Two bees flew across a boundless, yellowish-brown marsh. The terrain below gradually changed. To the left lay a vast Blood-colored Grassland, while to the right, a chain of indistinct, rolling mountains appeared.

The trickling streams between the marshlands converged, forming a small, winding river that divided the Blood-colored Grassland on the left from the mountains on the right, providing an abundant water source for the creatures on both sides.

The moment he saw the river, Han Ning looked down to carefully study the map. He took out his walkie-talkie and said to Lü Xiuning, who was flying a dozen or so meters away, "Another 100 kilometers ahead is Gray Stone Mountain, according to the map. Gray Stone Mountain is the highest peak in this hundred-kilometer radius. Some formidable Soul Beasts live there, and the climate at the summit is extremely unstable. Thunderstorms are a common occurrence, and a few Electric Fire Cannon Insects can be found."

"However, before we get there, about 50 kilometers ahead is the edge of an Insect Master Tribe’s territory. There’s a chance we’ll run into Insect Servants. I suggest we have Egg Pancake travel on the ground and use Mimicry to get through that area."

It wasn’t that Han Ning was afraid of any potential Insect Servants. He was worried that if they fought the small ones, the big ones would show up, causing unnecessary trouble.

Lü Xiuning replied with a single word: "Okay."

After their brief discussion, the two switched to traveling by land. Egg Pancake’s running speed was a bit slower than the bees’ flying speed, but it had the advantage of being safer. Unless a Soul Beast with a higher Level than Egg Pancake passed by, or an Insect Master with sufficient Spiritual Power, no one would be able to see through its Mimicry.

Even Lü Xiuning had only noticed the anomaly in Egg Pancake’s Mimicry at very close range.

The only ones with greater Spiritual Power than him were Insect Masters.

...

Their journey was unimpeded. Aside from a few scattered insects, there was no sign of any Insect Servants.

A little over an hour later, a towering mountain peak that pierced the clouds gradually loomed larger in their vision.

"The Electric Fire Cannon Insects are at the summit of Gray Stone Mountain. Good thing Egg Pancake is part of the lizard family, otherwise climbing this mountain path would be pretty difficult."

This was a steep mountain, rising from the ground at a nearly 80-degree angle. There was no path up. The mountain’s body was a grayish-white, like a great conical pillar piercing the heavens.

Scattered green vegetation dotted the steep mountain face, and some massive insects could be seen flying in and out among the plants.

Looking further up, the summit was shrouded in a thick white mist, making it impossible to see how high it was.

"No birds. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but where there are insects, there are no birds. Back in the Mist Deep Valley, when the Copper-Feathered Falcons appeared, the insects nearly vanished," Lü Xiuning said, retracting his gaze.

"It’s probably because the Insect Masters deliberately eliminated them. This place isn’t far from Insect Master territory, so it’s fairly normal not to see any birds."

After this brief exchange, the two didn’t linger. Han Ning spotted a relatively gentle route up the mountain and had Egg Pancake start climbing.

Han Ning had hidden the two bees in the woods outside. He was worried that if they rode the bees straight to the summit, they would be attacked by the Soul Beasts living on Gray Stone Mountain. Besides, thunderstorms were frequent here; it wouldn’t be good if they got struck by lightning.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~"

Here, Egg Pancake’s advantages became apparent. Its four wide claws acted like suction cups, gripping the rock face firmly. Although the cliff was steep, Egg Pancake moved as if on flat ground, even a fraction faster than its speed on land, as it nimbly scurried toward the summit.

Following the directions on the map, the two methodically advanced toward the area where the Electric Fire Cannon Insects were active.

As they ascended, the two soon passed the mountainside.

By this point, the white mist on the mountain had grown even thicker.

The air was heavy with moisture, and the calls of creatures from the forests growing on the cliffs to either side gradually became more frequent.

"Egg Pancake, watch out!"

Han Ning’s Spiritual Power suddenly stirred; he sensed something rapidly approaching from the front left.

’Yin Yi, prepare for battle.’ He had just sent the signal with his Spiritual Power.

The next instant, a thick black shadow suddenly burst out from the mountain face ahead, whipping its long tail to smash down heavily on the two riders on Egg Pancake’s back.

It was a large, earth-yellow snake covered in sharp, diamond-shaped scales, thicker than Han Ning’s waist.

Almost simultaneously, Yin Yi’s body lit up with a brilliant green light. Twenty glowing Flower Thorns tore through the wind and sliced into the black shadow.

FFFT FFFT FFFT~

Ever since its Talent had been upgraded to C, Yin Yi’s Flower Thorns possessed even greater Penetration Power. They struck the same spot repeatedly, instantly piercing the great snake’s midsection and severing it in two.

Lü Xiuning’s Wood Demon’s attack followed immediately after, reducing the ambushing snake to a bloody pulp in the blink of an eye.

"An Awakened Level Rock Viper." Han Ning flipped through his Insect Master guide, identifying the creature. Then, his Spiritual Power stirred again, and he immediately sensed a dozen more Rock Vipers of varying sizes leaping up toward them.

"They’re just some Entry Level Rock Vipers. Nothing to worry about. Yin Yi."

"Ling~"

Yin Yi’s Flower Thorns adjusted their trajectory in mid-air, strafing in a 360-degree arc with no blind spots.

Egg Pancake didn’t attack. It expanded the protective range of its stone sphere, enclosing itself to protect the Beast Masters on its back.

Meanwhile, Lü Xiuning commanded his Wood Demon to leap into the air along the rock face. Its form became distorted and viscous, and it conjured a dozen identical copies of itself that silently latched onto the Rock Vipers’ bodies.

Any Rock Viper that the Wood Demons latched onto went completely limp, writhing feebly before falling powerlessly to the ground below.

Han Ning studied the small, white-spotted Wood Demon with great interest. "Teacher Lü, your Wood Demon’s ability is quite impressive. Is that an Illusion Technique?"