One day later...

The group of vampires and monsters searching for Ayden's group and the others were about to hit their targets near the Valley of Lightning!

In the area, there were ten 6th stage monsters. This included 7 Beginner Archmages and 3 Intermediate Archmages. Additionally, there were 3 5th stage vampires. Among them were two Low-level Paragons and one Mid-level Paragon. With these numbers, they were almost certain to encounter their targets soon.

The strongest vampire in the area looked around with a smile on his face, opened his mouth, and taunted the enemies he was sure could hear him loud and clear.

"Show yourselves! Don't you think it's disrespectful to come so close and then run away? We should at least greet each other, shouldn't we? What type of visitors are you?" The six individuals remained in their positions, each one sensing a deceleration of time as they braced themselves for the battle that would determine their fate.

Their hearts were racing, beating so fast as they perspired more than they ever had in their entire lives.

Qiang found himself in the most challenging predicament of his life, experiencing a sense of vulnerability he hadn't felt in over 600 years. He was forced to confront opponents that instilled genuine fear within him.

Dealing with this situation was no easy task for the arrogant hippogryph.

As he stood motionless, trying to avoid drawing attention from his enemies, his eyes widened and seemed on the verge of popping out of his head.

Bonfi glanced at the hippogryph standing beside him, someone he had never truly liked or gotten along with. However, in this crucial moment, he couldn't help but lock eyes with him and raise his eyebrows, silently signaling him not to explode and jeopardize their plan.

Meanwhile, the vampires and monsters moved with increasing caution, their steps slowing down as they approached their adversaries.

With Dark Griffin leading the hunt-a formidable creature known for his exceptional investigative skills and ability to track targets through subtle clues, echo location, and keen directional sense-the group of monsters was confident that their enemies were lurking somewhere within their shrinking search area.

These creatures were on the lookout for surprise attacks as the confrontation began. They circulated their mana, prepared to attack or defend against their enemies at any

moment.

"Aren't you going to show yourselves? Tsk! You'd rather play hide and seek... But if I catch you, you'll die." The leader of the group said, laughing maliciously.

His gaze sharpened, and he moistened his lips with his tongue. "I heard from my tracker that there are humans among you... I love human blood!"

Ayden, Paul, and Jakob looked at each other when they heard the enemy. They felt shivers run through their bodies, somewhat uncertain of the future.

"Human blood is like no other. There's no way you humans can understand it with a normal explanation, so just think of it this way: the blood of other races is like healthy food to me. It's nutritious, but it doesn't completely satisfy me.

But human blood, ah, how delicious! It's like the sweetest, most delicious dessert for you!

I will savor every drop of your blood!" He raised his voice amid his words, his murderous intent radiating from his body and reaching hundreds of meters away from him.

Ignoring his leader, Dark Griffin, without speaking, pointed toward the waterfall ahead, one of the last good places to hide in the area they had left to analyze.

A smile appeared on the pale face of the superior Mid-level Paragon vampire as he signaled for his men to approach the spot.

"Aren't you going to show yourselves?" He pretended to still be unsure of the group's location, but he couldn't help but smile at the thought of finally catching up with these pests after days of investigation.

The silence continued as the 10 monsters and 3 superior vampires approached the waterfall, arriving only 50 meters away from the waterfall.

Qiang remained poised to strike at his enemies at a moment's notice, while Bonfi also readied himself, fully aware that they would have to take charge once the confrontation ensued.

The three humans glanced at their companions at the last moment before the fight, once again showing they would provide support, while the strongest would fight their opponents directly.

Lonan was ready to move at any moment. Suddenly, the signal they had been waiting for came.

Boom!

Far away from the waterfall, explosions of cannon fire erupted from the east and west, coming from the trees that the group of monsters was not targeting.

The Dark Griffin shifted his focus and spotted 11 metallic creatures attacking his group, doubting his senses for a moment.

"Did I miss something?"

As the monsters and vampires looked around, their attention was drawn to the area's surroundings. Sensing the electromagnetic attacks generated by the 11 peak 5th stage armors, each of them instinctively raised their defenses in that direction.

In that moment of distraction, Bonfi and Qiang jumped out of the cave behind the waterfall and flew toward the strongest monsters in the area, while Lonan moved

clusively.

A total of 18 pentagrams manifested from Ayden, Paul, and Jacob's bodies. Together, they soared towards the adversaries, casting spells to bolster their comrades and weaken the foes, ultimately enhancing the strength of their allies and exposing the vulnerabilities of their enemies.

The Mid-level Paragon vampire ignored the 5th stage armor a second later, realizing his opponents' strategy while making an ugly grimace on his face.

"Wretches! Are you trying to trick us?" He shouted as his green pentagram emerged

from his body, starting the battle already using his innate ability.

Even though he was a powerful vampire at the Mid-level Paragon level, this was a group

of six Beginner Archmages that even he could not eliminate so easily. Since the monsters' enemies had started this clash by attacking first, they certainly wouldn't be easily defeated!

One of the two Low-level Paragon cultivation vampires pressed the device connected to the monsters' camp around the Majestic Treefrog Grove, signaling they had found the enemies before engaging in this battle.

Thus, their battle began, with Qiang and Bonfi unleashing ferocious attacks on some of the strongest enemies, with their group starting the battle with some balance with their opponents.