It was already afternoon,

The sunlight remained scorching, with heat waves piling up in the air. If it weren’t for Cola and the Water Spirit Turtle cooling it down, everyone’s surface temperature would have long exceeded the limit.

And on the barren land directly ahead, groups of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits were moving in the same direction. Clusters of flames hovered over the ground, orderly arranged, seemingly engaged in some kind of mysterious and eerie parade ritual.

Chen Yuan and the others hid under a hillside, watching the group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits from a distance.

"Aoo... "

Even Cola, who usually feared nothing, shrank back at the sight of such a large number of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits, quietly retreating two steps, trying to hide behind Chen Yuan.

My master won’t ask me to attack them, will he?

Without the Puppy Team’s help, I fear it would be hard for me to handle it alone.

Chen Yuan certainly didn’t have such an idea; he wouldn’t let Cola launch an attack, as even all the little ones present combined might not be a match for this group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits.

Although Spark and Cola had Tier Three strength, overwhelming Wandering Fire Ash Spirits individually, once their numbers accumulate to a certain extent, quantity might overwhelm quality.

Not to mention, even if this group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits were dealt with, there might be another larger group appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh my goodness," Liu Jinglan exclaimed in shock, "No wonder we’ve barely seen any other wild Pet Beasts along the way with so many Wandering Fire Ash Spirits. This is just too outrageous."

"But what are they doing?"

"Where are they going?"

One question after another surfaced, but no one could answer.

Liu Jingyi was not afraid at all; instead, she raised her hand excitedly, "Let’s go check it out!"

"No way!" Liu Jinglan’s playful demeanor changed to seriousness as he shook his head, "There are too many unknown dangers ahead; we can’t take this risk."

Liu Jingyi immediately retorted, "Brother, no Beastmaster would be so hesitant. We have to bravely explore the unknown."

Liu Jinglan crossed his arms, glaring as he spoke bluntly: "The precondition of exploring the unknown is having enough strength. With your current level, you’d just be dragging us down, and we’d have to divide our attention to protect you in case of danger."

"The little eagle can protect me!" Liu Jingyi protested.

"Screech~"

As if to prove Liu Jingyi right, the Fiery Flame Eagle screeched, unfurling its wings to soar high, only to be quickly stopped by Liu Jinglan’s gesture, "Alright, alright, I’m afraid of you two troublemakers."

Then, he turned his head towards Chen Yuan, "Advisor Chen, what do you think we should do now?"

The situation wasn’t too complicated; if they were to proceed, they’d have to confront this group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits. Trying to bypass them might still encounter other Wandering Fire Ash Spirits.

However, a direct confrontation might lead to a hard-fought victory, not favorable for their subsequent actions.

After all, Chen Yuan’s main goal was to find the Blazing Flame Flower.

The Blazing Flame Flower was an extremely precious Tier Four Spirit Plant, containing surging Fire Energy, which would be irresistibly tempting to every fire-type Pet Beast. Once it appears, it would surely be fiercely contested over.

If indeed there was a Blazing Flame Flower, it was probably already occupied by a powerful Pet Beast.

Various thoughts flashed through Chen Yuan’s mind as he slowly spoke, "Let’s keep our distance and follow this group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits to see what they’re up to."

"If any unexpected situation arises, I’ll cover the rear, and you go first."

Hearing this, Liu Jinglan quickly responded, "Alright, I’ll follow Advisor Chen and cover the rear. You two go first."

Chang Yuhuan, already prepared, nodded without hesitation.

However, Liu Jingyi spoke, "No, I want to go with..."

But before she could finish, Liu Jinglan gave her a fierce glare, showcasing the dominance of an elder sibling; Liu Jingyi could only pout, whispering, "Then you two be careful."

Chen Yuan chuckled, "There’s still time; no rush for such words, let’s just follow them from a distance."

"Alright!"

Everyone agreed in unison, then cautiously tailed behind the group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits.

If they encountered a patrolling squad nearby, the Twin Flower Concubine and Cola would team up to use a Combined Skill to put them to sleep, allowing them to pass smoothly.

The further they went, the closer they got to the foot of Flame Mountain, and the more Wandering Fire Ash Spirits appeared.

Liu Jinglan looked at the large group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits floating around the fiery mountainous area and remarked softly, "If only we could capture them all at once."

Chen Yuan silently nodded.

But that was only wishful thinking; neither the Tier Three Spark nor Cola had the means to defeat hundreds of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits in an instant.

And so far, they hadn’t encountered any other Beastmaster teams along the way, presumably also held back by the multitude of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits in front of them, contemplating how to break through.

After all, the competition required putting out mountain fires and defeating Wandering Fire Ash Spirits; here, with countless mountain fires and hundreds of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits floating about, it promised a huge bounty of points.

Just as Liu Jinglan imagined, capturing this group of Wandering Fire Ash Spirits all at once would likely secure the first place and leave other teams far behind.

But no team managed to accomplish this.

Not even Chen Yuan could do it unless he brought all the little ones from the farm and took specific measures, maybe then achieving the goal.

Suddenly, Liu Jinglan’s eyes lit up, pointing in a direction: "Look over there."

Following his gesture, they saw a few sneaky figures in the distance and were taken aback.

Isn’t that Jiang Hu and his group of four?

Taking advantage of the Wandering Fire Ash Spirits’ inattention, the four circled around, moving closer to Jiang Hu’s group of four.