"It seems there's indeed something in this mountain."
Ling Yan was speaking to himself, but his words happened to reach Mu Yuan's ears as he sat in front of him.
Mu Yuan hummed in agreement.
Due to the rock-devouring monster climbing uphill, his body involuntarily leaned against Ling Yan behind him.
His back pressed against Ling Yan's firm muscles, and Ling Yan's warm breath brushed against his ear.
Mu Yuan couldn't help but roll his Adam's apple, trying his best to calm his mind.
The rock-devouring monster was a ring-shaped creature with multiple ventral feet. Its movement was relatively smooth when walking on flat ground.
But once it started climbing the mountain, its physical disadvantage was fully exposed.
The rock-devouring monster had to arch its body, struggling to climb upwards. Mu Yuan felt that if he were to get off and walk, he could probably climb faster than this monster.
What's more, the monster's wriggling movements caused him to have frequent close contact with Ling Yan behind him.
Mu Yuan adjusted his mood.
Having the captain of the star police team as a backrest was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Once this chance was gone, it wouldn't come again.
In the end, he simply went along with the monster's undulating movements, shamelessly leaning against Ling Yan.
Ling Yan looked at the General leaning against him, raised a single eyebrow, and licked his back teeth with his tongue.
"General, your ears are red."
Ling Yan's words completely flustered Mu Yuan, who had already mentally prepared himself. He slid down the ringed skin of the monster and started walking uphill on his own.
Hmm.
Indeed, he was climbing much faster than the rock-devouring monster.
[Boss, you scared him away.]
Ling Yan clicked his tongue and jumped off the monster along with Mu Yuan.
Considering that this General wasn't as "experienced" as he appeared on the surface, blushing and his ear tips turning red so easily, Ling Yan didn't continue to tease him.
Ling Yan quietly followed behind Mu Yuan, asking Mei about the mountain in his consciousness.
[Boss, even in the book, you're still so perceptive. You truly are something!]
Mei's flattery earned a soft snort from Ling Yan. Mei quickly continued:
[There's definitely something wrong with this mountain! I detected a special area deep inside, closest to the center.
That area emits a kind of energy roughly every half hour. I wonder if these alien beasts are sensing this special energy, which is why they're charging towards this mountain.]
[Every half hour? Since when did it start?]
[Since... just now, when that monster beside us made that noise.]
Ling Yan's fingers rubbed his lower lip.
It made sense now.
Perhaps the alien beast attacks that occurred once a month before were all caused by this energy emanating from within the snow mountain.
Ling Yan followed Mu Yuan up the mountain in large strides. They soon arrived at Mu Yuan's original residence on the mountain.
The day after Mu Yuan was drugged by the Imperial Advisor Wang Quan with the Fallen Immortal Powder, the spiky-scaled beast had destroyed his wooden house.
The scattered wood chips and corpses had all been cleaned up.
Mu Yuan turned his head to look at Ling Yan, hesitating to speak.
Ling Yan was just about to ask him if he had anything to say.
A piercing screech came from the sky. The spiky-scaled beast spread its wings, frantically ramming its head against the snow mountain.
Zhi zhi zhi!
The jet-black sea rats, each as big as a small piglet, had short but extremely fast legs. One after another, they swiftly darted past Mu Yuan and Ling Yan.
Their movements were synchronized as they clawed at the mountainside. Crushed stones and fine snow slid down from the mountaintop.
At this moment, the rock-devouring monster beside them seemed to have been put on fast-forward. Its huge, fleshy body wriggled laboriously. When it reached the edge of the snow mountain, its huge mouth opened wide and began to devour and chew the mountainside.
[Boss, the energy in the mountain has intensified!]
As Mei finished speaking, the spiky-scaled beast, the rock-devouring monster, and the sea rats all let out roars.
The ground shook, and snow mist fell.
The snow mountain, after being frantically gnawed, rammed, and clawed, finally let out a huge rumble. The thick snow on the mountaintop, like a loosened curtain, crashed down with a deafening roar.
Ling Yan's pupils constricted sharply—
Avalanche!
The overwhelming, heavy snow and crushed stones tumbled down the mountain.
Ling Yan shouted, "General, be careful!"
Then he lunged at Mu Yuan, and the two of them fell to the ground, rolling down the mountainside.
