The hollow mountain.

Wei Zhong Jun had the entire group stop for a short moment after they finally reached the mountain. The shape of the mountain was so that it was very thick and wide at the bottom, but gradually grew thinner and steeper as you approached the summit.

The mountain was also very barren, with barely even any bushes growing on it, allowing people with good eyesight to almost see the peak. The peak was covered by the clouds, so Yao Jun was unable to see how thick the peak was. But the highest point he could see was only a few meters thick, while the bottom was almost six kilometers in width. It was a truly strange sight.

"On the other side of this mountain, there is a small cave opening, only large enough for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder. After passing through that entrance, which goes on for around 30 meters, the cave will expand greatly. If my guess is correct, the inside of the entire mountain is hollow."

Wei Zhong Jun pointed towards the approximate direction of the cave opening, explaining clearly what it had looked like last time he went there alone. His words caused a not small shock to pass through the group. The entire inside of the mountain might be hollow? How much power would it take to hollow out such a large mountain?

"The treasures I saw were only located at the edge of the cave, but they were already enough to make me desire them. I can only imagine what sort of treasures are located in the depths. Brother Jun, I want you to use your wind to alert us of any enemies that might approach us."

Wei Zhong Jun's eyes shone as he spoke. Last time he came here he had been forced to flee because he was alone, so he never got the chance to see the true treasures in the depths of the mountain.

To have Yao Jun act as a sentry, that was another reason that Wei Zhong Jun had chosen to take Yao Jun along. Using his control over wind, Yao Jun would be able to accurately tell the changes in the wind, letting the group know when enemies were approaching.

Yao Jun simply nodded his head in agreement. It had been mostly Wei Yating that warned them about enemies approaching when they traveled through the forest, as she could use her control over wood to scan a large area. But Yao Jun had some experience with what Wei Zhong Jun was talking about, so he could do it decently.

Of course, he also had the army of insects that he was controlling with his mental energy. He had not neglected them while they were traveling, slowly increasing the amount of insects he controlled. Controlling a single insect took a negligible amount of mental energy so he could easily do it.

By now, he had even come up with a technique that he could use to spread his mental energy over a large range. He placed a slightly larger amount of mental energy in some insects, and had them travel to distant places. Whenever they encountered other insects, the mental energy within the carrier insect would split up and send a small piece into the new insect.

Since the mental energy only held a single command, 'inspect the area and return all information to me', Yao Jun did not have to do anything to control the insects. It took a bit more time for the insects furthest away to return information to him, but it was worth it. At this point he had insect spies in most of the forest, and had started encroaching into the burned wasteland. Of course, there were places that the insects refused to enter, or places where they immediately died upon entering, so he could not gather information about every area.

"Me and sister Yating will take the front, brother Jun and sister Yanyou will take the middle, while brother Hanying and brother Huo cover our rear. Like this, we can easily defend even if we get attacked from behind or from the sides. Do you have any ideas?"

Wei Zhong Jun continued talking, using his finger to draw on the ground how they should move. With him and Wei Yating in the front, they could easily take on frontal attacks. Yao Jun could detect surrounding enemies, so it was Sito Yanyou's duty to protect him. And with Lin Hanying and Jing Huo were less likely to get attacked while they were in the back, so they would not be forced to use flashy and loud attacks.

"Then let us go."

Seeing the others nod their heads in agreement with his idea, Wei Zhong Jun nodded his head and the group took up their formation. As they walked, each group kept around two meters distance from each other. This was so that they would not accidentally get in the way of each other's attacks, but were still close enough to quickly aid each other.

"Let's go brother Jun, make sure you protect me properly."

Sito Yanyou walked very close to Yao Jun, speaking with a sweet smile. She was so close that her fox ears were tickling his neck. This was not the first time Sito Yanyou had talked with him like this. The more time he spent in the group, the more apparent and bolder her flirting became.

"I would love to, but it is more likely that you will end up protecting me."

Yao Jun put on a bitter smile as he spoke. He did not know if Sito Yanyou getting close to him was the influence of his Demon God's Gate, or if it was because she had some other plans. Because of this, while he played along with her, he was still very wary of her. As for falling for her flirting, that was impossible. He already had Guo Luo, so there was no way he would ever fall for or lay his hands on another woman. Doing so would only hurt Guo Luo.

"Then I better stick close."

Sito Yanyou let out a light chuckle and moved even closer to Yao Jun. Yao Jun could feel Lin Hanying and Jing Huo glare at him from behind, but he pretended like he did not notice it. It seemed like it was true that pretty women caused trouble wherever they went.

They quickly reached the cave entrance that Wei Zhong Jun talked about. The entrance was rough and uneven, so it was clearly made in a quick manner. There were some rocks sticking out all around it, but most of them were broken or scraped, so it seemed like something that filled almost the entire entrance often used it.

"I don't want anyone slacking off now."

Wei Zhong Jun glanced at Sito Yanyou as he spoke, indicating what he meant. Sito Yanyou sheepishly nodded her head and put a slight amount of distance between her and Yao Jun. She was still much closer than the others were to each other, but at least she was no longer sticking to him.

They made their way into the cave entrance and slowly walked through it. Yao Jun was paying close attention to the changes in the wind, as the inside of this mountain was one of the places that his insects did not dare enter, so he had no idea what was lurking inside.

After they passed through the short cave entrance, a scene that Yao Jun never expected to see appeared in front of his eyes. He wasn't sure if the others had eyesight as good as his, Yao Jun had gotten the eyes of Little Gray after all. But from what he could see, the entire mountain was indeed hollow, even the peak seemed hollow.

There were several openings in the higher parts of the mountain, sunlight shining down through those openings and illuminating the inside of the mountain. The ground inside the mountain was covered in soft grass and a wide variety of flowers. Some small and dense forests were spread around the area, and Yao Jun could see a small lake placed at the deepest part of the area. He was not sure if he saw it correctly, but it seemed like a small area at the center of that lake was frozen.

"Oh? Aren't you the one that was chased away earlier? You picked up some friends and came to try again?"

While the group were scanning the area, a slightly amused voice rang out not far from them. The group hurriedly turned in shock, slightly raising their head. A short distance away from them, a graceful woman sat in the air. Yao Jun could see that she was in fact sitting on a thin thread, but he did not voice it out loud.

The woman had a charming face and long pale green hair that almost reached her knees. Her skin was so white it almost resembled snow, and her lips were a deep purple in color. She had deep green eyes that glimmered with an amused light. She was clad in a delicate yellow dress that revealed her slender shoulders.

"That's fine. If you want the treasures that are stored here, all you have to do is show your strength. If it is not satisfactory, don't complain when we gobble you up."

The woman spoke with a seductive smile, placing her slender fingers on her lips as she looked at the group. Wei Zhong Jun and the others could not help but get excited at her words, thinking that they could obtain treasures by simply showing their strength. But Yao Jun slightly stiffened. He could tell that her words were not directed at Wei Zhong Jun and the others, they were directed at him.