This wasn’t just a question for Lii Yeyu. Even the silent Li Hanshan’s gaze betrayed a hint of confusion. But no matter how they thought about it, none of them could figure out its origin.

However, Shao Qiming, who had heard Su Zhou brag about his adventures and knew of the Immortal Banyan Tree’s existence in the Divine Wood World, furrowed his brow slightly.

’I didn’t make the connection at first,’ he thought. ’But the more I traced its overall shape in my mind, the more similar it looked.’

’This giant pit... it looks just like the impression a tree would leave if it vanished into thin air...’

And what else could a pit this enormous be from?

Even if it wasn’t a Divine Wood, it had to be one of its offspring.

Having eaten a Wisdom Fruit, Shao Qiming knew perfectly well how important anything related to the Divine Wood was to his friend. So, he decided that when he saw Su Zhou later, he would tell him about this place and his suspicions, so Su Zhou could come take a look and confirm them for himself.

But just then, Shao Qiming heard a voice from in front of him. It was Li Hanshan, who rarely ever spoke unless it was to report essential information.

"Hostile enemy. Upper left. Approaching."

Li Hanshan’s words were curt. His voice was somewhat hoarse and had a rather unusual tone, a grating, hair-raising quality that set one’s teeth on edge.

Immediately after, the sound of vicious wind rushed down from above!

"Ambush!"

Without a moment’s hesitation upon hearing the warning, Shao Qiming threw the Sound Shock Bomb he had at the ready, following Li Hanshan’s lead. He then pulled the Blinding Flashlight from his belt. At the same time, every other member of the team drew their weapons and prepared for battle.

A month of training and several days of live-fire coordination capturing Spiritual Birds had forged the squad into an exceptionally cohesive unit. They acted without a hint of hesitation.

BOOM! The grenade detonated, unleashing a powerful, specially designed sonic shockwave!

The ferocious flying Evil Beast—a rare, intelligent type—was swooping down at high speed. As it was blasted out of the sky by a Sound Shock Bomb powerful enough to stun an elephant, its mind went blank.

’What’s happening? According to His Majesty, ordinary teams of the Immortal Realm’s descendants aren’t supposed to have Magical Treasures... What in the world just hit me?’

It was not one of the lowly Devotion Species or Slave Species from the Beast God Realm. It was a Combat Intelligent Species, a high-ranking citizen by birth. This, coupled with its inherent power, allowed it to forcibly manipulate its Spiritual Power halfway through its fall to arrest its descent, leaving it suspended in midair, albeit in a sorry state. ’No matter. I’ll follow His Majesty’s orders and slaughter these descendants of the Immortal Realm.’

’That Garuda thought it could choose freely, but it doesn’t understand that only Powerhouses have that luxury! A mere Extraordinary Tier Great Roc with no subordinates or clan, yet it dared to refuse this generation’s Bird King. It’s destined for a miserable end!’

’As for the descendants of the Immortal Gods, they are our mortal enemies!’

With these thoughts, the beast, already at the Awakening Peak, viciously raised its head. It glared at the four humans—mere middle-to-high-tier Awakeners—and let out a long, war-like cry.

A sonic wave, traveling at 340 meters per second and carrying a terrifying surge of Spiritual Qi, rushed toward the squad!

The counterattack came from the Blinding Flashlight—at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second!

A familiar flash of light expertly locked onto its eyes.

"GAAAAH!"

This time, it couldn’t take it. With a cry of agony, the flash sent it plummeting from the sky.

"Another avian Demon Beast," Guan Wanjing muttered. "Looks like a wild goose, but it’s stronger than any we’ve faced before. It’s at the Awakening Peak."

He then unhesitatingly raised his shield and charged forward. Meanwhile, Lii Yeyu issued a command in her cool voice, "Be careful. This Demon Beast is different—it’s intelligent, and its hostility is off the charts!"

"Don’t hold back trying to capture it. We’re using our deadliest attacks on this one!"