After a long silence, Cheng Sangjie spoke first: "This place is strange, everyone should be careful."

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, revealing a string of red beads. Dozens of agate-like beads were blood-red, shimmering with iridescent light, seemingly containing a hidden world within. The beads were inlaid with gold and stones, and regardless of their function, their appearance alone indicated that they were no ordinary item.

Cheng Sangji looked at the faint light emanating from two of the beads, then turned to Tu Danxi and carefully instructed him to take good care of Nan Rongrui.

Nan Rongrui, who had received special treatment, glanced at Lu Zhaozhao and felt somewhat embarrassed, so she retorted in a low voice.

Cheng Sangji wasn't annoyed. He simply reached out and patted her head, saying softly, "Be good."

Lu Zhaozhao took in this picture of family affection and thought to herself: Ancient books once said that the demon race was cruel, bloodthirsty, cold-hearted and heartless. Now it seems that this is indeed a biased view. At least the three people in front of her are genuinely warm and affectionate.

Perhaps she had been watching for a while, because after Cheng Sangji finished instructing his two younger siblings, he turned around and walked towards her, stopping three steps away from her.

"Miss Guan Nan seems to have some questions?"

"Yes." Lu Zhaozhao answered readily, her gaze shifting from his face to his wrist, which was hidden by his wide sleeves. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "This bracelet of yours doesn't seem to be made by the demon race?"

“It is modeled after the human race.” Cheng Sangji answered, raising his hand to make the beaded chain appear clearly before her eyes once again.

Lu Zhaozhao was surprised that he was so undisguised and looked up at him.

"Our clan dwells in Luwu Mountain, where there are many stones and metals, all of which possess extraordinary abilities. Before a person is born, the elders of our clan will use secret techniques to find a jade stone with a predestined connection and forge magical artifacts."

Cheng Sangjie spoke slowly and deliberately, seemingly telling an interesting story, but Lu Zhaozhao's attention was not on that.

"Lu Wu?" she asked with some curiosity.

Cheng Sangjie lowered his head and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, a low laugh escaping his throat: "This Lu Wu is not that Lu Wu. Lu Wu Mountain is also known as Lu Wu Mountain. Our clan often refers to the sun as the three-legged golden crow, and Lu Wu means the place where the sun shines. As for Lu Wu, you are already very familiar with Changyu Lan Mountain."

"It's more than just familiar; we practically fight the moment we meet." Lu Zhaozhao thought to herself, but showed no sign of it on her face. She simply nodded to indicate her understanding and then continued, "Your magical artifact seemed to be acting strangely just now, so did it sense something?"

"Yes." Cheng Sangji's smile faded, and he turned his head to look into the depths of the dense forest, his eyes unreadable. "There are powerful enemies ahead, whose strength far surpasses ours."

Lu Zhaozhao understood.

The beasts on the third level have reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, naturally far surpassing them. Correspondingly, the points gained from hunting them are equivalent to those from nearly twenty beasts on the second level, which is why they came together.

However, besides that, Lu Zhaozhao also had her own selfish motives.

Within the Nascent Soul realm, she had few rivals. To further improve, she would need to strive for an even higher level. Although the Nascent Soul and the Body Formation realm were only one level apart, they were worlds apart.

Only when you reach the end of the road do you realize there is still something you can do.

The bamboo sword stood horizontally in front of him, the scriptures on the blade shimmering with light.

Cheng Sangji glanced thoughtfully at the sword in her hand, then immediately lowered his eyes to conceal his emotions. He turned and nodded to Tu Danxi and Nan Rongrui, signaling them to move forward.

The four stood close together, taking one step at a time, making sure their footing was firm before daring to move forward. Holding their breath and concentrating, they slowly approached the interior of the dense forest.

The surroundings were completely silent. Apart from the slight rustling of leaves as she passed by, there was no other sound in the forest. If she hadn't just come out of an illusion and the air in the space was still flowing, she would probably have thought that she had entered a new illusion.

Lu Zhaozhao tried her best to slow her breathing and minimize her presence. Her heart was pounding; something seemed to be calling to her from ahead, tugging at her heartstrings. She took a deep breath, attempting to suppress this inexplicable feeling.

Cheng Sangjie noticed her distraction and seemed to want to say something. Just as he was about to speak, a strong wind whistled past his ear.

The four immediately became alert, each standing back to back, and summoned their magical weapons, ready to fight at any moment.

The wind came from all directions, whistling through the forest and leaves, and then gathered in one place, forming a huge vortex with a column of wind reaching straight into the clouds.

A rustling sound came from her ears, mixed with the calls of a few unknown birds. Lu Zhaozhao tilted her head, wanting to listen more carefully.

"Arui, what's wrong?" Tudanxi's voice came, attracting everyone's attention.

From Lu Zhaozhao's perspective, Nan Rongrui's condition seemed rather bad.

For some unknown reason, dense feathers appeared on her neck, their blue-green sheen reflecting an unusual light in the daylight. The closer they got to her face, the clearer the outlines of the feathers became, eventually extending to her face. Her beautiful, upturned eyes became narrow and elongated, as if they had lost their ability to focus. Cold sweat streamed down her forehead, dripping down her cheeks and into her collar.

"What happened?" Lu Zhaozhao didn't know what had happened to Nan Rongrui, but the current situation was clear: Nan Rongrui must have been attacked. So she turned her head to Tu Danxi, who had been following Nan Rongrui.

Tudan Xixiang was also flustered at this moment. He shook his head repeatedly and looked at Cheng Sangji helplessly.

Cheng Sangji pondered for a moment, then channeled his spiritual energy, forming hand seals and chanting incantations. After reciting a somewhat unclear incantation, the blood-red beaded bracelet on his wrist suddenly shone brightly. At the same moment, his finger pointed towards Nan Rongrui's brow, and a complex character appeared at his fingertip before immediately disappearing into Nan Rongrui's brow.

After a burst of light, Nan Rongrui's inner energy surged outward, causing her hair to fly wildly. Then, her eyes regained focus, and the feathers on her neck gradually faded away.

"What did you hear?" Cheng Sangjie asked, frowning, the moment she regained consciousness.

"It seemed to be a cry, and the sound was filled with pressure, making me want to reveal my true form and worship it."

Nan Rongrui had just regained consciousness, and her voice was still weak.

Not only did Cheng Sangji's brows furrow even more, but Lu Zhaozhao also realized that something was wrong.

Nan Rongrui's original form was the ancient demon beast Guhuoniao. Legend has it that this bird absorbed obsessions and resentments to increase its cultivation. Its clan was vast and its power formidable. In the Western Regions, where the weak had no chance of survival, it ranked among the eight great clans and also had kinship ties with the Gu Diao and Di Ren clans. As a direct descendant of the Guhuoniao clan, Nan Rongrui possessed pure blood and extraordinary talent, making him a deserving leader among the new generation of demons and monsters.

For her to be so startled by an unknown cry that she lost her composure and revealed her true form shows just how terrifying the thing lurking ahead must be.

The unease in her heart resurfaced. Lu Zhaozhao blinked and unintentionally turned her head. The place where the wind pillar had formed seemed to be stained with blood, and red light spread rapidly in all directions.

In an instant, an intense killing intent swept through the space. The remaining three immediately turned their heads to see the red light already passing over their heads and spreading further into the distance.

"What's going on?!"

With Nan Rongrui's exclamation, the surrounding temperature suddenly rose, and a golden light pierced the sky.

Lu Zhaozhao stared intently at the direction of the light, and in the next instant, she and Cheng Sangji spoke in unison.

"They're here!"