Morning sunlight dispelled the thin mist.
After last night's downpour, the forest was still saturated with moisture.
Broken branches and fallen leaves littered the ground, soaked by the heavy rain until they became damp and sticky.
Several exhausted-looking people trudged across the wet ground and soon spotted a small mountain rising amid the forest, along with a rather conspicuous cave in its cliff face.
The sight of the cliffside cave lifted their spirits.
In a humid forest, it was often difficult to find a suitable place to camp.
After enduring last night's torrential rain, this group wanted nothing more than to find a safe place to settle down and rest properly.
That cave high on the cliff was a rare and precious shelter.
A trace of color appeared on the leader's pale face. Just as he stepped toward the cave, he heard the sound of beating wings overhead.
The group looked up and saw a gigantic bird with a wingspan of seven or eight meters descending from the sky and slowly landing on the platform before the cliffside cave.
The next moment.
Under their stunned gazes, the giant bird seemed to be suddenly frightened out of its wits. The instant it landed, it frantically flapped its wings and fled the cave entrance in a miserable panic.
The group exchanged puzzled looks.
After hesitating, the leader edged forward two steps.
The moment his foot stepped on several damp blades of grass, he suddenly understood why the giant bird had fled in terror.
"That is..."
He raised his head, eyes wide as he stared at the motionless cave in the cliff. In a daze, he seemed to see black mist surging out like waves.
The scent of death was unbearably dense...
The color vanished from the leader's face in an instant. For