Chapter 277: Farewell to Ren Mian

Chapter 277: Farewell to Ren Mian

Investing 97 Spiritual Source Power, the Flux Barrier rose to (Tier 2/577).

Ji Xinghuo paused and noticed that while the Tier 2 Flux Barrier didn't look much different from Tier 1, its defensive capabilities had significantly improved. Advancing further to (Tier 3/1777), the energy shield he formed was still thin, only about a millimeter in thickness.

When the Flux Barrier reached (Tier 4/7717), it finally underwent a noticeable change.

His ability evolved!

It advanced from an Excellent Ability to a Super Ability, but it remained at Tier 4.

Upon activating the Flux Barrier again, Ji Xinghuo immediately sensed a peculiar reaction between his spiritual energy and the transparent, invisible shield. It was like a tangible electromagnetic field that, when attacked, instantaneously released a subtle retaliatory current.

Despite appearing fleeting, the electrical discharge was not to be underestimated.

When he focused on maintaining this shield, any nearby objects would be subjected to an electric shock, and his defensive capabilities would be further enhanced!

"Continue upgrading."

Glancing at the interface, Ji Xinghuo invested more Spiritual Source Power to raise the Flux Barrier to the next level, transforming it into the 【Flux Barrier (Tier 5/35317)】.

Even at Tier 5, the Flux Barrier remained lightweight and paper-thin in appearance.

However, its defensive prowess had become extraordinarily formidable. Ji Xinghuo performed a simple test, wielding the Thunderous Battle Blade and mustering up about half of his strength, he was barely able to cut through the Flux Barrier.

Amongst Super Individuals of the same tier, over ninety percent of their power fell far below half of Ji Xinghuo's might.

Moreover, beneath the Flux Barrier, he also had the Holy Scale Armor!

With these two layers of defense, Ji Xinghuo doubted that there were many Super Individuals who could pose a threat to his life. Even if he stood there and took the blows without fighting back, he might emerge unscathed while the Flux Barrier's retaliatory electricity could potentially kill his enemies.

Nonetheless, it wasn't without its weaknesses.

The Tier 5 Flux Barrier consumed an excessive amount of spiritual energy, and the cost was even higher when it was under attack.

Ji Xinghuo estimated that if he relied solely on the Flux Barrier to withstand the attacks of a Legendary powerhouse, he might not last more than a few minutes.

"As expected, after reaching the Super Individual stage, Stellar Power becomes the true foundation of strength!"

"The higher the tier, the more crucial Stellar Power is."

He muttered to himself as he raised the Flux Barrier by five tiers, consuming over ten thousand points of Spiritual Source Power. Upgrading it to Tier 6 would require more than thirty-five thousand points.

After some consideration, he decided to hold off on the upgrade for the time being.

His current defensive capabilities were already robust, and he still had over seventy thousand Spiritual Source Power in reserve.

Closing the interface, Ji Xinghuo shifted his attention to his surroundings, extending his electromagnetic senses to probe the neighboring hotel owned by the Winged People.

"Why haven't they made a move yet?"

According to his senses, the two Winged People he had encountered yesterday hadn't gone out anywhere except for a trip to the Rare Treasure Auction House in the morning.

The male and female Winged People stayed in their respective rooms, their superior-subordinate relationship clearly defined.

Ji Xinghuo kept surveillance on them throughout the day.

Just when he began to wonder if he had made a mistake, the following day, several Winged People arrived in the City of Eternal Day and entered the hotel. They were led to the female Winged Person, exchanged a few words, and then stayed there. Subsequently, more Winged People arrived, one of whom was a Legendary Wing King!

This Wing King was a male Winged Person, and Ji Xinghuo caught a glimpse of him from a distance of two to three hundred meters before he entered the hotel.

"A Spiritual Stringmaster."

The Wing King's wings were white, and he stood at around one meter and seventy centimeters tall.

Ji Xinghuo's observation from a distance unexpectedly drew the Wing King's attention, his grayish-white eyes turning to look at him. Realizing he was a Highlander, the Wing King paid him no further heed.

"What keen perception," Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself as he nonchalantly strolled down the street, his heart secretly astonished.

The Legendary Winged Person entered the hotel and met with the female Winged Person as well.

The two of them conversed in private for a moment.

Ji Xinghuo grew even more curious. These Winged People were not only powerful but had also gathered in the City of Eternal Day, indicating that they were preparing to carry out some sort of operation.

That evening, another Legendary Winged Person arrived.

This time, Ji Xinghuo didn't go out to watch but instead used his electromagnetic senses to probe this new arrival. He discovered that this Winged Person possessed an extraordinarily tall and robust stature, standing at over two meters in height. Only the Frenzy Eagle Clan would produce such powerfully-built Winged People.

Most Winged People branches evolved towards agility, dexterity, mental, or energy manipulation capabilities, while only the Frenzy Eagle Clan pursued the path of physical strength enhancement.

The presence of three Legendaries among the Winged People was an uncommon occurrence in the City of Eternal Day.

