The heavy hooves pounded over the snow, leaving small pits, while the saddle and various accessories clashed against each other as they ran, emitting a crisp sound as they swiftly passed through the snow-covered forest.

Outside the Shilin Mountain Castle, large and small settlement groups gathered, most of them riding horses, carrying weapons, with diverse clothing and races.

The iron chains slowly pulled open, the main gate of the castle opened, and rows of orderly warriors marched out. These warriors wore uniform battle armor, holding bayonet rifles; they were the castle's standing armed force, numbering about several hundred.

Once these warriors emerged, the clearing below the castle fell slightly silent, then the senior Grey Feather Species, as the rulers of the castle, came out to announce today's assembly agenda.

Following behind the Grey Feather Species who rode a tall horse at the front, Tilan was also cloaked in a black cape and hood, riding a horse at the back of the group.

Standing on a small hill on the clearing, the leading Grey Feather Species raised a hand, and the people behind gradually stopped. Then he rode forward, sweeping his gaze over the gathered settlement members.

These were the combatants from the settlements near the castle. Some had dozens, others just five or six; in total, they added up to several hundred people, slightly more than the number of warriors inside the castle, but their quality varied significantly.

"Everyone, today we gather to expel the wildman unrest in the east. Unlike before, it's not just solitary wildman migrations causing destruction, but they're led by other intelligent beings. If not eradicated, they will expand further, threatening our living space."

...

"For the safety of the Shilin Mountain Castle and your settlements, this action is imperative, please campaign with me."

After explaining the situation, the gathered settlement members didn't show much surprise, probably because they had already heard some rumors beforehand. Following this, the leading Grey Feather Species divided the group into eight squads to search and clear along pre-drawn routes on the map, with signals to be sent for assistance if difficulties were encountered.

Then, the assembled combatants began to move out, while Hexia remained on horseback until most people had departed.

"In the coming days, Miss Hexia, please accompany us to assist the wounded we encounter along the way," a few minutes later, the leading Grey Feather Species rode over. Though he looked slender, he seemed particularly spirited.

"Yes." Hexia nodded slightly. The work of healing was not difficult for her, but she was curious about what exactly had happened in the east, as the series of events she recently encountered all seemed related to that area.

"Let's set off as well." With that, the leading Grey Feather Species raised his whip, waving it in the air to assemble the remaining hundred or so people, and then rode downhill.

Two days later, the group arrived at the furthest eastern settlement of the Shilin Mountain Castle.

Along the way, Hexia followed the group and saw over a dozen different settlements. Some were hidden in the forest, others took shelter in rock caves, and some dug pits to live underground. The species they encountered varied greatly, some similar to humans with only minor distinguishing features, some were only a third the size of humans, eternally resembling children, some only had simple spears and wood armor, while others were equipped with rifles and bulletproof vests, and the living conditions varied greatly.

When passing these settlements, the group would stop for a while, and the leading Grey Feather Species would converse with the settlement members, inquiring about their recent conditions and surrounding intelligence, then sketch on maps to confirm the invasive forces' movement trajectories.

In the meantime, they didn't encounter any combat, but it was different for the other branches. Two squads met small groups of wildmen and easily crushed them, while one squad faced a more dangerous enemy group, resulting in mutual injuries after fighting, with two severely injured individuals sent to Hexia.

Standing inside a temporarily built wooden tent, Hexia held a lamp to examine the wounded member. He had multiple gunshots on his chest and shoulder, appearing serious, but after stopping the bleeding, he wasn't in immediate danger. The other one was different, with a deep wound cutting from shoulder to chest, which would have been fatal to a normal person.

The Grey Feather Species enters a dormant cocoon state when facing severe injuries, that's how he survived.

When brought in, his body was wrapped in a thin yellow cocoon shell, protecting the internal blood and organs from exposure and further deterioration, preserving life.

After two hours of surgery and healing, Hexia put down the pliers and scalpel, took off her gloves, and stepped out of the tent.

"Thanks for your hard work, Miss Hexia," Sigismund, who had been waiting nearby for a while, expressed gratitude and then inquired about the situation.

"We saved his life, but many of his internal organs are severely damaged and require very careful care and nurturing." The girl responded.

"Judging by the wound pattern and residual Magic Power, the opponent is at least a Sequence 4 transcendent. Are there many of such individuals?"

"Very few. Currently, around the Shilin Mountain Castle, there are only about a dozen high-tier transcendents above Sequence 4, all well-known," Sigismund recalled.

"They described encountering an opponent wielding a stone axe, wearing a bone helmet, and covered in thick fur. We speculate it's an unknown tribe from the northern mountains in the east." Sigismund said as he unfolded a portable map for Tilan to see.