Forces stirred on all sides, rushing toward the battlefield.
Neither Liu Changfeng and Xie Dongye nor the Divine Envoy from the Ancient Divine Teachings had noticed this development.
However, both sides had anticipated something like this.
A commotion this large was bound to attract attention eventually.
Therefore, even though the Divine Envoy currently had Liu Changfeng and Xie Dongye on the defensive, he felt no joy.
'Neither the terrain nor the circumstances are in my favor. If this fight drags on, I could run into unforeseeable danger.'
Watching the seven Pet Beasts locked in a desperate struggle, the Divine Envoy was already planning his retreat.
The Divine Envoy was a decisive man.
Having made his decision, he gave a silent command.
In mid-air, the Nightmare Crow suddenly unleashed a "Shadow Burst," forcing the Wolf Vulture back.
Immediately after the Shadow Burst, it used the skill Shadow Escape, its form instantly appearing at the Divine Envoy's side.
The Divine Envoy leaped into the air and landed squarely on the crow's back.
At the same time, the Skeleton General and the Earth Bear unleashed their ultimate moves almost simultaneously: Soul Destruction Slash and Earth River Rushing.
The Skeleton General swung its Bone Sword, unleashing a slash of dark gray Sword Qi straight toward the two Fire Mastiffs. Meanwhile, the terrifying river of earth and rock roared as it surged toward the Vajra Ape.
"Dodge it!"
Faced with two such ferocious attacks, both Liu Changfeng and Xie Dongye gave the same command.
Both Fire Mastiffs simultaneously used the skill Flame Flash to evade.
The Vajra Ape, meanwhile, stomped hard on the ground. Its body flared with Metal Energy as its speed skyrocketed, and it leaped high into the air to dodge backward.
The Fire Mastiffs and the Vajra Ape all chose to avoid a direct confrontation.
Just as the three Pet Beasts dodged, the Divine Envoy was already standing on the Nightmare Crow's back, commanding it to soar into the sky.
"Damn it, he's getting away!" Liu Changfeng's expression changed drastically when he saw this.
This Divine Envoy from the Ancient Divine Teachings was the biggest fish they'd hooked all night. If he escaped, wiping out the remaining small fry would be meaningless.
The Ancient Divine Teachings had no shortage of Elite Level Cultists.
"Hahaha! This isn't over, Captain Liu. We'll meet again!" the Divine Envoy taunted arrogantly from the back of the ascending Nightmare Crow.
"You're not going anywhere!" As his words faded, a cold, clear female voice answered him.
The instant the voice rang out, a thick bolt of lightning struck with blinding speed.
"Thunderous Strike!"
A deep cry faintly accompanied the lightning as it struck.
"SCREEECH..."
The Nightmare Crow shrieked in agony as it was struck in mid-air.
The next moment, the massive crow plummeted from the sky.
Its fate unknown.
On the mountainside, the giant Earth Bear kicked off, leaped over, and caught the falling Divine Envoy on the soft flesh of its back.
The Divine Envoy landed on the Earth Bear's back. He checked his connection with his Pet Beast and found the Nightmare Crow was on the brink of death. His expression turned grave.
'To take out a Tier Five Commander Nightmare Crow in a single hit... The newcomer must be at Commander Peak.'
'An opponent this strong is completely out of my league!'
The Divine Envoy's mind raced, but for a moment, he couldn't think of a single way to counter this.
But the newcomer wasn't about to give him a chance to catch his breath.
Another thick, merciless bolt of lightning struck again.
"Block it!" After commanding the Earth Bear, the Divine Envoy leaped away to dodge.
The Earth Bear swiped its paw, flinging a massive boulder to intercept the lightning.
KABOOM!
The powerful lightning bolt instantly pulverized the boulder.
"ROOOAR!" After shattering the rock, the slightly weakened lightning struck the Earth Bear's body, causing it to let out a pained roar.
A visible patch of charred blackness instantly spread across the Earth Bear's body.
Even if the blow didn't kill the Earth Bear outright, it left the beast gravely wounded.
The Divine Envoy, however, used this opportunity to leap next to his Skeleton General.
At this moment, only his ace Pet Beast could give him even a sliver of security.
Of course, that feeling of security was, strictly speaking, nothing more than self-deception.
"Who are you?" the Divine Envoy yelled, looking in the direction the attack had come from.
A woman slowly emerged from the darkness.
She was tall and slender, with her hair in a high ponytail. She carried herself with a valiant air, like a swordswoman from an ancient tale.
"Why should I tell you who I am?" the woman said, her voice laced with mockery. "All you need to know is that what happens next will be very, very unpleasant for you!"
As her voice faded, a leopard-like Pet Beast with intertwining purple and black markings emerged from beside her.
"A Thunderlight Leopard!"
The Divine Envoy recognized the Pet Beast at the woman's side, and realization dawned.
'The Pet Beast that attacked me... it was definitely this Thunderlight Leopard.'
"Alright, enough pointless talk. Cultist, it's time to accept your judgment!" The woman pointed at the Divine Envoy, her voice cold and detached.
BZZZT...
The Thunderlight Leopard shot forward, its body wreathed in a blinding layer of electricity.
