The massive black bird beneath the bandit leader let out a screech.
Dark light enveloped its body, as if it were merging with the night itself. Its speed surged dramatically.
Xie Sunan frowned. "It's almost caught up!"
Chen Shu snapped back: "No shit! I can see that!"
Directly behind the trio blazed a dazzling green spotlight, illuminating the dark canyon for all to see. Impossible to miss.
It was the light of life! The light of love!
"We're fine!" Xu Xingxing said, completely unfazed.
A second pair of wings sprouted from the Mutant Thunderbird's sides. Though formed from condensed blue light, they still sent the Mutant Thunderbird's speed skyrocketing.
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. He gripped the Mutant Thunderbird's feathers for dear life. "Are ALL your skills just for running away?"
Xu Xingxing wore a look of absolute certainty. "Obviously. Survival comes first. My whole family fully supports this approach!"
"..."
The Mutant Thunderbird remained perfectly calm throughout, occasionally pausing to wiggle its butt at the pursuer—always maintaining just enough distance.
Chen Shu called out: "I'm warning you—back off! Don't push your luck!"
The Alternate Dimension at night was far more dangerous. Plenty of fierce beasts were nocturnal.
"Brats! You WILL pay for this today!"
The freezing wind howled, but the man's fury hadn't cooled one degree.
The green light on the bandit's head was blindingly conspicuous in the darkness.
While the two sides chased each other through the canyon, fierce beasts had already begun creeping closer.
"Holy shit! RUN! A massive beast swarm is closing in!"
Xie Sunan's body jolted. Panic flashed in his eyes.
Xu Xingxing nodded, pushing the Mutant Thunderbird to maximum speed and rocketing forward.
At that moment, Chen Shu's pupils contracted.
In the distance, glowing blue orbs appeared from every direction—dense and countless, like ghostly flames floating in the night.
"Son of a—! We ran into an Ice Bat swarm!"
Black bats filled the sky, their glowing blue eyes deep and cold, brimming with ferocity and bloodlust.
The night's apex predators had mobilized!
Ice Bat swarms were one of Frost Canyon's beast tides—extremely dangerous. Virtually no Beast Taming Corps dared face one head-on.
The Spirit Suppression soldier high above wore a grave expression. His contract spirit was fully alert, ready to swoop in and pull the three out at a moment's notice.
"Shit! Why is our luck THIS bad?!"
The bandit leader cursed. Today was absolutely, categorically the worst day of his life.
The real kicker? Countless Ice Bats were staring at the green light on his head with hungry eyes.
Both companions turned to Chen Shu simultaneously. "Chen Pi, what's the call? There are DEFINITELY Lord-level Ice Bats in there!"
Options appeared before Chen Shu's eyes.
---
[Option 1]: Use your overwhelming power to annihilate the entire Ice Bat swarm!
Completion Reward: Promotion to Black Iron-rank Beast Tamer!Bonus Reward: One immortal tombstone![Option 2]: Shout heroically: "We're done for! We forfeit the competition!"
Completion Reward: Medium Beast Taming Power[Option 3]: Head for the canyon depths and use more powerful beasts to intimidate the Ice Bat swarm.
Completion Reward: Charge +1---
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. What the hell is that bonus reward supposed to mean?
What am I supposed to do with a TOMBSTONE?!
"Go deeper into the canyon!"
Chen Shu made the call. They were already below five hundred meters.
Going any further down meant encountering even more powerful beasts.
The Mutant Thunderbird screeched, its speed exploding as it weaved through the air, temporarily shaking off the Ice Bat swarm.
"Should I stop them? These three really aren't afraid of dying!"
The Spirit Suppression soldier stroked his chin, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. In the end, he didn't intervene.
"Faster!"
A massive cluster of Ice Bats still clung to their trail.
The bandit leader, meanwhile, was having the worst time of all. Thanks to the green light on his head, he'd attracted the majority of the Ice Bat swarm.
"You win this round!"
His contract spirit reversed course, fleeing toward the top of the canyon.
The trio plunged deeper and deeper. Night swallowed them whole—visibility dropped to barely five meters.
Fortunately, Xie Sunan's Winged Caterpillar could detect beast positions, and the Mutant Thunderbird's blazing speed kept them out of immediate danger.
"Dammit, have these bats lost their minds?!"
Chen Shu kept glancing back. The swarm was still in relentless pursuit, and there were Black Iron-rank individuals among them.
A moment later, Xie Sunan's expression turned grim. "Beast swarm directly below!"
"Let's check it out!"
The Mutant Thunderbird dove at full speed. The temperature plummeted even further—everyone shivered involuntarily.
Snore... snore...
From below came thunderous snoring, rising and falling in waves, as if countless fierce beasts were deep in slumber.
Chen Shu's eyes lit up. He immediately spotted nearly ten brilliant blue lights below.
"Holy shit! Tier-2 Ice Leaf Flowers!"
Xie Sunan and Xu Xingxing both jolted. "You can see that clearly from THIS far away?"
"Talent. It's all talent..."
Chen Shu said this with greedy eyes.
Tier-2 Ice Leaf Flowers were used to brew Black Iron-rank ice-attribute potions. Their value was several times higher than the regular kind.
"Keep quiet. We're stealing those flowers!"
All three wore excited grins, giving absolutely zero thought to the consequences.
The Mutant Thunderbird glided silently downward. Only when they were close enough could they finally see what was sleeping on the ground below.
Frost Giant Wolves—every single one of them built like tanks.
"What are the odds?"
Before they could think twice, the Mutant Thunderbird had already reached the Tier-2 Ice Leaf Flowers.
Chen Shu ripped them out of the ground without an ounce of delicacy.
Sure, this would damage some of their medicinal properties, but that was the least of their concerns right now.
The commotion seemed to reach the nearest Frost Giant Wolf. Its eyes cracked open.
It stared at the scene before it, completely dumbfounded.
Huh? Where'd the herbs go?
The Frost Giant Wolf's brain capacity wasn't exactly impressive. It was already struggling to process what had happened.
After a beat, it finally threw back its head and howled.
AWOOO!
The wolf's cry echoed through the canyon. Countless Frost Giant Wolves jolted awake.
The Ice Leaf Flowers weren't just potion ingredients—if consumed directly, they could also strengthen a fierce beast's ice-attribute power.
Losing their guarded treasure sent the entire wolf pack into a frenzy.
AWOOO! AWOOO!
Howls overlapped and echoed, turning the canyon depths into something out of a nightmare.
"Steal and run—what a rush!"
The three were buzzing with adrenaline, rocketing into the distance at top speed.
The Frost Giant Wolf pack immediately locked onto the suspects: the Ice Bat swarm hovering overhead.
Frost Giant Wolves had violent tempers. Ice Bats weren't exactly pushovers either.
Both sides locked eyes, as if to say:
"The hell you looking at?"
"Looking at you—wanna go?!"
And then... the life-or-death battle began!
You wanna fight? Let's fight! Let's see who gets wrecked first!