Full-Time Magister: Dark Lord

Zhang Xiaohou understood his older brother's personality very well.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I said I wouldn't make a move, and I won't," Cao Le muttered in dissatisfaction.

"Don't worry, I'm watching him," Mu Nujiao said.

Hearing Mu Nujiao speak, Zhang Xiaohou felt much more relieved.

Cao Le was quite annoyed by this!

What's going on with this kid??

So you think Cao is unreliable?

Even if it really is a demon race, he's not worried at all!

However, after thinking about the people the Forbidden City Army needed to rescue, Cao Le chose to remain silent...

...

The overall elevation of Daheng Mountain is extremely high. When the weather is somewhat gloomy, it feels as if those heavy gray clouds are right above your head, giving people a sense of oppression.

The view ahead is mostly blocked by the high mountain. To the left and right, what you can see are mostly narrow valleys that slide down the steep ridges. Many of these valleys are so deep and winding that you can't even see the bottom. If you accidentally slip into one, it's like entering a huge mountain tunnel maze, and it's very difficult to find the right way back!

Most importantly, the path here is narrow, and below lies a sheer drop; one wrong step could mean certain death. The closer you get to such a place, the more cautious you need to be...

For Zhao Manyan, this was a place he never wanted to return to again... Moreover, his fear of death was directly exposed as he complained, "I will never come to this godforsaken place again."

"Damn, if we can't find it this time... I'm never following you two again for the rest of my life. I think it's not a bad thing to just use up the Star Sea Heavenly Vein."

"..."

However, despite his annoyance, no one paid him any attention.

With such a difficult road to walk on, who would have the time to complain to him?

Zhao Manyan was somewhat displeased that no one was paying attention to him, but noticing that the surroundings seemed a bit too quiet, he said, "Don't you guys think it's too quiet here?"

"Quiet isn't a good thing, so you can keep babbling on," Mo Fan retorted.

Zhao Manyan was furious!

"Eek~~!!"

Just as he was about to retort, a piercing scream came from above.

Upon hearing the sound, the group looked over at the same time and saw a half-peak in front of them. It was separated from one of the large mountain walls of Daheng Ridge. After breaking away from the main mountain, this half-peak stood alone at a height that almost touched the clouds. Even if you looked up, you could not see its top.

On a pine tree extending from the half-peak, there was a long-tailed creature covered in golden-blue feathers. Its feathers were so smooth that even when the wind blew against it, they did not become disheveled. Instead, they looked like a helmet with a golden-blue sheen. The shape of the feathers was also quite special, with the neck and long tail forming a very elegant curve.

The golden-blue demonic bird stood on the rocky pine, its three eyes gazing down at the crowd below, exuding an air of nobility and majesty!

"Damn, where did this bastard come from, so arrogant?" Cao Le complained when he saw the other party's gaze.

“Brother Le, as long as we don’t look at it and just walk past it, it won’t cause any trouble…” Zhang Xiaohou hurriedly turned around and said after hearing what Cao Le said.

"Are you sure?" Li Dexin asked.

“High-level winged demons use higher planes as the boundaries of their territories. As long as we stay within the height limits of their territories, they may not cause us any trouble,” Zhang Xiaohou nodded and said.

"What a load of rubbish! My Apas could crush that son of a bitch!" Cao Le said, annoyed.

"The other party is a Feathered Demon," Apas said, rolling her eyes.

"What, you think the things in the sky aren't your responsibility?"

"Um..."

"Fine, let it go!"

Seeing that Apas didn't pose much of a threat, Cao Le decided to give up and focus on saving lives.

Seeing that Cao Le didn't react much, Zhang Xiaohou breathed a sigh of relief. He then gave some more instructions to the Forbidden City Army soldiers before continuing their slow march.

Sure enough, without them looking at each other, the small bird did not launch an attack...

...

447. Baiba Mountain

"Damn it, I usually trample on even monarch-level creatures without a second thought, but today I have to put up with this Grand Commander-level trash!" Cao Le couldn't help but complain as he walked over.

“You can choose to go back and fight it,” Apas said, turning around.

"Brother Le, I think we should just forget about it. Although the other party is only a Grand Commander, his strength will increase considerably with the help of Suofeng. Besides, although this is its territory, there might still be other Feathered Demons here. If we really provoke the entire Qinling Feathered Demons..." Zhang Xiaohou said, still somewhat flustered.

The Feathered Demon race is also very powerful in combat.

In particular, they have a significant advantage in the skies! (16.com)

"I know. If I hadn't known that, I would have roasted that piece of trash long ago!" Cao Le also understood the terrifying number of winged demons here.

So, he was just muttering something under his breath.

"Cuckoo~"

Apas found it hilarious to see Cao Le holding his breath.

"Crack~"

But Cao Le would never indulge her.

This little brat, if I don't teach her a lesson soon, she'll forget who she is!

After being slapped by Cao Le, Apas was somewhat angry, but she only glared at him fiercely...

"What, you're not convinced?" Cao Le said, looking at Apas.

"Alright, stop bullying Apas." Mu Nujiao couldn't stand it anymore.

