Meanwhile, outside, the Xuanyuan brothers—Xuanyuan Jingchuan and Xuanyuan Weichuan—were already on the verge of losing their minds.
They had spent most of the day chasing the tiny red dot on the tracking disc through the Magical Beast Mountains.
One moment, it was heading east.
The next, it veered north.
Just when they finally changed direction and caught up, it suddenly drifted south.
And before long, it somehow jumped all the way back to the east again.
After being dragged back and forth like this for half a day, even Xuanyuan Jingchuan, who was usually far more composed, was beginning to look murderous.
Xuanyuan Weichuan stared fixedly at the tracking disc in his hands, his expression filled with utter doubt about life itself.
“Brother…” After a long silence, he finally looked up.
“Do you think this thing might actually be broken?” Because how else were they supposed to explain this?!
They were supposed to be looking for someone.
Yet after chasing that ridiculous red dot all over the mountains, they hadn’t even caught sight of a single person.
Not even a strand of hair!
Worse still, every single time they were about to reach the red dot’s location, it would suddenly disappear.
And that wasn’t even the strangest part.
Before the red dot vanished each time, a series of earth-shaking explosions would inevitably thunder through that area.
Then, almost immediately afterward, countless magical beasts would come charging out of the forest in panic, creating wave after wave of beast tides.
Once could be called a coincidence.
Twice could still be blamed on bad luck.
But how many times had this happened already?!
Xuanyuan Weichuan looked down at the tracking disc, then at the distant forest that had been trampled into a complete mess by the fleeing beasts.
He was about to break down.
“Are we looking for someone, or are we chasing explosions all over the mountain?!” Xuanyuan Jingchuan: “…” He didn’t answer.
Because at this point, he wanted to know the answer too.
His face had long since darkened, and his brows were drawn together so tightly that they could probably crush a fly between them.
In order to keep up with that elusive red dot, he had been using spiritual energy to ride the wind for most of the day.
Even with his cultivation, continuously consuming spiritual energy for so many hours was beginning to take its toll.
His shoulders were aching, and even the flow of spiritual energy within his body had become somewhat unsteady.
Yet that damned red dot seemed determined to torment them, refusing to give them even the slightest chance to catch their breath.
In the end, the brothers had no choice but to stop.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan lightly tapped his foot against a branch and landed steadily atop a towering ancient tree.
Xuanyuan Weichuan followed close behind, clutching the tracking disc as he sat down beside him with a thoroughly defeated expression.
“Stop chasing it for now.” Xuanyuan Jingchuan glanced at the disc and said coldly, “We’ll move again once the red dot stays in one place.” If they kept chasing it like this, they might collapse from exhaustion before they ever found the person they were looking for.
Xuanyuan Weichuan clearly understood that as well.
He could only nod reluctantly.
“Fine.” Xuanyuan Jingchuan said nothing more.
He sat cross-legged on the thick branch, closed his eyes, and began regulating his breathing.
The surroundings gradually fell silent.
Mountain winds swept through the forest, rustling the leaves and branches.
From somewhere in the distance came the occasional low roar of a magical beast.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan quickly settled his mind and focused on calming the slightly chaotic spiritual energy within his body.
Xuanyuan Weichuan, however, couldn’t sit still at all.
He had never been the patient type to begin with.
Now that there was nothing he could do except wait, he could only turn the tracking disc over and over in his hands.
After a while, he simply crouched on the branch, holding the disc with both hands and staring at the tiny red dot without blinking.
Under his breath, he began muttering, “You’d better stay still this time…” “Don’t run anymore…” “If you run again, I’m really going to lose my mind…” Perhaps his muttering actually worked.
Because in the very next moment— the red dot stopped.
At first, Xuanyuan Weichuan didn’t react.
He stared at the disc for two breaths.
The red dot didn’t move.
Another two breaths passed.
Still nothing.
Xuanyuan Weichuan’s eyes slowly widened.
Wait.
It stopped?
It really stopped?!
He immediately lowered his head until the tracking disc was almost pressed against his face, checking it again and again to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
Then his pupils suddenly contracted.
He shot to his feet.
“Brother!
Brother!
Brother!
Brother!
