Chapter 133: Spirit Beasts in a Standoff

That night, the group did not dare to relax their vigilance. As before, they took turns resting. Fortunately, they were not disturbed by any spirit beasts, though from time to time, that same roar echoed through the air.

At dawn, the horizon gradually turned a pale, fish-belly white. The sun rose slowly, casting its first rays over the land. The air was filled with a refreshing scent, and crystalline dew clung to the leaves, glistening brilliantly in the sunlight.

The members of the War Wolf Mercenary Group were already packed and ready. The roars emanating periodically from the core zone had made them eager to explore. Following a command from Zi Shu, the entire group set off toward the heart of the secret realm.

Lin Xiao was once again tasked with reconnaissance. He had expected the number of spirit beasts to increase upon entering the core zone, but to his surprise, they had been inside for quite some time without seeing more than a few. Even those they occasionally encountered would flee as soon as they spotted the group. Zi Shu and the others were puzzled; they had visited this secret realm before, but this was the first time they had seen the core zone so devoid of spirit beasts. They surmised it must be related to the recurring roars.

Every hour or so, Lin Xiao and the others would hear that roar, which also served to guide their path. Lin Xiao was happy to be at leisure; the core zone was rich with spirit herbs, and he collected them without hesitation. Since his possession of a spatial ring had already been exposed, he no longer felt the need to hide his actions. Whatever caught his eye, he simply tucked away. Zi Shu and the others did not mind; they let him collect whatever he pleased.

The group continued to travel in the direction of the sound. After half an hour, a small hill blocked their path. Lin Xiao had spotted this hill earlier; it was not tall—at most two hundred meters—and it seemed the roaring was coming from the other side.

Zi Shu issued a direct order: "Scale the hill!" The vantage point would offer better visibility, and perhaps they might discover some clues. Lin Xiao agreed. After confirming there was nothing unusual about the hill itself, the group began their ascent.

Once at the top, they quickly found a spot with a clear line of sight. Before Lin Xiao could even begin his observation, he heard that roar again. This time, it was exceptionally clear; it seemed they were not far from the source. Lin Xiao immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

They say that standing high allows one to see far, and that was certainly true. Their chosen position was excellent; even with the dense vegetation below, Lin Xiao could see quite a bit. He gasped. No wonder they hadn't encountered many spirit beasts—were they all gathered here for a meeting?

A quick glance was enough for Lin Xiao to realize the situation was extraordinary. At least a hundred spirit beasts were congregated below. This was the core zone, where the spirit beasts were almost all at least level five. With such a number, even the powerful War Wolf Mercenary Group would likely gain no advantage from a reckless charge.

Zi Shu and his team lacked Lin Xiao’s superior eyesight, but they made up for it with equipment. Zi Shu produced a pair of military binoculars to observe the scene below. Although he could not see as clearly as Lin Xiao, he grasped the general situation. "This is going to be troublesome."

Lin Xiao remained silent, continuing his observation while focusing his spirit skills. The scene below became even clearer. To his surprise, the spirit beasts appeared to be divided into two factions, currently locked in a standoff. Both sides glared at each other with hostility. Most conspicuous was a group of Stone Giants; their leader stood at least five meters tall, and while the others were slightly shorter, they were still around four meters.

Lin Xiao recognized them as Heaven-Reaching Stone Beasts, a particularly troublesome species with high attack and high defense. The leader, judging by its size, was a level-six spirit beast, while the others were level-five. The roars they had been hearing came from this leader.

Opposing them was a diverse array of other spirit beasts. Lin Xiao found this curious—why were the spirit beasts infighting? He did not rush to conclusions and continued to watch. Soon, he frowned. He discovered something interesting: besides the two factions of beasts, there appeared to be a third party present.

They were humans. Because they were far away and well-hidden, Lin Xiao might not have spotted them if not for his sharp vision. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to see that there were at least seventy or eighty of them. He immediately shared his discovery with Zi Shu.

Zi Shu was startled. He had noticed the standoff between the beasts, but he had completely missed the hidden humans. After a moment of thought, he gathered everyone together, briefly explained what they had found, and looked at his team. "What does everyone think about this?"

The group fell into deep thought. The situation felt highly suspicious.

"Boss, we’ve been to this secret realm more than once. The Heaven-Reaching Stone Beasts have always been the dominant force; rarely do other beasts cross them. Even we wouldn't provoke them—it’s too much effort for too little reward. What is going on today?"

"What could the Stone Beasts have done to incite such wrath that so many beasts would surround them? I can't figure it out."

"Both sides are still at a stalemate. It’s been a while since we first heard the roar, so they’ve been at it for some time."

"And those hidden individuals—it’s highly likely they are from the Flame Mercenary Group. I remember they took a mission here two days before we did."

Lin Xiao became interested. Having just registered as a mercenary, he knew little about the mercenary groups in the capital. "The Flame Mercenary Group? Are they strong?"

"They’re so-so. Like us, they’re a B-rank group, but their roster is full. A hundred-man B-rank group—how strong can they really be?"

"Don't underestimate them. While their rank-and-file members are mediocre, their leader, Feng Yang, is quite formidable. He’s a level-six, S-grade fire-element user."

After some discussion, they still couldn't determine what was truly happening. The immediate priority was to clarify the situation on the ground so they could decide their next move.

Zi Shu made a quick decision: the others would stay put, while he and You Ji would get closer to see if they could overhear anything. Zi Shu was not foolish enough to approach Feng Yang directly. The Flame Mercenary Group did not have a good reputation; they were somewhat restrained in the city, but they had committed plenty of murders and robberies within the secret realms. His best hope was that You Ji might overhear some valuable information.

As Zi Shu and You Ji descended the hill, Lin Xiao continued to watch the scene below. He couldn't shake the feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed. The leader of the Heaven-Reaching Stone Beasts seemed emotionally unstable, and there had to be a reason for it. The surrounding pack of spirit beasts didn't seem in any hurry to attack, either. Lin Xiao refused to believe there wasn't something fishy going on.