"We're almost there, just a bit more... we're there." Du Yu encouraged everyone, his words mixed with heavy breaths.

Above their heads, finally there was an end in sight!

How far exactly?

Maybe 50 meters, maybe 80 meters.

Sweat flowed down from Du Yu's forehead, soaking his eyes, but he wasn't even willing to shake his head to fling off the sweat.

His sore arms and legs, his heavy body, everything was telling Du Yu that he was almost at his limit.

Du Yu was at the Great Success Stage of a Demon Tamer, let alone Li Mengnan and Lin Shiwei who were at the Minor Achievement Stage.

The two girls' physical condition was inferior to Du Yu's, thanks to the Imprisoned Race they were even able to climb this far.

But even with the support of Imprisonment, the two were barely hanging on by sheer willpower.

This climbing journey was simply a trip to hell!

Aside from basic rock climbing, they encountered monkey attacks, bird raids, and even Tianshan Snow Sheep trying to take a share along the way.

Despite the Tianshan Snow Sheep looking like herbivorous goats, they showed great interest in everyone's Demon Pets.

"Huh... huh..." Lin Shiwei panted heavily, licking her thin lips.

The salty and bitter taste reminded her she was still alive, rather than just a mechanical body performing repetitive actions.

30 meters, 20 meters...

Du Yu glanced down, also seeing Li Mengnan struggling hard.

Strands of hair stuck to her sweat-soaked face, as the girl struggled with her right foot, aided by a pair of Flaming Sharp Claws slowly climbing.

It seemed that even Electric Soul Imprisonment had its limits.

"Just a little more." Du Yu shouted.

"Nai~"

"Nai!" A gentle deer cry came from above their heads.

Du Yu looked up and quickly said, "Watch out!"

Two Dust Spirit Deer landed steadily on the mountain peak, due to the angle, Du Yu could no longer see the figures of Bai Lu and Bai Yujing.

"You two, quickly go up and take a look!" Du Yu commanded Little You Ying and Wind Witch.

There was still the Mountain Guardian Beast on the summit!

The two little ones flew up immediately, and as soon as they rose halfway, Du Yu's heart finally settled.

At the edge of the cliff, two snow-white Deer Heads peered slightly down, watching the people below.

"Ying~" Xiaoyan exerted force with her tail, surprisingly shooting upwards several meters!

She laboriously clawed at the steep rock face, climbing up with effort.

"Nai~" Bai Yujing spread her legs, softly calling as she watched her climbing friends.

However, Prince Yan paid no attention.

She lay weakly on the ground, transforming from a noble and beautiful Fire Fox into a dead dog, even letting her tongue hang out...

"Snap!" A hand clung firmly to the cliff edge.

Du Yu, supporting his heavy body, exerted a fierce effort, finally climbing onto the summit!

And the terrain atop the mountain was entirely unexpected for him.

The so-called edge of the cliff was more like the edge of a basin. Was I climbing a volcano?

The moment Du Yu climbed up, he tumbled down the slope.

Thankfully, this wasn't a real volcano, just terrain that was sunken.

"Hah." Du Yu knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, laboriously lifting his hand to wipe his sweat-drenched eyes with the back of his hand.

Bai Yujing, arriving late, lowered her Deer Head, gently licking Du Yu's face, not bothering about her owner's dirt-covered body.

Du Yu slightly lifted his head, seeing emptiness as far as his eyes could reach.

The peak of the North Peak was far larger than he had imagined!

All along, he had been deceived by the sharp stone peaks protruding from the abyss, thinking the North Peak was just as narrow.

In reality, it was a huge platform.

Even a hundred meters away, there was a Towering Ancient Wood!

Due to the large area of the summit platform and the steep mountain walls, people's view was blocked.

This huge Demonic Plant was hidden in the very center of the North Peak.

It really gave a sense of a different world.

"Snap!"

