When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

Zhu Chongjiu led the hunting team to continue deeper into the Divine Void. After going about 700 miles, Zhu Chongjiu finally encountered an Emperor-level demon beast!

During this time, Zhu Chongjiu and his group encountered three more groups of royal-level monsters.

However, Zhu Chongjiu's order was no longer to execute them, but to take a detour.

This time, having encountered an Emperor-level demon beast, Zhu Chongjiu doesn't intend to avoid it, nor is he certain he can.

Emperor-level demonic beasts have much greater perception than royal-level demonic beasts. They might go through a lot of trouble to wander into the territory of another emperor-level demonic beast. That would be a complete waste of time and energy!

Another point is that, having only just entered this depth, they have already discovered so many demonic beasts. Even if Zhu Chongjiu uses all his strength to kill them all, what will happen when his storage ring is full?

Don't be fooled by the fact that they brought a lot of high-level storage rings. The higher the level of the demon beast, the larger its size. So when they encounter an Emperor-level demon beast or something, they can just dump out the demon beasts they killed and throw them away.

Furthermore, while demonic beasts have suddenly become important, even more important are rare and precious materials, especially those that can help one advance to the Emperor level or the Royal level!

If Zhu Chongjiu still has empty storage rings left when he returns, he can come back and kill them, since he's not far from the border exit anyway.

The moment Zhu Chongjiu spotted the Emperor-level demon beast, he ordered, "There is an Emperor-level demon beast seven kilometers ahead. I will go and kill it. Lao Wei, you protect everyone, just in case."

Then, you catch up quickly.

After giving the order, Zhu Chongjiu used the "Treading Snow Without a Trace" technique, covering ten, fifty, and a hundred meters in a single step, slowly disappearing from everyone's sight.

Less than a few dozen seconds later, everyone heard a roar from ahead, followed by a loud "thud," like a muffled thunderclap, and then there was no further sound.

The group quickened their pace, and in less than three minutes, a mountain-sized monster slowly appeared in their line of sight, lying on the ground. On its forehead, which was as big as a truck's cab, there was a hole the size of a bucket, which was frozen by magic!

The group finally arrived in front of the demon beast. Zhu Chongjiu, sitting on the demon beast's paw, saw the group arrive and said, "Stop dawdling, use the divine weapon to dissect the demon beast's corpse immediately."

I took away all the flesh and blood, intestines and stomach, and froze the wounds, just to avoid wasting a single drop of blood!

Wei Tianxing walked up to Zhu Chongjiu and looked at the demonic beast, asking, "Ninth Brother, what kind of demonic beast is this? Have you ever seen it before?"

Zhu Chongjiu looked at the low-level monster on the ground. Its head resembled a wild boar, with two tusks over two meters long on its mouth. Its body, however, resembled a yak, with long, smooth black fur, four hooves, and three tails.

Zhu Chongjiu had no idea what kind of innate abilities this demon beast possessed!

Zhu Chongjiu feared that if this demon beast used its innate supernatural power, he would not be able to defeat it and it would attract other demon beasts.

He didn't care, but the other team members were prone to sudden death.

In the battle between Emperor-level powerhouses, those academy-level mages are truly doomed if they get too close and die if they are scratched!

Besides, Zhu Chongjiu didn't come here to study demonic beasts, so we must finish this quickly.

Actually, Zhu Chongjiu wanted to communicate with this low-level Emperor-rank demon beast and ask why they had all come to the edge of the Divine Void Continent.

After all, most Emperor-level demonic beasts can speak human language, and even those that cannot can communicate with humans through divine sense.

When a demon beast reaches the Emperor level, its intelligence is no less than that of a top-tier human. If a human of the same Emperor level enters its territory, it will first question, intimidate, and make threats. Only when there is no other choice will it fight with a human of the same level.

However, these demonic beasts seemed to have been stimulated in some way, and only knew how to kill. When this Emperor-level demonic beast discovered Zhu Chongjiu, it didn't say a word. Its eyes turned blood red, and it roared as it charged towards Zhu Chongjiu.

Therefore, Zhu Chongjiu had no choice but to perform a brain surgery to remove the pills from this guy with lightning speed!

In fact, Zhu Chongjiu had already discovered that it wasn't just this monster; all the monsters they had encountered since entering the Divine Void Continent were like this—fearless and suicidal attacks!

No, we have to figure this out, otherwise we won't be able to go any further. How can we go with a bunch of burdens?

Given the current situation, even if I asked them to wait for me at the border exit, I doubt they could hold out for more than three months.

I can't just stand there protecting them at the border exit for three months without moving, can I?

If we go out and all we find are some monster corpses and nothing else, how embarrassing would that be!

Being too glamorous during a competition isn't always a good thing!

Leaving aside others, we still haven't found the thing we promised Dean Wang to use to help him advance!

