Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

"We'll be there soon."

"Our temporary camp is just ahead."

Gao Nianwen pointed ahead to a clearing in the woods.

He led the way, continuing to explain the situation.

"There are quite a few people in the camp now. Almost all of them were attracted by the commotion a few days ago and were injured on the mountain."

As they spoke, the group entered the camp's perimeter.

The camp was divided into different areas, with about twenty people sitting sparsely, many of them with bloodstained bandages wrapped around their bodies.

We had met once before we set off.

"Don't be fooled by the large number of people here; in the past few days, a few martial artists have already been lost forever on this mountain."

Gao Nianwen continued speaking without stopping:

"There are still a few days before the secret realm closes, so I plan to stay here for another two days."

"Let's see if we can wait for other survivors or victims, and then we can bring everyone back together."

Hearing this, Ye Huairou's resentment resurfaced, and she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "What? We climbed all this way, and all we get is to sit here and wait to go back?"

"Captain Gao, what exactly is the treasure on the mountaintop?" Yang Xian ignored her complaints and asked the question he was most concerned about.

This month-long journey through the hidden realm is coming to an end.

However, there has been no news at all about the most important target, the "Nine-Turn Life-Extending Lotus".

Yang Xian also held onto a sliver of hope.

What if... that lotus is on the top of this mountain?

"I don't know exactly what it is either." Gao Nianwen shook his head.

"All I know is that the thing is guarded by the monsters on the mountain, and there are more than a dozen of them in the four realms."

"With the strength of us third-realm martial artists, we simply cannot get close."

"Take my advice and stop thinking about it."

"Rest here and make sure you get out of the secret realm safely. That's the wisest choice."

After giving his instructions, Gao Nianwen turned and left.

More than a dozen fourth-realm demonic beasts...

Yang Xian lowered his head, deep in thought.

If the "Nine-Turn Life-Sustaining Lotus" is indeed on the mountaintop, it's not impossible to snatch a spiritual herb from the clutches of those demonic beasts using the newly acquired divine-level technique, "Void Shadow Step."

Unfortunately, there is no information available now.

Going up the mountain rashly is really not a good idea.

"Ugh, what a wasted trip!" Ye Huairou plopped down on the ground, scratching her long purple hair in frustration, her face clearly showing her displeasure.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off searching for treasure elsewhere!"

"A waste of time!"

A round trip up and down the mountain takes several days.

Wouldn't it be better to go treasure hunting elsewhere instead of wasting that time?

Yang Xian ignored Ye Huairou's nagging again and gently stroked Feng.

"Feng, you said before that you felt your mother calling you..."

"So, your home is also on this mountain?"

If the sisters' family is indeed in the mountains and are the original inhabitants of the mountains, then there might still be a chance for things to turn around.

Perhaps we could try negotiating.

For example, bartering or something like that...

Upon hearing the word "home," fragmented and bloody images immediately flashed into the little wolf's mind.

Feng's voice trembled with tears as she spoke haltingly, "It used to be, but it's not anymore..."

Ling, on the other side, also raised her head and nuzzled Yang Xian's arm with her head.

From the two wolf cubs' sorrowful narration, Yang Xian finally pieced together the truth of the matter.

The two sisters had only been born a short time then.

A group of monsters launched a sneak attack while their mother was at her weakest.

Their biological father, despite being seriously injured, managed to fight his way out of the encirclement and escape with them.

After that, Yang Xian found the two wolf cubs.

The good news is that their mother is not dead; she seems to have gone into hiding.

However, even the most powerful intruder was seriously injured.

"So...do we still need to go up the mountain?"

After hearing all this, Zhou Xiyan asked softly.

"Let me think about it." Yang Xian frowned, his brain working at a rapid pace.

Without the advanced medical equipment and elixirs available on Earth, the recovery from injuries would be extremely slow.

More than twenty days have passed since I found the wolf cub.

The other party is most likely still recovering from serious injuries.

This is an opportunity.

But even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; a demon beast at least at the fifth realm is not something a second-realm martial artist like him can easily contend with.

Moreover, there are other demonic beasts from the four other realms on the mountain...

Just as Yang Xian was deep in thought, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

"Comrade Yang Xi'an!"

Gao Nianwen returned, his expression even more serious than before.

Interrupted from his thoughts, Yang Xian looked up at the other person with some surprise: "Captain Gao? Is there something you need?"

"Comrade Yang Xi'an," Gao Nianwen saluted, "I have just received an emergency order."

"An order?" Yang Xian was even more puzzled.

"Yes." Gao Nianwen nodded emphatically.

"The orders require that we must ensure your absolute safety at all costs."

"Therefore, I will personally send a team to escort you back to the entrance of the secret realm first thing tomorrow morning."

Leaving tomorrow?

This is so sudden!

Yang Xian was completely dumbfounded. He pointed to his nose and said, "Escort me? Captain Gao, are you mistaken? I'm just an ordinary martial artist. Why would you make such a fuss?"

However, before Gao Nianwen could answer, Zhou Xiyan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up:

"wrong!"

"Captain Gao, you just said you received orders?"

"As far as I know, the entire secret realm is still in the early stages of exploration, and communication is impossible at that time."

"Excuse me, how can we receive orders from the outside world while we're in these mountains?"

Upon hearing this, even Ye Huairou, who had been completely oblivious to the situation, realized what was happening and began to look at Gao Nianwen with suspicion.

The atmosphere instantly became somewhat tense.

Gao Nianwen looked at the meticulous blue-haired girl in front of him and showed a hint of approval on his face.

"You are very observant."

He answered frankly, "Large-scale, long-distance communication is certainly not possible. But our military region's squads are equipped with special short-range signal repeaters."

"Within a certain range, short encrypted messages can be transmitted through signal relay."

"Just now, I received a message from another military squad operating nearby, and their information was passed in layer by layer from even more peripheral squads."

More than twenty days ago, the Jiang family wanted to bring Yang Xian back, but they were too late.

So the military region sent another small team, telling each other that they were going to bring Yang Xian back.

Because everyone's routes were scattered, Gao Nianwen only received the news now.

Yang Xian looked puzzled: "Your so-called order is just to take me back?"

"That's right!" Gao Nianwen nodded solemnly.

"The command was simple in content, but extremely important."

"The higher-ups said that Comrade Yang Xi'an... is related to the future of humanity."