Yunwu Mountain Scenic Area, at the Hundred Feet Waterfall.
Liu Changfeng was commanding his Fire Mastiff, fighting a Cultist from the Ancient Divine Teachings.
To call it a battle was an overstatement. More accurately, it was a one-sided thrashing.
Liu Changfeng held an absolute advantage, completely overwhelming the Cultist.
Dragon Flame Song was unlike other Fire Skills.
After the Skill was released, the Pet Beast could still control it.
Right now, the Fire Mastiff was controlling the Dragon-shaped Flame to coil around and envelop the Defense Skill cast by the Rock Python—Rock Guardian!
The stone fortress formed by the Defense Skill was visibly being roasted red-hot at an incredible speed.
At this rate, even if the flames couldn't break through the stone fortress, the Cultist inside would be roasted alive.
In other words, the Cultist was now trapped with no hope of escape.
He had no way out.
As the high-temperature flames burned on, Liu Changfeng watched with an expressionless face, betraying no emotion.
'Just as I thought. He has backup.'
Suddenly, Liu Changfeng's gaze sharpened. He turned his head, looked in a specific direction, and ordered, "Little Jinzi, go flush that rat out for me."
As his voice fell, a Summoning Array flashed, and a golden ape roughly five meters tall materialized out of thin air.
The giant ape wielded a matching golden staff. Following Liu Changfeng's direction, it leaped forward and smashed down.
Metal Energy flowed along the staff, shimmering with a brilliant light.
A sudden swing cut through the air with a fierce whistle, its power terrifying to behold.
BOOM!
The staff smashed down, striking a point in the darkness and causing an explosion.
It was the Vajra Ape's Powerful attack Skill—Mountain-Breaking Strike!
The moment the explosion rang out, a figure shot out from the darkness.
"Earth River Rushing!"
The figure shot out, letting out a low growl.
As the sound faded, a burly figure suddenly materialized and slammed its paws into the ground.
A "river" made entirely of earth and rock surged forward with a deafening rumble.
The river of earth and rock didn't attack Liu Changfeng. Instead, it rushed directly toward the coiling Dragon-shaped Flame.
Buried beneath the river of earth, the Dragon-shaped Flame, already having lost much of its power, was finally extinguished.
The Dragon Flame was buried by the earthen river. The next moment, the flow of earth parted, revealing the Cultist from the Ancient Divine Teachings.
The Cultist was a pathetic sight, a far cry from his previous state.
Large portions of his body were covered in severe burns.
Had the mysterious figure not appeared to save him, the Cultist would surely have met a grim end in a matter of moments.
"Divine Envoy!" The Cultist looked at his rescuer, his tone respectful and grateful.
He then added bitterly, "I'm sorry, Divine Envoy..."
"You did well. You helped the Divine Teachings find the entrance to the Cloud Mist Ruins." The mysterious man waved his hand, his tone nonchalant. "As for this man, Liu Changfeng, the captain of the Yunlan City Public Security Bureau's special operations team... his Power Level has already reached the Commander Level. He's not someone you could have been expected to defeat."
Liu Changfeng wasn't surprised to hear the mysterious man's nonchalant words.
After fighting evil forces for so many years, it was only natural for his identity to be known.
"A Divine Envoy of the Ancient Divine Teachings," Liu Changfeng chuckled, unafraid. "I didn't expect to hook such a big fish."
While the two men spoke, the enormous figure that had slammed the ground to create the river of earth moved to the mysterious man's side.
It was a giant brown bear.
The giant bear stood seven or eight meters tall.
When it rose to its hind legs, it loomed like a small mountain, exuding an oppressive, suffocating aura.
'An Earth Bear, at least a Mid-Tier Commander. This is going to be trouble.'
He muttered to himself, and a moment later, seven figures converged from the darkness.
It was his team.
With such a huge commotion, both the members of the special operations team and the cultists of the Ancient Divine Teachings had long since noticed something was wrong.
The moment they sensed the disturbance, personnel from both sides had sprung into action and rushed to the scene.
Liu Changfeng glanced at his seven arriving team members, then at the four new cultists who had joined the enemy. He licked his lips.
'Even if that Divine Envoy is a bit stronger than me, with our numerical advantage, this fight is winnable.'
'Most importantly, time is on our side.'
'This is Yunlan City territory, after all. It won't be long before reinforcements arrive.'
'As for them... these Cultists are like rats, hiding in the shadows. They'd never dare reveal themselves in the light of day. After causing such a scene, they won't dare to stick around.'
There was one more thing, the greatest source of Liu Changfeng's confidence.
Unlike others, Liu Changfeng knew a bit about the Cloud Mist Ruins, thanks to his connections with the Federation Government.
'If that legend's descendant is still guarding the area, then no matter what happens here, it won't be a major problem.'
