The nutrient gel in the shallow pit had just run out when the young beast braced its forepaws against the riverbed and slowly raised itself. The decaying dressing around its abdomen tightened with it, and blackish-purple blood quickly seeped through the outermost layer.
It had only shifted forward one step when two of the boards around the wound were knocked down by its shoulder. The tendon bundles securing the boards snapped one after another, and the Starlight Isolation Screen was torn open with a gap.
"Everyone, back away!" the team leader immediately shouted. "Those boards are just paper props in front of a Tier Three's strength. Don't any of you treat them like a cage!"
The players had been prepared. Those responsible for changing the dressing dropped their tools and retreated. Several [Life Sages] also left the riverbed, and everyone followed the prearranged route up the riverbank.
Once the crowd had withdrawn, the full state of this dried-up river channel was revealed. To the north stood the crystallized root wall that had collapsed earlier, while thick exposed roots were piled along both sides of the channel. Only a broad exit remained to the south. The young beast had crawled in here on its own, then collapsed to feed because its injuries were too severe. The roots on both sides could force it to head south when it first started moving, but they could not stop a Tier Three lifeform once it truly exerted itself.
A streak of starlight lit up above the treetops.
The arrival was a Third-Order Commander of the Star Spirit Race. He excelled at controlling gravity. After landing on the western riverbank, he did not approach the young beast. Instead, he pointed his staff at the exposed rock layer in the riverbed.
"Clear out the people to