Tang Wen floated up the giant tree in a straight, vertical motion, resembling a ghost from a horror movie.
The brown-tailed crow gave a warning.
Without hesitation, Tang Wen swiftly hid within the dense canopy.
After repeatedly sensing his surroundings and finding no intuitive warnings, he finally felt somewhat at ease.
"Go, observe carefully, and don't make a sound," he instructed.
The brown-tailed crow glided silently down the tree trunk, from high to low.
Tang Wen shared its vision, looking down from above, everything was so clear.
In just a few seconds, it landed beside a large tree.
Its right eye seemed to casually fixate on the bushes below.
There, a group of black-clad figures was moving in the direction of the Water Sprite, seemingly waiting for something.
They weren't from the gang.
So close?
Tang Wen gasped in shock.
He silently thanked his luck that the noise he had made earlier wasn't loud.
Otherwise, it would be them in the open and him in the shadows.
Were these people here to sabotage the gang's mission?
At this distance, Tang Wen couldn't help but speculate.
They were also dressed in black.
The black-clad figures in front of the Water Sprite had dark water patterns embroidered on their sleeves.
They also wore metal badges on their chests.
Their weapons were marked with the Blackwater Gang's insignia, a clear identifier for friend or foe.
But the black-clad figures near Tang Wen, five in total, had no markings on their clothes.
They wore identical black armor masks.
What was their strength?
Should he warn the gang?
Several thoughts flashed through Tang Wen's mind, but he dismissed them one by one.
To put it bluntly, he had come here out of curiosity.
And perhaps, deep down, he had some intention of taking advantage of the chaos.
Since someone else was already stirring the waters, he had no objections.
Hiding on the tree trunk, he waited patiently.
Every ten minutes, he switched his vision to the Water Sprite.
Nothing had changed.
Time passed minute by minute.
The sun overhead grew hotter.
In the canopy, Tang Wen couldn't help but visualize the chill of night to lower the surrounding temperature.
Aquatic Mutated Beasts like the Water Sprite disliked the sun even more.
They were all drowsy.
The gang seemed to have anticipated this.
From the tents behind, they brought out barrels of ice emitting white mist.
The Water Sprite cheered.
It rushed over, grabbed a barrel, and started shoving the ice into its mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
The crushed ice fell onto its fur, turning into droplets of water.
After eating its fill, the Water Sprite lifted the barrel and poured the half-melted ice water all over itself.
Even from a distance of at least twenty miles, Tang Wen could feel its intense joy.
It seemed that he could sense strong emotional fluctuations.
After finishing one barrel, it went for another.
Tang Wen watched intermittently.
After three barrels of ice, ten minutes later, Tang Wen suddenly froze when he switched his vision back.
The ice had been drugged!
He was shocked.
The Water Sprite's vision had changed.
Earlier, when looking at objects or scenery, everything had been clear and normal.
Now, a faint red hue had appeared.
This was the effect of a stimulant-like drug, and it must have been used in large doses to achieve this result.
It seemed they were about to make their move.
Tang Wen first checked the brown-tailed crow's position.
The nearby black-clad figures were still hidden in the bushes, motionless, like statues.
If it weren't for the brown-tailed crow confirming they were alive, Tang Wen wouldn't have been sure if these figures lying on the ground were already dead.
With a thought, the brown-tailed crow quietly retreated.
It moved to a tree closer to him.
For Tang Wen,
keeping an eye on the black-clad figures was just a side task.
What mattered more was his own safety.
With the brown-tailed crow keeping watch nearby,
he felt at ease to shift his focus to the male Water Sprite.
At some point, two Mutated Beasts had appeared before the male Water Sprite.
They were even more excited than the Water Sprite, striding forward with large steps.
Tang Wen noticed that the black-clad guards from the gang were no longer in sight on either side of his vision.
A few minutes later,
the male Water Sprite grew restless.
Tang Wen once again clearly sensed its intense desire!
