In fact, Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s guess was completely right.
At that very moment, Yuchi Mengxing and Youqin Jingheng were still hiding deep inside the Scarlet Flame Dove’s nest.
Unfortunately for them, their situation was even worse than Xuanyuan Jingchuan had imagined.
Because the mother Scarlet Flame Dove had already returned.
The depths of the nest were dark and cramped, while scorching heat lingered in the air.
Even the surrounding rocks seemed to carry the oppressive warmth left behind by the spirit beast.
Yuchi Mengxing crouched in a corner, deliberately keeping even her breathing as quiet as possible.
The moment she sensed the mother Scarlet Flame Dove returning, her entire body had nearly gone stiff.
This was its nest.
Not only had the two of them trespassed inside, but they had even been hiding here while Youqin Jingheng recovered from his injuries.
Now that the owner had returned, getting discovered would mean serious trouble.
Just thinking about it made Yuchi Mengxing’s scalp go numb.
With no other choice, she gritted her teeth and pulled out another talisman.
It was an enhanced concealment talisman.
The instant she activated it, invisible energy spread around the two of them, completely sealing away their presence.
It didn’t merely hide their bodies.
Their breathing, spiritual energy fluctuations, and even the faint traces of aura they left in the surrounding air were all concealed.
That was precisely why the tracking disk in the Xuanyuan brothers’ hands had suddenly lost its target.
The tracking artifact had not malfunctioned.
Youqin Jingheng’s presence had simply been erased from its perception.
Even while hidden deep inside the nest, Yuchi Mengxing could still faintly sense the overwhelming pressure belonging to the mother Scarlet Flame Dove outside.
She crouched in front of Youqin Jingheng, glanced nervously toward the entrance, then lowered her voice.
“Hey.” Youqin Jingheng still had his eyes closed.
Yuchi Mengxing leaned a little closer and whispered more urgently, “Are you done healing yet?” His eyelashes moved slightly.
“The mother Scarlet Flame Dove is back,” she continued quickly.
“And your two brothers are wandering around outside too.” At that, her expression became even more complicated.
Those two had clearly followed Youqin Jingheng’s trail all the way here.
But standing around near the Scarlet Flame Dove’s nest was practically the same as waving directly under the mother bird’s nose.
Yuchi Mengxing pointed vaguely toward the outside.
“Trust me.
It won’t be long before that giant bird notices them.” And once that happened, the two of them hiding inside probably wouldn’t remain safe either.
Yuchi Mengxing pursed her lips and slipped a hand into her robes.
Her fingertips soon touched a thin piece of paper.
She froze.
The last one.
This really was her final teleportation talisman.
She had already used so many along the way that she had been determined to save this one unless there was absolutely no other choice.
Unfortunately… This was beginning to look exactly like one of those situations.
The moment Yuchi Mengxing pulled the talisman out, her heart nearly bled.
She stared at it for a moment before finally gritting her teeth and looking at Youqin Jingheng.
“So…” She held up the talisman.
“Should we just use the last one now?” After a brief pause, she added quietly, “And leave together?” The moment she finished speaking, Youqin Jingheng’s eyes snapped open.
There was still a trace of exhaustion in his gaze, but there was not the slightest hesitation in his expression.
“Of course we’re leaving.” Before she could respond, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, as if afraid she might suddenly change her mind.
Yuchi Mengxing blinked.
Then she nodded immediately.
“Alright!” Since they had already decided, there was no point wasting time.
She tightened her grip around the final teleportation talisman and quickly began reciting the activation incantation.
The patterns on the talisman lit up at once.
A burst of spiritual light enveloped both of them.
The space around them distorted violently, and Yuchi Mengxing felt that familiar weightless sensation sweep over her body.
In the next instant— the two of them vanished from the depths of the Scarlet Flame Dove’s nest.
At almost the exact same moment, outside the nest, Xuanyuan Jingchuan was still cautiously surveying the area while Xuanyuan Weichuan stood nearby, holding the tracking disk and staring gloomily at the vanished red dot.
Suddenly, the space directly in front of them twisted.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s eyes narrowed.
Xuanyuan Weichuan looked up in surprise.
Before either brother had time to react, two figures abruptly appeared in front of them.
Yuchi Mengxing.
Youqin Jingheng.
For a brief moment, all four of them simply stared at one another.
Xuanyuan Weichuan froze.
He looked down at the tracking disk in his hands, then back at the two people who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
His expression became indescribably complicated.
They had spent half the day chasing these two… and now they had simply appeared by themselves?
Unfortunately, none of them had the chance to say a word.
A terrifying pressure suddenly surged from behind them.
Yuchi Mengxing’s expression instantly stiffened.
Youqin Jingheng’s gaze darkened.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan spun around.
Xuanyuan Weichuan barely had time to register what was happening before— BOOM!
A deep explosion shook the surroundings.
A powerful wave of air blasted toward them, sending dust, dry leaves, and loose stones scattering across the ground.
Then a massive shadow descended behind them.
The light overhead was nearly swallowed whole.
The mother Scarlet Flame Dove!
Its enormous body loomed over them, its crimson feathers glowing like sheets of metal heated red-hot in a furnace.
The moment its wings spread, they seemed large enough to blot out the sky.
A wave of scorching heat rolled toward the four of them, causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.
Its enormous eyes locked onto them.
There was unmistakable anger and hostility in that gaze.
Clearly, the spirit beast had no intention of welcoming the intruders gathered beside its nest.
The four of them went completely still.
For a moment, the atmosphere became unbearably tense.
Xuanyuan Weichuan’s face drained of color.
He had barely recovered from Yuchi Mengxing and Youqin Jingheng suddenly appearing in front of him, only to immediately come face-to-face with an enormous Scarlet Flame Dove radiating terrifying pressure.
Two shocks in a row were almost too much for him.
His entire body trembled, and he nearly jumped backward on instinct.
“Th-This…” His mouth opened, but he couldn’t form a complete sentence.
His heart was already pounding wildly against his chest.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
It felt as though it might leap straight into his throat.
Only one thought remained in his mind.
It’s over.
It’s really over this time.
Are we actually going to die here today?!
Compared with him, Xuanyuan Jingchuan appeared much calmer.
At least on the surface.
He did not move, and his expression remained relatively composed, but his tightened jaw and slowly curling fingers betrayed the tension running through him.
Even he could not remain completely unaffected beneath the oppressive aura of the mother Scarlet Flame Dove.
A thin layer of sweat formed across his palms.
A cold sensation slowly slid down the back of his neck.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan stared at the enormous spirit beast in front of them, his brows drawing tighter and tighter.
Originally, they had only come here to rescue someone.
Now the people had finally been found.
Unfortunately, they had also managed to deliver themselves straight into the path of the mother Scarlet Flame Dove.
At that moment, even the usually composed Xuanyuan Jingchuan couldn’t help cursing inwardly.
Damn it.
How did a rescue mission turn into all of us coming here to die together?