The low growl of a demonic beast echoed from the distant jungle. "Thump-thump!

Thump-thump!" Heavy running sounds carried through the silent night, repeated again and again; judging by the weight of the footfalls, humans were running. Stone Rock couldn't tell if it was martial artists hunting demonic beasts or beasts preying on humans, but he certainly wanted no part of it.

He warned Diya Lan, "Hide yourself well, don't interfere, and remember the lesson of the Fanged Mercenary Group." Diya Lan nodded, whispering to Mu Yudie inside the tree hollow, "Don't make a sound. Stay right here in the hollow." "Let's go; we need to find a tree with denser foliage to hide in," Stone Rock murmured after a moment's thought, moving swiftly to locate an ancient tree heavily draped with leaves, under which he squatted down.

Just as he settled, Diya Lan followed, crouching beside him concealed within the leaves. Peering through the gaps in the foliage, the two scanned their surroundings, holding their breath, suppressing their auras, terrified of being detected by anything.

Before long, five panicked mercenaries, their expressions utterly wretched, came stumbling from the distance. All five bore injuries to some degree.

The leader possessed a cultivation level of the Human Rank realm; the other four were all at the Innate realm. This group of five fled desperately, running blindly, frequently looking back as if pursued by some monstrous flood or beast.

And there truly was! The moment the five entered Stone Rock's line of sight, he spotted a "Fire Cloud Demon Python" and two "Frost Lizards" darting rapidly through the woods.

Furthermore, a number of basin-sized "Silver Armored Poison Scorpions" emerged from the left flank of the five, appearing to have premeditated an organized flanking maneuver against them. The five looked extremely anxious and continued to charge forward blindly into the forest ahead.

Stone Rock's expression shifted; he thought to himself, They are finished. Though the five couldn't see it, Stone Rock saw clearly: ahead of their escape path stood a massive, robust silver wolf, four meters in length!

The silver wolf possessed a pair of silver wings, each five to six meters long, covered in mysterious, intricate patterns that made it seem profoundly strange and arcane. Although this was his first time seeing this particular wolf, Stone Rock had already heard the rumors surrounding it—it was the "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf," a Rank Seven Demonic Beast, the apex predator of the Gloom Forest's food chain!

The instant the "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf" appeared, Stone Rock realized this was not a case of mercenaries hunting beasts, but rather... beasts preying upon humans!

The gruesome hunt instantly commenced! When the group of five finally charged into the clearing and saw the "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf" waiting for them, they immediately let out screams of absolute despair.

The "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf" certainly offered them no grace period. With a single flap of its thunder wings, massive sounds of exploding thunder erupted around the five men, instantly blasting three of them into bloody pulp!

The "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf" stood tall and aloof, remaining motionless, not attacking again. But the pursuing demonic beasts swarmed forward, instantly engaging the remaining two.

Under the combined assault of the "Fire Cloud Demon Python" and the "Frost Lizards," the two trapped men met their ends: one poisoned to death by a "Silver Armored Poison Scorpion," the other torn apart by a "Frost Lizard." "Crunch!" "Crunch!" In the silent woods, gruesome sounds echoed repeatedly. Excluding the "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf," the other beasts gathered around the corpses of the five mercenaries, gnawing on their bones.

Diya Lan looked utterly horrified and dared not watch any longer. She didn't fear killing, but the brutal consumption of flesh by beasts sickened her, almost making her gag.

Stone Rock watched intently, concealed within the leaves, calmly observing the carnage while making calculations in his mind. With the deaths of the five mercenaries, the vital essence within their bodies would gradually dissipate, eventually scattering into the heavens and earth over time.

If he could reach that area before the essence completely vanished, he could potentially benefit from it! However, with so many beasts devouring the bodies, he dared not act rashly; he only hoped the beasts would leave quickly.

"Wooooah..." From a great distance, a human scream drifted—a chilling, utterly desperate wail. The "Thunder Winged Silver Wolf," which had been standing there indifferently, suddenly let out a low growl and bolted away.

The few beasts that were nearly finished stripping the five mercenaries' corpses immediately stopped feeding upon hearing its roar, rushing after it as if seeking new human prey. Seeing the beasts scatter in a frenzy, Stone Rock, hidden among the leaves, suddenly dropped from the tree and ghosted toward the site of the bloody remains.

Diya Lan was startled and cried out softly from the tree, "What are you doing?" "I'm just checking; I'll be right back. Don't leave," Stone Rock replied without turning back, rushing to the spot at top speed.

He stood amidst the scattered limbs, closed his eyes, and focused on sensing. Fortunately, although he was late, a little remained.

Ah, the vital essence of a Human Rank martial artist is indeed greater. Nearly two-tenths of the essence had not yet dispersed...

Threads of invisible vital energy, drawn as if by a magnet, seeped into his pores, flowing into the acupoints throughout his body... Feeling the power contained within that essence, a satisfied smile touched the corners of Stone Rock's mouth.

In a short while, all the remaining vital essence in the area had been absorbed into Stone Rock's body. Staring at the array of limbs and entrails, Stone Rock frowned.

Enduring the pungent stench of blood, he rummaged through the packs still clinging to the bodies of the five mercenaries, which were caked with shredded flesh and clots of blood. The food was too contaminated by fresh blood, perhaps even the venom of the "Silver Armored Poison Scorpions," so it was definitely inedible.

Crystal coins were of little use here, and carrying too many would only impede speed; thus, these mercenaries hadn't carried many on them either. After some searching, he only managed to retrieve some materials taken from demonic beasts and a bit of healing powder.

Broke bastards. Stone Rock muttered quietly, wiped his bloodied hands on one of the empty packs, and then moved toward the ancient tree where Diya Lan was hiding, staying within the shadows of the great trunk.

"Howl!" "Howl!" Roars of demonic beasts echoed through the Gloom Forest. Just as dawn approached, the beasts were surprisingly active everywhere, seemingly engaged in an organized hunt for the human martial artists and mercenaries within the forest.

Listening to the heart-palpitating roars, Stone Rock was pleased rather than alarmed. The beasts' activity would certainly impact the pursuers.

Anyone daring to move at night would inevitably attract the attention of this night's beasts. The larger the group, the more conspicuous the target.

Perhaps those from the Dark Abyss, the Mo Clan, and the Fanged group would also suffer heavy losses tonight, becoming the preferred targets of the demonic beasts. He had guessed correctly...

That night, Mo Chaoge and the others truly received "special attention" from the demonic beasts. Because they were eager to capture Stone Rock and Mu Yudie, this group continued their search for Stone Rock's party through the night without resting after Hu Long's suicide.

This, in turn, drew the notice of the beast horde. Only after losing five bodies did the group face reality and take refuge in an ancient tree.

"What were you doing?" Diya Lan frowned slightly. "Were the things on those people worth you taking such a risk?

If any beast had returned midway, or if another beast had spotted you, you wouldn't have been able to escape!" "Am I not back safe and sound?" Stone Rock climbed back into the ancient tree, not explaining what he had actually gained. He said with a stern face, "Something is strange tonight.

For some reason, those beasts have gone completely mad, chasing and killing mercenaries and martial artists throughout the woods. Perhaps someone did something to anger the high-level beasts; otherwise, this wouldn't be happening." "What should we do then?" Diya Lan looked helpless.

"Should we still travel?" "Let's wait. Those beasts have been busy all night; they probably won't appear during the day.

We'll set off around noon." "That works." ...M