Elder Unvo then used another martial technique and conveyed his orders. The animals jolted upright and scattered in every direction. Some entered deep burrows, while others raced across the land. Some soared high into the sky, while others climbed tall trees. They became his eyes and ears. Although they were simple creatures without any special investigative methods, they could cover far greater ground with higher detail than he could alone. Furthermore, his ties to them were extremely shallow. Unless it was a Rank 3 Beast King sensitive to Martial Energy, he was confident he could evade their detection. As for why he decided to use it now, and not when Elizabeth asked? Naturally, because it involved his benefits, he was more eager to put in the effort! He waited patiently for the animals to return. Then, he would use his martial technique to browse through their memories to see if they discovered anything.
"Oh? These are Three-horned Goats? It seems the humans were quite lucky. Shame these horns are just Mortal Grade materials. They're useless to me."
"These are… Ghostly Roses? And Resentment Bone Lilies? I can also see Eternal Vermillion Carnations! A powerful beast must have died here! The corpse might have decayed, but the skeleton might have some use. I should remember where it is."
"What a large pack of wolves! Leading the pack is what seems to be… a Shadow Wind Wolf, an Early Rank 2 Beast Lord! And those near it must be Dark Wind Wolves, Half-Rank 2 Beast Lords! The humans would have died, if they ran into this group."
"This five-colored light radiating from the cave… Don't tell me this is the lair of a Five Step Ascending Bear? No, this light is sporadic. It's probably a Grand Rank 2 Beast Lord, or Half-Rank 3 Beast King. I'm glad I didn't go near the mountain peak. It's too dangerous."
He pondered. There were more treasures and beasts than he thought. Although the quality was not particularly high, the quantity more than made up for it. The Featherwind Sect needed treasures to repair their airship, treat their hidden injuries, and recover their strength. Afterwards, they could leave the human world for another Rank 3 civilization, where they could sell these treasures for things they needed. Only then could they see some hope in reviving the Featherwind Sect and exacting revenge on the Luminous Central Origin!
It was not obvious at the lower Ranks, but the largest contributor to growing stronger was not willpower, potential, or even effort. It was actually resources! For example, having a powerful master, a combat system inheritance, or weapons and equipment… For people that lacked everything, the difficulty was like scaling the heavens. It was extremely challenging to rise in Ranks! This was why humanity had no Rank 3 King for so long. It was not due to a lack of effort or talent. It was mainly the lack of guidance to advance further!
Greed filled Elder Unvo's heart. He wanted to devour these mountains whole! But regrettably, he did not have the ability to. The storage artifact he had with him, which contained his armor and other personal belongings, was not that big. He would have to prioritize the treasures with the greatest value. Thankfully, the other elder birds had storage artifacts too. The combined space was considerable. Once they arrive, they could sweep the resources at the foot of the mountains! As for those Rank 2 Beast Lords… Elder Unvo was confident in the four of them. They should be able to handle anything that came their way. Half-Rank 3 Beast Kings and above were the problem. They needed more information!
"Hm? Some of my protective measures have been broken through!"
His face changed. He had set up many barriers and detection methods in the area to warn him of threats in advance. They were meant to ward off any curious creatures. While these methods were not particularly powerful, they should be sufficient for mortal beasts, and many Rank 2 Beast Lords. This meant that whatever was approaching was strong! Without missing a beat, he took out the armor from his storage artifact. The strange liquid flowed along his wings, forming a flexible layer of metal. This was one of the properties of the Greater Noble Grade treasure, Gentle Flowing Gold ore. He tensed his muscles and stretched his wings out. At the first sign of danger, he would flee! But he was curious what this beast was. His investigative methods swept out. No sooner did he do that, that a sinister whisper filled the surroundings.
"Hehehe…"
It came from every direction, making it impossible to locate. Furthermore, it seemed to pierce the soul with paralyzing coldness! The horses neighed in fear, many panicking and jumping out of control. Elder Unvo could not concern himself with them at the moment. His pupils shrank. If Nassandra were here, she would have recognized it as the whisper she heard before. Likewise, Shirley would have turned around and fled. That voice was nothing, but ominous! Elder Unvo had more insight though. He instantly realized this was an advanced illusionary spell! Only instead of a visual illusion, it was auditory! The effects were unknown, so he did not let it continue. Thankfully, once he discovered the spell, he had many ways to deal with it. Channeling his Martial Energy, he screeched. The martial technique directly collided with the illusion spell and destroyed it! Silence returned, but not for long. Something shrieked loudly in anger.
"Hmph. Be a smart beast and leave. I'm not interested in fighting you."
The bird thought the matter was settled when twenty projectiles shot from the trees towards him! These projectiles were unbelievably fast, small, and quiet, crossing the forest in the blink of an eye. Under the dark sky and howling wind, they were almost invisible! It was a perfect strike. No, a perfect assassination! But the bird noticed it immediately since he kept his investigative methods active. However, combat was not his strong suit. He was not willing to test this attack. Thinking so, he flapped his wings and soared into the sky. Whoosh! Those projectiles arrived a beat later and sliced through the tree like knives. Boom! Over ten trees slammed onto the snow, creating large plumes of dust, dirt, and leaves. The sound and shockwave were startling. Elder Unvo avoided everything, but the poor horses were all flattened into piles of bone and blood.
Elder Unvo's face was dark, his killing intent unrestrained. Not because the horses were killed, but because his precious treasure hunting time was interrupted. That was the most unforgivable! He turned his head towards the treeline where a towering creature slithered out from the darkness. Clack, clack, clack! A long snake-like body emerged, supported by eight thick legs. It was almost as tall as a two storey building! Its mandibles snapped furiously, as it locked eyes with Elder Unvo in the sky. Its appearance was the same as the creature Nassandra encountered deep in the caves, except its mandibles were three times larger, almost comically so, and it had a deep crimson red turtle shell armor on its back. It looked deeply unsettling, and the aura it released was also far stronger!
"This is… a Silk Snapping Turtle Insect, a Rank 2 Beast Lord!" Elder Unvo quickly identified. He recalled, "The male usually goes out to hunt, enchanting prey with its illusionary voice. Under its spell, the prey will travel on their own to the caves where the female lay. There, the female will encase the prey in a silk cocoon which will slowly digest the dying prey into a nutritious liquid. Its children are ordinary beasts, and only by growing in an energy dense environment for ten years will they have the chance to become Rank 2 Beast Lords.
"They have three main forms of attack. The first is their extremely sharp silk threads. Those threads could probably cut through my armor and wings! I'm glad I didn't test it!" He exhaled with relief. Although his defense was weak, his investigative methods were superior. That gave him the necessary time to react. Otherwise, that sneak attack could have killed him! He continued, "Its second and third forms of attack are those mandibles and coiling body, but it doesn't pose any threat to me, since I can fly." The bird sneered. "Why should I fight you? Farewell!"