Chapter 1: Deception (Part 2)

Luo Zhan said, “It depends on luck. Guo Shier has always had good luck.”
Guo Shier shook his head. “This has nothing to do with luck. I’ve been trying to figure out what place this is, but I still haven’t figured it out.”
Nan You said, “We encounter this situation often. Once we enter a mysterious place, as long as we can leave, we’ll find a way back. There’s no need to worry too much. This world is far beyond our imagination.”
Eagle Demon said, “It seems a fight is about to start!” He seemed very excited. Battles between top-tier Abnormal Talisman Beasts are rare, but observing their fighting styles is also a form of learning.
Elder Shuai said, “Let’s back off a bit more and be ready to dodge the aftereffects of attacks at any time.”
The Abnormal Earth Dragon had a streamlined body nearly a kilometer long, covered in earth-yellow scales that emitted a faint golden glow. There were rings of golden lines along the edges of its scales, and a row of dark brown horns on its back. Its massive, python-like head featured a golden horn that extended backward. Its golden eyes had vertical black pupils that glowed red, exuding a cold aura.
Its huge, thick tail swept through the air, producing a howling sound. The Earth Dragon was very hungry. It stared at the Mammoth, saliva flowing down like a stream.
The Abnormal Mammoth was equally hungry. Its gray-brown eyes gleamed ferociously. Its thick nose, no less massive than the Earth Dragon’s tail, emitted rumbling breaths. Its two snow-white tusks were covered with faint silver runes. The tusks were over a hundred meters long, curved like knives, with golden fur rippling on its body. Suddenly, it stretched out its nose and let out a thunderous roar: “Roar!”
The two were about several kilometers apart. The Abnormal Mammoth roared and swung its trunk, charging forward with a loud roar.
The Abnormal Earth Dragon roared back without hesitation: “Roar!” and also charged at the Mammoth.
Dozens of kilometers in the air, Guo Shier exclaimed, “Damn, it’s like Mars hitting Earth… It’s absolutely spectacular!”
No one understood what “Mars hitting Earth” meant, and no one had time to pay attention, as the collision between the Abnormal Earth Dragon and the Abnormal Mammoth was earth-shattering. When they collided, a huge mushroom cloud rose, accompanied by their thunderous roars.
A few dozen seconds later, a massive shockwave hit them.

Guo Shier and Nan You instantly teleported away simultaneously to avoid the impact. The force was so immense that even after teleporting, they were still slightly affected. That single impact nearly knocked Nan You off his feet. With the help of the old man Shuai, Guo Shier stabilized the altar and exclaimed, “It’s too strong…”
The Eagle Demon said with a bitter smile, “No matter how many great sage masters come, it’s useless—they simply can’t withstand it.”
After this collision, the Abnormal Earth Dragon and the Abnormal Mammoth showed roughly equal strength. The Mammoth was slightly weaker, but the difference wasn’t significant. After all, the Earth Dragon was a dragon-type beast, and dragon-type beasts were generally stronger—this was everyone’s consensus.
From this clash, both abnormal talisman beasts were injured, and their ferocity surged.
Roar!
Huff!
Guo Shier and the others couldn’t help covering their ears—the sound was unbearable.
The Abnormal Earth Dragon was sent flying two or three kilometers away, while the Abnormal Mammoth was sent even further. The Earth Dragon was nearly a kilometer long, so just a few steps equaled a kilometer. It only needed to retreat seven or eight steps to create a large distance, thanks to its massive size. The Mammoth was also huge, but compared to the Earth Dragon, it was smaller and weaker by nature.
This time, neither abnormal talisman beast continued to charge but instead launched their own talisman attacks.
The attacks from level 15 abnormal talisman beasts were terrifying. As talisman lights flashed wildly on their bodies, Guo Shier was so scared he turned and ran. He and Nan You teleported between their altars several times, arriving over 300 kilometers away in just a few seconds. The situation was no longer bearable; staying any longer could mean death or serious injury.
As soon as the two altars reappeared from thin air, a glimmer of light flashed on the horizon, followed by faint thunder. Guo Shier and Nan You exchanged glances. Nan You couldn’t help sighing, “It’s simply terrifying!” No sooner had he spoken than a strong wind blew, bringing with it a sandstorm-like cloud of dust.
Guo Shier cursed, “Damn, is it that extreme?”
As the talisman lights flickered, the altars activated their defenses. The howling dust swept past the altars, producing a screeching sound. Soon, the storm passed. Nan You said, “Impressive!”
Guo Shier sighed, “We can’t launch attacks this powerful.”
The old man Shuai said calmly, “Once your altar reaches level six or higher, your attack will be no less powerful than those two beasts… If you had a level nine altar, killing these two level 15 abnormal talisman beasts would be a piece of cake—easier than killing a pheasant!”

