Tens of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their voices echoing like thunder. Not a single one chose to retreat.
Soon, Chris led the massive army of Death Guards to the base of the Celestial Peaks.
Chris raised his head, gazing at the towering mountains. From afar, the Celestial Peaks looked like a colossal dragon coiled in slumber. With a decisive wave of his hand, Chris commanded the army forward, marching into the depths of the Celestial Peaks.
Meanwhile, in Flameforge, Oriana returned to her inn room with an excited expression.
After days of inquiries, she had finally uncovered news about Emily. Oriana had learned that Emily had been to Flameforge, but her current whereabouts remained a mystery. However, according to her findings, Emily seemed to be associated with someone from the Artisans’ Guild.
The Artisans’ Guild was a large Aetherbinding sect situated in Haven, far from Verdantia. The distance between Verdantia and Haven was immense, but just discovering a lead about Emily filled Oriana with joy.
Still, Oriana was puzzled. Why would Emily be with someone from the Artisans’ Guild?
Determined to find Emily, Oriana decided to journey to Haven herself.
Upon returning to the inn, however, she found her room empty-Chris had already left. On the table, she spotted a note he had left behind.
In it, Chris explained that he had accepted a mission from the guild hall. He was leading the army to the Celestial Peaks to hunt beasts and would be gone for some time.
Reading the note, Oriana’s face darkened with anger.
“Celestial Peaks is one of the ten forbidden zones of Aethelgard,” Oriana muttered furiously. “It’s filled with countless powerful beasts. Is he courting death by taking his army there?”
Despite her frustration, Oriana also understood Chris’s strength. Although he wasn’t yet an Aetherbinding cultivator, his power rivaled that of someone at the Pinnacle stage of Aetherbinding.
As long as he didn’t encounter beasts of the Fifth Grade or higher, Chris should be fine. Moreover, with the army of tens of thousands at his side, ordinary beasts wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
Thirty miles from Flameforge lay the Night Forest, a sub-range of the Celestial Peaks.
Although the beasts in the Night Forest weren’t particularly strong, the forest was still home to many creatures. However, due to the influx of hunters each year, the outskirts of the forest had been largely cleared of beasts.
When Chris led his army into the Night Forest, they encountered only a few First Grade beasts.
Frowning, Chris muttered to himself, “It seems there’s not much left on the outskirts. We’ll have to go deeper.”
With that thought, Chris commanded the army to advance into the depths of the Night Forest.
Bang!
With a single slash, Chris killed a First Grade beast, retrieving a peanut-sized Heartstone from its corpse.
Every beast contained a Heartstone, a core that stored its spiritual energy, similar to a human’s core. Heartstones had numerous uses-they could be directly absorbed by Aetherbinding cultivators for energy, or used as essential materials in alchemy, crafting, and talisman-making.
As such, Heartstones were a highly sought-after resource in Aethelgard. The higher the beast’s grade, the higher the quality of its Heartstone, which translated to greater spiritual energy and a higher market value in Essence Stones.
– First Grade beasts yielded First Grade Heartstones.
– Second Grade beasts yielded Second Grade Heartstones.
– Third Grade beasts yielded Third Grade Heartstones.
…and so on.
Above Ninth Grade lay the Beast King level, and beyond that were the Celestial Monsters and Divine Monsters, creatures of legend.
In Aethelgard, the most powerful beasts were generally only at the Beast King level.
As Chris and his army ventured deeper, they killed numerous First and Second Grade beasts. However, they didn’t encounter any higher-grade ones.
At the same time, another group had entered the Night Forest.
This group consisted mostly of young men and women, dressed in luxurious attire that marked them as scions of wealthy families from Flameforge.
For them, this excursion into the Night Forest was merely a training exercise.
Excited and full of energy, the young heirs marveled at their surroundings.
“This time, I’m definitely going to kill a few beasts!” one declared.
“Be careful. There are still plenty of beasts in the Night Forest,” another warned.
“Don’t worry,” reassured another. “Mr. Passos is with us. With him here, we have nothing to fear.”
“Exactly! Mr. Passos is already at the Pinnacle stage despite his young age. He’s the strongest genius of our Flameforge generation.”
The group chatted eagerly, showing little concern for the potential dangers of the forest.
At that moment, a young man with a refined face and dressed in pristine white robes spoke calmly, “There’s no need to worry. This is merely a sub-range of the Celestial Peaks, and we’re still in the outskirts of the Night Forest. We won’t encounter anything above a Fourth Grade beast. If danger arises, I’ll protect everyone.”
This young man was none other than Harrison Passos-known to the group as “Mr. Passos.”
The Passos family was the most powerful family in Flameforge, second only to the Flameforge Sect, the city’s premier Aetherbinding sect.
Moreover, the group wasn’t entirely without protection. Older family members were secretly accompanying them to ensure their safety.
Several days later, Chris and his army reached the depths of a towering mountain within the Night Forest.
Though Chris wasn’t certain of their exact location, he knew they were now deep inside the forest.
Over the past few days, the beasts they encountered had grown stronger, with their grades steadily increasing.
While Chris’s army had killed many beasts, most were First, Second, or Third Grade.
– First Grade beasts were equivalent to the early stages of Aetherbinding.
– Second Grade beasts matched the mid-stages.
– Third Grade beasts corresponded to the late and Pinnacle stages.
Beasts of the Fourth Grade, however, surpassed Aetherbinding Pinnacle levels, making them a far greater threat.
For now, Chris and his massive army continued their hunt, undeterred by the challenges ahead.