At the same time, the rock-devouring monster beside them had gnawed a large pit in the mountain, and inexplicably, a purple hole appeared in that pit.
Within the hole, sand and rocks flew about, crackling and banging.
After this hole appeared, a dark vortex gradually formed inside, the airflow spinning clockwise.
At first, the purple vortex only sucked in the surrounding small stones and snow debris. Gradually, the energy inside the hole grew stronger, the vortex's rotation speed increased, the purple hole rapidly expanded, and the rock-devouring monster, the spiky-scaled beast, and the sea rats were successively sucked into the purple hole.
Under the force of the strong wind, Ling Yan and Mu Yuan, who had been rolling down the mountain, were gradually pulled back up the slope, drawn towards the edge of the hole.
Both of them were unable to open their eyes due to the wind. Ling Yan tightly held onto Mu Yuan with one arm, while his other hand struggled to grip the rocks on the mountainside.
His body was stronger than that of ordinary humans, and his five fingers dug deeply into the stone, but the suction force of the dark purple vortex that had suddenly appeared from where the rock-devouring monster had gnawed was not to be underestimated.
Blood oozed from Ling Yan's fingertips.
Mu Yuan's expression was grave.
He didn't understand.
Why, after he had changed his identity, could Ling Yan go to such lengths for him?
At this moment, if Ling Yan were to let go of him, Ling Yan could easily escape danger.
It was precisely because Mu Yuan was clinging to him that Ling Yan was expending so much time and effort.
Mu Yuan's eyes dimmed, and he placed his hand on Ling Yan's hand that was wrapped around his waist.
Ling Yan frowned and turned his head to look at Mu Yuan.
Based on their inexplicable mutual understanding, he instantly read Mu Yuan's emotions and thoughts.
Ling Yan's brow smoothed out, and he gave Mu Yuan a "Ling Yan signature roguish smile." Then, amidst the raging wind and with the terrifying vortex behind them about to devour them, he said in a relaxed tone:
"No need to bother, General. I'll let go now."
Hearing Ling Yan's words, Mu Yuan was slightly stunned, then he chuckled softly and released his grip on Ling Yan's hand that was tightly around his waist.
Alright then.
He had willingly let go, saving himself the effort of prying his hand open.
Who knew that the next second, Ling Yan actually let go.
But it was the hand that was gripping the mountainside that he released!
Both of their bodies plummeted rapidly, instantly falling into the super vortex.
After the vortex sucked the two of them inside, the swirling currents gradually stabilized and finally disappeared, leaving only a purple hole glowing eerily.
Li Qiu, Chu Heng, Hou San, and the others saw that the ground was no longer shaking and the wind and snow had finally stopped. They all got up from the ground.
The massive tremor and avalanche just now had made each of them despairingly believe that their lives would end here today.
Unexpectedly, everything had ended so silently.
The group ran towards the mountain and found that the snow on the original snow mountain was gone.
Just now, an avalanche had clearly occurred due to the spiky-scaled beast's violent impact, and the heavy snow had looked like it was covering the sky. Yet now, all the snow had disappeared as if sucked away by something.
It was gone.
"Vice-General Li! Vice-General Chu! Look!"
Hou San, with his long arms and legs, was the fastest runner. He was the first to reach the mountain and quickly discovered a huge pit exposed in the middle of the mountainside.
"This looks like something the rock-devouring monster did, but what's inside here?"
Everyone gathered around the purple glowing hole, discussing animatedly. No one knew what it was.
And no one dared to approach it.
The heavy clouds in the sky dissipated, and sunlight streamed down.
The sky over Snowgate Island was rarely so clear.
"The alien beasts have disappeared!?"
Someone shouted, and everyone woke up as if from a dream.
"That's right, the south was lost, and the sea rats all rushed over. Why are they gone?"
"The spiky-scaled beast is gone too!"
"Who cares about the alien beasts! General! General and Brother Ling are missing!"
Hou San's words silenced everyone. They searched their surroundings. The barren land didn't even have small stones, let alone two living people.
Everyone's gazes involuntarily focused on the purple hole again.
A very bad premonition arose—
Could it be?!
Li Qiu's fear made the hair on his body stand on end. He shouted:
"Quickly, go find Elder Qin!"