A human hand clutched the edge of the cliff, followed by a Flaming Sharp Claw bringing Lin Shiwei up.

"Shiwei." Du Yu unsteadily got up, leaving a trail of sweat along the way, coming to the girl's side.

Lin Shiwei weakly waved, her face flush, drenched in sweat: "Meng, Mengnan."

"Okay." Du Yu supported Bai Lu's body, as if borrowing strength, or perhaps advising him to take care of the owner.

Laboriously, Du Yu climbed back up the slope, looking down.

He happened to see Ascetic Monk Little Tai Sui's bear face.

Compared to other creatures, Little Tai Sui was simply an absolute advantage!

Its breathing even remained steady and rhythmic; although slightly shorter, it was still far better than any other creature.

Du Yu extended his hand to pull, but his hand froze in mid-air.

The miniature camera on his head clearly recorded everything, and at this final critical juncture, if he were to provide any help to the Demon Pet, all of Little Tai Sui's efforts would have been wasted!

"Hold on, yes, just like that." Du Yu rolled to the side, clearing the way.

"Ying~" Little Tai Sui softly whimpered, finally climbing up, rolling down the slope in a round ball.

Du Yu wriggled his body forward, exposing half his head, watching Li Mengnan slowly climbing.

Beneath the girl's feet, there was also a Rose Three Spirits.

With the help of the vines, Rose Three Spirits also conserved energy and guarded Li Mengnan's feet, clearly following Lin Shiwei's instructions.

Perhaps, this was the meaning of teamwork, the meaning of comrades.

"Bang!"

Electric Soul Imprisonment shattered the cliff face, struggling to lift its body.

"Snap!"

A fair hand clutched the edge of the cliff, slender fingers turning slightly white, appearing beside Du Yu's face.

Seeing the girl gritting her teeth fiercely, Du Yu quietly said, "Teacher Li Hong will be proud of you."

"That, that is, of course." The girl stammered, trying hard to support her body.

She even used her head, pressing her cheek against the edge of the cliff, trying to move her body upward.

"Oh~ Oh~" As soon as she climbed up, her body turned into a skateboard, sliding down the slope.

"Thank you, you worked hard." Du Yu said softly, his expression gentle.

"Mm~" The Rose Three Spirits stretched out long vines, lightly leaping up the cliff and landing steadily beside Du Yu's face.

The bud-like little face, with adorable big eyes, blinked.

Then, the Rose Three Spirits began to circle around Du Yu's face, each of the three heads meeting Du Yu, their cute smiles almost identical.

This scene was quite heartwarming.

"Heh." Du Yu chuckled, rubbing the three rose flower heads.

It is worth mentioning that the Rose Three Spirits was the last Demon Pet. Li Mengnan's Fire LuLu was retrieved into her body after the group encountered the Tianshan Snow Sheep.

"Tai Sui, is the Demon Breath still sufficient?" Du Yu took the Rose Three Spirits back down, "You summon the Hollow Bamboo Shoot to restore everyone's physical strength.

I'll stay outside with Bai Lu, Bai Yujing, Wind Witch, and Little You Ying."

"Ying!" Little Tai Sui nodded decisively, slapping the ground with its paw.

A giant bamboo shoot appeared out of thin air, enveloping the weakened team members one by one.

Until finally, Little Tai Sui nodded at Du Yu, the bamboo shoot beneath it slowly closing, sealing itself within.

The Hollow Bamboo Shoot can restore the life force of all living things.

The term life force has a complex definition and can be understood as the energy source of the body's various functions.

As the abundant life force flowed into the targets, the people imprisoned in the bamboo shoot naturally sped up their recovery of physical strength.

Du Yu crouched by the giant bamboo shoot, as the Shadow Gu Tower within his Spirit Ruins Acupoint refined the Demon Soul once again, the endless Demon Breath filling his body, greatly boosting his confidence.

From the Spirit Contract, the thoughts from the Shadow Gu Tower came through: "Well done, Master."

