Deep into the Savage Wastes, hunting beasts for materials; the Huang Household repays its debt, new essence blood

In the southern reaches of the Savage Wastes, roughly two hundred and twenty li beyond the boundary.

The environment here was even harsher. Clouds formed from demonic energy and gray-green poisonous miasma that never dispersed shrouded the sky. A few wan shafts of sunlight struggled through, unable to penetrate the forest below, dark as night.

Ancient trees towered overhead, their bark twisted like coiling dragons. The air was thick and damp, mingling the heavy stench of decay, pungent miasma, and the sickly-sweet odor of countless venomous insects and snakes. Even breathing it into the lungs brought a burning sensation.

"Whoosh!"

At that moment, a somewhat bedraggled figure in green robes had just completed a long-distance Earth Escape and "squeezed" out of a slick rock stratum, still carrying traces of soil and chilly moisture.

It was none other than Lin Changheng.

His expression tightened, his brows drawn together. He swiftly cast the [Cleansing Spell] to clean himself while warily scanning his surroundings.

"Rotten luck!" he spat under his breath, though an inexplicable hint of relief colored his voice.

Some thirty li behind him, an earthshaking roar erupted. The sound rolled out like a tangible shock wave, shaking nearby ancient trees until their leaves fell like rain!

Then came thunderous crashes that rocked the earth and mountains, as though a giant were frantically pounding the ground with an enormous hammer. Trees snapped and rocks shattered in an endless succession. Even at such a distance, the noise set the hearts of men and beasts pounding with terror, leaving little doubt how horrific the scene at the center of that destruction must have been.

It had all begun roughly half an hour earlier-

At the time, Lin Changheng had been cautiously exploring this region, searching for a suitable early third-tier demon beast to attack.