Full-Time Mage: Starting from Obtaining the Mysterious Ancient Tree

Chapter 436 Entering the Qinling Mountains
“This town is to guard against the demons of the Qinling Mountains. Actually, your arrival has done me a great favor. I have always wanted to go deep into the Qinling Mountains to investigate, but unfortunately, we are short-handed. Without sufficient strength, we probably can’t even get into the real depths of the Qinling Mountains,” Zhang Xiaohou said.

"Is this town under your jurisdiction?" Mo Fan asked.

“Yes, this military town is currently where I hold the highest rank, and I am responsible for command and defense,” Zhang Xiaohou said.

"In that case, let's head straight into the mountains," Mo Fan said eagerly.

There is an extreme urgency to advance to a higher level.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohou shook his head and refused, saying, "We can't go into the mountains yet."

"Why?" Mo Fan asked, puzzled. Did they have to choose an auspicious day?

“Every year at unpredictable times, a strange wind blows through the Qinling Mountains. This wind will constantly erode our bodies. Unless we maintain a layer of defense at all times, it won’t be long before we are stripped bare of our bones,” Zhang Xiaohou replied.

"And the wind is so strong, the Qinling Mountains are indeed strange mountains," Zhao Manyan said.

“This kind of wind is indeed very strange in the records,” Fang Yu said.

However, the formation of this wind also foreshadows the upcoming Feather Clan Grand Ceremony. He has been looking forward to the scenery above the sky for a long time, the unknown secrets, the unknown Feather Emperor, and he wonders if he will be able to witness its splendor.

“We have to wait until the strongest phase of this wind has passed before we go into the mountains, otherwise we won’t be able to travel many kilometers,” Zhang Xiaohou explained.

"Can you figure out the pattern of this swirling wind?" Lingling asked.

Zhang Xiaohou shook his head.

“The winds of Suofeng are unpredictable, so there’s no need to investigate them,” Fang Yu explained, patting Lingling’s head.

It was merely a whirlwind created by the occasional flight of the winged demons.

Then, Fang Yu continued, "Let's rest here for now and enter when the Windfall period weakens."

"What a hassle!" Mo Fan was distressed; his path to transcending the ranks had been incredibly difficult.

After nightfall, the town became exceptionally quiet.

"Waaaaahh ...

In the middle of the night, outside the town, the sound of wind that looked like crying could be heard from time to time. If you could hear this sound even here, you could understand how terrifying the evil winds of the Qinling Mountains were!
Fang Yu opened his eyes, released spatial power to cover the room, and then continued his cultivation.

I stayed there for five or six days before the howling wind finally subsided.

As they packed their bags and headed into the mountains, a group of mages in military uniforms suddenly appeared outside the town. Judging from the medals on their shoulders, they were a group of high-ranking military mages.

Leading the group was a special officer whose uniform was a slightly different color from Zhang Xiaohou's. He rode a brownish-gold earth dragon, whose extremely strong physique gave people a feeling of boundless power. When he stepped into the town, his domineering aura immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Earth Dragon?" Zhao Manyan recognized the powerful beast at a glance and asked with some surprise.

"Are you sure it's a dragon?" Mo Fan stared at the mount. To be honest, riding such a powerful beast was indeed imposing and majestic. Even the Flying River White Wolf seemed to be several levels below it!

Dragons have long lifespans but extremely poor reproductive capabilities, especially true dragons with noble bloodlines. The number of true dragons in the world should be constant, neither decreasing nor increasing.

"The Forbidden City Army, it seems that Jiang Shaoxu ultimately acted alone during his time in Egypt," Fang Yu muttered to himself.

"Who is the commander-in-chief here?" Yalong's master looked down and asked the military mages in front of the door.

The soldiers were stunned by the imposing aura; their voices lost their military strength, and they all looked towards Zhang Xiaohou.

"I am." Zhang Xiaohou took a step forward and glanced at the other person, noticing that he hadn't given a military salute.

Soldiers, regardless of rank, must always salute. Since the other party has barged into a small military town under their jurisdiction without any prior notice, they should at least salute first and then state their purpose.

“We are heading to the Qinling Mountains to rescue an important person. You will personally lead the team and select some elites to accompany us. I will only give you half an hour to prepare,” the man from Yalong said in a commanding tone.

"Is there any documentation?" Zhang Xiaohou asked, frowning.

“My words are law,” said the dragon master.

Zhang Xiaohou and the other party were of the same rank, so naturally he wouldn't tolerate it. He said calmly, "Without official orders, I won't obey your commands."

Upon hearing this, the man's expression turned hostile!
How could a high-ranking officer of the Forbidden City Army be refuted in such a small place?

...

...

Only then did he carefully examine Zhang Xiaohou, and this examination was more like scrutiny, which was very unfriendly.

"Heh, I didn't expect there to be a junior general in such a small place." The man from Yalong noticed Zhang Xiaohou's rank and said with some surprise.

"So can we talk properly now?" Zhang Xiaohou didn't give the other party a friendly look either.

