Mountain Patrol Military Officer

About a dozen miles down the mountain, within a crisscrossed ravine and dense forest,

accompanied by the rustling of leaves and the sound of breaking branches, three figures dashed through like birds in the forest, fleeing frantically.

In the darkness, the three of them stepped on trees and skimmed through branches, flying up and down, their swift movements creating gusts of wind that lifted leaves in the forest.

From time to time, they looked up, through the dense gaps between leaves, gazing upwards, with a hint of panic.

"Disperse!"

A clear shout rang out, and the three figures running in sequence quickly split in three directions.

In the next second, a sharp sound burst through the air from the side of the ravine, hurtling towards the dense forest.

A massive boulder, about twenty feet in size, cast a shadow like a cannonball, crashing down on the spot where the three had just been.

Immediately, there was an explosive roar.

Sawdust flew, dirt and rocks splattered, and the violent impact force, carrying flying debris and splintered wood, transformed into sharp blades, quickly spreading over a radius of a mile.

The three figures were struck by the shockwave, hurriedly illuminating halos around themselves. In the next breath, two of them groaned and were knocked away, rolling in the air, then slammed to the ground.

Finally, only a woman remained, clad in dark, tight-fitting clothes, with a high ponytail, carrying someone on her back, her expression suddenly changing.

"Junior Brother!"

She cried out, using momentum to leap back, extending her hands to release two strands of True Qi tassels from her sleeves, wrapping and pulling the two who had fallen.

Subsequently, she landed with a thud, retreating a dozen steps.

Pulling the two junior brothers close, Chu Xiangyu knelt on one knee, lifting a hand, and two yellow streaks of light shot out, hitting the backs of the two junior brothers. Then, she raised her hand vertically, forming a sword finger with two fingers, with a Talisman clasped in between.

"Earth Element!"

As she chanted the incantation with furrowed brows, the Talisman in her hand rapidly ignited, a yellow cloud enveloping them swiftly, and underground soil and stones exerted a suction force, drawing the yellow cloud and the three figures into it, making them disappear.

In just a brief moment!

After the few of them vanished, from behind the ravine, in the night sky, came a roar sounding like a dragon or a baby's cry.

Soon after, on the side of the ravine, a sweeping white mist surged down from above, rushing into the mountains.

Within the mist, strange black shadows flickered.

Within a dozen breaths, five or six miles away, amidst a jagged rock formation, an earthy yellow mist emerged from the rock crevices, followed by several figures stumbling out.

Chu Xiangyu supported the two junior brothers from a distance, stabilizing her body, then gazed sharply, climbing nimbly like a cat to a high vantage point, looking around.

She saw that the surrounding mountain forest was filled with thick white mist, the air thick with a musty scent, rendering the forest eerily silent, devoid of insect chirping and bird calls. From afar came the tumultuous sound of rushing water and roars, exuding an indescribable oppression.

The water vapor covered the forest so quickly, engulfing their surroundings in dense fog, concealing the details within.

"Senior Sister Chu, you take Little Junior Sister and leave quickly. Junior Brother Zhang and I will go out to buy you time."

The two remaining figures also climbed to the high ground, one of them a young man in white robes, his tied-up hair disheveled, clothes torn, right sleeve half missing, bandaged over his arm with crimson seeping through, lying against the rock wall, clutching a sword tightly, watching the surrounding mist, gritting his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and said.

Beside him, Junior Brother Zhang, pale-faced but also gritting his teeth, nodded.

"We have to split up now!"

"We're just holding you back if we stay."

Chu Xiangyu didn't look away, her expression unchanged, only untying the strap on her back.

"When I left, I promised Master to bring you all back."

"I've brought this calamity upon myself."

"I have to bear this responsibility."

Saying this, she lowered the Junior Sister on her back, who had a doll-like face, now unconscious, with a darkened complexion, seemingly poisoned.

Chu Xiangyu lightly stroked the doll-faced girl's hair, her expression unusually calm, "You must take Junior Sister out safely, I will find a way to distract them!"

With that, she was about to stand up from the rock wall.

"Senior Sister!"

Just in the pause of that low call,

within the thick fog, from the western direction, came the sound of wings flapping, followed by a green-gold bird flying beside them to a rock perch.

This bird, about a yard in size, each feather shining with divine radiance, bore an extraordinary spirit, appearing suddenly, with pale green eyes that looked almost human, gazing at the startled group, revealing an emotion. Then, it spread its wings, fanning towards the direction it came from.

A clear path appeared in the fog!

The Xuantian Sect group, trapped and weathered, were astonished by this scene, feeling a potent divinity from the bird, reminiscent of the aura they felt from the Mountain God on Wu Luo Mountain.

Yet, this Mountain God did not evoke such a strong sense of veneration.

Could this be the Mountain God of this place, appearing to guide them?

"Are you showing us the way?" Chu Xiangyu's eyes brightened with realization at the thought of the Mountain God, her heart a tad melancholic.

The green-gold bird nodded, then flapped its wings, flying towards the path.

The three exchanged a glance, then Chu Xiangyu nodded, supporting Junior Sister, and followed the bird first.

The other two junior brothers, with spirits lifted, quickly scrambled over stones and branches, following suit.

As the three followed the green-gold Divine Bird, they remained constantly alert, their hearts slightly uneasy, wary of any movements within the fog-covered forest on both sides.