“Rodriguez, take this time to clean up the battlefield. Do not let the flesh and blood of our enemies sully the forbidden land of the Great Wizards!” Yang Ling gave a few instructions as he looked at the litter of corpses and fresh blood on the battlefield. He cast the unparalleled Wizard Technique once again and set up a few restrictions that enveloped the peak of the mountain.

 Masses of Spiritual Energy gathered together to form fog. Mysterious, ever-changing symbols rotated in the air before melding into the trees, bushes, and rocks… A slight mist slowly started to appear. It enveloped the entire peak and got thicker and thicker.

 “Quick, dig out their divinities and collect their Divine Weapons!”

 The Corpse Wizard King was incredibly experienced. He got one group of men to clean up the battlefield and collect valuable items like divinities and Divine Weapons while another group destroyed the evidence. They turned the corpses into pools of blood using a powder Alice had made, then used the Law of Water to eliminate any traces left behind.

 No soldiers had managed to escape the battle at the Skyreach Tower. In fact, they hadn’t even been able to send out a magical message, due to the interference of Yang Ling’s Great Wizard Universe. No one knew that the elites stationed at the Skyreach Tower had been exterminated. When their reinforcements arrived, they would not be able to find any traces, thanks to the thick white fog and the Corpse Wizard King’s destruction of the bodies.

 “Perhaps I’ll break through the peak of Wizard Deity and reach the level of Skyreach Wizard Venerable once the Twelve Grand Wizards are reunited!”

 Yang Ling sheathed the Battle Soul Blade and turned to look at the faint outline of the Skyreach Tower. He sensed the obscure, yet familiar, ripples of energy. He then mounted the Golden Roc and rode away with the Corpse Wizard King and the rest of the group, all under the protection of the Mother Empress and Grand Wizard Houtu.

 On the journey, Yang Ling sat cross-legged on the back of the Golden Roc, not saying a word. He silently mulled over the mysteries of the Skyreach Wizard Mantra. The Mother Empress and the Golden Roc rapidly assimilated the divinities they’d consumed as they flew. Grand Wizard Houtu sat behind Yang Ling like an icy mountain. He ignored everyone except for Yang Ling.

 The Mother Empress and the Golden Roc quickly recovered from their injuries in this battle once they’d consumed many divinities and absorbed a large amount of energy. Several hundred soldiers had died by their claws, but this number was minuscule compared to what the Grand Wizard Houtu had accomplished. At least a thousand soldiers had died at his hands. He had been the one to kill most of the black-robed men.

 Grand Wizard Houtu had reached the absolute peak of Wizard Deity when he was at his prime. His battle capabilities were still awe-inspiring, even though he only had twenty to thirty percent of his abilities after being revived. No average fighter could handle him. His abilities improved even more once he’d absorbed a large amount of the enemy’s vital energy!

 Whoosh…

 The Golden Roc was incredibly fast despite his injuries. In a flash, he carried the group past rivers and mountains, got far away from the Skyreach Tower. Originally, Yang Ling had wanted to return to the Starry Sky Castle to look for information about the City Amongst the Clouds and the other Skyreach Towers. They had only been flying for a few days when they came across a volcano that spanned tens of thousands of miles.

 Thick smoke billowed and lingered in the air. Flames raged, and all the flora and fauna in the area had already been reduced to ash. Everywhere they looked was red. The rocks and stones seemed to be blazing hot. The burning temperature assaulted their noses even from miles away, and every breath was agony.

 The entire sky was red as blood!

 “The sky is so hot. Could that be a volcano that’s about to erupt ahead?”

 “No, not a volcano that’s about to erupt. It’s a field of volcanoes about to erupt!”

 The Corpse Wizard King, Ophelia, and the rest of the group whispered as they saw the magnificent volcano that spanned tens of thousands of miles. They alerted Yang Ling, who was mulling over the Skyreach Wizard Mantra. Yang Ling could not help but feel shocked when he opened his eyes. Even though there were raging flames erupting from the Blazing Flame Mountain in front of them, from high above, the terrain looked identical to the place where the various factions had surrounded the Mother Nest!

 “Blazing Flame Mountain, that’s weird….how did the lush forest turn into such a terrifying volcano in just a few days? Just what has happened here?”

 Yang Ling rubbed his eyes in disbelief, unable to comprehend the situation. He stealthily spread out his massive Divine Knowledge and closely examined the surroundings, gathering every clue! Soon, he spotted a group of warriors beside a faraway lake. The group consisted of both men and women, all of them wearing armor. From the looks of things, they seemed to be a team of wanderers exploring the Nine Phantom Mountain Range.

 “Brother Henderson, are your injuries any better yet?” A muscular bloke said, as he took a gulp of strong wine, then devoured a few mouthfuls of roasted meat.

 “Don’t worry, Captain; I won’t die just yet!” The lad by the name of Henderson leaned against a large tree. He let out a dull grunt as he fought back the pain to sit up. The flesh below his knees was bloody, overgrown with disgusting blisters. It was as though he had been plunged into a pot of boiling oil or burned by a raging flame.

