57: Chapter 57: Walking Alone (Please Follow) 57: Chapter 57: Walking Alone (Please Follow) Six hours ago.
Xu Zhou and Li Ruoxi walked side by side, both with puzzled expressions.
They had been walking for over two hours, yet they hadn’t encountered a single mutant beast!
Originally, Xu Zhou was ranked first, but now his rank had dropped considerably.
“Where are we now?” Xu Zhou glanced around.
They had already walked out of the previous forest and entered a hilly area.
Li Ruoxi took out a map and unfolded it, studying it for a moment.
Soon, she pointed to a location and said, “We are at Dawn Ridge.”
“Dawn Ridge?” Xu Zhou was a bit surprised.
“I remember this place is less than fifty kilometers from the inner perimeter of the Thousand Demon Cave.”
“Strange.” Li Ruoxi’s pretty face showed a peculiar expression.
“Logically, there should be many First Grade mutant beasts here.”
Dawn Ridge is vast, encompassing numerous mountain ranges, stretching for hundreds of miles.
Once out of Dawn Ridge, you reach the inner perimeter of the Thousand Demon Cave.
In such a borderline area between the inner and outer perimeters, there are usually quite a few First Grade mutant beasts.
But now, they hadn’t seen a single one.
At this moment, Li Ruoxi seemed to remember something, her pretty face changing slightly: “It’s possible there are Second Grade mutant beasts here.”
“We need to head back!”
With that, she immediately turned and dashed in the direction they came from.
Xu Zhou hurriedly followed.
They still had confidence in dealing with mutant beasts below the First Grade Level 4.
Second Grade mutant beasts?
That’s equivalent to a Second Grade Martial Artist, a whole realm of difference!
If encountered, the only option was to run.
“Shouldn’t Second Grade appear only inside the Thousand Demon Cave?” Xu Zhou caught up with her, asking puzzledly.
“The Thousand Demon Cave opens once every five years, some First Grade mutant beasts might have advanced,” Li Ruoxi quickly explained.
“Once a mutant beast reaches Second Grade or higher, it develops a strong territorial instinct and will drive away other mutant beasts.”
Xu Zhou suddenly understood, his face growing solemn.
So, there might really be Second Grade mutant beasts nearby?
Suddenly, a fierce whistling sound swept through the air.
“Be careful!” Li Ruoxi shouted gracefully, swinging her sword backward.
A tangible golden light collided with Li Ruoxi, and the next second, her delicate body was sent flying, crashing into a nearby big tree.
Immediately afterwards, a majestic golden giant lion appeared where she had been standing.
Xu Zhou’s face slightly changed.
The opponent didn’t come at him but launched a fierce attack on Li Ruoxi from the start.
This golden giant lion was three meters tall and seven meters long.
Its golden mane looked like burning flames, swaying in the wind, standing proudly as if it were an invincible king, exuding an overwhelming aura.
Second Grade mutant beast, the Golden Giant Lion!
At this moment, the Golden Giant Lion glanced at Xu Zhou, a touch of contempt flashing in its enormous eyes.
The next instant, it struck again, like a golden lightning bolt, at a mind-boggling speed!
Xu Zhou rapidly retreated, but his speed was far from enough, and he was quickly caught.
“Kill!” Xu Zhou roared, swinging his saber.
The long saber drew a bloody arc, clashing with the Golden Lion.
Xu Zhou only felt as if he had been hit by a heavy truck, his entire body’s bones resonating loudly, nearly shattering.
He was blasted backward.
Behind, an incredibly dazzling sword light appeared.
The sword light resembled a giant wave, carrying the most violent Qi-Blood force, crashing toward the Golden Giant Lion.
Li Ruoxi’s Giant Wave Sword Technique!
She dashed over, shouting, “Split up and run, rendezvous at the Dawn Ridge entrance!”
Xu Zhou nodded, not hesitating, slicing again at the Golden Lion.
Using all his Qi-Blood, he unleashed the third level of the Mountain Breaking Saber Technique to block the Golden Lion’s path!
Afterward, Xu Zhou didn’t look back, exploding back at full speed.
Neither he nor Li Ruoxi, nor anyone on the outskirts of the Thousand Demon Cave, could face this Golden Giant Lion.
