Other winged Divine Beasts soared into the sky like a flock of birds, but none could match her speed. After flapping her wings a few times, the massive Single-Horned Jasmine Hawk had to circle back to the other beasts so they could follow.
On the ground were all the non-flying beasts, each moving as fast as they could. They all knew they would arrive after the birds, but even so, they did not ease their pace, hurrying to the location Wan Qiao had pointed out earlier.
Yan Xiaobao felt a surge of excitement for this journey. Though he traveled alone, he did not regret pursuing this expedition. What he felt deeply was sorrow for the village drowned by the delegation, for the beasts now migrating to a new location or captured by humans.
Yan Xiaobao’s eyes turned icy as he remembered the kindness he encountered in one of the villages he passed through. Though the villagers regarded him as a Saint, they treated him with great courtesy and warmth. They hosted him freely and even offered him their best food. Imagining this village ransacked and its inhabitants captured filled him with sorrow.
Looking at the man sitting on her back, Wan Qiao was astonished to see the resolve and ruthlessness in those ice-blue eyes. He was determined to defeat this delegation.
Yan Xiaobao had spent a long time in the Divine Domain. While many of the guards watched him with displeasure, none had genuinely mistreated him. They took his training seriously. He knew their sincerity was owed to Wan Qiao, yet he was satisfied with how his personal power had evolved during his time in Chenyuan. For this, he deeply appreciated the guards who sparred with him.
The group’s flying speed was astonishing. The forest beneath Yan Xiaobao had barely swept by when they quickly left the grounded Demon Beasts behind, heading swiftly toward the mountains.
This mountain range divided the Divine Domain from the outside world. The distance they covered was comparable to Hui Yue’s solo journey. It had taken him over a month to cross the wilderness, but now they traveled the same distance in mere hours—though this was evidently not Wan Qiao’s maximum speed.
As they neared the mountain range, Yan Xiaobao and Wan Qiao descended to the ground, where the Single-Horned Jasmine Hawk resumed her humanoid form.
They landed at what was once a village. Every house was burned to ruins, leaving only blackened wooden posts consumed by flames. The ground was soaked in blood, scattered with fragmented corpses.
The sight of murdered children caused hatred and killing intent to flood Yan Xiaobao’s eyes. This delegation was no mere mission; it was clearly a declaration of war. Gazing at Wan Qiao, Yan Xiaobao noticed her shoulders trembling. Golden light gathered in her hands, and in an instant, flames erupted from her palms, consuming the spread-out corpses. Proceeding to the village center, a massive stone was erected as a memorial. A colossal flame was carved onto the stone, etched with the golden mist-like energy radiating from Wan Qiao.
"They were just here not long ago," Wan Qiao stated in a tone devoid of emotion, utterly flat. Yet in her eyes burned flames of rage and hatred. She was the Queen of the Divine Domain, the mightiest among the many Forest Kings, ensuring that all her people lived safely. Whenever delegations appeared, it was her duty to ensure they never returned. No one had ever gone back to tell of their experiences within the Divine Domain.
Thousands of years ago, when Lan Feng roamed this plane, humans coexisted with magical beasts, sharing land and cities alike. Sadly, things changed. Something created a gaping chasm between humans and magical beasts, forcing the latter to flee to the Divine Domain, where they nurtured themselves and stayed away from mankind.
But humanity was driven by greed. Even possessing three Kingdoms was not enough. Time and time again, scouts and delegations were sent into the forests of the Divine Domain uninvited, hoping to exploit hidden beasts, only to be killed in their audacity.
In particular, no single Kingdom sought to surpass the Divine Origin; all three Kingdoms sent delegations to the untamed lands. Yet, no matter how many they sent, none ever returned. Once, they decided to form a delegation jointly representing all three Kingdoms. Even such a massive delegation of over a thousand was annihilated the same way. The moment they entered the Divine Domain, the Forest Kings stood united and wiped them out within mere minutes.
As a Forest King, it was the sole duty to remain ever-prepared for challenges from other Saints. Only the strongest could claim the title of Forest King, an ongoing process of natural selection. How could any Kingdom believe that merely sending a delegation might allow them to return?
Initially, these delegations were thought to comprise only mid-tier Dantian Experts. Yet now, they included Kings, Emperors, and occasional Saints.
Thus, Wan Qiao continued these journeys, ever-ready to confront the strongest and ensuring no one left the forest alive—not a single soul.
Yan Xiaobao was undoubtedly the weakest among them. Every guard heading to the village was King-level or higher, while he remained merely a Duke. Despite this, Wan Qiao trained him daily against higher-level experts, enabling him to defeat most Kings.