"Brother, where exactly is this Moyang Flower you mentioned? How are we not there yet?"

"If we keep going, we’re going to enter the core region."

They had been walking for so long but still hadn’t seen the Moyang Flower.

By now, they were already deep inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.

If they went any further, the Demon Beasts inside would be even more terrifying.

At this point, they had traveled one-third of the way into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, which was considered the outer region.

Within this area, most of the Demon Beasts still had Warrior Cultivation, and Martial Master Demon Beasts were still relatively rare.

If they went any deeper, they would reach the core region. Most of the Demon Beasts there would have Martial Master Cultivation, and there would even be some with Martial King Cultivation. At that point, they wouldn’t be able to handle even one or two of them.

They wouldn’t even have time to escape.

Not to mention the very center, the central region, known as the Beast King territory.

A group of Beast King-level Demon Beasts lived there.

Every Beast King possessed Martial Arts Cultivation, and the most powerful ones had a Cultivation level comparable to a Martial Emperor.

So, with the Moyang Flower’s location still nowhere in sight, JinLing couldn’t help but worry.

Zhan Yang pondered for a moment.

He pointed ahead and said, "I’m not mistaken. It’s just up ahead. We’ll be there in less than an hour," he said with certainty.

Jiang Chen remained silent the whole time.

He was focused on the Black Fire.

According to the senses of his Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique, the Black Fire was, at the very least, in the core region of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.

That place was extremely dangerous.

’Looks like the Black Fire won’t be easy to obtain.’

Jiang Chen gave a wry smile inwardly.

Along the way, they had also encountered several groups of Martial Cultivators, but they had all hurried past without a greeting.

Jiang Chen had a feeling that most of them were probably after the Black Fire.

Only Zhan Yang’s group was just after the Moyang Flower.

He wasn’t in a hurry to leave, so he continued to follow Zhan Yang and his group.

"Look! That’s the canyon! The Moyang Flower is in that canyon."

Soon, Zhan Yang grew excited.

He immediately recognized it as the place where he had once seen a Moyang Flower.

"When I saw the Moyang Flower back then, it hadn’t bloomed yet."

"Now, it’s probably about to bloom."

Excitement gleamed in his eyes.

If they could just retrieve the Moyang Flower, their Warring States Mercenary Corps would be promoted to a Three-Star Mercenary Corps, allowing them to accept Three-Star Tasks.

Raising the Warring States Mercenary Corps to a Three-Star rank had always been his dream.

At that moment, Lu Beifeng, Niu Tuo, and JinLing all visibly brightened.

"Haha, looks like we’ll complete this mission without a hitch."

"Once we get the Moyang Flower, our Warring States Mercenary Corps can be promoted to a Three-Star Mercenary Corps."

The four of them were unusually excited.

Jiang Chen had also been listening to them talk about Mercenary Teams along the way.

Here, Mercenary Teams were divided into ten levels.

From One-Star Mercenary Corps to Ten-Star Mercenary Corps.

Mercenary Teams earned rewards by accepting tasks of different Star Levels.

The rules for accepting tasks were also different. A One-Star Mercenary Corps could only accept One-Star Tasks.

Typically, the reward for a One-Star Task was very low.

However, the competition was extremely fierce.

For a One-Star Mercenary Corps to be promoted to a Two-Star Mercenary Corps, it needed to complete ten One-Star Tasks. Once they had completed the ten tasks, they could go to any Mercenary Castle to upgrade their Mercenary Team’s Star Level.

The same rule applied for promotion from a Two-Star Mercenary Corps to a Three-Star Mercenary Corps.

This process continued all the way up to the Ten-Star Mercenary Corps rank.

However, those that could become Five-Star Mercenary Corps were extremely rare.

Furthermore, Mercenary Teams above the Five-star level were as rare as a phoenix feather or a qilin’s horn.

Zhan Yang and his group were constantly striving to raise their Mercenary Team’s Star Level in pursuit of higher rewards.

"Let’s go!"

Zhan Yang took the lead, a Battle Saber in his hand.

Lu Beifeng was by his side.

Jiang Chen and JinLing were in the middle, and Niu Tuo brought up the rear.

The five-person team gradually approached the canyon.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

In the canyon, a stream flowed through, and the air was damp, even a bit chilly.

Deep within the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, sunlight couldn’t penetrate year-round, creating a dark, cold, and damp environment.

"Be careful."

The five of them followed the treeline at the canyon’s edge, heading down into it.

’A team like this could hardly be called powerful.’

Jiang Chen was also impressed. These people really had guts. With their strongest at only the Martial Master Second Realm, they dared to venture this deep into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, almost entering the core region.

It reminded him of himself a thousand years ago—no, even longer ago than that. Back then, his Cultivation had also been very low, and he too had grown by constantly adventuring in all sorts of dangerous places.

He was filled with emotion—a familiar feeling.

A sense of nervous tension crept over him.

Just like his adventures in the past, he had to be on guard against danger at all times.

Inside his body, the Nine Heavens Spirit-Seizing Technique was constantly circulating.

He was cultivating while observing his surroundings, ever-watchful for unknown dangers.

He kept a grip on the Divine Wind Fan in one hand and the Cloud Mist Sword in the other.

He even held a Blazing Pill ready in his palm.

SWISH SWISH SWISH...

The five of them moved deeper into the canyon.

The canyon was very deep, with towering rock walls on both sides.

Finally, Zhan Yang led the group to the base of a cliff.

He pointed up the cliff and said, "Look, it’s right up there. There’s a stone cave."

"The Moyang Flower is growing at the mouth of the cave. It’s just that from here, the undergrowth at the entrance is too thick and hides it."

"I’m sure no one else has discovered that a Moyang Flower is here."

He was full of confidence and also a little proud of his discovery.

"By the way, Brother Yang, how did you find the Moyang Flower there in the first place?"

"I’ve been staring for a while, and I really can’t tell that a Moyang Flower would grow there."

Lu Beifeng was a little surprised that Zhan Yang had managed to discover a Moyang Flower growing in such a hidden place.

Zhan Yang smiled.

"I came here once with another Mercenary Team, but I got separated from the others. In the end, a Demon Beast chased me here. I climbed the cliff and hid at the cave entrance, which is how I barely managed to escape."

"And that’s when I found the Moyang Flower."

The previously silent and proud Zhan Yang was now much more talkative.

"Alright, I’ll go up and get the Moyang Flower."

Niu Tuo stepped forward, ready to go get the Moyang Flower.

But Zhan Yang quickly stopped him.

"Wait. The Moyang Flower has a guardian Demon Beast."

"A Celestial Brown Ridge Python."

"That Celestial Brown Ridge Python’s Cultivation is at the Warrior Ninth Heaven. It almost ate me last time."

Zhan Yang reminded the group again.

He had already told them on the way that there was indeed a Warrior Ninth Heaven Celestial Brown Ridge Python guarding the Moyang Flower.

It seemed to be waiting for the moment the Moyang Flower bloomed as well.

Niu Tuo already knew this and laughed. "What’s the big deal? It’s just one Warrior Ninth Heaven Celestial Brown Ridge Python, right?"

"I can go up and kill it easily."

But to get the Moyang Flower now, they did indeed need to kill the Celestial Brown Ridge Python.

The group fell silent for a moment.

Lu Beifeng had to protect Zhan Yang and JinLing, so in the end, Niu Tuo was the most suitable choice to go up.

"It’s fine for you to go, but you must be careful. That Celestial Brown Ridge Python is covered in deadly poison."

"It’s not easy to deal with."

Niu Tuo puffed out his chest.

"Leave it all to me."

With that, he took his great hammer and began to climb the cliff.