'For all I know, my current battle with the Divine Envoy is nothing more than child's play in their eyes.'
But Liu Changfeng knew that person's existence was a trump card, not to be played or revealed lightly.
So, they had to rely on themselves for this fight.
There was no room for wishful thinking.
With this in mind, he shot a look at his deputy captain, Xie Dongye.
Currently, he and Xie Dongye were the only ones on the special operations team who had reached the Commander Level. Since they had only recently broken through, neither had contracted a third Pet Beast yet. Alone, they were no match for the Divine Envoy of the Ancient Divine Teachings.
But if they teamed up, it would be four Pet Beasts against three. Even if they were at a disadvantage in terms of Level, it shouldn't be a problem.
As for the other members of the Ancient Divine Teachings, his six subordinates were more than enough to handle them.
The only real threat among this group from the Ancient Divine Teachings was the Divine Envoy.
The others were only Elite Level. With an advantage in both numbers and strength, taking them down would only be a matter of time if they didn't retreat.
Having worked with Liu Changfeng for years, Deputy Captain Xie Dongye understood his meaning instantly. Without hesitation, he summoned his own Pet Beasts.
A Commander Level Wind Element Pet Beast, the Wolf Vulture, and another Commander Level Fire Mastiff.
The Pet Beast configurations for the Public Security Bureau's special operations team were all basically the same.
They consisted mainly of canine and ape-type Pet Beasts.
Thus, two Commander Level Fire Mastiffs, one Commander Level Wolf Vulture, and one Commander Level Vajra Ape closed in, surrounding the Divine Envoy of the Ancient Divine Teachings.
The latter didn't waste any time, instantly summoning his own Pet Beasts.
A Commander Level Nightmare Crow, a Commander Level Skeleton General, and the Earth Bear that had just extinguished the Dragon Flame Song.
Backed by the Federation Government, both Liu Changfeng and Xie Dongye possessed equipment that far surpassed what someone like Li Qian could afford. The instant the Divine Envoy summoned his Pet Beasts, Liu Changfeng's Energy Detector measured the Power Level of all three.
'A Tier Five Commander Dark Element Nightmare Crow, a Tier Five Commander Earth Element Earth Bear, and a Tier Seven Commander Undead Element Skeleton General.'
'With these three Pet Beasts, both the Dark and Undead Elements are tricky attributes to handle.'
'And in this environment, that Earth Bear has plenty of room to display its power.'
'But the one to fear most is the Skeleton General. Its power has reached High-level Commander, which will make it even more of a headache to deal with!'
With that thought, the two men gave silent commands. Their two Fire Mastiffs—one a Tier One Commander, the other a Tier Three Commander—immediately attacked the Skeleton General.
Although the Skeleton General was an Undead Element Pet Beast, it was still a skeletal type, not a Ghost Type. It was therefore somewhat vulnerable to the pure, searing heat of the Fire Element.
The Vajra Ape, wielding its metal staff, went after the Earth Bear.
The Vajra Ape was a Gold Element Pet Beast, powerful in close combat and skilled in defense. Its "Metalization" Skill could largely resist Earth Element Skills, making it the perfect choice to take on the Earth Bear.
As for the Nightmare Crow, it was naturally left to the Wolf Vulture, which was also a Flying Pet Beast.
The Wolf Vulture had the advantage of speed. Even if it couldn't win, it would have no problem holding its own for a while.
At the same time, as Liu Changfeng and Xie Dongye clashed with the Divine Envoy, the other members of the special operations team engaged the five remaining Cultists.
The commotion around the Hundred Feet Waterfall grew even louder.
Explosions echoed through the area from time to time.
The sounds of battle startled several people.
A figure darted out of a camping tent on a flat patch of land near the mountain peak. It was a woman.
She was tall and slender, her hair tied back in a high ponytail, giving her a heroic and spirited air.
After emerging from the tent, she didn't hesitate for a second, sprinting directly toward the source of the commotion.
「Elsewhere.」
Deep in a dense forest stood a small house.
The house was made of wood and looked utterly unremarkable.
The next moment, the wooden door creaked open, and an old man with salt-and-pepper hair and a beard walked out slowly.
"Sigh... I've had a peaceful life for decades. I wonder if this old forest ranger has still got it..."
As he spoke, he focused his gaze on a particular spot within the scenic area.
Elsewhere in the scenic area, a mature-looking woman of about thirty pushed open the door of a house.
The woman wore a tour guide's uniform. As she came out, she couldn't help but curse, "Fighting, fighting, always fighting! Can't they let people get some sleep in the middle of the night? I just hope they don't disturb the Old Master's rest."
As her voice faded, she was already gone, dashing through the mountain forest as if she had wings.
Faintly, one could see greenish-brown wooden tentacles writhing restlessly beside her.