Chapter 2: Ding Ding (Part 2)

The roast meat satisfied everyone, and more importantly, it gave them a genuine sense of belonging to this small group—something Guo Shier didn’t expect.
The eight of them ate nearly 400 jin of meat in total, averaging around 50 jin per person. Guo Shier thought to himself, “These people really can eat like hell! Even more than pigs in my past life!”
…
For over ten days, they hunted a mutated Fu Beast every day. Most of these beasts were at level 3 or 4, with a few at level 1 or 2; no level 5 ones had been encountered yet.
Their teamwork grew more and more seamless, and Zhou Xiaoling’s skills were highly praised by everyone. This young girl’s strength was comparable to that of the Eagle Demon, thanks to her extensive combat experience.
The Eagle Demon spoke highly of Zhou Xiaoling. In private, he told Guo Shier that this girl had received the best teachings and undergone rigorous training—she was one of the rare geniuses he had ever seen, not much inferior to Guo Shier himself.
Guo Shier wasn’t jealous. He had no desire to compete; his only goal was to continuously improve himself and strengthen his soul—that was what truly mattered to him.
The Eagle Demon approached Guo Shier. Over these days, Guo Shier hadn’t fought at all. He had used the Giant Nest Dragon to drive the mutated Fu Beasts over and the Dark Winged Scorpion to protect the camp. Otherwise, he had practiced nonstop day and night. He was very satisfied with his progress over these ten days, feeling that his soul had grown stronger.
Sun Min’er, Peng Yuanwang, and the others had also improved dramatically. Although their strength hadn’t increased much, they could now wield the skills of a beginner-level Great Fu Warrior. That was no small feat—before this, they could barely reach the level of a Fu Warrior. Everyone became more and more confident.
Guo Shier said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, we’re ready to leave.”
The Eagle Demon had been waiting impatiently. Since Zhou Xiaoling had said that practicing in the Black Mist Area gave a completely different experience, he also had high expectations. He said, “Good. I’ll go call someone to pack up the tents and luggage.”
Guo Shier nodded. Aside from some supplies he carried himself, everything else was with the group, so he didn’t need to pack it himself.
Soon, everyone returned and started packing the tents and luggage. There were three Great Fu Sorcerers and five Great Fu Warriors among them. If these eight people were in the North Fu Sect, they would possess terrifying strength and wouldn’t do such chores themselves. But here, they had to. The only one who didn’t lift a finger was Guo Shier—partly because he was young, and partly because his strength was the highest, making him the undisputed leader of the team.

Everyone quickly finished packing up, and Guo Shier gently clapped and said, “Alright, come over to me all…”
They gathered around, and Guo Shier said, “Today we’re going to the Black Mist Area. If anyone has any suggestions, opinions, or questions, feel free to share them.” This was a habit he developed in his past life. Different from the people here, who only needed to follow orders without offering any suggestions.
Zhou Xiaoling said, “I have a question… How are we going to get there? The route isn’t easy at all.” She glanced at Yang Qi and the others, her face showing concern.
Guo Shier said, “Don’t worry. We’ll ride the Giant Nesting Dragon!”
Sun Min’er agreed loudly, “That’s great! Haha, riding a Giant Nesting Dragon must be so impressive! Haha, I love it!”
Peng Yuanwang said, “If we ride a Giant Nesting Dragon, I guess… no one or mutated spirit beasts will dare to mess with us.”
Lan Hu, Xuan Ai, and Yang Qi also nodded repeatedly. They had all seen the power of the Giant Nesting Dragon—it was not only extremely strong but also very fast.
Zhou Xiaoling said, “We can ride the Giant Nesting Dragon on the way, but it’s best not to ride it inside the Black Mist Area. The mutated spirit beasts there are different from those in the Gray Mist Area and Blood Mist Area. There are powerful mutated spirit beasts of level eight to nine in the Black Mist Area. Although these beasts have their own territories, as long as we don’t provoke them and stay careful, we won’t be in danger. But if we release a Giant Nesting Dragon…”
Guo Shier was stunned and asked, “So, they can sense a threat and come to drive us away… meaning we’ll be in danger?”
Zhou Xiaoling nodded. “That’s right! Your Giant Nesting Dragon is already close to the strength of a level eight mutated spirit beast. Once we encounter one, a fierce battle for territory will be inevitable… We wouldn’t even be able to escape, let alone fight, in the face of a level eight mutated spirit beast!”
Only Zhou Xiaoling had been to the Black Mist Area before; the others had never been there, so everyone valued her opinion greatly. Guo Shier pondered, “Hmm… We can ride the Giant Nesting Dragon while traveling, but once we enter the Black Mist Area, we have to put it away?”
Zhou Xiaoling said, “There’s no need to put it away… but we can’t take it with us. You can let it roam freely and grow on its own… There are all kinds of strange things in the Black Mist Area, and the Giant Nesting Dragon will surely enjoy them. Besides, I can tell it already has a sense of awareness. It will choose its opponents on its own, and if it can’t win, it runs very fast.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Hmm, I get it. The risks are high, but the rewards are even greater… If we let the Giant Perching Dragon hunt freely, it might advance quickly, but if it encounters a Level 9 mutated talisman beast, it’s likely to be destroyed or suffer severe damage to its spirit.”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled and said, “Spirit beasts are very hard to eliminate. As long as the talisman isn’t broken, they will slowly recover, though it takes a long time.”
Guo Shier suddenly thought of his Ancient Flame Sparrow talisman. He guessed that the spirit of the Ancient Flame Sparrow must have suffered severe damage, almost to the point of collapse, and it had only slowly recovered inside the talisman.
Guo Shier wasn’t very familiar with this knowledge, so he asked, “What’s the most common mutated talisman beast in the Black Mist Zone right now?”
Zhou Xiaoling replied, “Level 6 mutated talisman beasts are the most common. Level 7 and 8 ones are rare, but there are also quite a few Level 5 ones… They all venture in at great risk. If they encounter a mutated talisman beast of Level 7 or above, they’re doomed…”
Guo Shier asked, “Is it also because of the Black Mist Zone’s allure?”
Zhou Xiaoling said, “Yes. It’s the best place for cultivation, whether for humans or beasts. Even ordinary talisman beasts will mutate quickly once they enter. It’s an unparalleled treasure land for cultivation.”
Xuan Ai asked, “What about Level 9 mutated talisman beasts… Surely someone will come to deal with them?”
Zhou Xiaoling shook her head. “It depends. If a Level 9 mutated talisman beast wants to advance, it will definitely be dealt with. Once it reaches Level 10, the masters cultivating there hardly have any chance of escaping, so it must be dealt with… Level 9 mutated talisman beasts are extremely rare. As long as we stay careful and avoid them, it’s not a big problem.”
Guo Shier found this strange and said, “It can’t just be avoided by staying careful… There must be some secret to it.”
Zhou Xiaoling nodded. “Most Level 8 and 9 mutated talisman beasts gather in the center of the Black Mist Zone, where the mist is thickest and the rewards greatest. The senior masters who come here for training usually operate on the edges, rarely daring to venture inward. Moreover, the terrain in the Black Mist Zone is very complex. The most terrifying part is the swamps. As long as we see swamps, we’ll definitely avoid them—there’s no way to survive there.”
Guo Shier asked, “Why?”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled bitterly. “That’s the habitat of mutated talisman worms. You know, mutated talisman worms are more troublesome than mutated talisman beasts. They always come in groups, and even a single one is terrifying—either poisonous or vicious, making them hard to deal with.”
Guo Shier said, “I have Dark Winged Demon Scorpions. Talisman worms aren’t scary. Besides, we won’t go deep into the swamps either.”