Ji Xinghuo patiently waited.

Two days later, the group of Winged People finally made their move. The three Legendaries took the lead, accompanied by five Tier 4 Winged People, and they departed from the City of Eternal Day as a team.

"Heading south?"

Ji Xinghuo didn't immediately follow them out of the city but gazed into the distance, toward the direction they had taken.

That was the south.

The City of Eternal Day was situated in the central region of the Bloody Highland, and regardless of which direction one traveled, it would take at least ten thousand kilometers to exit the highland. Heading south from here, and veering slightly southwest, would lead to the location of the Crimson Emperor Blood Mountain, the highest peak in the highland.

Boom, boom, boom...

Ji Xinghuo broke into a sprint.

Even though he could fly, his magnetic field-controlled flight speed was slow and paled in comparison to the Winged People's natural flight. It was faster to run on the ground.

He activated his rotating magnetic field, which increased his running speed.

Ji Xinghuo's legs moved like phantoms, covering seven or eight meters with each stride. The moment his feet made contact with the ground, the magnetic field reversed, propelling him into the air, only to quickly fall back down as his legs rapidly alternated, leaving behind only an invisible trace.

This running technique was something he had figured out on his own. It consumed more Stellar Power but conserved his stamina.

The Stellar Power he expended could be gradually recovered as he ran.

Gradually, Ji Xinghuo caught up to the Winged People and maintained a distance of about fifteen kilometers while keeping his Stealth Ring activated to conceal his presence.

At this distance, even with the Winged People's naturally excellent eyesight, they wouldn't be able to see him clearly.

If not for his precaution against the Legendary Spiritual Stringmaster, he could have closed the distance even further.

In the sky, the Winged People continued their journey southward.

Whenever they encountered towering mountain peaks, most of the Winged People would simply fly over them. Luckily, Ji Xinghuo could fly as well, but by the time he crossed the mountains, the Winged People would have flown far ahead, and he almost lost them a few times.

From morning to afternoon, Ji Xinghuo ran tirelessly for over a thousand kilometers. Despite his enduring stamina, he began to feel slightly weary, and his Stellar Power had decreased by about a third.

However, the Winged People ahead were also tired and landed to rest.

Ji Xinghuo dared not approach them.

The Winged People rested for about half an hour. By the time they took off again, Ji Xinghuo's stamina and Stellar Power had fully recovered.

Then began another flight spanning over a thousand kilometers.

As night fell, the Winged People only rested once before continuing their journey.

The night temperature dropped sharply, and heavy snowfall further obscured their vision. Ji Xinghuo summoned Qinghong and rode on its back, closing the distance to within five thousand meters of the Winged People, relying on his electromagnetic senses to lock onto them and prevent losing them in the darkness.

He traveled blindly for over a dozen hours until the latter half of the night, when they had already traveled over three thousand kilometers away from the City of Eternal Day. Only then did the Winged People land to rest.

Ji Xinghuo hid himself in a cave located ten kilometers away from the Winged People's campsite.

He took out a map of the Bloody Highland to get his bearings.

This was an unfamiliar area with an altitude over two thousand meters higher than the City of Eternal Day. The temperature was extremely low, hovering around negative thirty degrees Celsius. Within a range of millions of square kilometers, there were multiple gigantic mountain ranges, and ten-thousand-meter-high peaks were a common sight. The harsh winter had caused most of the wild beasts and monsters to hibernate.

"What are the Winged People doing in such a desolate place?"

Ji Xinghuo was puzzled.

He had initially thought that these Winged People intended to harm Earth or humans.

But this place was over thirty thousand kilometers away from Olympia. Not only were humans unlikely to be found here, but even the Highlanders would be hibernating in their tribes during winter and reluctant to venture out.

After sleeping for a while, Ji Xinghuo woke up to a brightened sky.

"You can rest now."

Ji Xinghuo fed Qinghong, who had been keeping watch, and instructed it to shrink and hide on his body. Then, he exited the cave.

Outside, the cold wind howled, and snowflakes danced in the air.

He flew close to the ground, approaching the Winged People's campsite while remaining outside the range of their electromagnetic senses. He discovered that the Winged People had just woken up and were about to eat and drink, no longer in a rush as they had been the previous day. Their movements were calm and collected as they prepared for battle.

"So, they've already arrived," Ji Xinghuo realized.

The female Winged Person then took out a bottle and handed it to another Winged Person from the Xuan Yu clan. This Winged Person wore leather armor and carried a bow and arrows, with several flying-type battle pets by his side. He was likely a Star Realm Ranger, an advanced form of the Ranger and Tracker classes.

She passed the bottle to him, and he opened it and brought it close to his chest.

From the collar of his leather armor, a pet resembling a white marten crawled out and sniffed at the bottle's opening, letting out a series of squeaks.

The Star Realm Ranger shook his head and whispered something to the female Winged Person.

Due to the distance, Ji Xinghuo couldn't hear what they were saying, but he saw the female Winged Person coldly nod. With a single command, the Winged People took off into the air, following her lead.

