258: Chapter 258 was rejected.

Haibin City, Southeast Xia Country.

Lin Muyang activated his God-Tier Aura, and an invisible force field enveloped Xu Ruohan, Su Daji, and Marianne. Space seemed to fold as a straight-line distance of over three thousand kilometers was compressed into a mere instant in their perception. One second they were in the courtyard of the Eternal Garden under the faint morning light; the next, a moist, salty sea breeze brushed against their faces.

The four of them did not land within the bustling coastal city of Haibin. On the city's outskirts, traces of human activity were still clear, with many camps built for transit and supplies. However, Lin Muyang's gaze bypassed these, looking directly toward the vast, undulating primeval jungle in the distance that resembled a green ocean. That was their true destination.

“Let's go,” Lin Muyang said succinctly. The power of the Aura flowed, lifting the four of them as they turned into streaks of light, flying straight into the depths of the jungle.

The distance of over three hundred kilometers shortened rapidly during their flight. The city's clamor was left completely behind, replaced by an increasingly dense primeval atmosphere. Towering ancient trees blotted out the sun, vines twisted like giant pythons, and the air was filled with a slightly fishy yet fresh scent—a mixture of decaying vegetation and sprouting buds. No man-made structures were visible here, only the purest natural landscape. Occasionally, hidden energy fluctuations could be sensed deep within the jungle; these were randomly opening secret realm entrances, though they all seemed unusually quiet at the moment.

After flying for about fifteen minutes, a wide river lay across their path, the sound of water roaring and white waves churning. Xu Ruohan was the first to stop above the river, her dress fluttering slightly in the mist kicked up by the torrent. She raised her hand and pointed toward the rugged mountain range ahead, where the vegetation was even darker in color. Her expression was unusually solemn.

“This is the place. This river serves as their tacit boundary line,” Xu Ruohan’s voice remained clear amidst the wind and water. “Once we cross, we officially enter the territory of the Six-Eyed Wizard Clan.”

Lin Muyang flew to her side and hovered next to her. He nodded without saying much, instead shifting his thoughts to push the sensory capabilities of his God-Tier Aura to its current limit.

In an instant, with him as the center, every detail within a radius of dozens of kilometers flooded into his consciousness. The texture of rocks, the veins of leaves, the crawling of underground insects, the slightest flow of energy in the air... everything was within his grasp. Naturally, this included those beings hidden in the depths of the dense forest, mountain caves, or even those cleverly using the environment for Disguise, emitting powerful and obscure fluctuations—the Mythical-grade Demonic Creatures, the Six-Eyed Witches.

In his vision, these creatures displayed distinct characteristics. They generally maintained a humanoid form with skin that was a dark green, similar to moss or ancient bronze. They were mostly around two meters tall with slender limbs. Most striking were the three pairs of eyes—six in total—neatly arranged on the front of their heads. These six eyes were not identical; they varied slightly in size and color. Most were half-closed now, but without exception, they glowed with a deep, profound light, as if they could peer into the secrets of the spiritual world.

“Tsk,” Lin Muyang rubbed his chin and muttered in a voice only those beside him could hear, “Those faces... they look just like the ‘Six Dots’ tile in Mahjong.”

Beside him, the corner of Xu Ruohan’s mouth twitched violently, and she almost failed to suppress a laugh. She quickly tightened her face and let out a light, cover-up cough. To be honest, when she first saw this clan years ago, the first thought that flashed through her mind was almost identical to Lin Muyang's current roast. But she knew how keen the senses of Mythical-grade Demonic Creatures were; she wouldn't dare say it out loud. Only Lin Muyang, relying on the absolute isolation effect of his God-Tier Aura, could comment so recklessly.

Lin Muyang’s God-like perspective continued its deep observation. The scale of this clan made him raise an eyebrow slightly. Their numbers far exceeded two thousand, nearly double the size of the Thunder God Tiger Clan they had encountered before. Furthermore, these Six-Eyed Witches were not all identical. Some were noticeably tall and strong, clad in crude bone armor or wielding massive wood and stone weapons, appearing to be warriors. Others were relatively small, draped in strange feathers or painted with body art, holding various staves—likely casters or priests. He even saw some juveniles only about a meter tall, their six eyes exceptionally round and large, clumsily practicing spiritual shockwaves in forest clearings, shattering small stones.