"Yeah, it feels like I've been skinned." Du Yu responded.

Shadow Gu Tower: "One day, you will be grateful for your efforts and persistence of today."

"Thank you." Du Yu grinned, his gaze distant.

In the designated area, hold out for 24 hours.

The task details were somewhat vague. Du Yu still didn't know where the designated area was.

As he carefully examined the large platform at the summit, his gaze passed the Towering Giant Tree, noticing the Blast Stones in the distance.

A pile of huge rectangular stone blocks was a hundred meters away from the central Demonic Plant.

They formed a circle, with strange giant stone faces all facing the central stone pile.

In that pile of rocks, perhaps the Mountain Guardian Beast was hidden within.

Or perhaps, that stone pile was the Mountain Guardian Beast itself.

Due to the angle, Du Yu's view was obstructed by the ancient towering tree, and he couldn't see the whole stone pile.

"No, don't go over there!" Du Yu suddenly spoke up, stopping Little You Ying's desire to investigate.

He continued: "It's very quiet around here, and that's good. We have the opportunity to recover our strength; that's a great fortune, so don't break the status quo for now."

"Hmm." Little You Ying nodded, somewhat understanding.

The Dust Spirit Deer and Wind Witch understood though and positioned themselves by the bamboo shoot, absorbing the benefits from it.

"Come here, come over." Du Yu smiled, invitingly.

Little You Ying hugged the big torch, hopping over.

"It's been a long time since we were alone." Covering his hands with Demon Breath, Du Yu caught the intangible Little You Ying, holding it in his arms, "You've performed well along the way."

"Mm!" Little You Ying happily shook its head.

Being held in its master's arms and receiving his praise, it was almost overly delighted.

It hugged the big torch and pushed it right onto Du Yu's face.

Du Yu: "..."

Instinctively trying to dodge, but due to fatigue, his actions were slightly slow, and he couldn't escape the cover of the big torch.

Afterwards, instead of dodging, Du Yu didn't move.

The Ghost Firefly Fire was cool and refreshing.

The unique scent of the Ghost Firefly permeated his nose, with a distinctive elegant aroma.

For some reason, this scent reminded Du Yu of Master Qing.

Though the smell on her was not like this, but a faint fragrance of grass and wood.

Speaking of which, when I and my Demon Pet advance to the Fourth Level, will I be able to release the unique scent of the Ghost Firefly out of thin air?

Tsk tsk~ Wouldn't that count as having a natural body fragrance?

The problem is, this fresh and elegant scent seems a bit out of sync with my kingly aura.

Hmm... better forget it.

I might sprinkle some on Master Qing occasionally, but I'm not a girl; no need for perfume.

"Hmm?" Sensing his master's enjoyment, Little You Ying put down the torch, blinking.

Du Yu was naturally aware of what was going through Little You Ying's little head, he sighed, quite helpless: "Be nice to me, won't you?"

Darn it!

The plan was exposed!

Little You Ying pouted, bowed its head, and snuggled obediently in Du Yu's embrace.

"Nai~" Bai Yujing came closer, stepping over Du Yu with its front hooves, calling down.

Originally leaning against the bamboo shoot, Du Yu had to shuffle forward, allowing Bai Yujing to position itself between him and the bamboo shoot.

As Bai Yujing lay down, Du Yu leaned back against her body, his head sinking slightly into the snow-white fur.

"Heh..." Du Yu sighed deeply.

One stage completed, one stage left.

Three rings were calling out to the Yan Organization.

Hopefully, after experiencing this "hellish journey," any future challenges would seem trivial.

"Ying!!!"

Deep in thought, Du Yu suddenly heard a melodious fox cry from within the Hollow Bamboo Shoot surrounding Xiaoyan.

Involuntarily, Du Yu's eyes widened slightly, the message transmitted through the Contract was clear.

Prince Yan, was about to advance!

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