Ji Xinghuo quietly trailed behind them.

They didn't fly far before the Winged People landed again, allowing the Star Realm Ranger's pet to sniff the bottle once more, but still to no avail.

"What's in the bottle?"

Ji Xinghuo focused his attention, using his electromagnetic senses to probe the contents of the bottle. He discovered that it contained several leaves, broken stems, and what appeared to be a strand of hair.

The Winged People spent the entire day flying and landing within a radius of over two hundred kilometers, each time allowing the white marten to search for traces through scent.

However, by nightfall, they had found nothing.

The Winged People set up camp for the night and continued their search at daybreak. On the third day, they entered a tall forest nestled among the mountains.

This forest grew between the mountains, from the valley to the mountain slopes, with treacherous terrain and branches laden with snow and frost. It was a winter wonderland, with the ground covered in deep snow, and from within, one could gaze upon the surrounding snow-capped peaks, a cold and magnificent vista that seemed to wash away the turmoil in one's heart.

Ji Xinghuo hovered by a tall tree, his form concealed by the snowy branches, gazing upon the mountains and snowy landscape with awe.

"What a place!"

During the warm season, one could only imagine how picturesque it would be.

The cold wind that had blown for days finally ceased.

The dark clouds that had loomed in the sky also dispersed, revealing a cerulean sky. The golden light of the sun bathed the mountain peaks, tinting the mountains with a golden hue, as if they were made of gold.

But amidst such beauty, a group of unwelcome visitors had arrived.

Ji Xinghuo's gaze fell on the valley ahead, where the Winged People had landed once more, allowing the marten-like pet to resume its search for traces.

Suddenly, it let out an excited cry.

The faces of the Winged People lit up with joy, and the female Winged Person instructed the Star Realm Ranger to take the lead.

Instead of taking to the skies, they hovered close to the ground, following the direction indicated by the white marten at a leisurely pace, seemingly afraid of startling their target.

Ji Xinghuo cautiously trailed behind them.

After advancing about ten kilometers in this manner, the Winged People weaved through the snowy forest and turned a mountain ridge, only to find a breathtaking view before them.

A canyon nestled among the peaks stretched for nearly ten kilometers. Thick forests grew within, also covered in snow, but the temperature here was much higher than outside the canyon, and many of the plants retained their greenery. A river flowed through the canyon, forming several lakes of varying sizes, none of which were frozen.

The climate within the canyon was like a different world compared to the outside, not exactly warm and spring-like, but still a beautiful, secluded paradise.

The Winged People entered the canyon.

Ji Xinghuo followed closely behind and also caught sight of the canyon's interior. As his gaze swept the area, it suddenly froze.

His All-Seeing Star Pupils could see everything clearly.

In the latter half of the canyon, about six or seven kilometers away from him, there was a cluster of trees by the largest lake, and upon closer inspection, they turned out to be peach trees! In this season, with such cold weather, the lush peach grove remained vibrant, and there were even a few blossoms on the trees.

Although the canyon was much warmer than the plateau outside, the difference shouldn't have been this significant.

There must be other factors at play.

"Peach blossoms..."

Ji Xinghuo's gaze fell on a delicate pink peach blossom, its five petals encircling each other, and he couldn't help but think of Ren Mian.

Ren Mian had a peach blossom mark between her eyebrows.

She also possessed a healing technique related to peach blossoms called "Everlasting Peach Blossom Spring," which could not only heal injuries but also restore stamina and relieve mental anguish.

"Could Ren Mian be here?"

Ji Xinghuo didn't dare to assume such a coincidence.

It had been over a year since Ren Mian left Olympia, and before her departure, she hadn't revealed where she was going or what she planned to do, maintaining an air of mystery.

If this canyon was her secret base, then the Winged People tracking their way here clearly meant her harm.

He suddenly felt tense.

But he didn't act impulsively, maintaining his calm as he waited for the Winged People to make their way to the middle of the canyon and approach the peach grove. Only then did Ji Xinghuo enter the canyon.

As soon as he did, he sensed something amiss.

He felt as if someone was secretly observing him, yet he couldn't detect the observer.

"This feeling of being watched..."

Ji Xinghuo immediately thought of the Abyssal Star. On the surface of the Abyssal Star, as soon as one stepped into an area with vegetation, they would instantly feel as if they were being spied on. This canyon gave him a similar sensation, and since Ren Mian was a Plant Witch, it was possible that she possessed similar scouting abilities.

Up ahead, the Winged People suddenly stopped and quietly spread out.

Ji Xinghuo quickly increased his speed.

Most of the canyon came into the range of his electromagnetic senses, and he immediately understood why the Winged People had reacted the way they did. By the lakeside forest, there was a wooden house hidden among the trees, surrounded by various strange flowers, plants, and trees, indicating that someone lived there.

At that moment, the door of the wooden house opened, and a graceful figure stepped out, facing the encircling Winged People.

From a distance, Ji Xinghuo recognized her face and felt both surprise and joy.

It was indeed Ren Mian!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end