Chapter 85: Three Thousand Mystical Beasts

“Little Chubby, something’s not right. We need to be careful.”
“What’s the matter, Ling’er? Did you notice something?”
“The Endless Forest—even its outermost edges shouldn’t be this devoid of mystical beasts, not even a single low-level one.”
“Besides, we’ve been walking for more than a whole day and night.”
“I have a bad feeling—there must be some danger not far from us.”
“All right, let’s stop here for now and conceal ourselves to observe.”

The moment the words left her lips, the two of them darted up into a towering ancient tree. The dense, lush canopy offered them perfect cover. Still uneasy, they hid themselves carefully, holding their breath and swiftly reining in any trace of energy fluctuation from their bodies.
One breath, two breaths...
Nearly an hour passed before the sounds of pursuit and flight gradually drew near.

Soon after, nearly two hundred young cultivators in assorted garb came fleeing headlong from the distance. Each one possessed at least the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm, with more than a third having reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. In usual times, such a gathering would already be a formidable force, yet now, they were all being hunted down.
Not one among the two hundred was not disheveled; all fled as if their lives depended on it, desperate for an extra pair of legs, yearning still to run faster despite already pushing their speed to the limit.

Seeing these people in their frenzied escape, some directly abandoned their own sect mates, wishing their junior brothers and sisters would fall behind to buy them a moment’s reprieve.
Others went so far as to forcefully decide the fate of their companions, using their slightly higher cultivation to hurl them bodily to the very rear.
Of course, there were still a few who, even now, lent each other a helping hand...
In the face of death, the spectrum of human nature revealed itself in full.

Behind them, in a great arc, surged the pursuing force: no fewer than three thousand mid- and low-tier mystical beasts, with at least a hundred of third rank—equivalent to the human Golden Core stage.
Flying through the air, charging across the ground, leaping and bounding—the earth trembled with their passage, mountains shuddered, countless ancient trees were shattered and felled.
Whatever had occurred, even mystical beasts who were typically mortal enemies had set aside their differences, united in their furious chase of the human cultivators fleeing ahead.
Roars and howls shook the air, one after another.

Gu Xiaopang and Bai Ling’er remained absolutely hidden, quietly watching from their perch as the two groups thundered past beneath them.
“Ling’er, do you have any idea what happened?”

“Is the Endless Forest always so lively?”
“This is just too dangerous, isn’t it?”

“Do you really take me for Master the Divine Seer? You think I can figure everything out?”

Even while Gu Xiaopang pestered Bai Ling’er with his relentless questions, Bai Ling’er herself was at a loss.
After all, aside from the central depths of the Mystical Beast Forest, it was exceedingly rare to encounter a scene like this anywhere else within the Endless Forest.
In truth, Gu Xiaopang understood as well: those cultivators must have inadvertently violated some taboo of the mystical beasts, enraging a high-ranked beast and triggering this calamity.

But since it had nothing to do with them, they wisely chose to stay out of it.
Moreover, faced with so many mystical beasts of such strength, even if Gu Xiaopang wished to intervene, he knew he alone would be powerless to help.
Calling softly to the pensive Bai Ling’er, the two became even more cautious as they quietly continued deeper into this part of the Endless Forest.