In another direction, Yang Yi was also fighting desperately to kill the Blood Beasts;
In just one day, his temperament had grown much steadier.
He was only in the Impermeable Realm, and still couldn't roam unchecked through Secret Realm No. 7. He could handle things most of the time, but sometimes he had no choice but to retreat;
For example, right now...
A tremendous force struck from behind, kicking him squarely in the back!
Yang Yi couldn't stop himself from pitching forward, straight toward a gaping maw!
"Dammit!"
In that moment of danger, Yang Yi had no time to think. He forced out what little strength he had left and slashed with his blade!
Beneath the dazzling blade-light, the Blood Beast let out a pained roar...
Yang Yi hit the ground and rolled several times. After a quick glance around, he immediately ran for it!
He hadn't been foolish enough to take on several second-realm Blood Beasts at once. He'd simply been passing through when he saw someone in a desperate fight and stepped in to help.
Who would've thought that bastard would just leave him behind and run?
And the commotion from the fight had attracted two more Blood Beasts... So he'd ended up surrounded.
Seeing Yang Yi try to flee, one of the slightly larger Blood Beasts threw back its head and roared!
At the deafening sound, the Blood Beasts in the area all rushed after him!
They bounded through the mountain forest with astonishing agility;
Yang Yi tossed two pills into his mouth and glanced back when he had a moment. His heart sank;
At their current speeds, it wouldn't be long before they caught up with him...
What was going on?
The data on his terminal said that Blood Beasts were generally afraid of humans, didn't it?
Why were they attacking him like mad?
Were they picking on the weak?
He hoped he'd run into some other candidates who could help take some of the pressure off;
But Secret Realm No. 7 was vast, and a mere ten thousand or so candidates scattered across it barely made a difference.
Everyone had chosen different routes and ventured to different depths... Even now, with the Blood Beasts nearly upon him, Yang Yi still hadn't seen another person;
A dull ache throbbed around the small of his back;
Yang Yi felt his combat suit. His father, a Fifth Realm expert, had spent a fortune buying it for him. Its defensive power was astonishing;
It was only thanks to this suit that he'd been able to withstand the sneak attack just now.
But could this suit... really keep him alive...
Just as despair was beginning to overwhelm him, Yang Yi suddenly noticed that the Blood Beasts had stopped chasing him?
They all turned to look in the same direction, as if summoned by something, and roared one after another!
Then they turned and sprinted away!
Yang Yi let out a long breath. He'd survived...
But another question immediately came to mind: what had happened to these Blood Beasts?
Why abandon an enemy they were about to catch and head toward some unknown place instead?
Chu Yuan shared Yang Yi's questions;
He'd encountered the largest pack of Blood Beasts since entering the Secret Realm;
There were at least fifty of them, including one that was already the equivalent of a third-realm Warrior!
With a sweep of its paw, it sent three energy blades screaming toward him, easily slicing through one tree after another;
But the attack was a little clumsy, so it naturally couldn't hurt Chu Yuan.
Just as Chu Yuan was preparing to slaughter them all, the Blood Beasts suddenly stopped attacking and ran in one direction, heedless of everything else!
The points he was about to earn were about to slip away. How could Chu Yuan allow that?
In his desperation, he unleashed the group attack he'd just mastered but had never tried before;
The third move of the Wind-Riding Sword Control Art: Wind Chant!
Wind Cutter howled toward the pack, and blade after blade of wind suddenly appeared around it!
In the blink of an eye, they were so dense that Wind Cutter itself disappeared from sight;
Then... they suddenly burst apart!
Like flowers scattered by a goddess, a violent storm of sword energy tore through everything around it! It seemed as though a domain of wind had taken shape there!
Earth and stones flew, giant trees toppled, and flesh and blood scattered!
At a glance, it was a scene straight out of hell...
Wind Cutter returned to its sheath, and Chu Yuan rushed forward;
None of the Blood Beasts had a complete body left, but the third-realm Blood Beast, though severed in half, still retained a faint sliver of consciousness.
It looked at Chu Yuan, its enormous eyes filled with hatred and murderous intent;
Chu Yuan couldn't shake the feeling that the Blood Beasts had far too many emotions, and that they were far too complex.
They didn't seem like beasts with little intelligence...
"You're heading that way? What's over there?" Chu Yuan muttered;
He didn't expect the Blood Beast to understand him, and as it happened, it didn't;
Even with only half its body left, it still tried to attack him.
Wind Cutter flew from its sheath again, turning into a streak of blue light that pinned the Blood Beast to the ground...
Chu Yuan glanced at his points on his terminal, then looked toward the direction the Blood Beast had been trying to reach before it died;
After a moment's thought, he used Smoke-Drifting Steps to head that way...
The Blood Beasts' unusual reaction was something just about anyone could recognize;
It was how they responded that differed.
Some who were confident in their strength made the same choice as Chu Yuan: they went where the Blood Beasts were headed to see what was happening;
Those who were weaker quietly turned back, planning to return to the Stone Platform and leave the trial;
And some took advantage of the Blood Beasts' lack of aggression to follow behind and slaughter them in droves...
If someone had a god's-eye view and looked down from above;
They would see that the Blood Beasts, no matter where they were, were all heading for the same destination!
It was a place marked as the Blood Abyss on the map provided by the military...
The stench of blood in the Blood Abyss was almost tangible!
A faint blood mist hung in the air, adding a few more shades of grim terror to the place;
In the dim yellow light, a colossal creature dozens of meters long lay quietly, letting out muffled growls.
"Hold on. It's almost done!" Suddenly, a human voice rang out above the giant beast. Looking closely, one could indeed make out a barely visible figure sitting cross-legged atop its head!
"Enough... My... people!" The giant beast spoke in human language too. Its words were halting, but its emotions were intense.
It lowered its head and looked beneath its feet, its gaze full of sorrow;
One Blood Beast after another came charging from afar and leaped into the Blood Pool before it without hesitation;
A moment later, they fell silent...
Patterns of runes spread across the Blood Pool, forming an energy circuit that extended deep into its body.
It was... devouring its own people...
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