Second Grade mutant beasts are far beyond high school students’ ability to handle!
Xu Zhou pushed his Cloud Steps to the limit, his steps like phantoms, quickly running toward the outskirts of Dawn Ridge.
However, the Golden Lion didn’t chase him but went after Li Ruoxi instead.
It seemed as if, to it, Li Ruoxi was a tastier catch.
Xu Zhou’s speed gradually slowed and he felt somewhat worried, “Sister won’t be in trouble, will she?”
Soon, he shook his head.
Li Ruoxi had achieved Perfection in the Three Levels of movement technique, even the Second Grade mutant beast would take effort to catch her.
“I should get out first.” Xu Zhou thought to himself.
This was his first encounter with a Second Grade mutant beast, and it was terrifyingly powerful!
Moreover, Second Grade mutant beasts had higher intelligence, clear targets, and sometimes showed human-like expressions.
Compared to First Grade, they seemed like an entirely different species.
“If only I could kill a Second Grade…” Xu Zhou mused, “I could probably secure the top spot on the high school slayer leaderboard?”
He felt a bit envious.
The prestige of Second Grade was just too high!
However, with his current strength, it was impossible for him to kill a Second Grade.
“I must find a chance to release the Saber-toothed Dragon Beast soon.” Xu Zhou thought expectantly.
He believed the Saber-toothed Dragon Beast would play a crucial role in the vast Thousand Demon Cave!
Then his strength would truly soar.
But for now, he needed to get out of the Golden Lion’s territory quickly.
With thoughts swarming, Xu Zhou kept running forward.
Dawn Ridge was vast, with numerous oddly shaped towering peaks; as Xu Zhou ran, the scenery around him constantly changed.
Suddenly, Xu Zhou slowed his pace.
“Something’s not right.”
“I remember, this wasn’t the way we came, right?
Did I run in the wrong direction?”
Xu Zhou glanced around, puzzled.
He’s had a poor sense of direction since childhood — did he really take the wrong path?
Xu Zhou quickly pulled out a compass from his backpack to check the direction.
The sky was gloomy, with no sunlight to navigate by.
“No mistake, this is the right direction.” Xu Zhou glanced at the needle, relieved.
He continued running forward.
An hour, two hours, three hours…
Still, the endless mountain ridges stretched ahead!
Xu Zhou halted, furrowing his brow.
He remembered it took just around two hours to enter Dawn Ridge.
Why, after spending three hours, was he still not out?
Xu Zhou checked the compass again, with no errors.
Xu Zhou’s face suddenly froze.
He tried turning his body to face north.
the needle didn’t budge!
He turned his body again, facing east.
“The compass is broken?” Xu Zhou’s face turned sour as he couldn’t help but curse, “Unreliable merchant!”
This compass was bought the day before entering the Thousand Demon Cave, the seller had claimed it would last over ten years.
Yet it broke in less than a day!
Xu Zhou looked around, frowning.
He had suspected something was off with his path.
Now it seemed he might not be on the correct path out!
“Where have I ended up?” Xu Zhou’s expression turned serious.
He had been running for over three hours, with his speed, he should have long exited the Dawn Ridge.
Could it be he had already reached the inner perimeter of the Thousand Demon Cave?
Xu Zhou’s heart skipped a beat.
Within the outer perimeter of the Thousand Demon Cave, the strongest beasts were First Grade, encountering a Second Grade was unusual.
But in the inner perimeter, Second Grade mutant beasts were common!
He could even encounter Third Grade or Fourth Grade mutant beasts!
“I can’t be that unlucky…” Xu Zhou muttered.
After all, he was just a high school freshman.
If he wandered into the inner perimeter of the Thousand Demon Cave, it would be nearly impossible to survive!
Especially since he was alone; once night fell, his situation would become dire.
Xu Zhou always considered himself fairly lucky and hoped he wasn’t that doomed.
Soon after, Xu Zhou glanced back, his eyes flashing.
If he turned back now, he might run into that Golden Giant Lion again.
“To hell with it, keep moving forward!” Xu Zhou gritted his teeth and continued advancing.
He believed that with his luck, he would avoid encountering any Third or Fourth Grade mutant beasts.