Chapter 6: Humanoid Beasts (Part 1)

Since ascending to the ninth-tier altar, Guo Shier also learned how to tear through space. However, as he had just risen to this level, his abilities were far inferior to those of Li Ran and the others. Seeing Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen tear through space, he tried it himself and realized just how resilient this layer of space was—far beyond his capacity to tear apart.

Li Ran shook his head. There were seven people in total. Of course, he could enter first, obtain the coordinates, and then let the others pass through the talisman gate. But that would be too embarrassing. He said, “Forget it. Let’s use Break the Boundary… to create a direct passage. It’s a good chance to test it.”

Qi Wu Zhen hesitated for a moment and said, “This will consume a lot of spiritual energy. Are we really going to use Break the Boundary?”

Break the Boundary was a sacrificial artifact created to leave this small world. Guo Shier was also curious about how it could tear through space. He said, “It’s worth giving it a try. If anything goes wrong, we can still fix it in time.”

Break the Boundary was jointly refined by Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen. Working together, they could unleash its full power. Of course, one person could also use it, but not with as much effect as two people combined.

This time, only one person was needed to use Break the Boundary.

Li Ran took it. He said, “I’ll do it. Let’s see its power.” A spindle-shaped sacrificial artifact appeared above his head, about the length of a palm and three fingers wide, emitting a faint metallic glow—resembling a spindle-shaped piece of metal.

After releasing the artifact, Li Ran gently tapped it, and Break the Boundary immediately expanded, reaching ten meters in length before stopping. He then conjured a series of virtual talismans, and instantly, runes began to glow on Break the Boundary, accompanied by a cracking sound. Guo Shier exclaimed in surprise, “It’s using the sacrificial item automatically?” That was the sound of spiritual energy pearls shattering—a sound everyone here knew well.

Dozens of spiritual energy pearls shattered in an instant, and a silver light shot out from Break the Boundary. Li Ran shouted, “Open!”

With a rustling sound, like tearing paper, a huge crack appeared before everyone. Li Ran said in delight, “Great! This is exactly the sacrificial artifact we need! Hurry in!” Without hesitation, everyone rushed into the crack. Li Ran retracted Break the Boundary and followed them in.

Li Ran was extremely satisfied with Break the Boundary. He had used less than a fraction of his strength to tear through space, as easily as cutting thin paper with a steel knife—unbelievably simple.

In an instant, Li Ran arrived on the sixth-layer continent.

Guo Shier and the others were already hovering in the air. The exit this time was still high in the sky, with everything on the ground appearing tiny. White clouds drifted below, and several small black dots moved through the clouds—likely mutated birds.

This wasn’t an extreme continent. Everyone here had sharp eyesight. Without an extreme continent, it was often difficult to find extreme materials, which was a drawback, but it also had its advantages. Normal-looking continents often harbored advanced mutated talisman beasts and aberrant talisman beasts, making them excellent hunting grounds for professionals.

Guo Shier wasn’t interested in such continents. He already possessed countless advanced spirit beasts and didn’t need to hunt for advanced mutated or aberrant talisman beasts. Of course, if he encountered any that could be hunted, he wouldn’t let them slip away. He didn’t need spirits, but he did need the flesh, bones, and blood of mutated and aberrant talisman beasts.

Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen simultaneously released massive souls, causing Guo Shier and the others to immediately retreat. Come on, two peak experts who had surpassed the Ninth-Level Altar releasing soul waves—even if it was just for exploration, they couldn’t withstand it.

Halechi muttered, “What the hell… Scaring people for no reason. Is that fun?”

Guo Shier said with a wry smile, “Handsome old man, we might as well stay on the upper level and wait until they finish exploring before coming down.” He was still thinking about those Earth Fiends, as they were easy to find—just by locating large sand dunes, one could find them. If there were continuous large sand dunes, many Earth Fiend beads could be obtained. It would be a shame to give them up so easily.

Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen unrestrainedly released their souls when suddenly, their expressions changed. Guo Shier and the others also faintly sensed a massive soul impact approaching, its power no less formidable than that of Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen. Guo Shier exclaimed in shock, “Is there another professional who has surpassed the Ninth-Level Altar?”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “No!”

Li Ran quickly added, “It’s not human…”

At these words, everyone was even more shocked. Guo Shier asked, “Is it an aberrant talisman beast?”

Li Ran replied, “That’s right. From now on, don’t scatter. There… there are extremely powerful mutated or aberrant talisman beasts here, their strength on par with ours.”

Since Li Ran was speaking so seriously, it was evident just how terrifying these mutated or aberrant talisman beasts must be. Guo Shier and the others quickly agreed. Even if they were allowed to act on their own, they wouldn’t dare; following those two top experts was safer.

Goha asked, “Is it an Abnormal Talisman Beast at level 15? Or level 16? Level 17?” Whether he mentioned level 15 or level 17, Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen both shook their heads slightly. Goha was instantly terrified. Generally speaking, Abnormal Talisman Beasts at level 17 were already extremely rare, and those above level 17 were almost unheard of.