"I am Li Dexin, from the Forbidden City Army. These are my colleagues. We received an important temporary order from the headquarters' Grand Commander, ordering us to immediately proceed to the Qinling Mountains to rescue the Grand Commander's family members trapped there. We must not fail in our orders." The man riding the dragon spoke with his usual arrogance. "So arrogant?" Fang Yu finished speaking, his body surging with magical energy and flashing with light.

Roar!
The dimensional space opened up, and A Bao roared as he stepped out, his body rapidly growing larger until it stood upright like a golden mountain, towering between the earth.

When Li Dexin saw this scene, he was first stunned, and then surprised!
"Can you speak properly now?" Fang Yu said calmly.

"A monarch-level demon!"

Li Dexin's previous arrogance vanished instantly, and he immediately nodded in submission.

After some communication, Zhang Xiaohou originally didn't intend to pay any attention to the other party, but seeing that the other party's attitude had become humble, and considering that it was someone from the Forbidden City Army who wanted to conduct the search and rescue, his attitude became hesitant.

"It'll be more lively with more people!" Mo Fan advised.

“Yes, yes, did you guys see that female officer who’s further back? Wow, she’s gorgeous!” Zhao Manyan chimed in.

Zhao Manyan's eyes can always find females in a crowd in the shortest amount of time, and quickly filter out those with ordinary appearances, locking onto those charming beauties!

Finally, the group officially set off.

The Forbidden City Army consisted of nine men, led by Junior General Li Dexin, who rode his earth dragon at the very front of the column, appearing somewhat ostentatious.

This guy is probably just like that; it feels like he'd be incongruous if he didn't put on a show.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Manyan kept discussing the girls in the Forbidden City with Fang Yu.

For example, there was a woman with a ponytail. Her hair was very thick, and even when it was tied up, it still looked very thick. It hung straight down to her slender waist, and a dark brown leather belt tied around her waist perfectly accentuated her stunning figure.

Soon after, Zhao Manyan took the initiative to walk over and strike up a conversation with the woman with the ponytail from the Forbidden City.
Fang Yu didn't compete with Zhao Manyan for the prey; his mind was still on rescuing Jiang Shaoxu.

……

The Qinling Mountains are particularly steep. Before we had gone very far, the mountain path turned into a suspended plank road. On the inside were thick, majestic mountains, and on the outside were steep cliffs and deep valleys. The howling wind was always blowing past our ears. A delicate little girl like Lingling could be blown off the cliff at any moment.

Therefore, Mo Fan summoned his old wolf.

Although Feichuan Ailang was not as large as Li Dexin's dragon, it was still a commander-level creature, so it was naturally seen by Li Dexin after it was summoned.

However, upon seeing that Mo Fan's summoned beast was merely a low-level wolf, Li Dexin showed a slight disdain.

In his eyes, the bloodline of the wolf summon beast was insignificant. Even to a true high-level mage, creatures of this bloodline were practically useless.

"I didn't expect you to be a summoner too," Li Dexin said, looking at Mo Fan riding a wolf beside him.

“Yes,” Mo Fan replied.

"But your limit as a wolf beast is already a commander, right?" Li Dexin continued.

“Yes, it is indeed very difficult to reach the monarch level; it requires a great deal of enhancement materials,” Mo Fan said.

"Enhancement materials? You're far too naive. The bloodline of a summoned creature is crucial. Your wolf beast has clearly been enhanced to this level. If it continues to be enhanced, even if it reaches the monarch level, it will still be far inferior to some creatures with high bloodlines. Take my Earth Dragon, for example; with its powerful physique and dragon breath, it's completely incomparable to a wolf-like demon like you," Li Dexin said.

"Hehe, Yalong is indeed strong, but I've already developed feelings for my old wolf," Mo Fan replied.

Li Dexin looked at Mo Fan with slight disdain, thinking he was a short-sighted man, and said, "A wolf is still a wolf, and it can't be compared to a dragon. Once your cultivation level improves, you'll find that this kind of creature can only be used as a means of transportation."

Mo Fan did not respond, but simply gave Li Dexin a smile.

The two people in front could hear the conversation clearly from behind.

Zhang Xiaohou said with dissatisfaction, "This person is really disgusting in every way."

“Most capable people are like this; you get used to it. Unlike me, I’ve been in seclusion, cultivating diligently. I just need an opportunity to showcase my abilities, and then I can amaze the world,” Zhao Manyan said nonchalantly.

"Brother Zhao, what do you mean by this?" Zhang Xiaohou asked, puzzled.

"You'll understand when you encounter a crisis," Zhao Manyan said, patting Zhang Xiaohou on the shoulder. When they encounter demons, once he reveals his super-level cultivation, all those sub-dragons will be out of the way.

Zhang Xiaohou remained silent for a moment.

"Hey, Brother Zhao, weren't you pursuing that female officer? How did you end up with me?" Zhang Xiaohou asked again.

"There's no chance to show off my strength right now, but we'll have to wait for another opportunity," Zhao Manyan said, pursing his lips.

His handsome appearance failed to attract the other party. Helpless, Zhao Manyan could only make other plans. Next time, he would show off his cultivation level when he had the chance, and then the beauty would be his for the taking.

Zhao Manyan refused to believe that there wouldn't be an opportunity for him to demonstrate his strength in this desolate wilderness!

"Awesome!" Zhang Xiaohou exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

(End of this chapter)