"A mortal? But he doesn't seem to be a seeker of immortals. Judging by his attire… is he an exorcist? What is he doing in Jueyun Karst?"
Ryan, having clearly seen the young man's appearance from afar, curiously followed him.
The young man didn't notice a white fox trailing him. Instead, he was observing his surroundings throughout Jueyun Karst, seemingly searching for something.
Ryan continued to follow the young man, eventually arriving near Taishan Mansion.
The ruins here were submerged by water, with only faint traces of ancient architecture visible beneath the surface.
"Hmm?"
However, both Ryan and the young man noticed something amiss: a strange creature was floating on the water's surface.
"His Highness the Prince sent me to investigate Jueyun Karst. Could there be something else here… Hmm? Who's there?"
A strange, furry creature, hidden within a Hydro shield, suddenly turned its head and looked in the direction of the light-blue-haired young man.
"Haah!"
As the strange creature turned, the young man had already drawn a Claymore named skyward pride. He charged towards the creature, and as his toes touched the water, Cryo immediately froze an inch of the surface, allowing him to walk on water.
Seeing someone charging at him aggressively, the strange creature quickly turned and fled, flying into the distance.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
The young man immediately gave chase.
"That creature… is it an Abyss Mage?"
Looking at the furry creature protected by a Hydro shield, Ryan, who was following behind the young man, pondered for a moment, making an uncertain guess.
These monsters from the Abyss were thoroughly documented by the Adventurers Guild, so that ordinary Adventurers would know to flee if they encountered one. Thus, many people knew about them, and Ryan had heard of them as well.
However, Abyss monsters generally dared not approach a place like Jueyun Karst. If they did, the Vanquisher of Evil would slay them all before they could even get close.
But this Hydro-controlling Abyss Mage had clearly used some method to evade the Vanquisher of Evil's notice and successfully infiltrated Jueyun Karst.
The light-blue-haired young man's speed was swift. He quickly caught up to the fleeing Abyss Mage, and with a single-handed sword art, he condensed Cryo to unleash a barrage of ice lances at the Abyss Mage.
The ice lances struck the Abyss Mage's shield, instantly freezing the entire shield.
Then, the young man swung the skyward pride in his hand, shattering the Frozen shield with a single blow and sending the Abyss Mage inside flying as well.
"No wonder even Jueyun Karst has evil spirits causing trouble. So it was you all along. Surrender now."
Having shattered the Abyss Mage's shield, the young man knew the opponent no longer posed a threat. He slowly approached, holding the skyward pride.
"You, who are you, and why are you attacking me…?"
The furry Abyss Mage, which looked like it had rabbit ears and wore a white mask, clutched its chest and spoke to the young man.
"My name is Chongyun, an exorcist from Tianheng. I don't change my name whether I'm walking or sitting."
The young man named Chongyun announced his name.
However, while he was speaking, the Abyss Mage waved the staff-like object in its hand.
The next moment, two axe-wielding Mitachurls were summoned behind Chongyun.
These two Mitachurls, influenced by the power of the Abyss, were filled with a frenzied aura. Upon being summoned, they immediately raised their massive axes and brought them down on the defenseless Chongyun's back.
Feeling the movement, Chongyun immediately turned his head, gripping the skyward pride with both hands, but it seemed he wouldn't be able to block in time… Just as Chongyun grew anxious, an ice-blue phantom appeared behind him, easily catching both axes with its hands.
"Ice Puppet following… You are?"
Seeing the ice-blue phantom, Chongyun seemed to recall something and instinctively wanted to ask.
The ice-blue phantom, with a gentle push, sent the Mitachurls and their giant axes flying backward.
After dealing with the two Mitachurls, the ice-blue phantom circled once and flew back to a nearby boulder.
"Evil spirits are best at disguise; do not be careless."
Recalling his Ice Puppet, Shenhe, standing on a high perch, reminded Chongyun. He then leaped down from the height, skillfully resolving the two Mitachurls with his spear.
Afterward, Shenhe looked at the Abyss Mage who had summoned the Mitachurls for a sneak attack.
"Damn it…"
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the Abyss Mage had no choice but to continue waving its staff.
The next moment, a robust Mitachurl was summoned.
"Roar—!"
The Mitachurl let out a roar, its body covered in a layer of Geo, which significantly boosted its DEF and greatly enhanced its strength.
Watching the Mitachurl charge towards him, Shenhe, however, put away his spear.
"My Senior Brother said that one hand can suppress a Geovishap…"
Shenhe murmured softly, then, to Chongyun's astonished gaze, he extended one hand and pressed the Mitachurl's head to the ground.
The massive body was utterly powerless before Shenhe.
Bang—bang—bang—!
Then, Shenhe used the Mitachurl's head to knock on the ground three times, each strike seemingly accompanied by an earthquake.
When Shenhe released his hand, the Mitachurl was already lifeless.
"Well done, Senior Brother."
After dealing with the Mitachurl, Shenhe turned and spoke to Ryan, who had secretly knocked out the Abyss Mage.
'When…?'
Hearing Shenhe's words, Chongyun only then noticed that another person had appeared beside him at some point and had already knocked out the Abyss Mage.
"Mhm."
Ryan responded, but his attention was entirely on the Abyss Mage in front of him.
It was his first time seeing an Abyss monster.
"This mask might be quite rare… Uh, here, take it back, take it back!"
Ryan eagerly removed the Abyss Mage's mask, but after seeing its appearance, he quickly put the mask back on it.
The Abyss truly lived up to its name; it was so ugly. It was quite cute and fluffy when it wore the mask… Finally, Ryan took out scissors, cut off a portion of the Abyss Mage's fur, and casually took the staff it had been using.
Ryan examined the staff carefully, discovering that it seemed to contain a section of a white branch…?
Puzzled for a moment, Ryan put these items into his qiankun bag, then paid no more attention to the Abyss Mage's fate, instead looking towards Shenhe and Chongyun.
"Thank you for your assistance, Miss. I noticed that the exorcism technique you just used is somewhat similar to the exorcism arts I have studied since childhood. May I ask who you are?"
Chongyun thanked Shenhe, then couldn't help but ask.
"My name is Shenhe. I am a person of the mountains; it's not worth mentioning."
Shenhe replied calmly, then walked towards Ryan.
"Shenhe… could it be…?"
"You are my… my aunt?!"
Hearing the somewhat familiar name, Chongyun, after a moment of stunned, quickly remembered….