Lan Chong smirked and nodded his head, "As long as we can kill Huang Xiaolong, so what if we have to join hands with Chiyou and Violent Lightning? I believe the Nine Yin Giant Corpse Tribe's Old Ancestor Shi Ming would be very willing to join our little party as well."
...
In the Country of Dreams' royal city, Chiyou stood among the opulent buildings like a towering mountain, grinning coldly, "The Third Devil Forest, Huang Xiaolong!"
"Master, could that Lan Chong be plotting some kind of scheme?" Qin Hongbao was baffled as he went on, "Why would Lan Chong tell us this news? The Kingdom of Devil Beasts has never borne well with us Devil Race."
"You are right, that Lan Cong is likely harboring some kind of ill-intent." Violent Lightning Archdevil, too, was feeling suspicious.
Chiyou chuckled softly, "Wasn't there a rumor sometime back about Lan Chong's son, Lan Bowei's death?"
Qin Hongbao, Violet Lightning Archdevil, and others' eyes lit up.
"Lord Chiyou means that Lan Bowei's death is related to Huang Xiaolong?" The Black Killer Sect's Chief Cui Huajie asked.
Chiyou nodded, "That is most likely how it went down."
"We should hurry to the Third Devil Forest and assemble with the Devil-eyed Blue Lion Empire's people!"
"We will wait in ambush for our little rabbit prey, Huang Xiaolong!"
...
On a certain mountain range within the Heaven Devouring Empire's territory, Shi Ming, who was completely enshrouded in a thick layer of death qi, looked at the message in his communication symbol.
"Great Lord, what…?" Fiend God Emperor Feng Chu stepped up and inquired cautiously.
Shi Ming threw the communication symbol to Feng Chu.
Feng Chu caught it and read the message within. He was surprised at first, then laughed happily, "Huang Xiaolong's at the Fire Lightning Violet Python Empire!"
The Massacring Gods Gate's Old Ancestor Chu Han accepted the communication symbol. After reading the content, he too was delighted, but soon he looked doubtful, "Lan Chong has a feud with Huang Xiaolong? Why would he leak news of Huang Xiaolong to us? Is there some kind of trick here?"
Shi Ming sneered, "He doesn't have the guts to lie to me. Get ready. We're heading to the Third Devil Forest now!"
"Huang Xiaolong is ours!"
"The Devil Holy Water, Yellow Springs Magic Robe, Heavenly Hall, that grandmist treasure city, and that Radiance Divine Scepter on him will belong to us!"
...
While Chiyou, Shi Ming, and others were rushing to the Third Devil Forest, intending to ambush Huang Xiaolong, Huang Xiaolong's group was rapidly approaching the place where the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race resided, on the Tushita Flying Ship.
Based on the route Huang Xiaolong had planned earlier, they would undoubtedly pass by the Third Devil Forest.
However...
Ten days later...
The Tushita Flying Ship stopped in the air above a sharp cliff.
At the bottom of the cliff was an extremely narrow opening that could only fit one person at a time. Deep into the opening was complete darkness. Black frigid energy rose from the narrow opening, and even Huang Xiaolong, who had the True Dragon Physique and Ascending Devil Physique, felt a chill.
Huang Xiaolong and the others quickly put on their fire element divine armors.
"Who would have thought that the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race's place would be hidden beneath such a cliff." Gao Changran lamented.
The Heavenly Dragon Bear was a very ancient race in the Kingdom of Devil Beasts.
Billions of years ago, the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race was known as one of the most overbearing and powerful races. In fact, they could be considered the hegemon of the Kingdom of Devil Beasts. Way before that, the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race was the uncontested overlord, equivalent to the nine empires' current leader, the Two-headed Devil Dragon Empire.
In truth, people dreaded the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race more than the current Two-headed Devil Dragon Empire.
In the Desolate Era, someone had described that if the Devil World's Archdevil Lord was Wu Tian, while the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race's Patriarch Cang Mutian was the Archdevil Lord of the devil beasts.
