The flying beast chirped once and nodded.
“Where to?” Stout asked.
“Stout, it might understand some of our words, but it can’t speak!” Bob said. “If you want to ask it questions, stick to yes or no ones!”
“Alright!” Stout smacked his lips. He then looked at the flying beast again. “Is there any danger?”
The flying beast chirped but neither nodded nor shook its head.
“What does that mean?” Stout’s mouth twitched. “Don’t just chirp! You should nod or shake your head!”
Casey and the others: “…”
“Boss, should we follow it?” Bob asked Billy.
“We’re nearing the center of this foggy forest,” Amber said after some thought. “There might be beasts stronger than ninth-rank Sacred Beasts. We must be cautious.”
Billy nodded slightly, aware of this fact.
“Should we follow?” Opal suggested.
“Let’s escort Elder Cruz and the others out first,” Billy decided after a moment of thought. He was curious about where the flying beast wanted to lead them but prioritized Elder Cruz’s safety.
“Alright,” Opal agreed.
Billy then looked at the flying beast. “We’ll escort Elder Cruz out first and come back later.”
The flying beast chirped and nodded.
“Why do you only nod at the Boss?” Stout smacked his lips again. “Do you have a problem with me?”
This time, the flying beast chirped and finally nodded at him.
Amber chuckled softly.
Billy and the others escorted Elder Cruz and his group towards Skydragon City, with the flying beast following behind.
After about twenty minutes, they arrived at the mountain entrance of the primeval forest.
“Azure Dragon, take Elder Cruz and the others back to Skydragon City,” Billy instructed Azure Dragon, Azure Fang, Bob, and Stout.
“Boss, it might be dangerous inside. Let us go with you,” Azure Fang suggested.
“You all stay here,” Opal replied for Billy. “It’s precisely because it’s dangerous that you shouldn’t come.”
“Alright,” Azure Dragon and the others agreed, understanding that their presence might be a burden in a tricky situation.
Billy, Opal, Amber, and Casey followed the flying beast back into the foggy forest.
After about half an hour, they landed at the edge of a cliff.
Looking down, the entire cliff was shrouded in thick fog with visibility only four to five meters. Besides the fog, nothing else was visible. Occasionally, beastly roars echoed from below, sounding particularly eerie in the silent forest.
“Is the place you want to take us below this cliff?” Billy asked the flying beast.
The flying beast nodded and then flew down into the fog.
“Let’s go down and see,” Billy said, leading Opal and the others down.
After descending about a hundred meters, the flying beast stopped and flapped its wings vigorously to disperse the fog around them. They saw a medium-sized cave in the cliff wall not far away. They also sensed a strong oppressive aura emanating from within the cave. Beastly roars and muffled crashing sounds could be heard from inside.
Hearing the commotion, the flying beast chirped and quickly flew into the cave.
“It wants to take us inside?” Amber speculated.
“Seems like it,” Opal nodded.
“Boss, can you sense what level of beast is inside?” Casey asked Billy.
“The aura is strong, stronger than a ninth-rank Sacred Beast,” Billy responded thoughtfully. “It’s likely close to Holy Beast level.”
Beasts are categorized by levels; above Sacred Beast is Holy Beast. Like martial arts cultivation, although there’s only one word difference between Holy Beast and Sacred Beast, the gap is vast. An Holy Beast can easily kill dozens of ninth-rank Sacred Beasts with a single swipe.
“Close to Holy Beast level?” Casey exclaimed. “This primeval forest is indeed extraordinary!”
Previously, they believed that the highest level beast in the Forbidden Ruins Space was a ninth-rank Sacred Beast. They didn’t expect there to be beasts close to Holy Beast level here. The concept of “close to” is similar to “half step into Holy Realm” in martial arts cultivation-higher than ninth-rank Sacred Realm but lower than first-rank Holy Realm.
At this moment, a stronger crashing sound came from inside the cave, with shock waves sweeping out from the entrance.
“The flying beast is probably fighting with a beast inside. Let’s go check it out!” Billy said as he led Opal and the others into the cave.
As soon as they entered, Casey and Amber gasped involuntarily. The oppressive aura inside was much stronger than outside, even making them feel pressured despite their cultivation levels.
They saw a vast space of at least tens of thousands of square meters filled with bizarre stalactites. In the center was a stone platform about two to three meters high with a man sitting cross-legged on it.
The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties, dressed in white, with a well-proportioned body and chiseled features. His thick eyebrows and large eyes exuded an extraordinary aura even while sitting there.
Besides him, there was nothing else on the platform.
Billy and his team noticed a faint barrier around the platform. They had encountered similar situations before and knew that the man had likely perished long ago, preserved by an array.
At this moment, three giant beasts were attacking the barrier with violent shockwaves crashing against it.
Another beast was fighting with the flying beast, both equally matched in strength. All four beasts were close to Holy Beast level-ferocious in appearance with tough scales and two long horns on their heads.
Billy’s team was surprised that despite the full-force attacks from three beasts equivalent to half-step Holy Realm experts, the barrier showed no signs of damage.
This indicated that it was set up by someone above Holy Realm.
“I wonder who this man is,” Casey remarked as he looked towards the barrier.