Guo Shier never thought a sacrificial altar could reach the ninth level. Curiously, he asked, “The ninth level… how powerful is it?”
The handsome old man replied, “With one strike, it can break through a secret realm!”
Not only was Guo Shier stunned, but Nan You was also shocked. As for Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, both of them looked utterly dumbfounded. Guo Shier couldn’t help but sigh, “Good heavens… break through a secret realm? How is that possible?”
The handsome old man said disdainfully, “You’re too naive! I even know of someone who shattered an entire continent with just one punch.”
Guo Shier asked, “Have you seen him?”
The handsome old man replied dismissively, “Talking to someone who knows nothing is really exhausting…”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan couldn’t help but snicker, and Nan You also laughed heartily. Seeing Guo Shier’s frustrated expression, the three found it very amusing.
Guo Shier wasn’t annoyed. He scratched his head and said, “If I don’t know, I have to ask. I can’t pretend to know everything.”
The handsome old man said, “Hmm, that’s true. Well, fine, I’ll tell you. I didn’t see it with my own eyes. If I had been there, I’d probably have died too. The entire continent disappeared afterward. Anyone who was there would have been unlucky… I heard it from a friend. This guy was far stronger than me. As soon as he realized something was wrong, he immediately used a cross-dimensional talisman. As soon as he got out, he found that the coordinates of that continent were no longer usable, and he never found that continent again.”
Guo Shier asked, “So… that… that expert who delivered that one strike with his altar…”
The handsome old man said, “It’s said that person has never been seen again… Maybe he died on that continent.”
Guo Shier sighed, “Listen to that—this is a real freak! Destroying an entire continent with one punch and killing himself in the process! I really admire him.” But in reality, he didn’t believe it. There were too many exaggerated stories; it was better to take them as tales without taking them too seriously.
Continuous rumbling sounds came from afar. Even from a great distance, one could faintly hear the vibrating waves. Lights and shadows flickered on the horizon, as if there was a volcanic eruption. Dozens of plumes of smoke rose into the sky, visible clearly even hundreds of kilometers away.
Eagle Demon asked, “Shouldn’t we go take a look?”
The handsome old man replied, “If you want to die, go ahead and take a look. Hehe, I guess among us, aside from young Guo, maybe a few can stay at a distance of about a hundred kilometers. Everyone else who gets too close will die! It’s better to stay here obediently. At least wait until they’re exhausted before going to check. For now, be good and don’t run around!”
Eagle Demon was left speechless by his words. After a while, he said, “It’s a shame we can’t even see the excitement.”

Nan You said, “It’s better than losing our lives.” He agreed with the old master’s view—watching a battle also required strength; without it, going to watch high-level Abnormal Talisman Beasts fight was no different from seeking death.
Luo Zhan said, “Actually, we could get a little closer… Never mind, I didn’t say anything.”
Seeing the old master glaring at him, Luo Zhan didn’t dare continue. The old master said, “You kids… If you think carefully, it’s obvious. When two Abnormal Talisman Beasts chase each other, getting any closer means you’ll lose room to maneuver. Just think how insane the speed of the Abnormal Earth Dragon is—even here, you need to be extremely cautious.”
Luo Zhan nodded. “Yes, old man.” He understood that the old master was doing this for everyone’s safety.
The group chatted while waiting, and Guo Shier also took out braised meat noodles to share. If it weren’t for the fact that it was not appropriate to start a fire to cook at this time, he would have almost brought out a big pot to make soup.
They waited for two days. The talisman lights in the sky flashed nonstop for those two days, with the rumbling sounds never ceasing. Guo Shier couldn’t help but sigh, “Two days… It never stops. Abnormal Talisman Beasts are way stronger than Mutated Talisman Beasts.”
The old master said, “They’ve already weakened. If you look closely, you’ll see they’re not as strong as at first.”
Guo Shier examined carefully and, after a moment, smiled. “That’s right, they’re much weaker now.”
Nan You said, “We need to wait a bit longer. As long as they don’t launch talisman attacks, we can get closer and wait. It’s not time yet—they still seem to have some strength left.”
Boom!
Guo Shier raised his head in surprise because the sound was almost identical to the howling of shells in his past life. He almost collapsed to the ground and asked, “What the hell is that?”
A silver-white light streaked across the sky and plummeted downward. Guo Shier let out a shrill cry and immediately used the altar to take cover. Nan You also hurriedly dodged. The white light headed straight for their altars, but fortunately, they were incredibly fast and managed to avoid being hit.
Boom!
The white light hit the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Eagle Demon asked in confusion, “Who’s attacking? No, it’s not an attack.”
The others also realized that this white light didn’t seem very powerful—it probably wasn’t a talisman attack.
Guo Shier looked down and was stunned. He said, “What is this…?”