"Boom, boom, boom--"
Loud sounds of destruction echoed from afar.
Zhou Xuan narrowed his eyes and gazed into the distance.
He wanted to see more clearly, but because it was too far away, he could only see the figure on the ground and the dirt and stones that were constantly being kicked up.
"This... even if they realize we were hiding underground, what's the point of attacking the surface now?" Zhou Xuan said, somewhat puzzled.
"We left the crystal there for it, which clearly shows we were aware of how it was chasing us."
"Then the crystal was left there, which means we've already left!"
Shen Heng gazed calmly at that spot.
"Compared to searching randomly outside, the probability of finding the enemy by digging down there is indeed higher."
"After all, if its enemy thinks it's in the dark, it will indeed find it."
"This... surely no one would be that stupid?" Zhou Xuan looked at Shen Heng uncertainly.
"I can only say we have different ideas," Shen Heng said calmly.
Zhou Xuan nodded thoughtfully and looked into the distance again.
There, the Profound Crystal Griffin flew back into the sky, spewing icy breath at the ground.
"Tsk, the destructive power of the Calamity Beast is really strong after its rank increases!"
Shen Heng did not respond. He silently stared at the spot, pondering how he should deal with this type of attack.
But it seems that there's no better way than to avoid it.
He let out a soft breath and looked away.
"Alright, come back now!"
Two days later, on the city wall of the base.
Soldiers stood guard on the city wall.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers' pupils contracted slightly.
He quickly raised his hand and pressed it against the brim of his hat.
"Report: Five unknown humanoid creatures have been discovered outside the base. Calamity Beast type is currently unknown!"
Soon, with a beep, a new communication came in.
"Don't worry, we already knew that beforehand. They were members of the base's Supervision Bureau; they were returning from a special mission."
Upon hearing this, the soldier breathed a heavy sigh of relief; he had thought it was some kind of transformed demon.
Without asking further questions, he replied:
"Okay, understood!"
Shen Heng and his group hurried towards the base. When they were within 1 kilometer of it, a figure slowly flew out from inside the base.
The group slowly came to a stop, then looked at the figure descending towards them.
"Daoist Master!"
Li Daoyi nodded slightly and reached out to grab Shen Heng's shoulder.
Shen Heng was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening.
He did not resist, allowing Li Daoyi to place his hand on his body.
The Origin Power circulated through Shen Heng's body via his palm before returning to its source.
The test showed no problems, Li Daoyi walked towards Han Ling, who was standing next to Shen Heng.
Han Ling followed Shen Heng's example and did not resist.
While checking everyone's condition, Li Daoyi asked:
How did the exploration go?
"It's alright, nothing serious happened." Shen Heng stood to the side watching Li Daoyi's test.
"Huh?" Li Daoyi paused, looking at Shen Heng with surprise. "You actually encountered something shocking when you went out? Did Calamity Beast that you didn't sense really appear?"
As he spoke, he lifted his hand off Han Ling's shoulder and moved on to the next person.
"No, it was a bit of an accident. I originally wanted to take this opportunity to steal a crystal, but unexpectedly, the Calamity Beast in charge over there marked the crystal. It took me quite a bit of effort to get away," Shen Heng explained briefly.
Upon hearing this, Li Daoyi chuckled softly, "What Calamity Beast?"
" Profound Crystal Griffin," Shen Heng said.
"Does the Profound Crystal Griffin have this kind of ability?" Li Daoyi, slightly surprised.
"It should be something that comes with a rank increase, or it might be something it learns on its own," Shen Heng replied.
"It seems we need to update our information on the Profound Crystal Griffin." Li Daoyi clicked his tongue, then asked, "What tier was the Profound Crystal Griffin you encountered?"
" Late Fifth Tier," Shen Heng replied.
Li Daoyi stopped in his tracks and looked at Shen Heng. "Did you use the Azure Talisman Jade?"
"No, they escaped using other methods..."
Shen Heng briefly explained the process.
Upon hearing this, Li Daoyi chuckled lightly.
"You're pretty lucky, kid. Even with the Azure Talisman Jade, a real fight wouldn't necessarily let you escape, but..."
He shifted his gaze and it landed on Qin Yu.
"This girl's ability is quite unique. Although she doesn't have much combat ability, she can be quite useful at times."
Shen Heng nodded slightly. If it weren't for Qin Yu, they might have had to face the Profound Crystal Griffin on their very first encounter.
"Hey, Daoist Master, my abilities aren't bad either!" Zhou Xuan suddenly raised his hand and said.
Li Daoyi looked over upon hearing the sound, and his expression immediately darkened.
"You brat, this ability is such a waste on you! Are you planning to hire that damn Ultraman later?!"
Ultraman?... Shen Heng was slightly taken aback and looked over.
Zhou Xuan looked somewhat displeased and said,
"The fact that we couldn't invite him before just proves that Ultraman is actually quite powerful, right? If he's so powerful, what's wrong with inviting him again later!"
"Do you think the deities I designed for you at First Tier were just randomly chosen? They were all set up for various situations," Li Daoyi said angrily.
"Hey, Daoist Master, what are you saying? Someone's abilities can be used in any situation. What's wrong with me creating First Tier and hiring Ultraman?" Zhou Xuan was still dissatisfied.
"Besides, Ultraman isn't weak either!"
Li Daoyi's beard and hair stood on end, and he raised his hand to tap Zhou Xuan on the back of the head.
"Ah!"
" Ultraman, I'll teach you Ultraman..."
Shen Heng watched the two of them from the side, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
He remembered that Zhou Xuan had told him this before.
When he was at Zero Tier, he kept inviting powerful gods, which caused his Zero Tier seat to be invalidated.
After the headquarters sent researchers to investigate, they provided him with an example of which level of deity to invoke.
Only then was he able to successfully God Invocation.
Was that example designed by the Daoist priest?
Hmm... for a Daoist priest, this is quite appropriate.
but...
Shen Heng glanced at Zhou Xuan, who was still unconvinced and arguing with Li Daoyi.
He silently shifted his gaze elsewhere.
Soon, constrained by the limitations of force, Zhou Xuan shut his mouth.
Li Daoyi then checked everyone again, and after confirming that everyone was fine, he raised his hand and waved it outwards.
"Alright, you can go back now. The rewards from the base will be sent to your accounts later. It's good that you came back a day early, so take this time to rest."
Wang Hu nodded to Shen Heng, then turned and left.
Qin Yu followed closely behind and also left.
Zhou Xuan grinned, didn't say goodbye, and left looking annoyed.
Shen Heng turned to look at Han Ling and nodded slightly.
Watching Han Ling leave, Shen Heng Shen Heng his gaze back to Li Daoyi beside him.
Li Daoyi twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Alright, you should go and report back on the details too!"