The interior of the cave was larger than expected. Surprisingly, it wasn’t completely dark.

At this moment, Bai Cheng stood inside the cave entrance, facing a passageway that extended inward. A cold wind howled through it, sweeping up the icy snowflakes on the ground and forming a mist that blanketed the floor.

Behind her, a glaring white light illuminated a small area at her feet, while at the end of the passageway, an intermittent flicker of orange-yellow light pulsed.

Bai Cheng froze for a moment, then instinctively turned around to check behind her.

She realized that the white light wasn’t emanating from any object, but from the cave entrance itself, as if sunlight was spilling in from outside.

"But it’s clearly nighttime outside?" Bai Cheng was puzzled.

"Could it be the system’s way of marking the exit?"

As she pondered, the cave entrance suddenly flashed, and Chi Yan’s figure stepped inside.

Seeing that the surroundings held no immediate danger, he relaxed slightly. "Young Lady, are you alright?"

"I’m fine." Bai Cheng’s gaze returned to the end of the passage. "There’s firelight over there."

Chi Yan stepped forward first. "Young Lady, stay behind me."

The passage was wide but narrow and winding, not a straight path.

Soon, the two walked along an arc and saw the source of the light. It was two metal wall lamps embedded in the ice walls on either side. The fuel inside emitted black smoke and a foul stench.

Affected by the wind from the cave entrance, the flames flickered erratically.

And blocking Bai Cheng and Chi Yan’s path was an arched red wooden door.

"This is..."

Staring at the dilapidated door, Bai Cheng suddenly had the distinct feeling that pushing it open would trigger a boss battle.

Since it was a trophy mission, the reward would probably come from defeating whatever lay beyond.

She rested her chin on her hand, murmuring, "If it’s really that simple, things would be easy."

"Young Lady, there’s a strange energy on this door that prevents this subordinate from sensing what’s behind it," Chi Yan said, frowning.

In this world, only intelligent beings would construct something like a door.

And as everyone knew, social magical beasts were relatively weaker.

Bai Cheng’s expression darkened. "Just smash it!"

This time, Chi Yan held nothing back. He raised his right fist, gathered his strength, and unleashed a devastating punch—

Whoosh!

A swirling vortex of crimson flames erupted forward.

The raging fire nearly filled the entire passage, instantly devouring everything in its path.

The wooden door blocking them was no exception, reduced to ashes in an instant.

BOOM!

The explosion of flames echoed through the hollow cavern. Beyond the door seemed to be a vast, empty chamber.

Bai Cheng shielded her face from the scorching heat behind Chi Yan, her eyes sharpening. "That should’ve killed everything, right?"

Even in the a snowy mountain, she didn’t believe that any magical beast at this stage could stand against Chi Yan.

But he’s still on guard. Does that mean...

"How dare you!"

A hoarse voice suddenly reverberated through the darkness.

Immediately after, several blue fireballs shot toward them from the shadows.

Chi Yan was prepared, smashing the incoming fireballs with a single punch.

Attacks of this level couldn’t harm him, and his massive frame shielded Bai Cheng completely.

But sensing the energy behind the flames, Chi Yan frowned. "Young Lady, this creature carries traces of human aura."

"Kill it."

"Understood!"

Chi Yan lunged forward in an instant.

If it was human, then the only possibility was Infinite Raiders, and Bai Cheng had long lost interest in them.

Soon, the sound of heavy combat echoed, and Bai Cheng strode forward with a frown.

The space beyond the door wasn’t just large. It branched out in multiple directions, leading to unknown depths.

Now, Bai Cheng saw Chi Yan locked in battle with a hunched figure clad in a red robe.

Most of his features were concealed, but glimpses of its limbs revealed thick white fur covering its body.

Even while hunched over, its height exceeded two meters, a head taller than Chi Yan.

Every strike it unleashed left claw marks in the air, as though tearing through space itself, igniting blue flames.

But in raw strength, it was no match for Chi Yan. Each collision sent it staggering back.

The overwhelming crimson flames devoured the blue fire, forcing the creature into a corner in moments.

Its hoarse voice carried shock. "A Crimson Flame Lion? Weren’t they supposed to be extinct!?"

It suddenly raised its head, and Bai Cheng’s pupils constricted.

That’s not human at all. That’s a wolf’s face!

But Chi Yan had no intention of answering. He followed up with another punch, aiming to crush the werewolf outright.

Yet at that moment, the werewolf transformed into a black whirlwind and fled into a side passage.

Chi Yan moved to pursue, but a rustling noise came from another direction. Turning around, he saw a pack of wolves formed from black mud surging toward him from the corridor.

"ROAR—!"

A lion’s roar shook the cavern, and the incoming black wolves instantly dissolved back into sludge, splattering across the ground.

"Chi Yan, what was that thing?" Bai Cheng stepped forward, curiosity piqued.

This was the first time she had seen a magical beast that could last this long against him.

"Young Lady, he carried both human and some kind of wolf tribe’s aura," Chi Yan said, brow furrowed. "This subordinate has no idea know what he is."

"You don’t know either?" Bai Cheng was even more confused.

Could this be the system’s designated boss?

"Young Lady, he’s an Elite Rank magical beast."

After saying this, Chi Yan stood at the passage where the creature had fled, carefully sensing. "There’s a dead end ahead. He has nowhere to run."

"Elite Rank, huh."

Bai Cheng made a swift decision. They would pursue him.

She still didn’t understand why the wolf, as a pack creature, had no companions here. Instead, his individual strength was absurdly high.

More importantly, he was humanoid, intelligent, and could manipulate flames. There were far too many unanswered questions.

Bai Cheng and Chi Yan charged down the passage. Following the narrow, artificially constructed path, they finally reached an expansive hall at the end.

The werewolf stood at the center of the hall, as if he had been waiting for them.

Beneath his feet was a misshapen mound of stone.

He stood atop the stone, his crimson eyes glaring down at Bai Cheng and Chi Yan.

Without a word, he took out a crystalline shard and let it drop.

The moment the crystal touched the stone, the entire cavern trembled violently.