Li Ran said, “I don’t know its level. All I know is… this thing has a soul power that’s no weaker than ours. Just based on that, it can’t be measured by level.”

Guo Shier also was in shock. If it couldn’t be measured by level, it meant that creature’s soul had reached its peak, even stronger than his own. At present, only Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen could resist it. In other words, one of the Abnormal Talisman Beasts had reached the level of a professional beyond the Ninth-Level Altar—this was terrifying.

Although Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen looked serious, they weren’t overly worried. Equal soul power didn’t necessarily mean equal combat skills. At their level, they had many powerful tactics.

Guo Shier asked, “What should we do?”

Qi Wu Zhen replied calmly, “Of course we should go meet it. I’m very curious—how could an Abnormal Talisman Beast grow to this extent?”

Li Ran nodded. “Exactly. Let’s go take a look. I’m curious too. Let’s all go together; don’t scatter.” Everyone agreed and followed him as they flew downward.

Guo Shier sat on the altar and whispered to the Old Handsome Man, “Old Handsome Man, have you heard of such an Abnormal Talisman Beast? One that can compare to a professional beyond the Ninth-Level Altar?”

The Old Handsome Man also had a shocked expression. He said, “I can’t imagine… In my entire life, I’ve never even heard of such a powerful Abnormal Talisman Beast in this world…” An Abnormal Talisman Beast or Mutated Talisman Beast could hardly grow to such a height. Not to mention various dangers, even if one did grow, encountering a professional would basically mean certain death, making it unlikely for them to reach the pinnacle.

Guo Shier asked, “I don’t know what kind of Abnormal Talisman Beast it is.”

Suddenly, the Old Handsome Man said, “Look… is that a human?”

A burly man was hovering in front. Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen moved to either side to confront him, forming a pincer attack, with the others following behind.

Guo Shier couldn’t describe his feelings. He sensed a soul fluctuation like a volcanic eruption—unhindered, immense, and ferociously powerful. That was definitely not a human soul. Thus, it was certain that the so-called human in front of them wasn’t human at all, but an Abnormal Talisman Beast.

Guo Shier said in surprise, “A humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast?”
Even masters like Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen showed expressions of surprise—no one could have imagined that an Aberrant Talisman Beast could take human form. Soul fluctuations never lie; these were definitely those of an Aberrant Talisman Beast.
Guo Shier hid behind Li Ran, quietly observing this strange humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast.
It was over two meters tall, with a robust build, and its skin was covered in countless rune marks. The only difference from a human was that two snow-white horns grew on either side of its head, extending from its temples to the back of its skull. Its forehead was high, its eyes sunken, and its pupils were blood-red, giving off a strange impression. Guo Shier didn’t find it ugly but sensed an unusually fierce aura from it.
The humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast stared at everyone with great curiosity, showing no signs of hostility—only pure curiosity.
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen exchanged a glance. Both were highly experienced and shrewd, so they naturally noticed the lack of hostility. Though its soul was ferocious, it also carried a sense of simplicity.
“Who are you?”
The humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast spoke, much to everyone’s surprise, as it used the pronunciation of ancient runes. As masters of talismans, they could both speak and understand ancient runes, but in the human world, no one used them in conversation, so hearing it speak in that way felt awkward.
Li Ran replied, “We are professionals.” He also answered in ancient runes.
The humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast asked, “Pro… fes… sionals? What… what are they?”
Halechi couldn’t help but say, “What are you talking about? Professionals aren’t things! They’re… uh…”
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen turned to scold him at the same time, “Shut up!”
The humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast was confused. “What are you saying? I don’t understand.” The scolding from Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen earlier had been in ordinary runes, so it couldn’t understand.
Li Ran asked, “Are you the only one like this… a warrior… here?”
The humanoid Aberrant Talisman Beast replied, “Yes, yes! I’m a warrior.” In ancient runes, “warrior” carried a sacred meaning, so it became happy and added, “I’m the only one here… no, that’s not right. There’s also my mate…” It was clear it had great curiosity and fondness for those with the same appearance.
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen racked their brains, wondering what its true form was. Li Ran smiled and asked tentatively, “Can we visit you?”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have a name?”

The humanoid aberrant symbol beast said cheerfully, “Great, come as guests… I don’t have a name. Um, no, I do have a name. They call me…” It muttered a series of sounds and even let out a few strange roars that no one could understand.
Li Ran said, “Your name is too complicated; we can’t understand it.”
The humanoid aberrant symbol beast scratched its head in frustration. Its endearing appearance completely dispelled everyone’s hostility. It said, “There’s nothing I can do. Follow me.” Then it turned and descended.
Li Ran said, “Follow!”
Without hesitation, everyone followed and flew down. As they approached the ground, the humanoid aberrant symbol beast suddenly turned and rushed forward close to the ground at an incredibly fast speed. Apart from Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen, the others had a hard time keeping up, especially Halechi, who fell far behind. With no other choice, he had to keep using teleportation to barely keep up.