"Er Ming, did you feel that?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's deep voice rumbled like a low growl, carrying the overwhelming might of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
"I thought I felt someone watching us, but it vanished in an instant. I haven't sensed it since. It was almost like an illusion."
Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, answered in kind.
Beside the Lake of Life, Xiao Wu heard Da Ming and Er Ming's exchange. She looked up at the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, the current rulers of the lake, and frowned.
"Da Ming, Er Ming, do you sense someone nearby?"
"Yes, Sister Xiao Wu. But whoever it is seems to be hiding. We can't sense him anymore," Da Ming, the Sky Azure Bull Python, replied in a low voice.
At the edge of the Core Area, Ning Chen's keen senses, sharpened by his powerful body, let him hear every word the three Soul Beasts said.
His heart tightened. He had thought he was being careful enough, but he had still underestimated the senses of the Lake of Life's two rulers.
Ning Chen hastily suppressed his aura further. He also activated the Human-Skin Mask, making it conceal his distinctive presence as much as possible.
The Human-Skin Mask worked. Though the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape remained on guard, they searched their surroundings with their senses and found nothing amiss.
"I can't sense anything at all now. Was it just an illusion?"
Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, sounded irritated.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's eyes flickered. "It wasn't an illusion. We both sensed a stranger's presence. That couldn't have been a coincidence.
The only possibility is that he concealed his aura completely. That's why we can't sense him anymore."
The Sky Azure Bull Python lowered his head toward