Although it was hard to see clearly, judging from the height of its eyes, this six-eyed serpent monster raised its head up to twenty zhang high, and since it could also move through the rubble, it must have reached the eighth rank as a multi-eyed serpent monster!

If it grew another pair of eyes, it would be ninth rank.

He hurriedly patted Brian Cooper, but before Brian Cooper could react, a sudden dark, howling wind rushed past the two of them, and that enormous claw shot out at high speed, grabbing the multi-eyed serpent monster and yanking it out of the rubble, then quickly pulling it back.

Creak, creak!

The chewing sounds were deafening.

This time Eric King really wet himself, his fat body trembling uncontrollably. That hundred-zhang-long claw had passed right next to them, the chill still lingering, and Eric King was completely petrified with fear.

All the commotion around them instantly quieted down.

Brian Cooper was gasping violently, entirely from excessive tension. But he forced himself to calm down, shook Eric King a few times, and whispered, “Fatty, snap out of it.”

Eric King’s eyes finally regained some focus. After all, he was from the Wolf Soldiers’ Camp, and he quickly came to his senses, grabbing Brian Cooper’s arm in return and asking bitterly, “Did that imperial edict really send us to the God-Ash Mountain’s forbidden zone?”

“It did…” Brian Cooper let out a long sigh. Who could have thought that a seemingly playful imperial edict would actually make it happen?

He looked around. “The two of us landed together. This place is too dangerous. Who knows what will happen if we stay here? Let’s be careful and get away from that monster first.”

He realized why that terrifying claw hadn’t bothered with the two of them: there wasn’t enough meat on their bones to even get stuck in its teeth.

Eric King struggled to stand up, his legs still a bit weak. Only after circulating his spiritual energy did he finally recover. He looked around, “Where’s my shield…” Finally, he found his shield, and seemed much more at ease, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

“Let’s find Chief Shi and the others first. The five of us should stick together as much as possible.”

“Alright.”

“Even though it’s dangerous here, the imperial edict only requires us to survive for three days. If we find a safe place to hide, we should be able to make it through.” He was comforting Eric King, but also encouraging himself.

Eric King nodded vigorously. The two of them crouched low, doing their best to suppress all traces of their presence, and quietly left the rocky area.

Actually, within the range of that giant claw, the two of them were temporarily safe, but being neighbors with such a terrifying demon was far too risky. Its appetite was too great—if it finished off the other “food,” it might be their turn next. Brian Cooper didn’t dare take the risk.

After walking three or four li, they had gradually moved away from that terrifying cave. Along the way, they sensed several times that powerful beings in the darkness were watching them, but none dared appear, wary of that giant claw.

Brian Cooper calculated that if they went any farther, they would probably leave the area of deterrence. He said to Eric King, “Be careful. I’ll keep watch, you go change your clothes.”

Eric King had wet himself earlier, and the smell was strong. He was thick-skinned, just happy to be alive, and didn’t care about such things. He took out some clothes from his storage ring and changed, then rejoined Brian Cooper, always feeling like something nearby was eyeing his plump, juicy flesh. Annoyed, he said, “That imperial edict can only mess with small fry like us. I don’t believe it could quietly send real powerhouses like the generals into the forbidden zone!”

Before he finished speaking, a series of roars suddenly came from ahead. In a gorge, a huge burst of spiritual flames and treasure light shot up, surging outward.

Within the light, a massive warship soared into the air, drawing on the power of the bright moon in the night sky. With a booming charge, it slammed into a strange giant beast that was leaping at it, sending it flying!

The giant beast looked like a huge tiger, with bull horns on its head, insect wings on its back, and a body fifteen zhang long. It leapt and pounced with ferocious agility—this was the infamous seventh-rank wild beast of the God-Ash Mountain’s forbidden zone, the “Great Aberrant Wild Tiger.”

Behind the warship, a powerful cultivator slapped his own chest, and a coin shot out five streams of golden light. Various precious metals within turned to flowing sand, quickly covering the cultivator’s entire body, and with a clang, transformed into a suit of celestial armor: a purple-gold crown, cloud-scale armor, tiger-devouring belt, mountain-treading boots, five blazing banners behind him, three clusters of celestial spirit clouds above his head, spiritual energy surging like clouds, transforming into all kinds of fire serpents, light birds, and exotic beasts, running and guarding him with imposing majesty.

Brian Cooper and Eric King fell silent together. That massive warship was obtained from the Minor Sumeru Realm of Heavenly Fire, one of the five great ninth-rank artifacts second only to the Jade Howler, and had been acquired by Deputy Commander William Howard. He was a peak Destiny-Realm cultivator, and came from a powerful family with many treasures.

That massive warship, as a ninth-rank artifact, was incomparably powerful, but William Howard’s cultivation was insufficient to fully unleash its might.

Even with all his treasures, facing a terrifying foe like the Great Aberrant Wild Tiger, he could only hold his ground.

The seventh-rank wild beast’s body was incredibly tough. After taking several hits from the warship, it wasn’t even injured. Suddenly, it let out a roar, its wings fluttered, and its massive body vanished, using its innate divine ability to slip into the void, disappearing without a trace like a gust of wind!