'm here for the Ancient Tree Fossil, and I have a good relationship with the Tree-men, so I came to Silverlake Town to help. Sadly, I encountered a great earthquake as soon as I arrived. Those old fellows around the Elf King are truly despicable."

"You suspect the Elf King as well?"

"Who else but them would do such a thing?"

"Are you also looking for an exit?"

"Not really. I'm looking for the Ancient Tree Fossil. As for an exit, I'll just find a weak spot and keep breaking through. I'll get out eventually."

"..."

Everyone was speechless; such brutality from a master.

Others stole glances at Zhou Leng, wondering what kind of identity this human had, to be on such good terms with a Grandmaster Giant?

In the distance, an invisible demon flying spirit dodged Cyan Flame's spell, having witnessed the scene, and swiftly returned.

Having consumed half of Zhou Leng's stored provisions, Mountain River Celestial Peak also requested some strong-flavored or spicy snacks like snail noodles, spicy chicken feet, and spicy strips before patting his belly and laughing, "Your human food is truly tasty, but there's just not enough of it."

With that, he ran off in the direction from which the demon flying spirit had come.

Everyone watched the majestic figure of Mountain River Celestial Peak departing, filled with admiration.

A Grandmaster Giant, so overwhelming; he felt like a mountain pressing down when in close proximity, making it hard to breathe.

A Tree-man asked, "Zhou Leng... sir, do you know this Grandmaster Giant?"

"Yes, I'm friends with his son. We've drunk together in the Giant World."

The Giant Bear Druid muttered softly, "Strange human, knows everyone."

Vigorous Root asked, "This Mountain River Celestial Peak, he should be very powerful, right?"

"Very powerful; with demigod bloodline, he could grow strong enough to be second only to Red Eyes and Blood of Tyranny."

Cyan Flame said, "Even if he's a bit weaker, it wouldn't be by much."

The Giant Bear Druid asked, "Why did this Grandmaster suddenly run off? What is he planning to do?"

"Who knows."

"Let's continue."

The demon flying spirit returned to Aiden's group, landing on the hand of a Great Innate Demon Mage.

He quickly reviewed the adventures the flying spirit had encountered, finally seeing Zhou Leng's group dining with the giant.

The giant seemed to glance this way ever so faintly.

The demon mage said, "Prince Aiden, I've made a new discovery."

"What is it?"

"Zhou Leng's group was dining with a Grandmaster Giant; they seem to know each other."

"Really?" Aiden's expression slightly changed.

Even the two demon Grandmaster mages from the Trup Family in the group showed wary expressions.

They didn't particularly care about ordinary Grandmasters, but a Grandmaster Giant was different.

"Hold on, I'll turn it into a projection."

The demon mage finished speaking, and the bat-like demon flying spirit projected a light curtain from its eyes, revealing Zhou Leng and Mountain River Celestial Peak.

Aiden was stunned, as were the three Grandmasters.

"Mountain River Celestial Peak?"

"Mountain River Celestial Peak."

Aiden cursed, "How does Zhou Leng know him! Thankfully, we didn't follow Radiance of the Bright Candle's instructions to send three Grandmasters after them, or we'd likely find ourselves dead by his hand. Damn, who exactly is Zhou Leng? How does he know Mountain River Celestial Peak? Shen Jun, you're in Rucheng, what's going on with this?"

Shen Jun thought for a moment and said, "I heard Zhou Leng knows Mountain and River Origin. Mountain and River Origin is Mountain River Celestial Peak's son, so knowing him isn't surprising."

Aiden sighed in relief and said, "Good, good. Let's not pursue this any further; let's spare Zhou Leng this time. Also, send a message to Radiance of the Bright Candle, tell them not to walk into danger."

Boom... boom...

Slight tremors came from afar.

Sound travels faster through the ground than through the air.

The three Grandmasters' expressions changed, their eyes flickering with tension.

"Let's move quickly and hope it's not Mountain River Celestial Peak."

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