However, the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race's Patriarch Cang Mutian had suddenly gone missing later on. Some said Cang Mutian was already dead, while others claimed that Cang Mutian's cultivation had gone astray because of practicing some kind of technique. Regardless of these assumptions, Cang Mutian had never appeared again.
After Cang Mutian had gone missing, the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race had suffered suppressions from all around, and they were left with no choice but to live in seclusion.
In the last, ten billion years, members of the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race had never surfaced in the outside world. From the most powerful race, they had become the most mysterious and elusive race.
Even though many billion years had passed, the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race's prestige still existed, like an imprint in various forces' experts' minds.
"Our Black Wolf Race's Old Ancestor is the new Heavenly Dragon Bear Race Patriarch's disciple-in-name. The Old Ancestor told me this secret at the end of his life moments before Lan Pohan killed him. That's why I know where the Heavenly Dragon Bear Race lives." Lu Xiaoqing explained. "The Old Ancestor also told me the method to enter. There are layers of restrictions at the bottom of this cliff. Not even a Sovereign Realm expert can reach the destination by force."
"Not even a Sovereign Realm expert could pass through?" Gao Changran didn't really believe that.
Huang Xiaolong felt that statement was an over-exaggeration.
Lu Xiaoqing added, "Although I don't really believe it myself, that is what my Old Ancestor told me."
Huang Xiaolong merely nodded his head.
Although most of them didn't believe that the restriction formations below were that powerful, Huang Xiaolong and the others still proceeded according to Lu Xiaoqing's method as they flew down the cliff as a precaution.
The further down they got, the heavier the frigid qi became. Huang Xiaolong could almost feel his soul freezing.
Despite wearing a fire element divine armor with activated protective formations and swallowing fire element divine pills, Huang Xiaolong still found it hard to resist the frigid qi.
That was how Huang Xiaolong felt, and it was worse still for the peak late-Tenth Order Heavenly Monarch Realm Lu Xiaoqing. Her face was pallid like the snow, and she shivered as if she was dancing.
Seeing this, Huang Xiaolong tried to use Heavenly Hall's power to resist some of the frigid qi.
In the blink of an eye, holy light shone, spreading radiant energy.
With the Heavenly Hall's radiance energy enshrouding them, Huang Xiaolong immediately discovered the coldness from the frigid qi below had significantly diminished. Though it was still cold, it felt much better than before, and Lu Xiaoqing's complexion gradually recovered.
One hour later, after many twists and turns, a massive valley appeared before Huang Xiaolong's group. All the frigid qi had disappeared when they climbed above the valley. Here, it was warm and breezy, coupled with the refreshing floral fragrance coming from the valley below.
Though they had not entered into the valley, just looking from high air, the valley's scenery was breathtaking, like an otherworldly paradise.
However, they didn't get to enjoy it. Moments after Huang Xiaolong's group arrived above the valley, they heard sharp whistling sounds of winds as two middle-aged men appeared. Both were Emperor Realm experts; one was an early Tenth Order Emperor, while the other was a mid-Tenth Order Emperor.
"Who are you? What purpose you have in trespassing into our Dragon Bear Valley?" The mid-Tenth Order Emperor Realm middle-aged man's eyes were fixed on Huang Xiaolong's group as he demanded gruffly.
The Dragon Bear Valley was well hidden. Moreover, the outer entrance was guarded by layers of restrictive formations as well as the natural frigid qi barrier. Thus they had never expected outsiders to barge in.
"Senior, we are Lu Hong's descendants. We came to seek help from Patriarch Cang Yuan." Lu Xiaoqing took the initiative to step forward and explain as she took out a small token and presented it to the middle-aged man.
An eye-catching life-like dragon bear was engraved on the token's surface.
The middle-aged man took the token, and the stern expression on his face eased slightly. "So, you are Lu Hong's descendants." He then asked Lu Xiaoqing some questions. After verifying Lu Xiaoqing's identity, he was finally reassured and led Huang Xiaolong's group into the valley.
As Huang Xiaolong's group proceeded into the Dragon Bear Valley, numerous figures were rushing towards the Heavenly Dragon Bear Cliff. They consisted of Shi Ming, Chu Han, Chiyou, Lan Chong, and the rest.