“George Collins, do not act recklessly in front of fellow cultivators!” Lucas Collins scolded George Collins, who was riding a Sabertooth, with a stern expression.
“Yes, Father.” George Collins seemed somewhat afraid of Lucas Collins and quickly responded, but the mocking look in his eyes when he glanced at Leo did not disappear.
“Fellow cultivators, thank you all for responding to the call of my Lord’s Manor to join us in heading to Thunder Valley.” Lucas Collins swept his gaze over the crowd, his tone and demeanor quite imposing.
“The lord is too kind.”
“It is our honor to follow the lord to deal with the Stormfire Wolf and harvest the Thunderfruit.”
“We are willing to follow the lord’s lead…”
Most of the cultivators present were independent practitioners, and since Lucas Collins was a Spirit Saint, many people flattered him with a series of compliments.
Lucas Collins was quite pleased with their flattery and said loudly, “Thank you all for your support. Without further delay, let’s set off!”
After speaking, Lucas Collins signaled to Elder Noah.
Elder Noah nodded, took out a whistle-like object from his body, and blew it.
After a sharp whistle, ten Blackfeather Eagles flew from the backyard of Lord’s Manor.
Blackfeather Eagles were second-rank demonic beasts that had been successfully tamed by cultivators on the Awakened Continent three hundred years ago and had become a common flying mount.
“Fellow cultivators, please.” Lucas Collins pointed to the approaching Blackfeather Eagles.
The cultivators swiftly mounted the Blackfeather Eagles.
Leo and Arthur Watts also boarded one of the Blackfeather Eagles.
Once everyone was on the Blackfeather Eagles, Lucas Collins flipped his right hand, and a Spiritbeast Pouch appeared in his hand.
Opening the Spiritbeast Pouch, a massive stream of light flew out and stopped in mid-air.
From the Spiritbeast Pouch emerged a large Griffin with an eagle’s head and a lion’s body, flame-like patterns on its body, and wings under its ribs, looking very majestic and imposing.
As the Griffin appeared, the Blackfeather Eagles flapped their wings uneasily.
“That’s… a Fire Griffin!”
“I’ve long heard that Lord Collins’s spirit beast is a Fire Griffin at the peak of Demon General level. It turns out to be true.”
“It’s said that once a Fire Griffin breaks through to the Demon King level, it not only has strong combat power but can also travel ten thousand miles in a day.”
“I wish I had such a spirit beast…”
The cultivators on the Blackfeather Eagles discussed animatedly.
Hearing their discussions and seeing their expressions, Lucas Collins couldn’t help but show a hint of pride. He then flashed onto the back of the Fire Griffin.
Elder Noah, Elder Archie, and George Collins also mounted the Fire Griffin.
“Let’s go!” Lucas Collins commanded, looking towards the Azure Dragon Mountains.
The Fire Griffin took off first, emitting a strange cry as it flew towards the Azure Dragon Mountains.
The Blackfeather Eagles flapped their wings and followed behind the Fire Griffin, carrying the cultivators towards the Azure Dragon Mountains.
The Azure Dragon Mountains were located in the southwest of the Awakened Continent, stretching for tens of thousands of miles and being the longest mountain range on the continent.
The mountains were home to numerous demonic beast tribes. Not only were there Demon King level beasts, but there were also many Demon Saint level beasts.
Although Clearwind Town was close to the Azure Dragon Mountains and cultivators entered and exited daily, their exploration was limited due to their cultivation levels. Their understanding of the mountains was just a drop in the ocean.
In the Azure Dragon Mountains, cultivators made new discoveries and gained opportunities almost daily, just like Lucas Collins discovering the Thunderfruit Tree.
Of course, many cultivators also perished after encountering powerful demonic beasts.
After about fifteen minutes, the vast mountain range appeared clearly in Leo’s sight.
Although still some distance away, they could already hear beast roars echoing from within the mountains.
Under the lead of the Fire Griffin, the group of flying mounts landed in an open area on the outskirts of the Azure Dragon Mountains.
They didn’t fly directly to where they found the Thunderfruit Tree because there were many demonic beasts in the Azure Dragon Mountains, including numerous flying beasts.
Flying beasts had strong territorial instincts and would attack any other flying beasts or human cultivators entering their airspace.
Therefore, cultivators exploring the Azure Dragon Mountains usually chose to land on the outskirts before proceeding on foot.
The cultivators dismounted from their Blackfeather Eagles one after another.
Leo curiously surveyed his surroundings.
“Fellow cultivators, let’s head into the mountains!” Lucas Collins announced loudly.
“Yes, my lord,” everyone responded in unison.
Several cultivators with spirit beast mounts summoned their mounts from their Spiritbeast Pouches.
George Collins proudly summoned his Sabertooth.
Those without spirit beast mounts had to proceed on foot.
Lucas Collins and two elders rode the Fire Griffin, leading everyone into the Azure Dragon Mountains.
Deep into the mountains, during a rest break, Lucas Collins solemnly reminded everyone, “From here on out, we must be careful. We may encounter some demonic beast tribes or even attacks from powerful demonic beasts.”
Lucas Collins’s reminder made all the cultivators’ expressions turn serious. They knew very well that encountering powerful demonic beasts was no joke.
Every year, hundreds or even thousands of cultivators perished in the Azure Dragon Mountains.
Of course, the deeper they went, the greater the risks and opportunities.
After a brief rest, they continued forward. After traveling several hundred miles, they encountered a Crimson Serpent tribe.
Hundreds of Crimson Serpents spewed poisonous flames and surrounded the cultivators.
Leading them was a Crimson Serpent King. Judging by its aura, its strength was at least at the upper-level Demon General stage.
The serpent king was a hundred meters long with a thick body comparable to a barrel. The poisonous flames it spat contained strong toxins and corrosive properties.
The cultivators quickly channeled their spiritual power to form a protective shield against the poisonous flames.
Elder Noah snorted coldly and killed the serpent king with one strike.
The cultivators then charged at the remaining Crimson Serpents.
In less than ten minutes, most of the serpent tribe was slaughtered. The remaining few fled in all directions after realizing how formidable these cultivators were.
In this battle, only three cultivators with the lowest cultivation levels were bitten in fatal spots by serpents and died from poisoning.
The cultivators then began dissecting the Crimson Serpents they had killed.
Whether it was serpent skin, gallbladder, or inner core, all were valuable. Even if they didn’t need them personally, they could sell them in markets for Spirit Stones.
While dissecting a Crimson Serpent, Arthur Watts looked at Leo and said, “Leo, I didn’t expect your strength to be quite formidable.”
Arthur Watts said this because Leo had used a special secret technique to suppress his aura. Unless a Spirit God level cultivator used divine sense to probe him, they would think his cultivation was only at the peak of upper-level Grand Spirit Master stage.
Arthur Watts’s strength was at the peak of upper-level Spirit General stage.