It moved with incredible speed, transforming into a living bolt of lightning as it charged straight for the Divine Envoy and the Skeleton General.
It was none other than the skill, Strong Strike Lightning.
A rather powerful close-quarters offensive skill of the Thunder Element.
"Bone Shield!" With no way to dodge, the Divine Envoy could only command the Skeleton General to block with all its might.
If the Fire Element's advantage over the Undead Element was more conceptual, with only a slightly better practical effect, then the Thunder Element was a true, hard counter.
Furthermore, the Thunderlight Leopard's Power Level was clearly higher than the Skeleton General's.
So...
BANG!
The skills collided, and the Skeleton General was sent flying, countless bones on its body shattering.
Shards of bone rained down from its frame.
"I'd advise you to surrender. It'll be less painful for you that way." The woman's voice remained cold, betraying no emotion.
The Divine Envoy's gaze was firm and unafraid. "You want me to surrender? Not a chance!"
"Stubborn fool." The woman wasn't surprised by his defiance.
'Most of these Cultists are completely brainwashed anyway.'
'Every one of them is willing to fight to the death. It makes dealing with them a real pain sometimes.'
The woman wasted no more words. The Thunderlight Leopard once again used Strong Strike Lightning, its body erupting in a blinding aura of electricity.
"CAW!"
Just as the Thunderlight Leopard was about to launch its attack, a shrill caw from the sky drew everyone's attention.
"A Dominator Level Dark Night Demon Crow!"
As she looked up at the enormous crow that had appeared out of nowhere above Cloud Mist Mountain, the woman's expression grew graver than ever before.
"It's the evolutionary form of a Nightmare Crow—a Dark Night Demon Crow!"
Not far away, Liu Changfeng looked up at the sight and couldn't help but gasp in shock.
While they were still reeling in shock, the Dark Night Demon Crow launched its attack.
A thick, ink-like darkness radiated out from the Dark Night Demon Crow, instantly blanketing the entire mountaintop.
"This is the Dark Night Demon Crow's signature skill, Dark Night Realm."
"Anything enveloped by this realm will have its energy suppressed, with the exception of the Dark Element."
"Your power will be reduced to just ten or twenty percent of its full strength."
The woman muttered to herself, her brow deeply furrowed.
Nearby, the cornered Divine Envoy suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"Hahaha! The Divine Teachings haven't abandoned me! It must be the Protector! The Protector has come to save me!"
At the same time, in a patch of woods not far away, a mature woman in a tour guide's uniform looked up at the sky and shook her head with a sigh.
The darkness descended, about to envelop the entire mountain.
The tour guide pointed a finger at the sky. "Pierce it," she said, her voice calm and unhurried.
The moment she spoke, countless vines shot out from the woods.
Hundreds, then thousands of vines converged in mid-air, forming a massive Wooden Dragon in the blink of an eye.
The Wooden Dragon roared and charged the descending, ink-black barrier.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the air!
The ink-black barrier was instantly pierced, a gaping hole torn through it. A moment later, it disintegrated into nothing.
The enormous Dark Night Demon Crow had vanished from the sky without a trace.
The Divine Envoy stared at the empty sky, completely dumbfounded.
'The Protector arrived?'
'The Protector left!'
'So what am I supposed to do now?'
The woman with the Thunderlight Leopard glanced toward the spot where the vines had emerged, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then her gaze, sharp as a blade, fell upon the Divine Envoy.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A few moments later, Liu Changfeng couldn't help but gulp as he looked at the barely-breathing Divine Envoy.
"Um, ma'am..." he began.
The woman said nothing, simply pulling an ID from her pocket.
Liu Changfeng glanced at the credentials.
"Special Envoy of the Jiangnan Province Public Security Bureau, Zhao Xiwei!"
Seeing the information on the ID, Liu Changfeng and Xie Dongye immediately saluted respectfully.
"Take him into custody," Zhao Xiwei said. With that, she turned and leaped back toward the mountain's peak.
Liu Changfeng gestured, and two teammates who had finished their own fights immediately rushed over. They took out a pair of handcuffs and shackled the Divine Envoy.
"And collect the dead and dying Pet Beasts."
At his command, the rest of the team sprang into action, using their Beast Taming Balls to collect all the Cultists' Pet Beasts.
Ordinarily, a Beast Taming Ball wouldn't be able to contain these Pet Beasts.
Even if captured, they could easily break free.
But now, they had all lost their will to fight. They were either on the verge of death or already dead and couldn't resist in the slightest.
"Stop staring. A woman like the Special Envoy is way out of your league."
Liu Changfeng turned and saw Xie Dongye still staring in the direction Zhao Xiwei had gone. He slapped him on the back of the head.
This blockhead had been dense for so long, and the one time he finally shows some interest, it's in the Special Envoy.
Liu Changfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
'As if a woman like that is someone a mere vice-captain of a special operations team can even dream about!'
"N-no! Captain, you... you've got it all wrong, don't say things like that..." Xie Dongye's face instantly turned as red as a baboon's behind. He tried to deny it immediately, but his stammering, his awkwardness, his nervousness—anyone could see the truth.
Seeing this, Liu Changfeng just shook his head and sighed.