"It's nothing special. Not nearly as dangerous as the Guide made it sound..."
The group traversed a green ocean suspended in the void. Without any boundaries or foundation, it resembled a colossal mass of water floating in the air. The mass teemed with diverse algae, bathing the entire expanse in an emerald glow.
Saya glided close to the surface, snatching aquatic creatures from the sea as she flew. He'd glance at them before tossing them back, thoroughly amused. Lu Sheng glanced at him but said nothing. In truth, Saya was far from the only one harboring such thoughts.
They had been flying within this space for an extended period—roughly a cosmic day by their estimation. Yet not only had they encountered no danger, they hadn't even spotted a single hair from an alien beast.
Many who had initially maintained a cautious stance were now gradually relaxing.
At first, most harbored strong wariness toward the peculiar landscapes within the space. After all, as the saying goes, the prettier something is, the more dangerous it tends to be. Yet after seeing more of it, they realized these sights were genuinely, purely beautiful.
Apart from some oddly behaving force fields that could occasionally cause a bit of trouble, this space felt like a paradise. So much so that even a laid-back guy like Saya could "play around" while traveling.
Sheng observed his leisurely, sightseeing demeanor and couldn't shake the feeling that this fellow possessed the carefree, spoiled-brat aura of a privileged young master. Perhaps his background was extraordinary. But why would someone of such distinguished origins end up in a place like this? If it was for training, he had no guardians by his side.
Sheng subconsciously spun a web of aristocratic intrigue in his mind. He considered asking, but given this guy's loose lips, he'd probably spill everything in one breath. and Sheng would have to listen whether he wanted to or not. He decided to suppress his curiosity.
What story did Saya really have? Well, what did it matter to him anyway?
As Sheng hurried along, he silently counted the increasing number of immortal cells within his body. His mind wandered aimlessly while he also diverted a portion of his spiritual energy to progress through the Dream Space. Busy, yet exhilarating.
Just as they were about to traverse this emerald-green sea... Sheng suddenly snapped his head up, eyes fixed on a distant point, a sharp gleam flashing in his gaze. Saya, who had been chatting and playing with the stone man—Tang Dun—sensed the shift in Sheng's aura and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Lu Sheng slowly withdrew his gaze and said indifferently, "Prepare for battle."
"Huh?"
Both Saya and Tang Dun froze in surprise.
They continued following the group for a while longer and when the front group suddenly halted, they heard the guide's cold, stern voice. "An alien beast is approaching our direction. Prepare for battle!"
"Whoosh!"
Saya and Tang Dun abruptly turned to look at Sheng, their expressions as if they'd seen a ghost. "How did you notice?"
Saya looked at him as if meeting him for the first time. Tang Dun blinked, his simple face filled with astonishment. From the moment the guide issued the warning until now, none of them had sensed the direction the beast was approaching from.
That level of perception was already formidable, but they understood it was the guide's role. Yet Lu Sheng had issued his warning a full several minutes before the guide.
Damn, how twisted must that foresight of danger be? It was utterly absurd.
Sheng couldn't be bothered to explain more to the two. He merely brushed it off with a casual "intuition."
Tangton accepted it, only exclaiming in amazement, "Such amazing martial arts intuition."
Saya wanted to ask more, but at that moment, the distant beast appeared in everyone's sight. To the southwest of the group, a dark cloud loomed towards them.
Since leaving the azure planet, Lu Sheng hadn't interacted with any alien beasts. To be honest, he didn't even know what alien beasts above level 9 looked like. Now he did.
"Level 10 compared to level nine is just an increase in size. But level eleven brings a qualitative change; their size actually starts to shrink."
Lu Sheng squinted, observing the alien beasts with the most prominent auras.
Their forms were varied, hard to describe. Each was unique. But without exception, none of them were bulky. The largest was only around ten meters tall. These level 11 alien beasts rode on the backs of level 9 and 10 beasts, treating the latter like mounts.
This alien beast herd looked grand and imposing. But in reality, most were level 10 or 11 beasts; there was only one level 12. It was a deformed monster with three heads and its entire body covered in eyeballs. Upon spotting their group, its eyes darted around wildly.
Compared to their team, which consisted of at least fifty level 11 and 12 experts, it was truly insignificant. The others in the group noticed this as well. After the horde of monsters fully revealed itself, many of their tense bodies relaxed.
"You expect us to clear the way for you?"
The stern guide who was leading the way spoke coldly.
Immediately afterward, an orange-red figure shot out from the group. It was Sarl, the genius who had stood out from the start. This guy reached the horde of monsters in an instant, and before anyone could even see him clearly, he delivered a powerful punch to the eye-covered monster riding on an level 11 mount.
"Squeak!
A sharp, piercing sound emanated from the Thousand-Eyed Beast. Every eye on its body emitted a gray light. The battle had begun!
As Sarl approached the level 12 beast leader, four or five more level 12 powerhouses flew out from the group. These individuals charged into the beast horde like sharp knives.
The seemingly terrifying level 10 and 11 beasts were as fragile as tofu in their hands. Their massive bodies were the perfect targets. It was a completely one-sided massacre. In less than ten minutes, the entire beast horde was wiped out. The remaining members didn't even move.
When Sarl and his companions returned, their bodies radiating murderous intent, everyone saw that each of them held several white crystal cores in their hands.
The largest and most beautiful was in Sarl's hand. Because it came from... inside the body of a level 12 thousand-eyed beast.
As soon as Sarl returned, he casually tossed the white crystal core into his mouth and chewed it with a loud "crunch." The others stared in disbelief. Even those who had also obtained crystal cores were somewhat taken aback. But soon, everyone saw Sarl's aura suddenly surge.
Two brilliant rule galaxies suddenly appeared behind him. These two galaxies rapidly merged into his body, followed by a third. However, this third galaxy was only in its nascent stage; it was far from being fully formed, let alone fully integrated into his body.
"This crystal core actually contains fragments of rules, saving me at least several decades. It's truly a treasure."
Sarl's aura surged for a moment, then he licked his lips, looking like he wanted more. As soon as he said this, everyone below stared wide-eyed.