Chapter 268: How Much Longer Until We Arrive?

Lin Manzhi huffed, lowered her head to tidy her clothes, then snapped, "Y‑you, is that just a kiss?!"

Because they couldn't go out in the rain, the two stayed in the cramped carriage; Mo Lie, like a beast that can never be satisfied, kept teasing her.

She really ran out of tricks, said with a hint of honesty, "You use this as an excuse at night, and now you show up in broad daylight?"

Mo Lie's expression was sincere, his tone calm, "This time I'm telling the truth; I don't intend to act recklessly."

Lin Manzhi didn't believe it.

She didn't trust Mo Lie's guarantee on that matter; rather than testing a beast's resolve, it was safer to keep some distance now.

"Mm‑mm, I believe you, but you should calm down alone first; I'm going to find Su Li," Lin Manzhi said, walking to the carriage door and reaching for the rain cloak placed nearby.

She slipped on the rain‑proof cloak, looked up to see Mo Lie rising toward the door, and her eyes widened. Raising her hand as if to stop him, she waved, "You may not follow."

Mo Lie stood in the carriage, his icy blue eyes looking at Little Female with a hint of loss, "I want to escort you over."

Lin Manzhi shook her head firmly, "I'll have Hua Zheng take me over."

After she finished, Mo Lie, as if his gaze were a tangible, sticky thread, walked away coldly and decisively, turned, and disappeared from the carriage.

Outside the carriage, Lin Manzhi appeared; Hua Zheng, wearing a brown cloak‑style raincoat, instantly appeared on the shoulder of a giant elephant, glanced back at Mo Lie who hadn't followed, and twitched its ears in puzzlement.

"Hua Zheng, take me to Su Li's carriage; I have something to discuss with her," Lin Manzhi said.

Hua Zheng waited a moment—he didn't hear any objection from Mo Lie in the carriage—then nodded, lowered his head to halt the party, and as he turned downwards, a dangerous Flower Leopard appeared in the forest.

The Flower Leopard's body was a head taller than the giant elephant carrying the carriage; it consciously lowered its body, becoming slightly shorter than the elephant, leaving a gap just about the height of an ordinary staircase.

Lin Manzhi easily stepped from the carriage onto the Flower Leopard's back, and was carried toward the carriage perched on the giant ox's back behind.

Hearing the commotion outside, Su Li pushed open the door, saw Lin Manzhi walking down from the Flower Leopard's back, stepped forward to help her, "It's boring walking inside the carriage; it's great that you came to keep me company."

Lin Manzhi followed Su Li into the carriage; the rain cloak she had taken off was taken away by a female attendant guarding the carriage door.

The carriage wasn't large; it was carpeted, with a low table and a few cushions in the center, the windows tightly shut, and the rain beating against the car edge, making a tap‑tap sound.

Lin Manzhi and Su Li sat on the cushions; the heat Mo Lie had stirred on her body had already subsided after the cool rain passed.

She sat in the carriage looking at Su Li, the corners of her snow‑white skin slightly reddened, and in her dark eyes a hint of fatigue from the long journey, she asked, "How much longer until we reach the Wushen Temple?"

Seeing Lin Manzhi in front of her, stretching a hand to gently pat her waist, Su Li deeply understood the fatigue of the trek.

She also shook her head weakly, "We've now entered the Dawn Forest Mountains of Lei Ting Continent; the forest paths are hard to traverse in rain, so it should take a bit longer than usual to get to the Wushen Temple."

Lin Manzhi sighed in disappointment.

Su Li reassured, "Don't worry, we're already halfway there; even in rain, at our pace it'll take at most eight days to arrive."

Lin Manzhi bent forward, propping her face on her arm on the low table, turned her head toward the door, her gaze empty, "So many more days to go…"

She had come to Su Li's side just to enjoy some alone time; she wasn't too disappointed about spending eight more days on the road, and with Mo Lie by her side she had nothing to fear.

Lying on the low table, listening to the rain outside, Lin Manzhi let her thoughts drift, planning to go back and find Mo Lie in a while.

Ah… she missed Mo Lie's warm embrace a little.

Outside, above the dense clouds over the forest, a giant eagle flew at breakneck speed, almost like an arrow slicing through the clouds.

Diao Yi led his five thousand golden eagle Beastfolk soaring above the high‑altitude black clouds.

His unit, entirely composed of the golden eagle race, was the main combat force of Lei Ting Continent, its combat power outstanding.

Also because the force was massive, he only mobilized five thousand golden eagles to follow him, planning a swift strike to finish the kill and then return to base immediately.

He had long ago sent subordinates to track the whereabouts of the Wushen Temple party, planning to ambush them as they passed through this forest into the gorge.

Diao Yi was extremely confident about this operation.

The incredibly dense layers of black clouds concealed their forms, allowing them to approach the party silently, then strike while the Wushen Temple members were caught off guard, easily wiping out the group.

The rain would wash away everything here, covering their scent and turning the deaths of the Wushen Temple party into an unsolved mystery.

It seemed as if the Beast God had granted them a perfect chance to strike.

Diao Yi's eyes flashed with ferocity, his murderous intent as unmistakable as lightning in the dark clouds.

He opened his sharp beak, emitting a low humming attack sound; countless golden eagle warriors kept a solemn formation, like countless golden bolts of lightning diving through the rain curtain toward the emerald‑green forest below.

In the rain‑soaked forest.

Leaning against the soft pillow, Mo Lie's eyes flickered briefly, then he looked up toward the carriage ceiling as if sensing something.

In that instant, accompanied by the howling gale, without warning, countless massive golden eagles descended from the sky, their razor‑sharp talons striking the ground team, aiming to tear the Beastfolk apart.

Their imposing presence, wings spread, blocked the light, turning the narrow gorge in the forest into darkness.

"Enemy attack, engage!!"

Hua Zheng's beast eyes flashed with anger, immediately emitting a warning cry.

At the moment the sound rang out, Diao Yi, high in the sky, instantly fixed his gaze on the party's leader—the male beast perched on a brown horse beside the giant ox carrying the carriage.

Diao Yi's beast eyes burned with murderous intent as he dived to kill the Beastfolk, aiming to tear his heart with his sharp claws.

Hua Zheng leapt backward agilely, and as he dodged, his silhouette swelled in mid‑air, a roaring Flower Leopard appeared on the cliff wall.

The battle‑ready giant leopard evaded the aerial golden eagles, its limbs reacting swiftly to spring and run along the sheer cliff, chasing a missed golden eagle that flew upward.

The warning from Hua Zheng happened so quickly that within just a few seconds, the battle began.

The sudden high‑altitude assault didn't cause the Beastfolk below to panic; they were the strongest Beastfolk warriors of Kuangsha City, and under the golden eagles' attack they swiftly Beast‑transformed to engage.

"Bad, someone's attacking us from outside!" Su Li shrank inside the carriage, her face turning pale with fear.