Lin Hao was greatly alarmed. In front of him, a huge gray bear, standing about sixty to seventy meters tall, had eyes as large as lanterns, glowing with a bloody luster.
Just in terms of size, this gray bear was three times larger than a mid-level king-class ferocious beast, and its appearance was extremely terrifying.
"Night Fury Gray Bear..."
Lin Hao frowned deeply. The gray bear was indeed a high-level ferocious beast, and it was even considered top-notch among ordinary high-level ferocious beasts.
Before Lin Hao could think further, the huge gray bear ran forward.
In the distance, entire forests were crushed into pieces by the gray bear. Its massive body seemed to be unstoppable, making everything in front of the Night Fury Gray Bear appear weak and powerless.
In just a couple of breaths, the Night Fury Gray Bear intercepted the two mid-level king-class ferocious beasts that were fleeing in panic.
In front of the Night Fury Gray Bear, the two mid-level king-class ferocious beasts looked so small. They looked up at the Night Fury Gray Bear, their bodies trembling as they lay on the ground.
Compared to high-level ferocious beasts, mid-level ferocious beasts were on a completely different level. This was like the difference between a Second Gate Warrior and a Third Gate Warrior, the gap was truly too great.
At that moment, the Night Fury Gray Bear suddenly opened its mouth and bit off the head of one of the king-class ferocious beasts.
Blood splattered everywhere. The previously mighty mid-level king-class ferocious beast didn't even have a chance to let out a cry before it died a tragic death.
Seeing this, the other mid-level king-class ferocious beast was terrified and fled madly backward without any hesitation.
The Night Fury Gray Bear did not chase after it but stood still, chewing for a moment with its blood-stained mouth before slowly moving.
The mid-level king-class ferocious beast, after fleeing a dozen steps, still couldn't match a single step of the Night Fury Gray Bear.
With one step, the Night Fury Gray Bear stomped on the remaining king-class ferocious beast, which couldn't move at all.
As the Night Fury Gray Bear exerted force with its hind legs, there was a crack, and the head of the mid-level king-class ferocious beast exploded into pieces.
The gap between mid-level and high-level ferocious beasts was truly too great. Even two mid-level king-class ferocious beasts were powerless against a high-level ferocious beast.
At this moment, Lin Hao stood still, not moving at all. He could feel that the Night Fury Gray Bear's aura was intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over him. If Lin Hao tried to escape now, he would surely die.
Even the speed of a mid-level king-class ferocious beast was like a snail compared to the Night Fury Gray Bear. What was Lin Hao's speed?
Lin Hao even had a premonition that if he tried to escape, he would be crushed to pieces by the Night Fury Gray Bear in the next second.
The bodies of the two king-class ferocious beasts were quickly devoured by the Night Fury Gray Bear, leaving no bones behind.
This was the gap. The difference in strength was so great that the mid-level king-class ferocious beasts had no chance to fight back.
Next, the Night Fury Gray Bear's blood-red eyes finally landed on Lin Hao.
It seemed somewhat dissatisfied, as this puny human body was not even enough to fill its teeth.
Lin Hao's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. If he died at the hands of a ferocious beast in this life, it would be...
...
"Hey, Night Fury Gray Bear!" Suddenly, a pleasant female voice came from the distance.
Lin Hao instinctively looked forward and saw a man and a woman appear. Both were older than Lin Hao.
The man was about seventeen or eighteen years old, and the woman was at most fifteen or sixteen, looking very delicate. Her lively eyes were sizing up the Night Fury Gray Bear in front of her.
"Great, now we only need one eye from the Night Fury Gray Bear to complete the mission." The woman was overjoyed. Facing the Night Fury Gray Bear, she showed no fear and walked straight toward it.
The Night Fury Gray Bear turned its body and looked down at the woman approaching. It seemed to understand the woman's words, as this tiny insect was actually trying to take its eye!
With a roar like a thunderclap, the Night Fury Gray Bear took a step forward, intending to crush the woman into pieces.
Clang!