Otherwise, next time I encounter an Emperor-level monster, I'll capture it and put it in my storage ring. Can't my storage ring hold living things?

Missed.

If an Emperor-level demonic beast gets out of control and erupts inside my storage ring, damaging it, I'll have nowhere to complain!

Just as Zhu Chongjiu was secretly struggling with his decision, the thirty-odd people below had already divided up the Emperor-level demon beast and put it into their storage rings.

During this time, Lao Wei also stepped in to help with the division. Otherwise, even if you had a divine weapon, you wouldn't be able to cut down the corpse of an Emperor-level monster, let alone a King-level one. It would be barely possible to cut down a Royal-level one.

Therefore, when dividing the roles, we can only say that the five royal-level warriors are responsible for the weaker defensive parts, while Lao Wei is responsible for the tougher parts!

Looking at the team members who were all ready to go, Zhu Chongjiu said, "Everyone has been walking non-stop for more than two days. There's no need to be so tense. Let's set up camp here and rest for six hours."

This place is the territory of an Emperor-level demonic beast. Under normal circumstances, no other demonic beast dares to trespass unless the surrounding demonic beasts know that it is dead.

Upon hearing Zhu Chongjiu's words, the group relaxed and revealed their exhaustion.

He opened his storage ring, took out his equipment and food, and didn't even set up a tent. Everyone knows that if there are special circumstances, you have to take down the tent after setting it up. If you have time to take it down, that's fine, but what if you don't?

Their tents are also equipped with high-level defense and are specially made to cope with the harsh weather deep in the Divine Void Continent. What would happen if they were abandoned?

Because of this, no one would agree!

King-level and Emperor-level cultivators are fine; they close their eyes slightly, meditate, and conserve their energy.

Those at the trainee level had a tough time. Low-level mages, especially spellcasters, would fall asleep with dry rations in their mouths!

Six hours later, five royal-level mages and ten king-level mages opened their eyes at the same time, while the remaining eighteen students were all fast asleep, with two of them snoring loudly.

Zhu Chongjiu couldn't take it anymore, so he put a small internal energy shield on it, and the world instantly became quiet!

Just as the fifteen monks were about to get up, Zhu Chongjiu transmitted his voice, saying, "Let these children sleep for another two hours. We won't be short of two hours. It's good to balance work and rest!"

Upon hearing Zhu Chongjiu's telepathic message, the fifteen people sat down again and began to meditate with their eyes closed!

Two days later, Zhu Chongjiu and his entourage ventured about a thousand miles into the territory.

The group stopped in their tracks, with white mist stretching ahead. Old Wei said, "We've arrived at the 'Misty Dead Forest.' According to the information, only by entering the Misty Dead Forest can one be considered to have entered the Divine Void Continent."

Only after entering the Misty Dead Forest will some monsters appear one after another, and only after passing through the Misty Dead Forest will king-level monsters appear.

However, as Zhu Chongjiu approached the Misty Dead Forest, he could faintly sense that there was another Emperor-level demon beast in the distance. He estimated that the Misty Dead Forest was even more dangerous than the outside world!

Zhu Chongjiu readjusted the formation, keeping the same at the front and back, with Zhu Chongjiu still in the lead and Lao Wei behind.

They simply swapped the positions of the other members of the long, single-line formation, placing the student-level mages in the middle, the king-level mages behind, and the emperor-level mages in front!

Zhu Chongjiu used his divine sense to sense the interior of the Misty Dead Forest. To Zhu's surprise, his divine sense could detect objects about 15 kilometers away. If he encountered a very powerful aura, the sensing distance could be increased.

Now, after Zhu Chongjiu used his divine sense and internal energy to explore into the Misty Dead Forest, he could only explore about seven or eight kilometers. Zhu Chongjiu could clearly feel the resistance that the mist put on his divine sense and internal energy!

Zhu Chongjiu said, "Old Wei, use your divine sense and internal energy to explore the interior of the Misty Dead Forest and see how far you can explore."

After hearing this, Lao Wei used his divine sense to probe forward, and after a while he said, "Ninth Brother, this fog is too much of a resistance to my divine sense. I can only release it two or three hundred meters."

Okay, got it, Lao Wei!

After answering Lao Wei, Zhu Chongjiu wondered to himself, "It's only two or three hundred meters, does it really have such a big impact?"

When Zhu Chongjiu first entered the Divine Void Continent, he released his divine sense and internal energy and sensed a distance of about fifteen or sixteen kilometers, which surprised him.

As for why, Zhu Chongjiu had neither the time nor the means to investigate.

Zhu Chongjiu believed that some things must be understood immediately, while others will naturally be understood when you have the strength to do so!

Zhu Chongjiu also had a feeling that the Misty Dead Forest seemed to have been formed specifically for the monsters inside.

Not only is there a misty, dead forest a thousand miles deep at the entrance to the Ice and Snow Continent, but all continents are in the same situation.

