From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

Having narrowly escaped death, the three-person team became even more cautious.

Although their strength has greatly increased, they know that in this chaotic hunting ground, a slight mistake could turn them into someone else's meal.

The terrifying scene of being surrounded by several Star Beasts served as a wake-up call, constantly reminding them that greed must be based on absolute caution.

"The next steps will focus on observation. We will not take action unless we are absolutely certain of success," Yao Mengkang set the new tone, his voice low and serious.

"Our goal is to safely increase our strength, not to fight these beasts to the death."

Zhou Tiancan and Li Han nodded in deep agreement.

Although Zhou Tiancan was warlike, he was not a mindless brute; Li Han valued his life even more, and his previous adventurous proposals were more out of a desire for power. Now that he had calmed down, he naturally knew how to make choices.

Like the most patient hunters, the three of them, relying on Li Han's increasingly sophisticated stealth techniques, slowly and inching their way towards the center of the battlefield under the cover of chaotic energy currents and the roars of battle.

The closer you get to the center, the more brutal the battle becomes.

The earth was ravaged, covered with bottomless claw marks, huge craters, and a surface that had been glassed by violent energy.

The air was thick with stellar energy and a kind of... sweet, pungent smell left behind after flesh and blood had been torn apart and devoured.

Finally, they saw the central area of ​​the circular valley again.

The once spirited Star Skeleton Qilin, which had been striving to break through to the Yuan Dan realm, now lay there quietly, like a shattered silver mountain.

But its majestic body was now incomplete—its four hooves, which symbolized power and majesty, and its long tail, which resembled a galaxy, had all disappeared!

The broken edges were jagged, as if it had been torn off by a tremendous force, and there were traces of erosion from star energy of different attributes remaining.

Its body was covered with a dense, shocking array of claw marks and teeth marks!

The wounds were so deep that the bone was visible, and in some places, huge cavities had even been gnawed out!

These wounds vary in size and characteristics, clearly indicating that they did not originate from the same Star Beast.

One can imagine how, at the moment it failed to break through and collapsed, those covetous overlords and predators rushed forward, frantically tearing and fighting for its flesh and blood, which contained a vast source of power!

"It was those five guys at the ninth level of the realm who did it..." Li Han transmitted his voice, which trembled slightly. His gaze swept over the five terrifying figures who were still fighting in the distance, but whose auras seemed to have grown stronger.

The most exquisite parts of the Qilin—its four limbs and long tail—clearly fell into their mouths.

The relatively "small" but numerous wounds on their bodies belong to those audacious seventh or eighth-level Star Beasts who dared to take advantage of the chaos during the battles between the overlords.

Like hyenas, although they cannot compete for the main body, they can still take the opportunity to tear off a few pieces of flesh containing pure power, and then quickly flee.

The cruel and primitive scene before them weighed heavily on the hearts of the three, and made them realize more clearly the dog-eat-dog nature of this secret realm.

Yao Mengkang carefully observed the current situation at the center of the battlefield.

Compared to a few days ago, the number of Star Beasts here has decreased significantly. Those that were weaker or severely injured in the melee seem to have been eliminated.

But those who remained here were all powerful beings with fierce auras, bearing wounds yet undiminished fighting spirit.

Moreover, Yao Mengkang keenly sensed something was amiss.

"Have you noticed?" he transmitted telepathically, a hint of doubt in his voice, "that these Starbeasts still fighting, though the battle has never stopped, their aura... doesn't seem to have weakened despite the continuous fighting. On the contrary... it seems to be slightly stronger than when we observed them a few days ago?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tiancan and Li Han immediately focused their attention and sensed the surroundings. A moment later, both of them showed surprise on their faces.

"Indeed!" Li Han affirmed. "That Starbone Dragon Lizard, the bone spurs on its back are even more gleaming! And that Star Shadow Leopard, its speed seems to have increased slightly!"

"They seem to be getting stronger as the fight goes on?" Zhou Tiancan asked in a muffled voice, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

Just as the three were wondering what was going on, a dramatic scene unfolded in the center of the battlefield.

The Starlight Thunder Eagle, which had been circling in the air and unleashing lightning, seemed to be getting impatient because it couldn't break through its defenses.

A miscalculation during a dive allowed the Starbone Bear, which had stood upright, to seize the opportunity and deliver a powerful slam to the base of its wing with a bear paw imbued with destructive force!

