Chapter 9: Floating Mountain (Part 1)

Ezekiel, Izhelo, and Meili tumbled in the air endlessly, with roars, slaps, and gasps—pure chaos. Li Ran and the others knew Izhelo was in danger; Meili had bitten his throat, and Ezekiel was on his back, making it hard for him to resist.

The three tumbled to the ground, where the fight intensified. If Izhelo could gain momentum, he might find a way to escape. He frantically struck Meili’s head with his claws, while Ezekiel also hit his head, creating a strange situation. Suddenly, Meili’s four fangs pierced Izhelo’s throat, and four streams of blood gushed out with a loud splash.

Ugh… Wah…
Izhelo let out a muffled roar, using his powerful hind legs to kick Meili’s chest and abdomen hard. The pain made Meili scream and finally release him. Ezekiel also roared, grabbed Izhelo’s neck, and shook it violently. Izhelo’s 200-meter-long body was flung into the nearby forest, knocking down tall trees before finally stopping.

The fight between the three wasn’t long but was filled with bloodshed and brutality. By the time Izhelo was flung away, he was already defeated. Before he could get up, Ezekiel and Meili pounced on him and pinned him down. Meili swung her claws wildly, scratching fiercely, followed by Izhelo’s pitiful screams.

In moments, Izhelo was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely, and barely alive. Ezekiel and Meili were extremely strong—even the top experts from the Ninth-Level Altar present would likely lose half their life force with just one punch if not protected by their altars. Soon, Ezekiel reverted to human form, grabbed one of Izhelo’s horns, and dragged him to the fire pit.

Meili still hadn’t transformed into human form. She followed, growling and wanting to eat Izhelo, but Ezekiel blocked her.

Ezekiel said, “Master, you decide… who eats him.”

Li Ran appeared calm on the surface, but his mind was in turmoil. Who would eat him? The guy still seemed alive—was he meant to be eaten alive? He said, “We won’t eat him.” His meaning was: We don’t eat humans. Even though he’s half-human and half-beast, since he has a human form, we won’t eat him. As for you two, whoever wants to eat him can.”

But Li Ran’s words were unclear, leading Ezekiel to misunderstand. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Alright, if the master says not to eat him, then we won’t.”

Meili was furious. She snapped into human form in a rush and shouted, “I want to eat him!”

Ezekiel roared, “Stupid woman! The master decides!”

Li Ran couldn’t help but cover his forehead as he looked helplessly at these two fools. Guo Shier smiled and said, “Master Li Ran, you should eat him, hehe.” Li Ran tapped him on the head and said, “Stop talking nonsense.” The noisy Beautiful was quickly subdued by Aizek. This guy was also quite carefree; with just one kick, Yizhero’s massive body tumbled several times. He said, “My master said not to eat you…” Yizhero gradually reverted to his human form, though in a pitiful state. Of course, Aizek and Beautiful didn’t look much better either. Even after shrinking in size, their wounds remained—there were four bite marks on Yizhero’s throat and four deep wounds on his arms, along with a swollen nose and eyes, looking utterly disheveled. The Abnormal Symbol Beasts were straightforward; if they lost, they lost. Yizhero stood up and said to Li Ran, “Thank you, master.” Li Ran secretly chuckled, thinking, “Since when did I become your master?” He replied, “Don’t thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank Aizek—it was he who decided not to eat you…” He hadn’t expected that losing would mean being eaten; it sounded cruel, but considering they were all Abnormal Symbol Beasts, it wasn’t surprising. Yizhero glared hatefully at Beautiful, said something, then flew into the air and headed away. Guo Shier wondered, “Huh? Did this guy just leave like that? What did he say?” Beautiful replied, “He admitted that Aizek is the king…” Here, “king” meant the winner, the victor. According to their rules, no matter where Yizhero encountered these two, he had to back down. Aizek said, “He submitted, haha, hahaha.” Halechi muttered, “Barbaric guy!” He sat on the ground, starting to recover. The earlier attack, just one strike, had severely weakened him. Fortunately, he managed to repel Yizhero; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to attack again and might have suffered heavy losses. Beautiful disapproved of letting Yizhero go, but she had to obey Aizek’s decision, so she was a bit sulky. After a while, she smiled—a smile meant for Halechi. She really admired his earlier strike. But that smile scared Halechi into turning around and running straight into the dense forest; it was unclear what he went to do there. Guo Shier said cheerfully, “So useless, he just ran away.” Zhen Wuji expressed sympathy, “If it were you… you’d run too.” Guo Shier replied, “I won’t encounter such messy situations, so I’m different from him. At least… I’ve always had good luck.”

