Chapter 499: Chapter 488: Just the Beginning
Though it is a Secret Realm, to Xu Lingjun, it feels no less than his own backyard.
The feeling of leisurely strolling, especially for Han Yun City, is even more evident.
He had explored it twice before...
During those two in-depth explorations, almost every time at the very beginning, they encountered attacks from Demon Beasts. Proceeding was a journey close to death, with threats lurking so deeply that even Grandmasters dared not underestimate them in the slightest.
But now, following Xu Lingjun is a completely different experience.
As if he had foreseen it.
They could always avoid all the Demon Beasts’ territories...
Han Yun City even saw a hint of nostalgia on Xu Lingjun’s face.
What on earth is there to miss about such a perilous Secret Realm?
Until two hours later.
Xu Lingjun’s pace slowed down...
And Han Yun City also drew his weapons again, a Giant Sword almost taller than himself.
Ready to infuse it with Blood Qi at any moment.
"Be careful."
He said, "It’s right here. From this point on, I can feel a deadly threat, not from any single Demon Beast, but from this entire place."
Even with Xu Lingjun by his side, Han Yun City still felt that way.
An extraordinarily keen sense of life and death made him feel that the dark jungle ahead seemed like an ancient beast, with its mouth wide open, waiting for the two of them to walk into the trap...
And the occasional flashes of sullen lightning in the sky added to the eerie feeling of the dense forest ahead.
Xu Lingjun’s expression gradually grew serious.
Here they were, right at the edge of the Thunder Ruins... beyond this point, it was no longer human territory.
In fact, Xu Lingjun had noticed a change half an hour earlier.
Previously, Xiaoya could perfectly help him avoid all the Demon Beasts’ territories, allowing smooth and unobstructed progress... But the further they went in, the more ferocious the Demon Beasts became. They were no longer simply bound to their territories.
Even if they avoided their territory.
Once they sniffed the scent of humans, they would still actively pursue Xu Lingjun and Han Yun City.
Only their sheer speed, combined with the fierce conflicts among the Demon Beasts themselves, gave them a chance to escape.
But now.
"Let’s go."
Xu Lingjun took the lead.
At that moment, a silver serpent flashed through the gloomy clouds... accompanied by rumbling thunder, adding even more danger to the somber environment.
Their speed increased slightly.
The deeper they went, the stronger the Demon Beasts became.
Their current area was mostly dominated by Level 7 Demon Beasts.
The strength of these Demon Beasts, to be honest, posed no real threat to Xu Lingjun and Han Yun City.
Avoid when possible...
Moreover, although their purpose was to break through the Realm by entering here.
Now feeling the treacherousness within this Secret Realm, neither Xu Lingjun nor Han Yun City was content with such a simple goal...
At the very least, they had to find some clues.
Two figures moved swiftly from tree to tree, as light as shadows, extremely fast.
And gradually...
Below, there was no gap to step on.
Around them, the presence of Demon Beasts was ubiquitous; warnings from Xiaoya kept on sounding.
Xu Lingjun seemed to see the incessant flashing of the word "danger" over himself and Han Yun City.
Helplessly...
Nanometer Armor was equipped.
And Han Yun City no longer needed to hide himself here, as his enormous wings spread open and he leaped into the sky.
The two moved through the sky.
But by now, the sky was no longer a safe place, especially with electric arcs dancing wildly and silver snakes flickering, dangerous as they were... A moment’s carelessness would result in being struck by the endless thunder.
At least, though, the number of Demon Beasts eyeing them had noticeably decreased.
Yet, even so...
They hadn’t flown for long.
"Watch out!"
Xu Lingjun shouted.
He saw a colossal bird, like an eagle or a hawk, charging out from the vast clouds... clearly mistaking Han Yun City for some kind of bird, aiming to capture him.
Unwilling to cause more trouble, Xu Lingjun immediately took out the Space Time Gun to try to transfer it.
But considering the uncertainty of the Space Time Gun...
They were not too far from the West Origin Martial Mansion. If by any chance this giant bird was transmitted there.
He retracted the gun,
held the Sword of Oath and Victory in reverse in his hand, and fiercely slashed, the dazzling golden light of Excalibur pierced the sky, directly engulfing the giant bird and even tearing open a huge gap in the clouds.
"Let’s go!"
Having achieved its purpose with a single strike, Xu Lingjun slipped away without hesitation.
"Watch out!"
This time Han Yun City shouted.
Blood Qi enveloped, the giant blade mixed with the explosive force of Blood Flame, striking toward Xu Lingjun’s back.
Xu Lingjun turned smoothly...
Holding the sword, he flew into the sky.
By now, as the clouds were gradually dispersing under the cut of the Sword of Oath and Victory, the immense dome of this space was exposed in front of them.
A vast darkness, blocking the sky and the sun...
The clouds they faced were not mere clouds, but flocks of massive black birds, acting not alone, but collectively.
Numbering in the hundreds.
Without the cloud cover, these birds seemed to have no reservations anymore, rushing toward the two below them, encircling them in an instant...
"Break through!"
Xu Lingjun shouted, flipping his hand.
The Deus Ex Machina Mecha appeared beneath them, and then, intense cannon fire burst in all directions.
For a time, the air was filled with the mournful cries of birds.
Xu Lingjun and Han Yun City seized the chance to rush downward... indeed, by then, even the sky was no longer safe.
Upon descending to a certain height.
Even though the birds screeched and howled in anger, they dared not descend further, as if something extremely horrifying lay below.
"Master, be careful!"
Xiaoya suddenly called out... without enough time to react.
A massive shadow had already wound up.
A giant python as thick as two adults’ embraces shot out from the vines, winding itself around the Deus Ex Machina.
Evidently, compared to the two small fry, this giant creature was more to its taste... After all, as long as it could enter its mouth, digestion wasn’t a problem.
Despite the great strength of Deus Ex Machina, it was no match for the giant beast, getting tightly wrapped instead.
"Xiaoya!"
Xu Lingjun lept forward, dodging the giant serpent’s tail sweep, while Han Yun City leapt up behind, securing its tail firmly to the ground with his giant blade.
Xu Lingjun forcefully pierced its body with the Sword of Oath and Victory, racing upward along the tail... leaving a trail of spurting blood.
The giant python let out a painful howl, collapsing weakly on the ground.
The Deus Ex Machina Mecha took advantage of the momentary respite, aimed its cannon at the python, and with one shot... shattered it into countless pieces.
"It’s the Level 8 Exotic Beast, Green Forest Bone Python!"
Xu Lingjun and Han Yun City exchanged a look, seeing the grave expression in each other’s eyes.
The power of an 8th Level Demon Beast was enough to threaten the life of a Grandmaster... had they reacted a moment slower, the Deus Ex Machina might have already been dragged away.
They had barely arrived and already faced such a crisis.
Evidently, the dangers within this Secret Realm were far greater than they imagined.
He waved and stored away the heavily damaged Deus Ex Machina Mecha.
Its massive size would only make it a more conspicuous target in such a perilous place.
And as for the Invisibility Device...
To Demon Beasts, the primary way to locate enemies was not sight, but scent.
The Invisibility Device, even if it could isolate body heat, was of no use.
"From now on, we must be careful."
"Indeed."
Han Yun City nodded, understanding Xu Lingjun’s point.
This... was just the beginning.
