The attack came faster than any of them expected. The ground exploded beneath the serpent as it struck, its jaws snapping shut inches from one of them.
A man wielding a pair of daggers barely twisted out of the way, rolling to safety as the impact sent shards of stone flying in all directions.
"Damn it!
The dagger-wielding man roared as he quickly picked himself off the ground in order to avoid being struck again.
Seeing its earlier attack fail, the serpent didn't waste any time and launched another attack.
However, its opponents were no pushovers. They quickly recovered from the surprise attack and began their counterattack.
The woman who spoke earlier quickly brought out her bow and unleashed a barrage of arrows towards the snake.
Multiple arrows that emitted a frosty chill flew out towards the serpent. As soon as the arrows landed, a burst of ice shot from them, slamming into the serpent's side. The frost spread, locking some of its thick scales in place.
"Now!" she shouted.
The spear-wielding man surged forward, driving his weapon toward the frozen patch of scales. The golden tip struck hard, but instead of piercing through, it skidded off, barely leaving a mark.
"Too thick," he gritted out.
The serpent hissed in irritation. Its tail whipped around in a blur, smashing into another member of the group, a broad-shouldered man in heavy armor. He barely had time to cross his arms in defense before the impact sent him flying into the rocks. The sound of metal crunching echoed through the ravine.
"We have to blind it," he called out. "It's too fast otherwise."
The bow-wielding woman manifested several arrows made of ice and fired them. This time, however, her aim wasn't towards its body but now towards its eyes.
A chill spread throughout the atmosphere as multiple arrows whizzed towards the serpent's eyes.
The beast noticed it and tried to dodge; however, at that moment, a huge, burly man charged forward and launched himself towards the beast's jaw.
He leaped high, slamming it directly into the beast's jaw. There was a sickening crack, and the serpent reeled back, stunned.
The serpent didn't know it, but this momentary hesitation was what would seal its fate. Multiple arrows pierced its emerald-like eyes, spreading a chill that tried to invade its brain.
"ROAR!!!"
A roar filled with pain resounded from the beast's mouth. Seizing the opportunity, the dagger-wielding man dashed forward, using the creature's own coils as a platform.
He moved like a shadow, running up the serpent's back until he reached the wounded jaw. Twin blades flashed as he struck at the weak spot, dark blood splattering across the rocks below.
Another howl of pain erupted from the beast.
The man with the spear took his chance. He crouched low, channeling every ounce of energy he had into his weapon. The blade glowed, burning gold as he surged forward.
"Sunfire lance."
He muttered under his breath as his figure leaped up into the sky. With a low grunt, he thrust his now golden spear towards the head of the serpent.
The serpent, still blinded, tried to retreat, its body twisting and writhing in desperation. But it was too late.
With a roar, the spear-wielding man drove his weapon straight into the beast's skull.
A massive wave of heat erupted from the spear's tip into the skull of the serpent, basically cooking its brain.
The earth shook. The serpent let out a final, rattling hiss before its massive form slumped to the ground. Its tail twitched once, then fell still.
"Phew." The spear-wielding man exhaled as he collapsed onto a pile of rocks nearby, his body exhausted from the previous battle.
His companions gathered around him, all showing weary signs. While the battle may not have seemed long, they all had focused all their attention on it, as a single mistake could have proved fatal for them.
Similar scenes could be seen at various corners near the inner region of the Misty Mountains.
As more and more powerful experts joined the party, it seemed like it was just a matter of time before the root of this matter was exposed to everyone.
******
Meanwhile, back at Stonehold City, the City Lord, Gabriel Richards, could be seen with a tight smile on his face.
That was because of the person in front of him. Before him sat the first young mistress of the Vyre family, Belladonna Vyre.
Even with his strength that far surpassed hers, he dared not show the slightest bit of arrogance in front of her.
He forced himself to calm down as he patiently explained the recent events and updates that had been happening within the city due to the events occurring in the Misty Mountains.
"Young Miss, it is my honor to host you here in Stonehold City. Since getting word of your intention to visit the city, we have made various preparations that would suit your fancy.
Anything you wish for would be swiftly procured for you."
The City Lord, Gabriel Richards, said while maintaining an ambient smile on his face. He was not lying. He has indeed made various preparations in order to satisfy this young lady in front of him.
"Let us forego these formalities and get straight to the point, shall we?"
"My grandfather sent me here to 'investigate' why the problem in the Misty Mountains still persists after all this while. It has been close to a month, yet there still seems to be no resolution to the matter.
Care to explain why, City Lord Richard?"
Bella's voice resounded in the room, her tone sharp and direct, causing the surrounding atmosphere to become tense.
Upon learning the mention of 'grandfather', the city lord's face paled a bit, and beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.
However, as a mature man with ample experience of the world, he quickly regained his composure before trying to provide an explanation.
"Young Miss, it is indeed due to my negligence that we have been unable to achieve substantial results."
He said, while bowing slightly towards the seated Bella.
"However, I have sent my most trusted men and have commissioned various powerful teams of cultivators to investigate the cause of the mass exodus of the magical beasts from the inner regions.
Also, I have reached out to the War Machine sect, and they have dispatched multiple elders to help us deal with this problem.
From my reports, they seem to have already started making their moves. I'm sure that it won't be long before we find out the cause of such a strange occurrence. Haha.."
He ended his monologue with an awkward chuckle. It seemed as if he had rehearsed a script beforehand, given how smooth and eloquent his explanation was.