“As expected, in the real world, they have regained the ability to reproduce,” Lin Muyang understood. Demonic creatures that refresh in secret realms are like programmed scripts, but after coming to reality, they truly become a race that can propagate and grow. The clan before him had clearly taken root here, forming a stable, layered social structure.

Their way of survival was also clear at a glance. This vast mountain forest, along with at least a dozen secret realm entrances of varying sizes distributed throughout, had become their hunting grounds and resource points. Lin Muyang saw a team of Six-Eyed Wizard warriors dragging the corpse of a massive rhino-like demonic creature out of a cave secret realm. Elsewhere, several Six-Eyed Witches who looked like craftsmen were carefully roasting shells or bones dismantled from other demonic creatures with a type of flame, seemingly processing materials.

Further away, in the center of a crude 'village,' a fair amount of shimmering ores and strange plants were piled up. The entire clan was essentially a self-sufficient, well-ordered small kingdom. After seventeen years of accumulation, they had not only doubled in number but also possessed considerable resource reserves. The crude but energetically potent equipment worn by the Six-Eyed Wizard leaders was proof of that.

Xu Ruohan took out the bone token from her bosom and held it in her hand, causing a strange spiritual fluctuation to ripple slightly. “Follow me, and be careful. Although they generally don't proactively attack those holding a token, stay alert,” she whispered, mainly to Su Daji and Marianne.

The four of them crossed the river and flew toward the depths of the mountain range. Almost the moment they crossed the river boundary, Lin Muyang keenly perceived at least dozens of cold, wary spiritual intents sweeping over from below and from the dense forest to the sides, like invisible tentacles that touched them briefly before quickly withdrawing. Those were the sentinels of the Six-Eyed Witches. They didn't attack, but the feeling of being constantly locked on was enough to make any intruder's skin crawl.

Xu Ruohan seemed accustomed to all this. Holding the token, she flew unhurriedly toward a relatively flat forest clearing on the mountainside of the main peak. It looked like an important gathering place for the clan.

As they landed, more green figures appeared silently from the shadows of the surrounding trees. Dozens of Six-Eyed Witches gathered around; they were silent, their six eyes staring unblinkingly at the four uninvited guests with a gaze full of undisguised vigilance, scrutiny, and a faint trace of hostility. The air seemed to freeze slightly.

Su Daji’s nine fox tails instinctively tightened slightly, while Marianne subconsciously moved half a step closer to Lin Muyang. Xu Ruohan stepped forward, positioning herself half a body length in front of Lin Muyang out of habit.

The curtain of a tent made of animal skins and giant logs in the center of the clearing was lifted. An individual taller than the other Six-Eyed Witches, wearing a complex priestly robe woven from unknown colored feathers and glowing threads, slowly walked out. It held a gnarled wooden staff topped with a murky yellow crystal, which was surrounded by a disturbing spiritual field. Its six eyes rolled slowly, carefully sizing up Xu Ruohan, Lin Muyang, Su Daji, and Marianne respectively. Its gaze lingered longest on Lin Muyang, feeling as if it carried actual weight.

This was one of the clan's leaders, the High Priest.

The High Priest let out a series of low “gurgles” to a Six-Eyed Wizard holding a bone plate. That wizard immediately turned and ran toward a wooden hut at the edge of the settlement that looked like a storehouse. Before long, it returned with another Six-Eyed Wizard. The newcomer was relatively thin and held a large stack of books made of hardened animal skins covered in strange symbols, appearing to be a scholar or translator for the clan.

Xu Ruohan took a deep breath, slowed her speech, and said in clear, steady standard Xia language: “Honorable Priest, greetings. We come on behalf of Xia Country. We have taken the liberty to visit in hopes that your tribe can lend a hand to help us strip a specific skill book.” Her words were quickly translated into a series of rapid, strange syllables by the scholar-like Six-Eyed Wizard.

The High Priest listened to the translation, and the rotation of its six eyes stopped, its gaze falling back onto Xu Ruohan’s face. Its expression didn't change at all; its green face was like an ancient wood carving. It opened its mouth and emitted a series of low, raspy syllables that carried a strange rhythm.

The scholar Six-Eyed Wizard immediately turned to Xu Ruohan and Lin Muyang, translating in its slightly stiff but sufficiently clear Xia language:

“Stripping skills, we can do.”

It paused, its six eyes narrowing slightly at the same time. The translated words carried a cold, detached sense of indifference:

“But, why should we help you?”