Li Ran said, “Ezekiel, is there anything special about this place, or any unique resources?”
Ezekiel replied, “Something special? Unique resources? I don’t know, master.” He was an Aberrant Sigil Beast—whenever he found something good, he would swallow it first and never collect materials. Even if he had received the inheritance, he wouldn’t be able to learn how to refine treasures or build his own altar. Uninterested in professionals collecting materials, he naturally didn’t know what good things were here.
Li Ran sighed. An Aberrant Sigil Beast was just that—a beast, not a professional. Though his strength already surpassed that of professionals with a ninth-tier altar, he remained an Aberrant Sigil Beast. In fact, he knew that if Ezekiel really fought against a professional with a ninth-tier altar, he might not win; the chances of winning or losing were about fifty-fifty.
It was like comparing humans to beasts—beasts were strong by nature, but humans could use weapons, giving both sides a chance.
After thinking for a moment, Li Ran said, “Everyone, do you think we should stay here or go down to the seventh layer? There are still three layers left… Anyway, coordinates will be left at each layer, so we can come and go freely later.”
Ezekiel replied without hesitation, “Take us both with you.”
Meili also said, “I’ll go too.”
Ezekiel said, “Of course we’ll go together. If you stay here, I won’t be at ease! Who knows what stupid thing you might do!”
Meili roared, “Don’t insult me!”
This time, Ezekiel stayed silent. Li Ran said, “Of course we’ll go together. You all have received the inheritance—it’s a shame to stay in such a small place.” How could he be at ease leaving these two top experts behind? Professionals might enter later, and if a conflict arose, no one could hold them back.
Ezekiel nodded repeatedly. He too wanted to experience the world of professionals. Since receiving the inheritance, he had been curious about it, especially after seeing the formidable strength of Li Ran and the others. But he didn’t know that Li Ran and his group were all peak experts—ordinary professionals weren’t that strong.
Guo Shier said, “We’ve barely explored this place. Leaving right away—isn’t that too hasty? Well, forget it. Let’s explore one more layer first.” He thought there would be time to search slowly later, so he calmed down for now. This unexplored barbaric continent must contain countless treasures, but they needed to be carefully uncovered.

The only regret was that once they left this stacked continent, this small world, they would never have another chance to return. He already sensed that leaving this world would come at a great cost.

Ezek said, “Wait a moment; I need to gather some things.” He had his own space within him, and most of his belongings were carried with him, while some were left in the cave. Knowing he might not return this time, he knew he needed to take certain things with him.

Meili also said, “I need to pack up too. I’ll be back soon…” The two quickly flew to the other side of the valley to gather their things. It was then that Halechi ran out of the woods. Poor guy, he had to stay hidden in the woods to avoid Meili and only dared come out after seeing them leave. He said, “We should leave now…” He was eager to leave as soon as possible.

Li Ran said, “We’ll leave right away. Once Ezek and Meili return, we’ll go.”

Halechi’s expression changed instantly. He asked, “Are we taking them with us?”

Li Ran nodded. “Of course. If they stay here… I’m not at ease. That Yizheluo, a professional from the Ninth-Level Altar, can suppress them, but it’s not certain whether professionals from the Ninth-Level Altar can suppress those two. Leaving them behind is a risk.”

Although Ezek and Meili had received the inheritance of professionals, no one considered them true professionals. After all, they were transformed from aberrant talisman beasts. Though they looked human, they were still beasts at heart. With their strength and the inheritance they had received, it was only a matter of time before they left this place, and by then, no one would be able to suppress them.

Halechi was terrified of Meili. That woman was too fierce; he simply couldn’t handle her. He kept sighing, “Sigh… sigh…”

Guo Shierou patted his shoulder and said, “Old Ha, it’s okay.” As a kind of friend, he offered comfort. But Halechi wasn’t grateful. He said, “Who says it’s okay? Don’t… don’t say such cruel things. I’m already in a terrible situation…” He was now in chaos, feeling that everyone’s gaze toward him was suspicious.

Qi Wuzhen said calmly, “Retribution.”

Halechi was so angry he stamped his feet, repeating, “You… you…” He felt even more aggrieved and pitiful.

Guo Shierou smiled slightly and said, “They’re back.” Halechi immediately slipped aside, too scared to speak again. To scare a professional from the Eighth-Level Altar like that, Meili was truly remarkable.

Li Ran once again used the Boundary Breaker spell, tearing open space, and everyone entered immediately.

Nine people hovered in the air, or rather, seven people and two beasts.
The seventh continent.