The forest in Allbeast Mountain Range’s third area was so thick it blotted out the sun. It was also packed with vicious spiritual beasts that roared at any passing moment. It painted such a gruesome picture that struck terror in any who were intent in setting foot inside!
Suddenly, a low bush stirred despite the lack of wind.
Zhuo Fan’s party stuck to the ground as they crawled, making use of the bushes as cover. They did take Energy Concealing Pills, but unlike the previous areas, if any spiritual beast saw them here, it spelled doom.
As such, this was the only viable way to advance, moving at a crawl 3,000 miles inland.
With each roar and cry, fear struck, soaking their brows with sweat.
“Blast it! We’ll never get anywhere crawling like this!”
After half a day of wiggling through ten miles, Xie Tianyang complained and sat with arms crossed, “I’m not doing it anymore. It’s too lame! Besides, you think a 5th level spiritual beast lies at every corner?”
“Fool, get down before it’s too late!” Zhuo Fan cursed.
Xie Tianyang smirked in disdain, “How will that help? With how tall the fauna is here, you think they’ll spot us at a glance?”
Roar!
In reply to his disdain, a reverberating roar deafened the trio. They turned to see five towering trees being pushed to the ground.
A fifty-meter-tall black bear appeared. Seeing its meal, the black bear roared with bared fangs and bloodthirsty eyes.
“4th level spiritual beast, Mad Storm Bear!”Zhuo Fan cried as the trio shook in fear. Xie Tianyang was even rooted in place.
Before the bear could jump on its prey, a tail thick as a bucket coiled around its body. The bear was squeezed and thrown into the heavens above as its pitiful cry grew faint.
When it came back down, a maw opened wide and swallowed it whole. As the maw closed, blood sprayed in the surroundings forming a pool beneath it.
Even Zhuo Fan felt a shiver of fear.
That was a 30-meter-long python with a scarlet crest and rock-hard scales. Its cold eyes flashed, on the prowl for the next meal.
“5th level spiritual beast, Diamond Crest Python!”
“Run!”
Zhuo Fan yelled as he sped up his crawling and the other two worked to catch up. Even Xie Tianyang disregarded his sorry state and crawled with them.
He came face to face to the horrors of this area. One slip and he was a goner. It was plainly obvious why even a Radiant Stage expert would die here.
When the Diamond Crest Python ate the bear, because of its bulk, it didn’t notice the trio and left after its meal.
“Damn you, Zhuo Fan! I must’ve been insane for agreeing to come with you to this hell!” Xie Tianyang worked his all not only to crawl but also to complain on and on, afraid he would soon lose his life without venting.
He was on the verge of tears. He had heard this place was savage, but not to this extent. If he’d try to even stand taller than waist height, he’d soon find danger setting its sights on him.
Zhuo Fan mocked, “No one told you to come. Why don’t you crawl your way back?”
Xie Tianyang was looking at the sky.
[Curses, the sun is setting. Nocturnal spiritual beasts will be on the hunt soon, and crawling won’t work against them. I’ll be dead in a second!]
[Better stick to Zhuo Fan. He would set up an array and no spiritual beast would wander in.]
Annoyed, Xie Tianyang had an edge in his voice, “Since I’m in the same boat as you, once I wander back it will be plain suicide.”
Zhuo Fan and Xue Ningxiang shook their heads.
Then the trio’s schedule was crawling by day and ducking under an array at night. And after a month they finally crawled through 3,000 miles till their limbs and waist went sore.
The good news was that the closer they got, the fewer the spiritual beasts spotted. Zhuo Fan knew they entered the territory of those 6th level spiritual beasts, where no weaker beast would dare step a paw in.
In the third area, 6th level spiritual beasts were kings. If they found some oblivious beastie wandering into their domain, they’d chase it even for a thousand miles; all to preserve a king’s dignity.
Especially if humans were involved!
Stretching and exhaling, Zhuo Fan felt a bit better. Despite his relaxed manner, Xie Tianyang had his eyes peeled as he cautiously rose to his feet, “We… can stand here?”
