Several figures walked briskly through the mountains and forests.
"How did that Calamity Beast know we killed the Swooping Wing Bat?" Wang Hu carried the crystal and moved forward quickly, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
To avoid this situation, they deliberately traveled dozens of kilometers, but even though they had just begun their operation, they were still discovered in the end.
Shen Heng's expression was solemn, and he did not reply; this was also something he was wondering about.
"You guys think..." Zhou Xuan spoke up from the side, "Could it be like in novels, where a sect has a junior's soul lamp or something?"
"It's possible, or it could be some kind of ability of this Calamity Beast. In any case, our priority now is how to get out of here."
As Shen Heng spoke, he glanced behind him.
It immediately changed direction and ran in another direction.
The group was slightly taken aback, but they immediately followed.
And so, led by Shen Heng, the group moved forward, sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right.
However, Shen Heng's expression did not improve; instead, it became even more serious.
The sound of wind cutting through the air continued to ring in my ears, growing ever closer...
"Are you still pursuing him?" Han Ling asked, having been watching Shen Heng's expression closely.
Upon hearing this, the others couldn't help but look over as well.
Shen Heng nodded slightly. "Mm."
"No, this... it wouldn't be some kind of hearing ability, something that can detect things from afar, would it?" Zhou Xuan asked in surprise.
"Possibly, but the probability is low." Shen Heng said, glancing at the Yin Soldiers carrying the crystal, running with an odd posture, but closely following the group.
"Although we don't yet know what this crystal is for, it's highly likely that it's placed in a location that enhances combat capabilities."
"Perhaps it's the same as yours?" Zhou Xuan said.
That's why I said it's possible.
As Shen Heng spoke, his pace suddenly slowed, and he eventually stopped.
"What, not running anymore?" Zhou Xuan asked.
The others also looked at Shen Heng with puzzled expressions.
"Now that we know it can pinpoint our location, there's no point in continuing to run," Shen Heng said gravely.
"Shall we have a fight?" Wang Hu crossed his arms, his eyes filled with a hint of fighting spirit, but also with a sense of gravity.
Although he enjoys fighting, he's not without brains.
The higher the rank, the greater the difference.
Their current team might be able to handle a Early Fifth Tier Calamity Beast, but higher-level ones would likely be more difficult.
"No, even with the Azure Talisman Jade, our chances of winning are very small. We'll be lucky if we can escape." Shen Heng slowly shook his head.
"Then what should we do?" Zhou Xuan asked.
"First," Shen Heng looked in the direction the voice came from, "Let's confirm whether we can evade its detection."
As he spoke, Shen Heng turned his gaze to Qin Yu.
" Qin Yu, do your best to mobilize all available resources to cover our tracks."
Qin Yu didn't speak, but nodded slightly and raised her hand to press down.
An invisible ripple emerged, attempting to conceal the group's presence.
Shen Heng, on the other hand, remained focused on the sounds around him while listening to the movements in the distance.
The sound of something cutting through the air in the distance paused slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, it continued to approach in that direction.
"How is it?" Zhou Xuan asked.
"It works," Shen Heng replied, gazing in that direction.
Before anyone could even rejoice, he added:
"But the Calamity Beast is still heading in this direction."
"Hmm? This... is it because the last place we noticed it was in this location?" Zhou Xuan frowned.
"Most likely!"
Shen Heng responded, then looked at Qin Yu again.
"Keep your abilities active, let's change direction and move again, see if the Calamity Beast will chase after us!"
"My ability is less effective when I'm moving," Qin Yu replied with some concern.
"I know, I just want to confirm whether the Calamity Beast will be found," Shen Heng said.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The group changed direction and headed forward.
But soon, the direction of the Calamity Beast changed again.
The group had to stop again.
Qin Yu's abilities were insufficient to allow them to evade the detection of the Calamity Beast during their operation.
Qin Yu looked at the solemn-faced crowd and said apologetically.
"Sorry, if my ability were A-Class, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way!"
Shen Heng glanced at Qin Yu, but didn't offer much comfort. Instead, he simply said, "Don't worry about it. You've already done the best you can."
Qin Yu hesitated for a moment, then silently nodded.
"The problem is, what do we do now?" Zhou Xuan said with some distress. "If we leave, we'll be discovered; if we don't leave, the Calamity Beast will come looking for us again, following the tracks we found earlier."
Shen Heng frowned in thought. To escape this Calamity Beast, it would be best to figure out how it found their location, but...
Hearing the increasingly close sound of wind rushing past his ears, Shen Heng let out a soft breath.
He glanced in the direction the sound came from, then turned to look at Zhou Xuan.
"You ask the land to create a space underground, and then we'll sink down."
"Hmm? Will this... work?" Zhou Xuan asked uncertainly.
"Whether it works or not, let's try it first. If it really doesn't work, we'll just come up here and try to fight it." Shen Heng said quickly and concisely.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan paused for a moment, then nodded.
Shen Heng looked at Qin Yu again, "After we go down, Environmental Assimilation above, while maintaining our location assimilated into the surroundings."
Qin Yu didn't speak, but nodded.
Seeing this, Shen Heng looked at Zhou Xuan again.
Zhou Xuan raised two fingers together and cried out, " Lord of the Land, help me!"
After saying that, he immediately squatted down and placed his palms on the ground.
With a rumbling sound, the ground beneath their feet began to move rapidly to both sides.
The area where they were located began to subside, and new soil covered them.
The group descended to a height of thirty or forty meters before stopping.
A beam of light came on, illuminating the small cave.
Shen Heng glanced at the solemn-faced crowd, then slowly closed his eyes and began to sense the situation above.
Shortly after Shen Heng and the others submerged underground, a huge shadow loomed over the area.
The lion-like Calamity Beast flapped their broad, fleshy wings and hovered in mid-air.
Its pupils were vertical, and its gaze swept across the ground below inch by inch.
A moment later, it roared suddenly, opened its huge mouth, and spewed out a stream of energy mixed with extreme cold.
"Boom--"
Looking at the rubble and ash constantly falling from the rock face above, Zhou Xuan's lips twitched involuntarily.
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this guy planning to leave? It's been over ten minutes already!"
There was no reply; everyone frowned.
"Do you know what kind of Calamity Beast this is, and what its rank is?" Wang Hu looked at Shen Heng and asked in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, the people around also turned their gazes in that direction.
This is not only about the situation of the Calamity Beast, but also about whether they have other options if the Calamity Beast don't leave.
Under everyone's gaze, Shen Heng slowly raised his eyes.
He said with a solemn expression:
" Profound Crystal Griffin, Late Fifth Tier, near... S-Class!"