Zhao Tianhe had left markers all along the way. The terrain was steep, and wearing Weighted Vests made it truly difficult to keep moving forward.
While maintaining a certain pace, they also had to remain alert to their surroundings at all times.
Tie Li had kept Zhao Tianhe's words from that morning in mind. In an assured tone, Zhao Tianhe had indirectly indicated that they would definitely encounter soul beasts along the way.
At noon, when the seven of them stopped to rest in an open area by the path, Tie Li suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"Get up, quickly."
Seeing Tie Li's grave expression, everyone's faces changed as they hurriedly rose to their feet.
Pairs of scarlet eyes appeared beneath the grass, in an astonishing number.
"They're Earth Element Rats. Is this their nest? There must be three or four hundred of them, at least?" Gu Qi recognized the soul beasts hiding beneath the grass at a glance.
They gradually revealed their bodies. Each was over three feet long, with bloated bodies, long tails, earth-yellow fur, and sharp, ugly teeth.
Their numbers were staggering. Fortunately, most were ten-year soul beasts, with only the occasional hundred-year Earth Element Rat mixed among them.
"You two, focus on protecting Ning Ning."
Tie Li shouted at Jue Dun and Mu Wei. With two defense-type Soul Grand Masters protecting her, Ning Ning would be much safer.
The rat swarm then poured down like a torrent. Everyone summoned their martial souls and soul rings at once.
They had to fight the swarm with everything they had. As the captain, Tie Li needed to keep an eye on his teammates at all times. There were simply too many rats, and mistakes were inevitable.
A control-type soul master was the brain of a team.