“BOOM——!!!” The Thunder Explosion Talisman detonated inside the Demon-Winged Toad with such terrifying force that the entire poisonous swamp seemed to shake.
A violent shockwave burst outward from the center of the explosion.
Mud and filthy swamp water were blasted high into the air, while the thick poisonous mist hanging over the area was torn apart in an instant.
The ground trembled violently, and the surrounding trees swayed under the impact.
Some snapped in half with loud cracks, while others were ripped straight out of the ground, roots and all.
In the blink of an eye, the already devastated swamp was completely turned upside down.
But the destruction didn’t stop there.
The force of the explosion spread far beyond the swamp and into the surrounding forest.
Trees shook, leaves scattered wildly through the air, and countless birds burst from the canopy in panic.
Even the magical beasts hiding in the nearby caves were startled awake.
Some had been sleeping peacefully in their dens, while others had been guarding their territories.
Yet the moment that earth-shattering explosion echoed through the mountains and the ground began trembling beneath them, every last one of them panicked.
Roars, screeches, and terrified howls rang out from all directions.
One magical beast rushed out of its cave, followed by another, then another.
Before long, dozens became hundreds.
At a time like this, none of them cared about territory, prey, or natural enemies anymore.
Every beast had only one thought in mind— Run!
Get as far away from that terrifying place as possible!
And so, without anyone realizing it, a massive beast tide began to form.
Meanwhile, some distance away, Xuanyuan Jingchuan and Xuanyuan Weichuan were still following the signal on the tracking disk as they raced through the forest.
The palm-sized white disk rested in Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s hand, its surface covered in faintly glowing runes.
At the center, the tiny red dot continued to blink steadily, showing them the direction of Youqin Jingheng.
The brothers had been following it for quite some time when the red dot suddenly flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then, without warning, it disappeared from its original position.
A moment later, it reappeared— in a completely different direction.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan abruptly slowed.
Xuanyuan Weichuan nearly ran straight into him.
The two brothers stared at the tracking disk in silence.
Then they looked toward the direction they had just been heading.
Then they looked at the new direction indicated by the red dot.
Finally, they slowly turned to look at each other.
“…?” “…??” Xuanyuan Weichuan blinked several times before pointing uncertainly at the disk.
“Brother…
did the red dot just move?” Xuanyuan Jingchuan lowered his gaze and stared at the tracking disk again.
The red dot was still blinking normally.
There was nothing wrong with the disk.
The only problem was— the person they had been chasing had somehow moved to a completely different location in the blink of an eye.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan fell silent.
Xuanyuan Weichuan also fell silent.
Neither of them understood what had just happened.
They had spent all this time rushing in one direction, only for their little cousin to suddenly appear somewhere else.
What was he doing?
Flying around the mountains for fun?!
Unfortunately, no matter how confused they were, they didn’t have time to stand there and figure it out.
Their priority was still Youqin Jingheng.
As long as the tracking disk could still locate him, they would have to keep chasing.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan immediately put the disk away and said decisively, “Change direction.” Xuanyuan Weichuan stared at him.
“Again?” Xuanyuan Jingchuan gave him a look.
“…Fine.” What else could they do?
The brothers immediately turned around and rushed toward the new location indicated by the tracking disk.
However, they had barely traveled any distance when an earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted behind them.
“BOOOOOOM——!!!” The sound rolled across the mountains like thunder.
Xuanyuan Weichuan was so startled that he nearly lost his footing.
“What was that?!” Xuanyuan Jingchuan immediately turned his head.
In the distance, a massive cloud of smoke and dust was rising above the forest.
Even from where they were, they could see the treetops shaking violently from the force of the explosion.
Xuanyuan Weichuan stared at the scene in disbelief.
“What exploded back there?” Xuanyuan Jingchuan frowned deeply.
Before he could answer, however, another sound reached their ears.
At first, it was faint.
A low, continuous rumbling came from somewhere behind them.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The sound grew louder with every passing second, and soon even the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
Xuanyuan Weichuan’s expression slowly changed.
“Brother…” He swallowed.
“Why does that sound seem to be getting closer?” Xuanyuan Jingchuan didn’t answer.
Because he had already turned around.
And the moment he saw what was coming— his expression stiffened.
Xuanyuan Weichuan followed his gaze.
Then he froze too.
In the distance, the trees were shaking violently.
Branches snapped one after another, while huge flocks of birds fled into the sky.
A moment later, the first magical beast burst out from between the trees.
It was running for its life.
Then came the second.
The third.
The tenth.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Before long, a dense mass of magical beasts surged out of the forest like a black wave.
Some ran on four legs, some leaped wildly between the trees, and others flew overhead with their wings beating frantically.
Beasts that would normally attack each other on sight were now fleeing side by side, none of them even bothering to look at the creatures around them.
They were all running away from the same place— the direction of that explosion.
And unfortunately for the Xuanyuan brothers, the entire beast tide was charging straight toward them.
Xuanyuan Weichuan: “…” Xuanyuan Jingchuan: “…” The brothers stared at the black mass of magical beasts rushing toward them, and their eyelids twitched at exactly the same time.
One identical thought appeared in both their minds.
They were going to get trampled to death!
“Run!
Beast tide!” Xuanyuan Jingchuan reacted immediately.
He grabbed his younger brother without hesitation, circulated his spiritual energy, and shot forward with the wind beneath his feet.
“Whoa—!” Xuanyuan Weichuan barely had time to react before his brother dragged him away.
Behind them, countless magical beasts thundered through the forest.
Trees fell, branches snapped, and clouds of dust rose into the air as the ground shook violently beneath the pounding of hundreds of feet.
Xuanyuan Weichuan couldn’t resist glancing down.
The moment he did, cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
The forest floor below was almost completely covered by magical beasts.
There were so many of them that he could barely see the ground.
If his brother had reacted even a little slower just now, he would probably already have been knocked down and trampled beneath countless hooves and claws.
Xuanyuan Weichuan swallowed hard.
At that point, forget leaving behind a whole corpse.
There probably wouldn’t even be enough of him left to recognize.
“Wh-Why is there suddenly a beast tide?!” His voice was still trembling from shock.
Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s expression wasn’t much better.
His brows were drawn together so tightly that they could practically crush a fly.
“Who knows?!” He wanted to know too!
Everything had been perfectly normal a moment ago.
First, the red dot on the tracking disk suddenly changed direction.
Then there was that terrifying explosion.
And immediately afterward, hundreds of magical beasts came stampeding out of the forest.
What exactly had happened back there?!
Xuanyuan Jingchuan couldn’t figure it out, but right now, he had no time to investigate.
He tightened his grip on Xuanyuan Weichuan and pushed his movement technique even faster, putting as much distance as possible between them and the beast tide behind.
At this moment, there was only one thing on his mind.
They had to find Youqin Jingheng as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if something really happened to their little cousin and they returned home without him…
Xuanyuan Jingchuan could already imagine the scene waiting for them.
His mother’s earth-shattering cries.
Her endless tears.
And, most terrifying of all, the same question repeated over and over again— “I told you to bring your little cousin back safely!
Where is he?!” Just imagining it made Xuanyuan Jingchuan’s scalp go numb.
Compared to facing his mother’s crying and questioning…
He would honestly rather let Grandfather beat him up.
At least a beating would eventually end.
His mother crying?
That was far more terrifying.