After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

"In addition, you can also kill monsters to obtain beast cores. When you come out, whoever has the highest level and the most beast cores will receive a reward from me and the elders."

As soon as the elder finished speaking, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The elder smiled and waited for them to quiet down before raising his hand and forming a complex hand seal.

In the void directly in front of the square, the air rippled like the surface of water after a stone was thrown in, and a crack slowly tore open.

In the blink of an eye, it expanded into a light gate several meters high. Behind the gate, one could vaguely see spiritual energy so dense it was almost tangible, pouring out from the light gate.

The disciples present were all excited and held their breath.

With such abundant spiritual energy, even without encountering any special opportunities, cultivating inside for three days would be immensely beneficial.

The elder called out loudly, "Enter in order, and do not rush."

Those who had initially wanted to rush ahead all restrained themselves upon hearing this.

The moment they stepped through the portal, Lin Zhixu led Zhou Tong and Chu Yan in as well.

The three of them felt a blinding white light before their eyes, and suddenly their feet were suspended in mid-air. They were pulled into it by an irresistible force.

Lin Zhixu instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself deep in a dense forest.

Ancient trees tower all around, their canopies blocking out the sun.

All his fellow disciples had vanished without a trace, and even Zhou Tong and Chu Yan were nowhere to be found.

It looks like it's a one-man show.

It all depends on luck whether we can run into Zhou Tong and Chu Yan.

I hope they don't run into any trouble.

……

Zhou Tong and Chu Yan were also unlucky, as they were teleported directly to the entrance of a monster cave by the teleportation array.

The monster had just caught a prey and dragged it back to its den, preparing to feast, when suddenly two living people appeared out of nowhere, startling it so much that its fur stood on end.

"Roar!" Where did this ugly, hairless beast come from? It's terrifying!

Zhou Tong and Chu Yan both twitched at the corners of their mouths as they looked at the monstrous beast in front of them, its fur standing on end and blood still clinging to its fangs.

Zhou Tong forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and tentatively took half a step back: "...Brother Monster, would you believe me if I said it was a misunderstanding?"

"Roar!" What is that babbling about?! How dare you disturb its meal? You're asking for it!

Having lived for so many years, this is the first time it has been so frightened at its own doorstep that it has become so angry. If it swallows this insult, how will it ever be able to get along with people in the community again?

It took a deep breath, its chest bulging like a bellows, and then it unleashed a roar that was almost tangible!

It seems that this explanation won't work.

Without saying a word, the two took off running.

……

The two were chased by the monster and were in a sorry state, running left and right through the forest.

The monster was clearly enraged. Every time it missed its target, it would furiously smash a small tree with its claw, scattering broken branches and leaves everywhere.

Zhou Tong and Chu Yan were not highly skilled, so they couldn't defeat the beast in a fight, nor could they escape. They could only rely on the terrain of the dense forest to dodge left and right, occasionally turning back to release a couple of sword energies to harass it, barely managing to slow down the beast's progress.

Fortunately, the beast's rank wasn't too high, and the two cooperated well. Chu Yan attracted fire from the front, while Zhou Tong roamed around the flanks to finish off the attackers. For the time being, they didn't suffer any major losses.

The monster was starving and was about to eat when these two ants ruined its meal. To make matters worse, the two ants were very slippery and impossible to kill.

The more it thought about it, the angrier it became. Its chest swelled up like a bellows, and it roared with anger, spewing out a stream of flames from its mouth.

Chu Yan was caught off guard and struck by the flames, a tuft of his hair was singed.

"Holy crap! This guy can breathe fire!" He touched his still-smoking hair with lingering fear.

Zhou Tong's expression also changed.

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding that they couldn't afford to waste any more time.

The commotion from the fight could attract something even more ferocious at any moment, and their spiritual power wouldn't last long either.