"Crack!" A sickeningly loud sound of bone breaking rang out!

The Starshine Thunderhawk let out a mournful cry as its massive body crashed to the ground like a meteorite.

One wing twisted unnaturally, the lightning dimmed, and its aura plummeted from the ninth level of the Spirit Sea Realm, barely maintaining itself at around the seventh level!

Under normal circumstances, with the remaining power of its ninth-level overlord status, it might be able to intimidate the beasts and make them struggle to escape.

But here, in this stark hunting ground, being seriously injured means... the prey!

Almost the instant the Thunder Eagle crashed to the ground, the other Star Beasts, who had been fighting each other or watching from the sidelines, were also affected.

Whether it was the eighth or seventh level realm, or even those ninth-level overlords who were originally its competitors, their eyes instantly blazed with an even more greedy and insane light!

"Roar!" "Awooo!"

The nearest Starbone Beasts immediately abandoned their original opponent and, like sharks smelling blood, frantically pounced on the Thunder Eagle that was struggling on the ground!

The Starbone Dragon Lizard opened its massive jaws and bit down hard on Thunder Eagle's neck! The Star Shadow Leopard transformed into a shadow, its claws slashing towards Thunder Eagle's abdomen! Even the Starbone Berserker Bear, which had just severely injured it, roared and charged forward, its huge paw slamming towards Thunder Eagle's head!

Meanwhile, the other Star Beasts further away seemed to be summoned, temporarily ceasing their fighting and gathering from all directions to join the feast of devouring their former overlord!

Screams, roars, the sounds of bones shattering and flesh being torn apart mingled together, creating a cruel symphony of death.

In just a dozen breaths, the once mighty Starlight Thunder Eagle was completely silenced by the frenzied attack and tearing of numerous Starbone Beasts.

The enormous body was devoured, leaving only a mess of broken crystals and dissipated star energy!

The Star Beasts that participated in the feeding frenzy experienced a significant increase in their aura and a fiercer glint in their eyes after devouring the Thunder Eagle's flesh and essence.

Seeing this, Yao Mengkang and the other two finally understood!

"I see..." Yao Mengkang took a deep breath, his eyes extremely serious.

"They've gathered here not just for the Qilin Beast King who failed to break through... they're also resources for each other's advancement!"

"This is a breeding ground for 'gu'!" Li Han's voice was hoarse. "Through constant fighting and devouring, the weak are eliminated, and the strong are nurtured! Let's see who can last until the end, devour the other competitors, and become the strongest!"

Zhou Tiancan also felt a chill: "Damn it... these beasts are much more ruthless than us!"

Having realized this, the three dared not act rashly.

Here, injury means death, and these three "outcasts" will definitely become the primary targets of all the Star Beasts once exposed.

They remained hidden like stone statues, using Li Han's concealment technique and the chaotic energy fluctuations around them to carefully observe and search for any possible opportunity to leave this blood and flesh millstone, or... other unexpected chances.

Just as Yao Mengkang was carefully scanning the surrounding environment with his divine sense, trying to find a weak point.

His divine sense suddenly detected a faint fluctuation deep within a ground fissure that had collapsed due to the fierce battle at the edge of the battlefield's center. This fluctuation was completely different from the surrounding raging stellar energy.

The fluctuations carried an ancient, understated allure, as if calling out to something.

"Look over there," Yao Mengkang gestured to Zhou Tiancan and Li Han, pointing his divine sense at the inconspicuous crack.

Li Han focused his senses and quickly discovered the anomaly: "There's something... down there! The energy fluctuations are peculiar; it seems... to be blocked by something."

Although Zhou Tiancan's perception was slightly weaker, he still felt that something unusual seemed to be going on deep within the crack.

"Could it be... that there's something else hidden beneath this battlefield?" Yao Mengkang's heart stirred. This meteorite secret realm was originally a fragment of an ancient grotto-heaven, so it seemed reasonable that it contained some secrets.

Looking at the still brutal battlefield in the distance, like a meat grinder, and then at the deep, unknown crack beneath his feet, a thought arose in Yao Mengkang's mind.

Staying on the ground is extremely risky and the chances are slim.

This underground passage, though unknown, possesses a peculiar allure that might represent a path to survival, or even... a greater opportunity?

"Let's go down and take a look." Yao Mengkang made the decision, his eyes resolute. "Be careful, Li Han, scout ahead."