How could Cao Le bear to hurt such a cute little girl?

Lingling, standing to the side, said disdainfully, "That stinky snake spirit, where is she trying to gain sympathy again!"

Apas ignored Lingling, went along with Mu Nujiao, and unleashed a killer gaze at Cao Le!

It was only because of the contract mark that she was empowered; otherwise, she would have shown that bastard the power of Medusa in no time.

The Forbidden City Army soldiers simply ignored it. This wasn't the first time they'd seen something like this, and since someone had already intervened, there was no need for them to say anything more.

...

Continuing onward, thanks to Zhang Xiaohou's experience, everyone remained quite safe along the way, with minimal depletion of magical energy... Soon they passed Daheng Ridge and finally arrived at Baiba Mountain.

Baiba Mountain is a cluster of peaks. What makes these peaks unique is that they are all isolated mountains, each with an imposing presence that rises abruptly from the ground and soars into the clouds!

Because these mountains are covered with ancient vegetation, once you enter the Baiba Mountain area, you don't actually see these mountains arranged at different heights like Tianyan Peak. Instead, you often see a large expanse of vine forests that seem to float in the air!

The lush trees stretch out their thick branches, often extending from one mountain to the cliffs of another. When hundreds of such imposing mountains intertwine with the ancient, verdant vegetation covering the mountains, they form a high-altitude peak forest!

Such magnificent natural scenery is hidden deep in the Qinling Mountains. It's truly hard to imagine without seeing it for yourself. The lush greenery is level with the clouds, and the mountains rise like giant pillars supporting the heavens and earth. Standing on the outskirts and looking up, you can see small dots of different colors swirling high above the cliffs covered in blossoms; those must be high-level winged demons...

This place can absolutely be called a paradise for feathered demons!

“Now that we’re here, we need to be even more careful…” Zhang Xiaohou had been here many times and knew very well that this place was more than just beautiful scenery.

"The winged demons living here must all be above the level of a commander, right?" Cao Le said, looking around.

"That's right..."

Are they all at the commander level or above?

Everyone was surprised!

Even the few members of the Forbidden City Army were completely dumbfounded when they heard what Cao Le said and Zhang Xiaohou's confirmation!

If it were just some generals and commanders, their troops wouldn't be afraid; they certainly had the strength.

But if the starting point is to become a ruler, then that means there are quite a few monarch-level creatures here!

The Forbidden Army is not afraid of a legitimate monarch, but what about a mid-level monarch? Or a great monarch?

These are people they can't afford to mess with...

“Originally, we all thought that the Qinling Mountains were not as worrying as places like the Xiling Mountains, Dongting Lake, and Shennongjia, but after arriving at Baiba Mountain, we changed our somewhat ignorant view,” Zhang Xiaohou continued.

"So, that's why you'll be promoted to junior general?" Li Dexin said, pursing his lips.

You should know that in a place like this, under normal circumstances, only one top military intelligence officer will appear.

That's why he was so arrogant when he arrived in that town.

Putting aside his identity, he was also a rank higher than Zhang Xiaohou. And then, out of nowhere, this Zhang Xiaohou appeared...

"Baiba Mountain can be roughly divided into several layers. The lowest is the Tengguan Mountain layer that we can see right now. Tengguan Mountain is higher than most of the peaks of the Qinling Mountains. From the Tengguan Mountain layer, you can basically see all the mountains of the Qinling Mountains." Zhang Xiaohou ignored Li Dexin and continued to explain to everyone.

Very few people know anything about the Qinling Mountains. Places like this are even less frequently visited.

"We see those... towering vine-covered mountain layers are the lowest level?" Mo Fan asked, looking shocked.

“Yes, we can’t see anything higher from here,” Zhang Xiaohou said.

"What's the higher place called?" Yu Shishi asked curiously.

“That’s called the Azure Wood Wind Layer. It’s a high-altitude region formed by several dozen Great Bashan Mountains, which are taller than other Bashan Mountains, and countless ancient trees. It’s called the Wind Layer because at this altitude, the winds are constantly blowing. These winds are many times stronger than the ones we encountered in the Qinling Mountains. Even the little feathered demons can’t withstand them. Only the big feathered demons can fly in this wind layer,” Zhang Xiaohou continued.

"So, once you reach that level, all that exists are great demons?" Zhao Manyan said, his lips twitching slightly.

"good..."

After hearing this, Zhao Manyan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Cao Le and the others and said, "How about... we turn back?"

"What a joke! We've come this far, how can we turn back?" Mo Fan directly rejected Zhao Manyan's suggestion.

"Big brother, didn't you hear what the monkey said?!"

"The place we're going to is full of powerful demons! You don't know what powerful demons are, do you?" Zhao Manyan seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

He is a high-level mage...

Even a high-level mage's experiences might not be as exciting as his, right?

"As long as we're careful, nothing will happen." Mo Fan naturally didn't want to give up, and then added, "Don't you want to reach the Transcendent level? You know, that green tea Mu Bai is already about to reach the Transcendent level!"

All right...

This statement is quite useful.