In the oasis, free from the interference of sandstorms, Lin Qian and the leopard happily searched for prey.
The once tranquil oasis forest was now occasionally filled with a roar, a far cry from its usual tranquility. This was all thanks to Lin Qian and his intruders.
On the other side of the oasis, a group of enormous black figures broke through the sandstorm and entered the oasis.
It was the second wave of intruders, an uninvited guest to the oasis.
"Hmph! Hmph!" Heavy snorting sounds rang out one after another. The black demonized reindeer and spirit beast deer did the same thing at this moment. As soon as they left the sandy environment, they couldn't wait to clear the sand from their ears and noses.
The reindeer leader looked up at the oasis forest in front of it, its expression relaxing slightly. Compared to the desert with its constant sandstorms, it was naturally much closer to the forest.
"Hmm." Let's rest for a while before setting off again.
Upon hearing the leader's command, the other reindeer immediately stopped to rest. When they opened their eyes, they were in the desert. The original herd had been scattered, and only a few of them remained with the reindeer leader. In the desert, they did not stop moving, nor did they rest, since the environment was not suitable for resting at all.
If it weren't for their sufficient physical strength and lack of food supplies, even the demonized companions wouldn't have been able to hold on if they continued walking in the desert.
The reindeer leader looked at its few companions and worried about the other reindeer that had scattered, but there was nothing it could do now. In this unfamiliar time and environment, it could only take care of what was in front of it.
But it believes that it will definitely find its companions, just like the deer herd that got separated in the heavy rain before. No matter how difficult it is, it will still be able to find them!
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Lin Qian and the leopard were unaware that a new group of guests had arrived at the oasis, and they continued to move towards the center of the oasis.
Unbeknownst to them, in the heart of the oasis lies a strange valley of jagged rocks.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
Strange calls echoed continuously in the dark valley; they were the sounds made by wisps of black mist, each the size of a palm, drifting about.
Among the jumbled rocks, they floated around the largest boulder, as if following some kind of pattern.
A withered figure sat cross-legged on the boulder, a tattered black cloth draped over a skeleton-like form. Upon closer inspection, the figure turned out to be a corpse that had been dead for an unknown period of time, now reduced to a mere skeleton.
The black cloth covering the skeleton fluttered gently in the wind. No matter how strong the wind was, the cloth only fluttered slightly and never moved an inch, nor did the skeleton fall over.
But the reindeer leader led the herd to their feet and slowly walked into the oasis forest.
The skeleton that had been silently resting on the boulder suddenly made a soft "click" sound.
The drooping skull had somehow lifted up!
"Whoosh..." Then came the sound of flames igniting, a sign that the empty eye sockets were now glowing.
The skeleton, its eyes now ablaze with flame, seemed to come alive. It stretched out its right hand, now just bones, and countless black wisps of mist drifted in and merged into its bony palm.
"The door...is open..."
But all the black mist vanished into the bone palm, and a hoarse voice rang out from the boulder, a voice that contained surprise and excitement, yet also a sense of entitlement.
"Go... bring the guests..."
"Whoosh—!" The mist that had condensed into a dark black ball within the bone palm instantly split into two beams of black light, which sped off in two different directions.
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"Whoosh—"
"Ouch!"
"
The leopard roared in frustration and swatted away another black cloud of mist with its paw.
Lin Qian watched as the mist, which had been scattered by the leopard's paw, coalesced again, and the seriousness in his eyes turned into doubt.
The leopard was too lazy to bother with it now. This strange thing was impossible to kill no matter how much it was slapped. It would just condense back together after being scattered, just like a cloud of mist, seemingly lifeless, and impossible to kill.
Clumps of black mist swirled around Lin Qian and the leopard, floating without making any aggressive moves. They simply drifted along, forming a clear path, obviously guiding them somewhere.
This was the first time Lin Qian had encountered such a targeted otherworldly creature, so he became fully vigilant, while also feeling a bit curious.
Since we can't kill these fog clouds, let's see what they're up to.
"Aww." Follow them.
Lin Qian let out a low growl and made his decision.
The leopard glanced at Lin Qian, nodded, and followed.
The wisps of mist that had been floating around them, trying to guide them, suddenly tensed up, quickly forming a line and drifting ahead to lead the way.
As the fog cloud changed, the leopard's muscles tensed up, and its spiritual energy began to circulate fully, entering a state of full defense.
Along their journey, they had only encountered creatures like mutated beasts or monsters. This sudden encounter with a clearly intelligent creature was something the leopard took seriously.
However, with Lin Qian around, the leopard wasn't afraid.
Lin Qian's two spirit beasts followed the mist and sped towards the center of the oasis.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the oasis...
The reindeer leader stared blankly at the black fog that was constantly swirling in front of him.
The ignored fog swayed back and forth, seemingly driven to desperation, and even began to bounce in the air. If it weren't for the fact that it had no "mouth" to speak, it would probably have demanded that the giant in front of it take a look at it.
A dozen or so fist-sized wisps of mist darted anxiously among the deer herd. Unlike the reindeer leader, the other deer were all curious about these suddenly appearing little creatures.
Every now and then, deer antlers would poke at the mist, and the demonized deer would even eat them whole. But what was amazing was that the mist that was eaten was not actually swallowed. The moment the demonized deer swallowed, black mist would overflow from its nose and ears, and then quickly condense back into the shape of a mist.
After several attempts, even the lowly demonized deer lost interest in these small black creatures. In the eyes of demonized and mutated beasts, inedible creatures were just dead objects and could be completely ignored.
The spirit beast deer tried a few times, but after realizing they couldn't kill the fog, they chose to ignore it. Anyway, these little things weren't attacking, so they didn't need to worry about them for the time being.
Although the reindeer leader ignored the fog, it did not truly disregard it; it observed the actions of its fellow reindeer.
After observing the characteristics of these fog clouds, his dark red eyes gradually became more profound.
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On the giant rock in the heart of the oasis.
The silent, skeletal figure suddenly raised its head, its empty eye sockets gazing into the distance, seemingly towards the direction of the deer herd.
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