Chapter 2: Fierce Battle in the Rain (Part 1)

The disciple said respectfully, “The camp supervisor asks the clan elder to come over.” Guo Shier said in surprise, “How does he know I’m here? I just arrived at Camp East-Huan No. 3 and haven’t informed the camp supervisor yet.”
“It was the Grand Elder of Nanya who sent the message.”
Guo Shier said, “Lead the way ahead. Nanfeng, you and the others follow.”
The group of seven, plus Guo Shier, made up eight people in total. They followed the disciple and soon arrived at a stone building. The disciple said, “This is the management office of Camp East-Huan No. 3. It’s guarded by three clan grand elders, but they don’t live here—they reside in separate buildings in the camp.”
As soon as he stepped through the gate, Guo Shier saw Nanya standing there, surrounded by a group of great sage masters. Nanya also noticed Guo Shier entering and quickly said a few words before leading a few of the sage masters forward. He said, “Clan elder, the temporary camp has been completely destroyed. This matter has already been reported to the clan…”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “It should still be safe here. The Gujin clan wouldn’t destroy even this place…”
Nanya replied, “The clan will send reinforcements soon. I need to stay at Camp No. 3 temporarily to prevent an ambush by the Gujin clan.” He sighed and said, “Sigh, I think war with the Gujin clan will start soon. I don’t know how many disciples and followers will die… It’s been peaceful for so long, but now war is finally coming.”
Guo Shier asked, “Have you been preparing for a long time?”
Nanya nodded and said, “Yes. We’ve been preparing for war since last year, and it’s dragged on until now.”
Guo Shier shook his head and said, “I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly…” He then asked, “Grand elder, when do you think it will affect this place?”
Nanya shook his head and said, “There should still be some time. I can’t be sure, but… it’s very unsafe to go out at the moment.”
Nanfeng led his team forward and bowed, saying, “Disciples pay their respects to the grand elder.” Although he held the status of a clan elder, he still had to bow respectfully even when facing experts of the Virtual Altar.
Nanya gave Nanfeng’s team a curious glance and nodded, “Mm, good.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “I plan to stay with Nanfeng’s team for a while. Well, I consider myself a member of their team.”
Nanya inwardly smiled bitterly, thinking, “You, an expert of the Real Altar and a guest clan elder, mixing with a group of low-level disciples—aren’t you just looking for trouble?” But since his status was lower than Guo Shier’s, he didn’t dare question his decision. He could only say with a smile, “Hehe, it’s an honor for Nanfeng’s team.”
Nanfeng replied, “The clan elder is too kind.”

Nan Ya tapped his forehead and said, “Oh, right. Let me introduce him. This is the supervisor of Camp Three, the Senior Great Sage Nan Li. He seems to have something to discuss with you.”
Nan Li appeared to be a middle-aged man with a slender build, rare among professionals. He had a long, square face, sunken cheeks, a protruding forehead, and a thin neck. Dressed in a black robe, he looked clean and tidy. He smiled and stepped forward to greet, “Elder, I’m Nan Li, hehe.”
Guo Shier nodded and asked, “Nan Li, what do you need from me?”
Nan Li replied seriously, “Elder, our camp is guarded by four great elders. I hope you can also help our camp by staying here temporarily.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Four great elders is already quite enough. Well, I’ll be going out with Nan Feng’s team soon. For the camp… give me a message token. If anything happens, send the token, and if I’m nearby, I’ll return quickly.”
Nan Li replied happily, “Yes, Elder.” He took out a message token and respectfully handed it to Guo Shier, adding, “Elder, you don’t have a place to stay yet, do you? I can arrange something for you in the camp.”
Guo Shier raised his hand to stop him. “We’ll be leaving soon. No need to arrange anything for now. I’ll talk to you when I return.”
Nan Li replied, “Understood.”
Guo Shier then bid farewell to Nan Ya. Nan Ya and Nan Li escorted Guo Shier to the door, and they parted ways. Only then did Guo Shier ask, “Nan Feng, where are you planning to go?”
Actually, Nan Feng didn’t want to go out, but he couldn’t refuse Guo Shier at that moment. After a brief hesitation, he said, “We’ll just search around the camp to see if there are any low-level mutated beast tokens. Hehe, mainly to give Nan Bao some experience—he lacks experience in the wild.”
Guo Shier’s interest diminished immediately. Frowning, he asked, “Is that all the task?”
Nan Feng replied anxiously, “Yes, sir.”
Guo Shier thought for a moment and said, “In that case, I’ll go alone. It’s not dangerous for you to stay around the camp. I’ll go explore the center of the grassland.”
Nan Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The longer he stayed with Guo Shier, the greater the pressure. Moreover, the situation wasn’t optimistic. He didn’t want to take risks, especially with junior disciples. He said, “Yes, Elder.”
The other members didn’t dare say much. After Guo Shier left, Nan Xiaotong asked, “Nan Feng, why do we have to do this?”
Nan Feng smiled bitterly. “Our strength is too weak. It would hinder the Elder’s actions.”