It's as if someone has surrounded the Divine Void Continent with the Misty Dead Forest.

Is it to prevent the demonic beasts of the Divine Void Continent from probing outwards?

It should be noted that some demonic beasts have exceptional eyesight, such as flying demonic beasts, or those with innate supernatural abilities in their eyes. There may also be demonic beasts with extraordinary spiritual power.

Or perhaps it's a warning to humanity? To let them know that passing through the Misty Dead Forest means entering the interior of the Divine Void Continent.

All of this was just Zhu Chongjiu's conjecture, and the specific reasons were never found out!

Regardless of the reason, they still had to set off. With Zhu Chongjiu's order, the team continued to advance deeper into the Misty Dead Forest.

After entering the Misty Dead Forest, Zhu Chongjiu understood why it was called the Misty Dead Forest.

The Misty Forest is shrouded in perpetual fog, with visibility limited to about 100 meters. No matter what method you use, as long as you don't use your spiritual sense or internal energy, you can only see things within about 100 meters with your naked eye. It has nothing to do with your level, but rather with the quality of your eyesight.

Then, besides the thick fog, all that came into view were sparse, dead trees on the gray earth.

Occasionally, there are also birds about the size of domestic geese and resembling crows resting on the dead trees.

Suddenly, Zhu Chongjiu activated his Yang Divine Finger, pointing to the left front. A stream of icy blue energy flew out at a speed invisible to the naked eye, followed by a hoarse howl.

Everyone looked at Zhu Chongjiu with tense expressions. Zhu Chongjiu calmly said, "It's nothing, just an ordinary low-level demon beast," and walked towards the direction from which the howling came from.

Two hundred meters later, a monster that looked like a hairless cat slowly came into view. It was much larger than a cat and about the size of an adult wolfhound.

At this moment, several large crows that had been resting on the dead tree flew over from above the crowd. The crows swooped down on the monster and began to pierce its flesh with their sharp beaks and feast on it.

They were not afraid of people and regarded Zhu Chongjiu and his group as nothing!

Zhu Chongjiu looked back at the demonic beast that was about to be devoured by the large crows and said, "Let's keep going, ignore them!"

The group traveled for another three days in the Misty Dead Forest.

In these three days, we haven't encountered any Emperor-level demonic beasts. Not to mention Emperor-level demonic beasts, we haven't even encountered a single King-level demonic beast. We have encountered quite a few low-level demonic beasts, though.

Zhu Chongjiu killed them all one by one, without letting the team members practice like they did outside.

That would be a waste of time, and it's best to be cautious in this misty, dead forest.

Although the information says there are no high-level monsters inside, given the current situation, anything can happen!

It will take about fifteen more days to get out of the Misty Dead Forest. It's not good to rest for a long time in the Dead Forest, so everyone should try to conserve their energy and rest properly after we get out of the Dead Forest. Zhu Chongjiu turned around and said to the group of people.

Eleven days after entering the Misty Dead Forest, Zhu Chongjiu, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. Seeing this, the team members behind him immediately formed a battle formation.

Wei Tianxing looked at Zhu Chongjiu and asked, "Ninth Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhu Chongjiu looked around and replied to Wei Tianxing, "Old Wei, have you noticed that the fog has been acting strangely for the past two hours?"

At first, I thought it was just my vision blurring from walking in the thick fog for so long, but I gradually realized something was wrong!

Old Wei also carefully examined the surrounding fog. After looking for a while, he replied, "I don't see anything wrong with it, the concentration, the smell, or anything like that!"

That's not what I meant. What I meant was that there wasn't a breath of wind in this misty, dead forest, but the fog was moving back and forth in a regular pattern.

Old Wei sensed it carefully again, and after ten minutes said, "It seems to be true. The fog is moving back and forth, with intervals of about one and a half minutes. It's just that the fog is too thick, so I couldn't feel it. Ninth Brother, what's going on?"

That's bullshit! If I knew what was going on, would I be here watching the fog like an idiot?

Hey you, check if there's any record of this in the documents.

A royal-level mage quickly took out the information about the Misty Dead Forest and examined it once, twice, and three times before saying, "Ninth Brother, there's no record of this reason. Could it be that the previous powerful individuals who came weren't as strong as you, Ninth Brother, and didn't sense it?"

Wei Tianxing chimed in, "It's certainly possible. If Ninth Brother hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have sensed it either."

No, this shouldn't be a natural phenomenon. When I first felt it two hours ago, it was just a very faint movement, but now the movement is several times stronger than it was two hours ago.

If someone of Emperor-level status like Lao Wei were to be careful and spend another day or two, they would basically discover the clues!

There's no better way right now, so let's keep moving forward for now. Everyone, be on your best behavior and follow my orders.

After everyone agreed, they continued deeper into the Misty Dead Forest!