BROTHER—!!” His shout was so loud that a flock of birds burst from the nearby trees in alarm.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan, who had been peacefully regulating his breathing, felt his brow twitch violently.
The spiritual energy he had only just managed to stabilize nearly went into disorder from the sudden scream.
His eyes snapped open.
A vein throbbed faintly at his temple.
“What are you yelling about?” “The red dot!” Xuanyuan Weichuan was so excited that he nearly fell off the branch.
He hurriedly shoved the tracking disc in front of his brother.
“The red dot!
It stopped moving!” “It really stopped!” He lowered his head to check it once more, his hands trembling with excitement.
“And it’s close!” “Brother, let’s go find him!” The irritation in Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s eyes immediately vanished.
He looked down at the tracking disc.
Sure enough.
The tiny red dot that had tormented them for most of the day was finally sitting quietly in one place instead of darting around like before.
More importantly— it wasn’t far from them.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s gaze sharpened.
“All right.” The moment the words left his mouth, he stood.
Before Xuanyuan Weichuan could react, something tightened around his wrist.
“Huh?” He hadn’t even figured out what was happening before his brother yanked him forward.
“Brother, wait—” Xuanyuan Jingchuan gave him no chance to finish.
Spiritual energy surged beneath his feet, stirring the surrounding air.
In the next instant, both of them shot into the sky and raced toward the location indicated by the tracking disc.
Xuanyuan Weichuan stumbled as he was dragged along, swaying wildly in midair.
“Ow!” “Brother, slow down!” “I’m not even steady yet!” “Ow, ow, ow—!” Unfortunately, Xuanyuan Jingchuan had absolutely no intention of slowing down for him.
Their figures transformed into two streaks of light, flashing above the dense forest at tremendous speed.
Before long, they arrived at the place where the red dot had last stopped— the Crimson Flame Dove’s nest.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan landed first.
Xuanyuan Weichuan came down immediately after him.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he eagerly lowered his head to check the tracking disc.
But in the next second— both brothers froze.
The excitement on Xuanyuan Weichuan’s face slowly stiffened.
He blinked.
Then blinked again.
He lowered his head and brought the tracking disc closer.
Nothing.
Refusing to believe it, he turned the disc slightly and checked from another angle.
Still nothing.
The tiny red dot that had clearly been sitting right there only moments ago— was.
Gone.
“…” The surroundings fell into complete silence.
Xuanyuan Weichuan stared blankly at the disc.
A moment later, he finally snapped.
“Why is it gone AGAIN?!” “No, wait!
It was clearly here just now!” “Don’t tell me this tracking disc really is broken?!” Sweat broke out across his forehead.
He brought the disc right up to his face and inspected it from every possible angle.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
Xuanyuan Weichuan finally lost his patience.
He grabbed the tracking disc with both hands and started shaking it furiously.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
From the way he was shaking it, it looked as though he intended to physically shake the missing red dot back into existence.
“Come out!” “Weren’t you right here a moment ago?!” “Why do you disappear every time we arrive?!” Compared to his younger brother’s breakdown, Xuanyuan Jingchuan remained silent.
He stood where he was, his brows gradually drawing together.
His sharp gaze swept slowly across their surroundings, refusing to overlook even the slightest abnormality.
The tracking disc couldn’t have lost its signal for no reason.
More importantly, the red dot had remained in this exact location for quite some time before they arrived.
That meant— they hadn’t come to the wrong place.
The people they were looking for had definitely been here.
Perhaps…
they were still here.
They simply couldn’t sense them for some reason.
At that thought, Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s expression gradually became solemn.
Ignoring Xuanyuan Weichuan, who was still furiously shaking the tracking disc beside him, he released his spiritual sense and carefully searched the surrounding area inch by inch.
Yet the more he searched, the stronger the uneasiness in his heart became.
It was too quiet.
He couldn’t sense anything.
And strangely enough, it was precisely because he couldn’t sense anything at all that he became even more certain of his judgment.
They were here.
Somewhere nearby.
It was just that— something was completely concealing their presence.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s brows furrowed even deeper, a dark look gradually settling into his eyes.
He didn’t know why.
But at that moment, the uneasiness in his heart suddenly grew much stronger.