Eliminated One After Another

Su Hao and the others scattered and fled under pursuit from the Flame Lion pack.

The first to be eliminated was Wang Jinxi, the slowest runner. Seeing that he truly could not escape, Wang Jinxi pressed the Survival Button just as the lion pack was about to reach him and withdrew from the Spirit Ascension Platform.

With a flash of white light, Wang Jinxi left the Spirit Ascension Platform, and his remaining Spirit Power was evenly distributed among Su Hao and the others still inside.

After Wang Jinxi disappeared, Gu Yue was next. Although she had the Wind Element's enhancement and could use her control over the elements to lighten her body, she did not possess the stamina and physical qualities of Su Hao and Tang Wulin, nor was she as specialized in speed as Xie Xie.

Thus, not long after Wang Jinxi was eliminated, Gu Yue could only helplessly press the Survival Button and leave the Spirit Ascension Platform as well.

Before leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform, Gu Yue unleashed an Elemental Storm at the pursuing lion pack, slightly delaying their pursuit.

At that moment, Zhang Yangzi, who was gliding through the air, said:

"Captain, I have an idea."

"What idea?"

Su Hao asked as he ran forward.

Su Hao's method of moving forward differed from Zhang Yangzi's. Zhang Yangzi escaped by standing atop a tree, leaping hard into the sky, gliding, landing on a branch ahead, then jumping again and gliding onward.

Xie Xie escaped by standing on a tree, leaping with all his strength toward another tree ahead, then using it as a foothold to jump to an even farther tree, repeating the process as he fled.

Tang Wulin, meanwhile, stomped against the ground and used the recoil to launch himself like a cannonball. He did not even bother avoiding smaller vegetation, smashing straight through it like a humanoid bulldozer.

Su Hao used Mind Power to make himself float and charge forward. If anything obstructed his path, the Elemental Spirit sitting on his shoulder would control the surrounding trees, or Su Hao would directly clear it away with Mind Power.

Thanks to their different methods of travel, Su Hao and the others were not much different in speed. At times, Tang Wulin and Zhang Yangzi could even take advantage of the path Su Hao cleared and experience the thrill of charging in a straight line.

Then Zhang Yangzi, still gliding through the air, said:

"There must be Soul Beasts in the sky. I'll give it a try and lure them down. Maybe they can interfere with the Flame Magic Lions."

"Don't go. It's too dangerous."

Hearing Zhang Yangzi's words, Su Hao refused without hesitation.

With Zhang Yangzi's current strength, luring down flying Soul Beasts was no easy task. One mistake, and he could be eliminated by one of them.

Zhang Yangzi merely chuckled.

"This is the Spirit Ascension Platform. There's no real danger. At worst, I'll get taken out and spend a few days shivering afterward.

"We've already made more than enough from this trip. I haven't contributed much to the team, so let me give it a try."

After saying that, without waiting for Su Hao's reply, he landed on a tree, quickly climbed to its crown, and then flew into the sky with the help of his wings.

Compared to the first time he had entered the Spirit Ascension Platform and been eliminated after flying into the air, Zhang Yangzi was much more cautious this time.

After flying into the air along the branches, Zhang Yangzi was immediately stunned by the sight before him.

The first time he entered the Spirit Ascension Platform, Zhang Yangzi had seen only a Blue Bird flying in the sky. This time, however, the sky was densely packed with all kinds of flying Soul Beasts.

Even the Blue Bird that had eliminated him the first time was a rare sight among them. Many Soul Beasts were fighting one another, and defeated flying Soul Beasts would occasionally fall from the sky into the forest.

"Eh, is that an egg?"

Zhang Yangzi suddenly spotted a bird's nest atop a nearby tree. There were two or three eggs inside it.

He swiftly glided over to the nest and got a clear look at the three pitch-black eggs. Each one looked like a large ball.

Looking at the eggs before him, Zhang Yangzi said:

"Not sure which flying Soul Beast these eggs belong to, but sorry about this. I'll be borrowing one."

Then Zhang Yangzi quickly picked up an egg and raised it over his head. His wings beat fiercely, and his Second Soul Skill, Eagle Strike the Sky, activated. The instantaneous burst of Soul Power propelled him straight into the air.

Then Zhang Yangzi shouted into the sky:

"Whose egg is this? Come claim it!"

Nearly all the nearby flying Soul Beasts were drawn to the human who had suddenly shot into the air. Then one kind of enormous black Soul Beast let out an enraged cry.

Seeing flying Soul Beasts rushing toward him, Zhang Yangzi swiftly threw the egg at the lion pack behind him, then immediately pressed the Survival Button and said:

"Catch it!"

With a flash of white light, Zhang Yangzi vanished into thin air, and more than ten massive flying Soul Beasts instantly dove into the forest.

Before leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform, Zhang Yangzi thought, I stole one of your eggs, but I'm giving you so much Spirit Power in return. You're still making a profit—as long as you can survive the Flame Magic Lions.

Then the Spirit Power on Zhang Yangzi's body was absorbed by those flying Soul Beasts.

Soon afterward, Su Hao and the others heard continuous roars and the sound of branches breaking behind them. The pressure vanished with it. Su Hao, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie exchanged glances. They knew Zhang Yangzi had succeeded.

"Nicely done!"

Xie Xie could not help praising him.

"Though I doubt that guy's Spiritual Power can withstand absorbing any more Spirit Power, hahaha!"

Xie Xie burst into laughter and accelerated once more.

Just then, a Dark Gold flash flickered ahead and vanished.

Su Hao caught sight of it from the corner of his eye and urgently threw himself to the side. Before he could warn anyone, Xie Xie, who had been sprinting forward, did not even have time to make a sound before his body was split into several pieces in midair and fell into the forest.

Then white light flashed, and the body disappeared.

Tang Wulin, who was slightly slower, did not even have time to think. His left hand flung out a strand of Blue Silver Grass, which latched onto a large tree and forcibly changed the direction of his charging body.

Then Su Hao and Tang Wulin saw another Dark Gold flash. A piercing shriek cut through the air Tang Wulin had just passed through, and three faint black trails of torn air lingered in midair.

Then a giant bear emerged. Its entire body was covered in Dark Gold fur, it stood over three meters tall, and its arms were especially thick. Its broad, powerful shoulders resembled city walls, while the ends of its two massive arms bore incomparably sharp Dark Golden Giant Claws, each more than a meter long.

Having each narrowly avoided one attack from the giant bear, Su Hao and Tang Wulin recognized it and spoke in unison.