Nan Xiaotong asked, “Are we giving up our original mission?” Nan Feng only mentioned half of the mission; Nan Bao’s experiences were just incidental—those weren’t their main task.
Nan Feng said, “We have to abandon the original mission. Haven’t you heard that we’ve already gone to war with the Gujin family? While it’s still safe, we should head back now. It’s better not to carry out the mission than to fall into danger.” He was a very cautious person, aware of the perils outside. He had survived to this day and risen to the rank of Senior Great Sage precisely because of his prudence.
He added, “I can’t risk the team members just to please the clan elders.” His voice was low. The expressions of the team members softened—after all, Nan Feng was also acting for the safety of the team.
Nan Zhao asked, “So we’re going back to the headquarters?”
Nan Feng replied, “Let’s stay here for a few days first. We don’t need to act hastily. Let’s observe the situation. If there’s no war, we’ll make a decision then. If a full-scale war breaks out, we’ll return to the headquarters as soon as possible and send Nan Bao and the others back.”
The team members agreed with their captain’s caution. No one wanted to die. Once the war started, them, as lower-ranked disciples, would have no control over their own fates. Returning to the headquarters would be much safer. So everyone agreed and followed Nan Feng to find a settlement.
Guo Shieru arrived outside the camp. It was noon, but the weather was gloomy, with thick clouds hanging low. Several vulture-like birds circled in the sky, emitting shrill cries.
Many teams from the Gunan family were still out, most of them in the Donghuan Grasslands, with a few in the Donghuan Swamps and the Boshu Mountains.
Guo Shieru flew toward the grasslands. Instead of flying high, he stayed close to the ground—a habit he had developed. Having spent time in the wild, he knew there were too many dangers, so it was always better to be cautious. Even after reaching the level of a Solid Form Altar, he needed to remain vigilant.
Without Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan by his side, he felt a bit uncomfortable, as if something was missing. It took him a while to realize this, and he couldn’t help but sigh bitterly.
Three days later, Guo Shieru reached the depths of the Donghuan Grasslands.
The vast grasslands stretched as far as the eye could see. Guo Shieru landed on the grass and looked around blankly. The grass was lush, and as the breeze blew, he could see the backs of many animals—local herbivores grazing in groups among the tall grass. The sky grew even darker, and a sense of oppression weighed on his heart.

Not far away was a dirt slope, and Guo Shieru climbed it in just a few steps. He realized he was different from before—this speed was almost on par with teleportation, though his figure didn’t disappear. It seemed slow, but in reality, it was extremely fast. The slope was also overgrown with weeds. Standing there, he looked up at the sky, where faint lightning could be seen, and distant thunder rumbled. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, bringing a moist breeze that felt refreshing. He knew a heavy rainstorm was coming.

Crack… Boom!

Guo Shieru couldn’t help but pull in his neck. The thunder was astonishing, its vibrations seeming to reach deep into his heart, making his soul tremble.

Snap! Snap! Snap…

Raindrops the size of broad beans fell sporadically, accompanied by the pungent smell of grass. The raindrops grew denser, and soon, it was pouring heavily, with a loud rushing sound filling the air and everything turning white in sight. The fierce wind howled, sweeping large sheets of white rain across the land, causing the wild grass to sway violently. It seemed as though the sky might collapse.

Guo Shieru was completely drenched. He hadn’t used any talismans to protect himself from the rain; instead, he let it wash over him. The cool sensation helped calm his mood. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a heavy rain!”

He summoned the altar and stepped onto it. A faint golden light rose from the altar, blocking the heavy rain. Guo Shieru shivered slightly, and thick white mist emerged from his body. Moments later, he felt refreshed. He sat cross-legged. The handsome old man poked his head out and asked curiously, “Kid, what are you doing?”

Guo Shieru replied, “Enjoying the scenery.”

The handsome old man’s head spun around in confusion. After a while, he said, “What’s there to see? It’s all white—nothing can be seen.”

Guo Shieru said, “I’m just trying to feel the atmosphere.”

The handsome old man asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong with you?”

Guo Shieru was so stunned he couldn’t say a word. He waved his hand and said, “It’s impossible to explain to you…”

The handsome old man laughed heartily. He loved teasing Guo Shieru and found it very amusing. He said, “Kid, I’ve strengthened your Moon Blade for you. Hehe, using natural golden characters—these characters are hard to replicate. But you’re lucky; I found some good materials, all extracted from sacrificial treasures.”

Guo Shieru was overjoyed. “Ah, that’s great! Does that mean my Moon Blade now has three attributes?”

The handsome old man scolded rudely, “Idiot! The gold attribute is the basic attribute for weapons and blades. It’s usually not counted as an attribute. Your Moon Blade only has two attribute skills—one is fire, and the other is lightning. Hey, why don’t you study and inherit knowledge more carefully? You don’t know anything at all.”