 “That’s right, Henderson, we’re already lucky to have escaped the raging flames!” The muscular bloke took another gulp of wine, then paused for a moment, saying, “The battle between the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad and the City Master of the City Amongst the Clouds… Merely the ripples of the battle were too much for an average fighter. Who knows how many people died under the Holy Light of the City Master of the City Amongst the Clouds? Who knows how many fell to the fire-element killing blow of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad?”

 “That’s right…Who knows why those two unparalleled fighters would suddenly attack each other in such a frenzy!?” The heavily-injured Henderson shook his head bitterly, then continued, “The captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad, he’s a top-notch fighter, a legend. He had vanished for many years, and no one knows why he suddenly appeared once again. The City Master of the City Amongst the Clouds is incredibly powerful, but I think he is in big trouble this time. He might not be able to avoid the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad even if he escapes to the City Amongst the Clouds!”

 “It’s hard to say… The City Master of the City Amongst the Clouds might not be a match, but let’s not forget his true identity. Even if he couldn’t get away by escaping to the City Amongst the Clouds, he could still hide in the God Prison in the Unending Sea!”

 “Shhh, softer! What if an envoy of the Creator is passing through…”

 …

 The wanderers at the side of the lake discussed these questions quietly. They were overcome with emotion, and their gazes nervously darted around, spreading their Divine Knowledge to scout the nearby area as they spoke. It seemed as though they were worried about being overheard by someone. Unfortunately, they could not sense Yang Ling’s existence, nor did they know that he had easily and clearly heard their words with his alarming Divine Knowledge.

 Being able to reduce a primordial forest to a barren Blazing Flame Mountain…how powerful!

 Yang Ling’s heart shook once he understood what had happened. Before, even though the Sound Demon Chakali had not elaborated much, Yang Ling had deduced how powerful the abilities of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad were. The unparalleled fighters in the squad, like the Wandering Sword Venerable and the Lightning Explosion Star Lord, were already mighty enough to look down on all life, so just how powerful would their captain be?

 There was always a more powerful person!

 Yang Ling could not help but be awed by the abilities of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad when he saw the Blazing Flame Mountain with flames raging for tens of thousands of miles. There were many people who could turn a vast primordial forest into a raging sea of fire, but not many of them could do such a thing in just one move!

 Wouldn’t I be able to find a way into the Death Dimension immediately, if I could find the tracks of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad and informed the Heavenly Nun in the Unending Sea?

 Yang Ling was elated when he remembered the words of the Sound Demon Chakali. According to Chakali, the best way to get the Heavenly Nun in the Unending Sea to open a tunnel to the Death Dimension by activating the Space-Time Wheel was to give her the whereabouts of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad. Before, Yang Ling had not known where to find the whereabouts of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad, or even where to start searching. However, things were different now. He had a clue.

 Yang Ling could not only slice off the head of the detestable City Master of the City Amongst the Clouds when he found him, but he could also find the legendary captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad at the same time. Two birds, one stone!

 “That’s not right. So many people are already searching for the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad. I got this piece of information so late in the game, which means that I’ll be late when it comes to finding the captain… Someone else might beat me to it!” Yang Ling shook his head bitterly as he thought about the Dimensional Merchant Biedrins and everyone else who was searching for the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad. He deliberated for a moment, then led the group toward the Starry Sky Castle, outside of the Nine Phantom Mountain Range.

 It would be best if he could ascertain the whereabouts of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad and then enlist the help of the Heavenly Nun, but Yang Ling could not pin all his hopes on someone else. The key to rapidly improving his abilities was the revival of the Twelve Grand Wizards and the cultivation of the Skyreach Wizard Mantra. Yang Ling did not believe that he wouldn’t be able to break open the Death Dimension himself once he reached the level of Skyreach Wizard Venerable and honed the Great Wizard Universe!

 The Starry Sky Castle was located in the extreme west, an incredibly desolate spot. As such, it was much quieter than the other Wandering Castles. On an average day, the Wanderer Exchange Hall would be empty. However, Yang Ling noticed that for some reason there were several times more wanderers in the castle than usual when they arrived. He did not know if it was due to the pursuit of the Mother Empress, or if they had come here to witness the commotion after hearing about the reappearance of the captain of the Flowing Cloud Battle Squad.

 “Oh, Core Deity Algernon!”

 From far away, Yang Ling noticed Core Deity Algernon standing near the castle gate. The Mother Empress also quickly spotted his figure. Her eyes turned red, and her scales shimmered with dark light. She instinctively flexed her sharp claws. She wanted to tear Core Deity Algernon, the one who had given her all those injuries, into pieces!

 “Alstom, I haven’t seen you for so many years, but you are still just as cowardly as before!” Core Deity Algernon had a wide smile. He spoke to an elder in a long robe by his side. A gleam of cold light flashed in his eyes.

 “Well, our Justin Divine Branch is just a tiny Divine Branch. We do not have a large backer behind us like the Algernon Divine Branch. We do not have the ability, nor the interest, to investigate the Skyreach Tower deep within the Nine Phantom Mountain Range!” The elder in the long robe smiled calmly. His eyes were charismatic, though his tone was humble. He had just wanted to carry on with his day when he noticed the faraway Yang Ling and his group and let out a shout.