In Li Shiming’s opinion, the one arranged before the palace entrance must undoubtedly be the strongest existence among Fourth Grade spirit beasts.
Yet on the battlefield, the Four-clawed Dragon handled two Fourth Grade spirit beasts with ease.
The terror of the Four-clawed Dragon lay in the fact that its long-range and close-combat capabilities, both its energy and physique, were extraordinarily powerful, allowing it to contend with two close-combat Fourth Grade spirit beasts.
Moreover, the dragon’s long-range flames were also capable of breaking through the defenses of a Fourth Grade spirit beast.
What Li Shiming did not know was that a large part of the dragon’s bloodline had been sealed within the Dragon Vein Source Crystal, and its strength was actually far from its prime.
Li Shiming watched the fight as the two Fourth Grade spirit beasts, seemingly worried that the combat would affect the palace, had unconsciously shifted the battlefield further away.
He had wanted to stay and observe this level of combat, but this opportunity had come with great difficulty, and should the two sides conclude the battle, he feared there would be no chance to enter the palace.
He issued a command to the Illusion Spirit Jiao, which headed towards the huge doors of the palace from the side.
Through the eyes of the Illusion Spirit Jiao, Li Shiming saw the plaque above the door, which was indeed the "Beast Path" he had surmised.
Without waiting to look longer, the Illusion Spirit Jiao rushed through the grand doors of the palace.
This hall was not much different from the previous ones, also centering around a spatial gateway.
However, this time in the palace, there were thick blood vessels on the walls, within which red blood could be seen flowing.
To pass through the spatial gateway, Li Shiming would need to emerge from the Mountain and River Qiankun Fan.
Once inside the palace, he needn’t worry about the three Fourth Grade spirit beasts outside; the battlefield was some distance away, and even if he were to be discovered, there would be enough time to enter the gateway.
Emerging from the "Mountain and River Qiankun Fan," he immediately smelled the pungent scent of blood and sensed complex bloodline fluctuations.
The bloodline fluctuations were complex because within the stench of blood, he sensed the bloodlines of many kinds of spirit beasts.
He glanced at the walls of the great hall, suspecting the blood flowing in the vessels was that of the spirit beasts outside.
He wondered if the spirit beasts outside were not naturally born, or at least not all of them were; the palace and perhaps even this space itself were capable of breeding spirit beasts.
He walked towards the spatial gateway, and just before entering, he issued a self-destruct command to the unmanned aerial vehicle.
Before self-destruction, he took one last look at the battlefield outside.
Inside the palace, not far from the three Fourth Grade spirit beasts, his proximity should have been noticed by the beasts considering their sensing abilities.
Yet clearly, the three Fourth Grade spirit beasts showed no sign of detecting his presence in the palace and continued their battle.
The two humanoid Fourth Grade spirit beasts possessed extremely astonishing defensive power; despite being continually driven back by the Four-clawed Dragon, they were not injured in the slightest.
Similarly, the Four-clawed Dragon’s defensive power was formidable; it sustained several heavy blows in close combat against the two spirit beasts, yet its actions did not slow in the slightest, indicating it too had not sustained any real harm.
Seeing this, Li Shiming shook his head. These creatures were far too powerful for him to take on; it was better to enter the spatial gateway sooner rather than later and not count on reaping the benefits of a fisherman.
With that thought, he stepped into the spatial gateway.
As the space shifted, he appeared in a room similar to the reward collection room from the first challenge, with different items placed on the table before him.
"Congratulations on passing the ’Beast Path’. You are the first to overcome the ’Beast Path’ challenge and shall receive one reward!" an emotionless voice announced.
The prohibition engulfing the item on the table before him dissipated, revealing the sole item.
He knew not if those who would come after him would receive a reward, but it was clear that there would be no second reward in this room.
He picked up the item, and before he could examine it, he was transported out of the room.
Li Shiming reappeared in a vast space where, upon arrival, his hair stood on end as he sensed the presence of the Heavenly Demon.
"No, it’s not the Heavenly Demon’s breath!" he immediately refuted his own senses.
Although the aura was very similar to that of the Heavenly Demon, the violence within it was not characteristic of the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon’s aura was like a strategist on a battlefield, while this aura was like a general; although seemingly from the same source, their outward manifestations were not the same.
Li Shiming promptly activated the "Divine Eye" to observe the situation in the distance.
With his previous experience, he knew he wouldn’t be in danger if he stood still; stepping out of the entrance area would attract the dangers of this space.
"Thud, thud, thud!" The drumming sound came, shaking his spirit.
If he were a regular Golden Core cultivator, perhaps the drumming alone could cause his spirit to collapse.
But with the IBMz15, his life-bound magical treasure, any mental impacts would be distributed across one hundred and ninety-one brains.
He even had a greater resistance against this type of psychic attack than a Nascent Soul Ancestor.
He could also see what lay ahead: two three-headed, six-armed monsters with ugly faces and protruding tusks were using a bone to beat a giant drum.
With each strike on the drum surface, a shockwave would emanate around the drum, spreading outward.
This drumming could stir a cultivator’s emotions, inciting a sensation of boiling blood and a visceral need to fight.
Of course, the drumming had little effect on Li Shiming; his emotions remained stable and he calmly watched the two monsters.