Hunting Separately

After walking for about another hour,

the terrain ahead suddenly opened up.

The dense hills and vegetation vanished, replaced by an enormous plain. The ground was dark gray, smooth as a mirror, with almost no plants growing on it.

At the end of the plain stood a towering mountain wall.

That mountain wall was not natural rock, but a grayish-white translucent substance, like some gigantic crystal.

It stretched from the ground all the way to the pale violet sky, its summit nowhere in sight, as though it had cleaved the entire stronghold in two.

A massive opening lay in the mountain wall. Its shape was irregular, its edges jagged, as though something had forcibly smashed its way out from within.

Powerful waves of energy surged from the opening, making even Xu Wuyi's heartbeat quicken.

"That is the core of the stronghold." Shen Jin stood beside Xu Wuyi, his voice carrying a rare gravity. "The space inside that opening is the true Star Realm stronghold."

Xu Wuyi stared at the opening without speaking.

He could sense that what poured out of it was not merely energy, but also a sense of oppression.

It was faint, yet real, like the breathing of a sleeping giant beast. Every exhalation made the surrounding air tremble slightly.

Lin Jianyi stood at the very front of the group, looking at the opening in silence for roughly half a minute.

Then he spoke, his voice lower than usual.

"Something is wrong."

Everyone's gaze turned toward him.

Lin Jianyi turned around and looked at the Grandmasters behind him, his expression more solemn than ever before.

"According to the survey team's readings, there should only be three Beast Kings in the stronghold's core region. But my senses tell me there are at least twice that number inside the opening."