The Third Circle Layer

The group took advantage of the lull, with no monsters nearby, and hurried onward.

Monster density in this area wasn't particularly high.

Although the river brought plenty of monsters here to drink,

under Bai Yang's superhuman senses, the team could still avoid fighting as much as possible.

Soon, they reached Emerald Lake Residential Complex.

It had once been a gated community with dozens of mid-rise buildings, and no central plaza or large open space.

As a result, no monsters had made it their nest. For a human team at this point, it couldn't have been more suitable.

Bai Yang led everyone to a residential building slightly east of the center.

That way, they'd be less likely to come under direct attack from flying monsters, while the windows still offered a fairly clear view of the city.

Some weak little monsters were living inside the building.

Bai Yang began scanning the entire building with psychokinesis to make sure no monsters were hiding.

The Blood Brake Squad cleared the floors on their own, fighting their way upward.

The entire twelve-story building was soon cleared.

The group decided to stay together on the seventh floor and head to the roof to survey the area whenever necessary.

Bai Yang gazed at the distant horizon, frowning slightly. The surroundings here were truly strange.

He had lived in Magic City for a while in his previous life.

The temperature now was at least four or five degrees lower than before.

The dense clouds overhead looked strange no matter how he looked at them, and the sunlight was almost completely obscured.

The whole city was shrouded in gray. The mist seemed to be everywhere, limiting visibility even at ground level.

Monster roars and birds' cries could be heard all around, and there were countless herds of tens of thousands of monsters, thundering through the city.

This didn't seem like a phenomenon caused by monsters simply gathering. At the very least, it wasn't something monsters below the planetary level could have caused.

It wasn't unreasonable for people to suspect that King-Level Monsters were lurking in Magic City.

The Blood Brake Squad had visited Magic City many times, but this was their first time preparing to venture deep into the city.

Bai Yang asked everyone to share their opinions and any useful experience they had.

As expected, An Zhengxin was the strongest among them, and also the most seasoned. He said,

"Master, the biggest difference between the city and the suburbs, aside from the possibility of King-Level Monsters, is the size of the monster herds."

Bai Yang asked, "What do you mean?"

"The Huangpu River cuts through the heart of Magic City. That area used to be called Lujiazui. If there's a King-Level Monster, it's probably there.

"It's also the best and most comfortable place for sea monsters. They usually don't stray too far from the shore."

Bai Yang nodded. "That makes sense. That's why some War General-level warriors can explore Magic City. Otherwise, with a King-Level Monster's range of perception, they wouldn't stand a chance of making it out alive."

An Zhengxin continued, "There are at least twenty monster herds of over ten thousand around that area, and they live nearby.

"Each herd has at least two or three High-Level Lord monsters.

"I call this area the Second Circle."

As he spoke, he drew a large circle on the map with a pen.

Bai Yang glanced at it and thought the circle was quite reasonable.

"Our current destination is the Third Circle Layer, an area where herds of several hundred to a thousand monsters live.

"The leaders of these herds are mostly Mid-Level Lord monsters. Even when a High-Level Lord turns up, it'll usually be alone, so it won't be too dangerous."

Bai Yang secretly praised him. An Zhengxin really was experienced.

His reasoning was sound. In the original story, the Iron Armored Dragon Luo Feng encountered in the suburbs had been weakened after laying eggs, making it an exception.

The area they were in at the time would have counted as the Fourth or even Fifth Circle Layer at most, and posed an entirely different level of danger.

"Lone monsters wander everywhere, but these large herds each have their own territory and don't move around at random.

"With Master's perception and scouting abilities, we can simply avoid any dangerous herds we come across.

"If we head east from our residential complex and follow the city roads for ten kilometers, we'll arrive. At our speed, it'll be easy."

Bai Yang made the decision. "All right, let's do that. The Blood Brake Squad really is full of elites."

The group decided to rest for the night and set out at daybreak.

The other members of the squad began laying traps at their base and sketching a map of the surrounding terrain.

Bai Yang hadn't planned to return anytime soon after coming here.

He might even stay until next February and then go straight to the War God Camp.

His goal was to advance his Monster Body to its second stage during this period.

That way, once he transformed, he'd be able to face anyone below the planetary level head-on.

Although by then, his cultivation would forcibly advance to the Intermediate War God level, which seemed to make going to the "War God Camp" improper,

Hong probably wouldn't care about something like that.

Hong had seen the movement technique video he'd made back then, which was why he'd ordered people to recruit him.

Judging from Inspector Liu's attitude afterward, his name still carried some weight.

The world's strongest man was certainly broad-minded.

He went down the stairs and out of the building.

He took a slight breath and began exerting himself, trying to transform.

His whole body started trembling at once. His muscles swelled noticeably, and his bones grew with a series of loud cracks.

But as before, although he felt he'd built up quite a bit of progress, he was still just short of the final breakthrough.

After a few minutes of struggling, the changes in his body gradually subsided.

Bai Yang carefully calculated it. No matter what, if he devoured three to five more Lord-level Monsters, he'd definitely succeed.

By then, his strength would also be forcibly pushed to the Beginner War God level, allowing him to enter the War God Palace.

He was so excited that he couldn't sleep.

So he drew the Mount Hua Sword and began practicing swordsmanship on his own.

Since the treasured sword had come into his hands, it still hadn't been drawn to taste blood.

His swordsmanship had now reached an even higher level, far surpassing what the so-called S-Rank Sword Technique could encompass.

The silver-white sword in his hand was already under his complete control.

He could also turn off its built-in light effects at will, so it wouldn't disturb those around him.

It wasn't until dawn the next day that Bai Yang finally stopped and sheathed his sword.

It was time to go!

When An Zhengxin and the others realized their master hadn't slept all night, they didn't dare waste any more time.

They ate breakfast, then immediately set off toward the city.

Along the way, Bai Yang focused intently on searching for target monsters.

The squad members handled all the other little monsters.

They were in luck today and didn't run into any flying monsters.

The ground-dwelling beasts in the area posed no threat to them.

The group moved incredibly fast. In just over an hour, they entered the Third Circle Layer.

Bai Yang felt all kinds of tremendous tremors coming from the ground in the distance. They were the sounds of countless herds trampling back and forth!