Zhou Tong gritted his teeth, darted out from the side of the monster, and unleashed several sword energies in succession. The monster was attracted by him and roared as it pounced on him.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chu Yan circled around to the back of the monster, his arms bulging with veins, raised his heavy sword above his head, poured all his spiritual power into the sword, and slashed it hard into the monster's hind leg.

The monster let out a fierce roar, turned around and slapped Chu Yan in the chest with its claw, sending him flying.

Chu Yan crashed into a tree trunk and bounced to the ground, the blood gushing from his mouth instantly staining his clothes red.

"Chu Yan!" Zhou Tong's eyes turned red, and he rushed over, stumbling and crawling.

He frantically rummaged through his pocket for the healing pills Lin Zhixu had given him, pried open Chu Yan's mouth, and stuffed them in.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and Chu Yan coughed up a mouthful of stagnant blood. His injuries had finally stopped somewhat, but he was temporarily unable to move.

The monster dragged its injured leg, its eyes gleaming with ferocity, and approached the two step by step.

Zhou Tong stood protectively in front of Chu Yan, his heart filled with despair.

Am I going to die here today?

So unwilling!

Chu Yan struggled to his feet: "You go quickly, don't worry about me!"

Zhou Tong shook her head: "What will you do if I leave? If you die, I'll never have peace of mind for the rest of my life. If I develop inner demons because of this, I'd rather stay here and die with you!"

Chu Yan was startled and stared blankly at Zhou Tong.

As the monster drew closer, Zhou Tong gripped his sword tightly, his gaze resolute.

Just at this critical moment, a sharp sword light slashed out from afar, accurately striking the monster's neck.

The monster's massive body swayed twice before crashing to the ground.

Zhou Tong looked up and saw Luo Yiyan sheathing his sword and walking quickly out of the forest.

Zhou Tong was stunned for a moment before recognizing the person in front of him.

He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

The last time they met, he was in trouble and none of them offered to help. This time, however, they helped him out despite past grievances, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

Chu Yan, on the other hand, didn't have so many twists and turns. He helped Zhou Tong stand up and thanked Luo Yiyan.

Luo Yiyan walked to the side of the monster's corpse, and after confirming that the monster was completely dead, he turned his head to look at the two of them, his gaze lingering for a moment on Chu Yan's blood-stained clothes.

"You're badly injured. Take this pill first." He took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it over. After thinking for a moment, he took out another bottle from his storage bag. "This is for external use. Apply it to his wounds."

Zhou Tong quickly thanked him, fed Chu Yan another pill, and then hurriedly applied medicine to the claw marks on his chest.

The medicine worked quickly, and Chu Yan's complexion visibly improved.

Luo Yiyan shook her head and asked again, "Did you get separated from Zhixu? Which peak are you disciples from?"

Zhou Tong briefly stated the names of the two men and the sects they belonged to, and then explained that they had originally entered with Lin Zhixu, but the teleportation array had separated the three of them.

Luo Yiyan frowned: "There are a lot of monsters around here, it's too dangerous for the two of you. Why don't you come with me first, so you can look out for each other."

Zhou Tong hesitated.

Although he didn't think Luo Yiyan was a bad person, judging from Lin Shixiong's reaction last time, it seemed that he didn't like this person very much. If Lin Shixiong found out that they were together, he wondered if he would be angry.

but……

He glanced at Chu Yan, whose face was pale from his injuries, but who was looking at him earnestly, as if he would support whatever decision Chu Yan made.

Zhou Tong gritted his teeth and quickly weighed the options in his mind.

If they were to act alone, given their cultivation levels, encountering another demonic beast would be suicide.

Putting aside whether Senior Brother Lin will be angry, it's questionable whether we can even see him alive right now.

Zhou Tong bowed respectfully, "Then I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Luo."

I'll explain it to Senior Brother Lin once I find him.

The three decided to travel together. Luo Yiyan, as if remembering something, suddenly asked...

"By the way, where are your jade tokens? Since you were in danger, why didn't you break them to teleport out?"

Zhou Tong: "..."

Chu Yan: "..."

Forgot about that!