Upon hearing this, Hu Yan instantly perked up.
The trio immediately headed to the safe zone. When the moon was dark and the wind was high, they changed into their night suits, quietly slipped out of the safe zone, and went straight to Taiping Mountain Path.
According to the information, Dongli's residence was north of Ash Plains.
The three ate Demon God French Fries, concealed their auras, and quickly headed toward Ash Plains.
"There seem to be quite a few fox spirits over there. Should I drink a little wine?", Ruan Yu suggested.
Hu Yan glanced at him, "What are you trying to do?"
"If we can't find someone like Dongli, isn't finding a fox spirit commander also fine?"
Jiang Kai watched the charming shadows darting around them.
These fox demons, though curvaceous and humanoid, had standard fox faces, and even their arms were furry, completely different from Dongli.
"Ruan Yu, your taste is really special," Jiang Kai said, "We're here to find Dongli, so just hold back for now."
Just as the three were searching everywhere, they suddenly saw a woman sitting gracefully on a stone cliff protruding from the edge of Ash Plains.
In the moonlight, only her gentle curves and perfect profile could be seen.
"Dongli!", Hu Yan immediately quickened his pace, and Jiang Kai and Ruan Yu hurried to catch up.
There was even a king-level fox demon on Ash Plains, yet it didn't show any intention of stopping the trio.
Ten-plus minutes later, Hu Yan finally reached the summit.
Looking at the figure that haunted his dreams, Hu Yan was so excited his hands trembled slightly.
"Dongli…"
Dongli turned around. When she saw Hu Yan, the corners of her mouth gently lifted, a smile of boundless charm, "You came? I was just thinking of looking for you."
Jiang Kai only saw a blur before Dongli, like a wisp of light gauze, flashed before them. She descended from the sky, her clothes fluttering with immortal grace.
This time, Dongli's gaze at Hu Yan was clearly different from how she looked at Jiang Kai and Ruan Yu.
Jiang Kai was quite familiar with that look. Back when Yuan Zhu brought his girlfriend to dinner with him, he had that same feeling.
It was like he had instantly become a barrier between the two, and if he hadn't been present, the two might've stuck together right then.
Hu Yan was already lost in infatuation. Jiang Kai shook his head, planning to give them time to be alone.
"Ahem…", Jiang Kai coughed twice to draw Dongli's attention, "Dongli… Miss… You just said, you were looking for us?"
Dongli nodded, "You killed Emperor Dizang of the Deer-Chasing Ridge. I estimate that it won't be long before you'll be clearing Taiping Mountain Path."
"So, I think we'll soon become enemies."
This matter had been troubling Hu Yan for a while. Hearing Dongli say it made his heart ache even more.
"Is there no way to avoid this?", Hu Yan asked anxiously.
Dongli sighed, hesitated for a moment, then said, "No."
Hu Yan couldn't help but take a few steps back. Jiang Kai quickly held him up.
Seeing Hu Yan so heartbroken, Jiang Kai also felt great sympathy and asked, "Miss Dongli, I've actually thought about something before."
"You were once hurt in your vital energy by a little guy. But the other bosses we encountered didn't have anything like vital energy. Yet you can replenish your energy from Old Hu. So, does that mean only beings that truly exist have vital energy?"
Dongli didn't answer directly. She looked at Jiang Kai, "I don't know how to explain it either. I just know that after a certain power-up, I gained the attribute of vital energy."
"As my vital energy increased, my intelligence also became clearer."
"It's like the true qi of your martial apprentices. It doesn't come from martial equipment but from within your bodies."
Yuan Zhu's true qi attacks were indeed tied to his potential state.
Comparing Yuan Zhu's and Dongli's situations might help understand it better.
Perhaps as a member of the demon race, Dongli also awakened a special talent and thus gained the attribute of vital energy, making her more human-like.
Jiang Kai frowned, "Miss Dongli, since you have something that other fox demons don't, vital energy, have you thought about escaping from here?"
"Although your strength is great, we have the advantage of numbers. If a large number of transcendents act, I'm afraid you won't escape the fate of being killed."
Dongli was stunned for a moment.
Escape from here?
After a long pause, Dongli said softly, "Our fate was already determined. Run? I've never thought about it."
Old Hu urgently said, "Dongli, run! Leave this place!"
"I don't care if you're virtual or real, or what kind of boss you are, I'll do my best to protect you!"
Dongli was dumbfounded.
Before, she had nothing to worry about. Since fate had arranged it so, then death it was.
But when she saw the look in Hu Yan's eyes, she began to waver.
Previously, she even wanted to see Hu Yan one more time to personally say goodbye… That alone showed she was also thinking about this human.
"Can I run?"
"Why not?", Ruan Yu said, "If you've got any sisters, bring them along too!"
Suddenly, Dongli shook her head, "Impossible. The Guardian Lord won't allow me to escape."
The Guardian Lord, final boss of the Ghost Star Territory, only national militaries could contend with such a terrifying existence.
Even a map boss couldn't resist the Guardian Lord.
After thinking a bit, Jiang Kai suddenly said, "The military plans to summon the Guardian Lord at Deer-Chasing Ridge in about a week. Maybe that'll be your chance to escape."
"Right, it's better than sitting here waiting for death," Hu Yan said urgently.
Dongli's eyes showed hesitation, "There is a chance… but… it's still very dangerous. As the map leader, I can roam freely within Taiping Mountain Path, but once I cross the boundary, I'll suffer powerful backlash."
"I can't hold out alone."
"I'll help you!", Hu Yan blurted, "As far as I know, we human players can cross maps. Maybe the backlash is hard for you to bear, but I can take it."
"But it's still very dangerous…"
"It's fine. For you, I'm willing to do anything!"
Jiang Kai and Ruan Yu looked at each other and shivered together.
They had been chatting normally, and suddenly it turned into a public display of affection.
"Ahem, we'll help you too. I don't want to see Old Hu's miserable face every day," Jiang Kai interrupted awkwardly, "But we still need to improve our strength."
"Miss Dongli, do you know where to find Tier 3 Job Change class-change materials, Tier 4 Drunkard class-change materials, and Tier 5 Transcendent Feng Shui Sage class-change materials?"
Dongli thought for a moment and said, "As far as I know, most of Taiping Mountain Path doesn't contain those items."
"Most?", Jiang Kai looked at Dongli in confusion.
Dongli nodded, "I'm pretty familiar with the situation on Taiping Mountain Path, but there are exceptions."
"Taiping Mountain Path was originally a mountain road. You should be able to see that from the map. The main road leads to the new map, but there's also a fork."
"That fork ends at a hidden map called Immortal Trace Valley."
"""Hidden map?""", The three of them exclaimed in unison.
In fifty years of Huaxia's exploration, there were at least a dozen maps they had gone through, but the total number of discovered hidden maps was fewer than five.
And hidden maps had many mutated creatures, which meant the treasures there were rarer and more plentiful.
"Yes, entering the hidden map requires the alignment of heaven, earth, and man," Dongli said, looking up at the moonlight and calculating with her fingers, "Three days from now, at midnight, each of you must carry 1000 units of blood essence crystals and 1000 units of talent skulls, and enter from the northwest. You must leave before 5 AM, or else you'll be trapped inside for a month or even longer."
"As for what's inside the hidden map and what treasures it might hold, I can't guarantee."
Jiang Kai and Ruan Yu both widened their eyes.
Maybe their chance lay in this legendary hidden map.
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