Lanhu asked, “Dingding, how do you know so much?”
Zhou Xiaoling replied, “I’ve lived in the Black Mist Area for half a year. I’m just one step away from becoming aCrazy Master, so of course I know about it.”
Guo Shier was secretly relieved. Thanks to Zhou Xiaoling’s help, he had learned all this. Otherwise, if he had rushed into the Black Mist Area and accidentally provoked an eighth-level mutated talisman beast or, worse, encountered a ninth-level one, things would have been disastrous.
“Alright, with the Giant Nest Dragon, we can reach the Black Mist Area quickly. Everyone, climb onto its back.”
Everyone flew onto the Giant Nest Dragon’s back. Standing there, Zhou Xiaoling couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow! It’s so spacious! I’ve never seen such an amazing Spirit Beast before, Dingding. Shier, where did you get this talisman? It’s amazing!”
Guo Shier said proudly, “It was made by my master!”
Everyone felt deep respect. Zhou Xiaoling added, “Your master must be at least a high-level Holy Master, maybe even a junior Grand Holy Master. I feel… your master probably has the strength of a Grand Holy Master.”
A Grand Holy Master was already a high-ranking figure even on the Advanced Continent. Though not at the very top, they were very close to it.
Xuan Ai showed an envious expression. Noticing that everyone seemed envious, Guo Shier wondered, “Don’t you all have masters?”
Xuan Ai replied, “It would be great if we could learn from a Holy Master-level expert. A Grand Holy Master… that’s almost impossible. Unless someone is exceptionally talented, it’s out of the question.”
Zhou Xiaoling smiled and said, “Not necessarily. Once you leave the Bloody Secret Realm, you can at least learn from a Holy Master-level expert. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to learn from a Grand Holy Master.”
Sun Min’er said, “I don’t want to even think about it. It’s impossible. Better not dwell on it, or it will upset me.” He seemed quite resigned.
Only then did Guo Shier realize that whether on the Lower Continent or the Advanced Continent, professionals were divided into different ranks. Although professionals on the Advanced Continent started with a higher base, not everyone was proud. They too had their own troubles and different statuses.
Eagle Demon flew up and said, “Shier, let’s go!”
Guo Shier said, “Dingding, you lead the way.”
Zhou Xiaoling identified the direction slightly and pointed to the left, saying, “Go that way. We’ll soon see a big river. We can refill our water there before continuing onward.”

Guo Shier was overjoyed and said, “There’s a river? That’s great!” He didn’t have much clean water with him, and after days of use, it was almost gone. Knowing there was a place to replenish it, he felt greatly relieved.
Under Guo Shier’s command, the Giant Nesting Dragon rushed forward at lightning speed. Any mutated beast that heard such heavy footsteps would flee in terror. Zhou Xiaoling exhaled in admiration, “It’s truly majestic!”
Standing on the dragon’s head, Lan Hu suddenly shouted, “There’s someone ahead!”