Hot!
Thirsty!
It needed water, it needed ice!
The male Water Sprite turned its head,
letting out a furious roar.
Only then, through its vision, did Tang Wen see clearly.
The black-clad members of the gang had fanned out in a semicircle behind the Mutated Beasts.
Were they trying to prevent the beasts from escaping?
In the Water Sprite's line of sight, the central black-clad figure stepped forward, lips moving.
"Go! Keep going!"
"There's water and ice ahead!"
Tang Wen couldn't hear the sound, but he could read the lips.
In the deep, remote canyon, water was one thing, but how could there be ice?
These people were even deceiving the Mutated Beasts.
Tang Wen shook his head, speculating in his heart.
He roughly understood what these Mutated Beasts were about to face.
A sixth-grade Mutated Beast.
A being that surpassed the Sand Wolf King.
A creature of equal strength to the Silver Wolf King north of the Flame Camp.
Hmm?
Wait.
If it was just a sixth-grade beast,
the Gang Lord could handle it himself.
Whether to kill it or drive it away,
with the Gang Lord's fifth-grade Divine Martial Realm strength, wouldn't it be a piece of cake?
Putting it all together,
could it be a Divine Martial Realm Mutated Beast?!
Tang Wen frowned.
While he was inclined to believe it, he also found it hard to accept.
The location of the male Water Sprite was only a little over a hundred miles from Mountain Chasing City.
For a fifth-grade Divine Martial Realm being, whether human or beast, such a distance could be crossed in a short time.
With so many humans gathered in Mountain Chasing City,
wouldn't it appear as a large, fresh snack hub to a Divine Martial Realm Mutated Beast?
Moreover, how could Mountain Chasing City allow it?
How could they tolerate a threat so close to their doorstep?
Mountain Chasing City had more than one Divine Martial Realm expert.
Shouldn't they join forces to kill it, divide the flesh, and share the materials?
Could it be that this wasn't about salvaging something, but setting a trap to ambush a fifth-grade Mutated Beast?
That didn't seem likely either.
All the experts present were from the Blackwater Gang.
If a conflict broke out, it would be the Blackwater Gang's elite who would die.
Even if the Gang Lord had lost his mind, he wouldn't come alone to encircle and suppress such a threat.
He wouldn't agree to it.
The other deputy gang lords and elders wouldn't be willing either!
Everyone in the gang was ruthless.
They were capable of anything.
Except for selfless acts of removing threats for the greater good.
Tang Wen was filled with questions.
He didn't have to wonder for long.
After rounding a bend,
a misty white haze suddenly appeared before him.
Upon closer inspection, all the white mist was rising from a pool of water.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Meanwhile, the Mutated Beasts had already charged forward.
Water!
Ice!
It was right ahead.
Tang Wen felt a sense of foreboding.
He immediately forced control over the male Water Sprite, which had already charged forward like the other beasts.
Instead of stopping it, he made it accelerate and crash into the beast in front.
With a stumble,
the two naturally tumbled into a heap.
Over a dozen Mutated Beasts rushed past.
The male Water Sprite fell behind.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
Like dumplings dropping into a pot,
the Mutated Beasts plunged into the pool.
Though slower, the male Water Sprite had no choice but to jump as well.
Tang Wen endured the stinging sensation of his mental energy rapidly depleting.
Once again, he forced himself to look back.
The scene froze, sending a chill down Tang Wen's spine.
People!
Behind the black-clad figures.
Dozens of vehicles had appeared at some unknown time.
On the vehicles, people were densely packed, tied up like pigs in a pen.
The male Water Sprite also plunged into the water with a splash.
A feeling of relief transmitted from its mind.
Tang Wen was now completely certain.
This was a cold pool.
But his heart was already in his throat.
This was neither the polar region nor a snow-capped mountain.
Could there possibly be a natural cold pool in the scorching heat of the southern jungle?
(End of Chapter)