Translator: CinderTL
Yan He dragged the chains into the swirling miasma ahead.
Fueled by her Spiritual Power, the chains stretched endlessly.
After she had advanced about two miles, the chains in Song Wen's hand gradually straightened.
A faint smile curled Song Wen's lips as he glanced back. Deep within the miasma fog behind him, a blurred figure stood motionless.
With a flicker, he vanished from his spot.
Following the chains' direction, Song Wen traversed the mountainous terrain.
The surrounding landscape gradually sloped downward.
After traveling several hundred miles, the chains suddenly tugged forward.
This was the signal Yan He had established, urging Song Wen to hasten his pace and rendezvous with her.
Song Wen stared at the chains for a moment before abruptly accelerating, racing forward until he soon spotted Yan He.
She stood beside a colossal crater.
The crater spanned over three thousand meters in width and plunged hundreds of meters deep, as if a mountain peak had been obliterated. Scattered around were fresh piles of earth and rock, indicating the crater's recent formation.
Clearly, this massive pit had just been created.
A distinct demonic aura lingered within the massive crater.
"This crater must have been caused by a demon beast attack," Yan He murmured, her face etched with worry. "Judging by the residual aura, the beast is incredibly powerful—likely a fifth-tier or even higher-level demon beast. It seems to have been chasing prey and probably left only recently."
She turned to Gou Jun, her voice tinged with urgency. "Gou Jun, what should we do now?"
Song Wen gazed sharply into the miasma fog ahead. "We continue forward, following the route map."
Yan He's brow furrowed in disbelief. "Continue forward?! What if we encounter the demon beast? Are you trying to lead us to our deaths?"
"We can't possibly guess the demon beast's direction based on this single crater," Song Wen countered. "Why waste time worrying about what we can't control? Instead of hesitating, we should stick to our original plan and press onward."
"Fine," Yan He conceded. "We'll do as you say."
With that, she soared into the air and flew directly over the crater.
The pair advanced another several dozen miles.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the air.
Song Wen immediately halted his escape light.
Yan He, who had been scouting ahead, swiftly retreated to Song Wen's side.
"Gou Jun, the battleground must be nearby, no more than a hundred li away. What should we do?"
"Retreat! We'll return to that large crater and hide inside. The crater still carries the residual aura of that demon beast; other demon beasts should avoid approaching it. We'll wait three to five days before leaving," Song Wen said.
With that, Song Wen turned and flew back the way they had come.
He had originally intended to use Yan He to scout ahead and quickly traverse the remaining thousand or two li of the mountain range.
However, with demon beasts blocking their path, they had no choice but to temporarily avoid confrontation.
Yan He hesitated for a moment before following Song Wen.
They had traveled less than a few li when a swarm of palm-sized Scab Moths suddenly flew toward them.
"Scab Moths! Run!" Yan He's expression changed drastically as she cried out in alarm.
Before her words had even finished echoing, she had already changed direction, her figure shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, racing toward the source of the earlier rumbling.
Song Wen looked puzzled but still followed Yan He.
"Fellow Daoist Yan He, they're just a swarm of low-level Scab Moths. Why are you so alarmed?" Song Wen asked.
"Scab Moths are parasitic poisonous insects that infest massive demon beasts," Yan He explained. "Wherever they appear, a powerful demon beast is sure to be nearby."
The Scab Moths were slow, and the pair quickly left them behind.
However, after flying only a few miles, they saw a Ghost Head Guillotine—an executioner's blade over thirty feet long and six feet wide—hurtling toward them.
A figure followed closely behind the blade.
It was Wei Qian.
Wei Qian's muscles bulged like coiled dragons, his body swollen several times its normal size, making him appear even more massive and imposing. His Qi and Blood surged like boiling magma, radiating a violent and dangerous aura.
However, he wasn't charging at Song Wen and Yan He. Instead, he had been struck by a tremendous force, sending both him and his blade flying.
A flicker of shock flashed in Song Wen and Yan He's eyes.
Wei Qian had clearly encountered a formidable enemy.
Just then, a beastly roar echoed from behind them.
"Moo—!"
A massive demon beast resembling a wild bull charged toward them.
The creature stood hundreds of feet tall, its four hooves pounding the earth with earth-shattering force, causing mountains to tremble and peaks to sway.
Song Wen immediately recognized the beast: the Earth Barbarian Bull, a demon beast renowned for its exceptionally robust physical form.
Its hide was as hard as bedrock, offering astonishing defensive capabilities.
Although this particular Earth Barbarian Bull was only in the late fifth-tier, killing it would likely require the intervention of a cultivator in the sixth-tier Void Refinement Stage to ensure complete success.
"Split up and run!" Song Wen shouted, his body darting sharply to the left.
In this situation, Yan He had become a liability. Staying together would only draw more attention from the demon beast.
Seeing this, Yan He hastily fled to the right.
Wei Qian also noticed Song Wen and Yan He, as well as the charging Earth Barbarian Bull.
A flicker of panic crossed his eyes.
He had just been sent flying by a single punch from a Blood-Eyed Giant Ape.
The ape's mountain-sized body and boundless strength allowed it to shatter mountains and split the earth with a single blow. Had Wei Qian not possessed an exceptionally sturdy physique and used his broad Ghost Head Guillotine to shield himself, he would have been crushed into dust by the ape's punch.
Wei Qian was desperately channeling his Spiritual Power, attempting to dissipate the colossal force lingering in his body from the Blood-Eyed Giant Ape's punch.
However, his internal Spiritual Power was in utter chaos, surging like a tempestuous sea, crashing against itself and making it impossible for him to regain control.
The Earth Barbarian Bull simultaneously sensed the presence of Song Wen, Wei Qian, and Yan He, but its massive eyes remained fixed on Wei Qian.
Wei Qian's physical body radiated Blood Qi as thick as a tidal wave, brimming with vitality. To a demon beast that craved flesh and blood, he was undoubtedly the perfect blood food.
With a mighty thrust of its hooves, the Earth Barbarian Bull launched its massive body into the air, its cavernous maw gaping wide as it lunged to devour Wei Qian.
Panic flooded Wei Qian's face. As the bull drew closer, he could already smell the rank, putrid stench emanating from its nostrils.
At this critical moment, Wei Qian finally regained control of his internal Spiritual Power.
With a thought, he reversed the Ghost Head Guillotine's trajectory, sending the executioner's blade slashing toward the Earth Barbarian Bull's eyes.
Simultaneously, Wei Qian regained control of his body.
He twisted his torso and plummeted rapidly toward the ground below.
Clang!
The Earth Barbarian Bull casually twisted its massive head, using its horns to block the Ghost Head Guillotine's strike.
Then, it too plunged downward, relentlessly pursuing Wei Qian.
(End of the Chapter)
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