"Quick, search!"
"But we've been walking for so long—why haven't we seen any higher-grade treasures?"
"Inside a forbidden ground protected by a heaven-and-earth grand array like this, after breaking through its defenses, there shouldn't be only this little stuff!"
"I only found a few eighth-grade fire-element spiritual herbs."
"Me too. Just a scattered handful of medicinal ingredients. I didn't see anything else..."
The people rushing madly into Spirit-Melting Marsh gradually calmed down.
They were already not far from the deepest part.
Yet the treasures that had appeared remained so few that there was nowhere near enough for everyone.
And besides...
"Look at those huge footprints on the ground. The guardian here is definitely a massive fellow!"
"Those are footprints?"
Someone stared at the cratered ground and fell into thought.
"Yes. Look at the toe marks at the top. They're too deep to make out clearly, but the owner of these things was undoubtedly a huge brute."
"Perhaps these scattered spiritual herbs are what remained after being trampled beneath its feet."
"Ah, what a waste of heavenly treasures..."
Buzz, buzz.
The ground trembled faintly.
Those with sharp Perception finally noticed that tiny detail.
"Listen."
"Could that huge fellow be coming back?" someone asked uneasily.
"Seems possible. The explosions stopped several hours ago. That means the battle has already ended."
"Whoever is arriving now is either the guardian of this forbidden ground, or the one who killed it."
"The visitor means trouble!"
"The key is, judging from the ground's trembling, it's definitely a huge fellow. Has that guardian returned?"
Everyone began to panic slightly.
A guardian capable of watching over this place had to possess peerless strength.
If it came back and caught them—especially a huge brute with footprints like these—wouldn't they simply be crushed between a few fingers?
"Look at those