The Golden Beetle's wings, which had still been buzzing, stopped vibrating in an instant. Its body lost all strength, and like a kite with its string cut, it plunged straight toward the ground trailing thick black smoke.
"Bang."
Its massive body slammed heavily into the ground, instantly smashing a huge pit dozens of meters across into the flat plaza.
Rubble and dirt splashed outward like water, while the billowing dust spread like a mushroom cloud, shrouding a large area nearby. Even the white mist in the distance was pushed away considerably by the force of the impact.
Lin Li slowly descended from the sky, his feet landing lightly on the bluestone slabs at the edge of the pit. The slabs sank slightly beneath his weight.
He lowered his head and looked at the Golden Beetle in the pit... It was already dead. The luster had faded from its golden compound eyes, yet its body was still twitching reflexively, its limbs occasionally curling slightly—clearly an effect of residual electricity.
"I've only just entered the outskirts of the Ancient City and haven't even reached the edge of the central area, yet I've already encountered a Second-Order High-Stage exotic beast.
"If I really reach the central area, there may even be Third-Order exotic beasts. It seems this Ancient City is far more dangerous than I imagined."
Lin Li muttered to himself as he casually stored the Golden Beetle's corpse in the Mysterious Small Island.
After finishing, he turned and looked into the distance... The fierce wind created by the Golden Beetle had blown away much of the white mist in the center of the plaza.
Although the white mist had already begun slowly surging in from all sides again, at least for now, he could see a considerable area.
After steadying himself, Lin