Zhuo Fan nodded with a smile, “On our way here, there were too many eyes and ears on the lookout for any movement so we crawled to avoid the spiritual beasts. Here though is the domain of 6th level spiritual beasts. Hiding will be much more effective than crawling in this place.”
Xie Tianyang finally found safety for the first time in a month and smiled, “So it’s much safer here than other places?”
Zhuo Fan arched an eyebrow, “You can say that, but we’ll die even faster bumping into a 6th level spiritual beast!”
Xie Tianyang’s smile vanished and his tone held some bite, “Then what the hell are we doing here? Tame them? How?”
Zhuo Fan smiled with confidence.
He had considered this point a long time ago. He came to such a deadly place as the third area with a plan. He only needed to slip a bloodworm into the Thunder Skylark and all was well.
But the problem was how.
Rumble!
Zhuo Fan was cooking up a plan when a sudden noise shook the world. The trio felt the earth shaking beneath their feet.
They blinked in shock.
This had to be from another devastating clash of spiritual beasts. But throughout their crawling, never had they heard a sound so loud. Not even when two 5th level spiritual beasts fought.
There could only be one answer…
“6th level spiritual beasts!” They shouted in unison.
“It seems to be coming from that direction!” Zhuo Fan ran straight for it while Xie Tianyang yelled nervously, “Those beasts will tear you to pieces!”
Zhuo Fan smirked.
If one of them was the Thunder Skylark, it’d be perfect. He’d lay in wait and make use of the perfect opportunity to strike.
Xue Ningxiang remained quiet and followed him closely. Wherever Zhuo Fan went, she would be close by. So, Xie Tianyang had no choice but to join them.
Fifteen minutes later, the trio heard a thunderclap in the sky and the roaring flames.
The three huddled behind a large rock in a small valley and peeked above. But the sight took their breath away.
Two spiritual beasts flew high up, both 6th level spiritual beasts.
One was a deep-blue colored bird with a 15-meter-long body and a wingspan of 20 meters. Lightning traveled along its body as it cracked the air.
Despite being smaller in size, even compared with a 5th level spiritual beast, its every wing beat covered the sky in lightning and wind blades that struck the rocks in the valley to pieces.
A 5th level spiritual beast would be crushed by such display.
“Thunder Skylark!”
Zhuo Fan squinted. [He didn’t lie to me. Thunder Skylark’s nest is here.]
He then turned to the other spiritual beast.
It was a flying lion wreathed in scarlet flames. Its mane was on fire and it had 30meter-long wings of flames, half as long as his body. A flap of its wings sent fire to engulf the skies and burn the whole valley to a crisp.
“6th level spiritual beast, Flaming Lion King!”
Zhuo Fan’s heart tightened. The Flaming Lion King was as powerful as a 7th level spiritual beast, putting the Thunder Skylark at a disadvantage.
He had thought that if the Thunder Skylark was tangled with another 6th level spiritual beast, he’d play the fishermen and make the bird swallow a bloodworm during the confusion.
Pity that it was facing Flaming Lion King. The Thunder Skylark would likely be defeated and killed! But wouldn’t that bore a large hole in his plans?
[No, I have to help it!]
[But how? This savage battle is no different than a Radiant Stage experts’ fight. Getting involved will only get me killed.]
Boom!
As Zhuo Fan was musing a plan, the two beasts clashed again.
Flaming Lion King spat a fireball while Thunder Skylark sent a thunderstorm with a flap of its wings, intending to crush it.
But then, Flaming Lion King rammed its huge body into the frail Thunder Skylark.
The bird cried out and tumbled around in the air.
Zhuo Fan secretly sighed.
Sure enough, the Thunder Skylark was just as adept at using her attribute like the Flaming Lion King, but her body lacked power in contrast.
It would die if this went on.
“Big brother Zhuo, can you help the poor birdie?” Xue Ningxiang turned her puppy eyes to him.
Zhuo Fan was this close to spewing blood.
[Birdie? Well, it does belong to the swallow type, but it’s a spiritual beast nonetheless. Regardless, just how exactly is that thing small?]
But Xue Ningxiang’s pleas echoed his thoughts.
[The Thunder Skylark must survive!]