Suddenly, a clear sound rang out. In the dark night, a cold light flashed, and the woman had disappeared.
The woman's speed was very fast, even beyond Lin Hao's naked eye. He could only see a faint trace of her in the air.
Swish!
A strange sound came from the air, and the woman reappeared, standing in front of Lin Hao.
"Hmm... there's another person here." The woman slowly sheathed her sword, not even glancing at the Night Fury Gray Bear behind her, but instead examining Lin Hao.
The young boy looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, with large, pitch-black eyes that showed no trace of naivety, only boundless depth and a sharpness that was hard to describe.
His long, ink-black hair fluttered in the wind, stained with a bit of blood. The boy stood quietly, his gaze also examining the woman.
With a loud thud, the Night Fury Gray Bear fell backward, a several-meter-long sword wound on its throat, severed by the woman's long sword.
"Strange child." The woman glanced at Lin Hao and then ignored him. The man had already removed the Night Fury Gray Bear's left eye and sealed it in a spell book.
"Junior Sister, let's go. Someone has planted a Mandala variant ahead, and it's now fully matured. A beast tide will come soon." The man smiled.
Hearing this, the woman's expression didn't change: "Won't the Flowing Cloud City be in trouble?"
"In the secular world, what does it have to do with us? Let's go." The man smiled and then disappeared with the woman into the night.
From their appearance to their departure, it took no more than ten breaths. In this short time, the high-level ferocious beast, the Night Fury Gray Bear, had been killed, its throat cut by the woman's sword...
After the two completely disappeared, Lin Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. The strength of the man and woman was astonishing. The woman had likely opened the Fifth Gate and was at the mid-level stage, while the man had also opened the Fifth Gate but was slightly stronger.
They were likely disciples of a sect, especially the man's words, "In the secular world, what does it have to do with us," clearly showed his arrogance as a sect disciple.
"I wonder if you are just too unlucky... or if I am just too lucky." Lin Hao looked at the dead Night Fury Gray Bear and said softly.
Then, Lin Hao's gaze turned to the ferocious beast gathering place. The man had said that the Mandala variant was fully matured, and now many high-level ferocious beasts must have gathered. This night would be a sleepless one.
A cold light flashed in Lin Hao's eyes. If it weren't for the Grand Steward's secret machinations, the Mandala variant would have been destroyed long ago. The Grand Steward himself probably never imagined that he would cause such a disaster.
If the Grand Steward knew about the existence of the Mandala variant, he would have no idea what to think.
"Lin Hao!"
Suddenly, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from behind. It was Elder Lin Chen and Lin San, among others.
Lin Hao looked behind him. The Lin family had dispatched two elders to search for him.
"I'm fine." Lin Hao looked at Elder Lin Chen and the others and spoke softly.
Seeing Lin Hao unharmed, Elder Lin Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried when he heard that Lin Hao and Lin Nangong were being pursued by mid-level king-class ferocious beasts. Fortunately, Lin Hao was safe.
"Night Fury Gray Bear, a high-level ferocious beast?" The other elder looked at the massive creature behind Lin Hao, his face changing. "Did you kill it?"
Lin Hao shook his head and said truthfully, "No, two sect disciples passed by earlier and killed this ferocious beast, taking one of its eyes."
Hearing this, Elder Lin Chen thought for a moment and then said, "They must have been sect disciples on a mission. You were lucky, Lin Hao."
Lin Hao didn't deny it. It was the sect woman who had saved his life; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived until Elder Lin Chen and the others arrived.
The disciples asked about Lin Nangong's situation. Upon learning that Lin Nangong had successfully escaped, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that the Lin family disciples had good luck. Despite encountering mid-level and high-level ferocious beasts, none of them were injured.
Actually, if it came to luck, it wasn't entirely due to luck. Lin Hao had used the power of the realm multiple times, which allowed him to delay for a long time. Otherwise, he would have become the mid-level king-class ferocious beast's meal long ago.
...
As the two elders were trying to deal with the high-level ferocious beast's corpse, the ground suddenly shook violently. A hundred miles around were covered by a ferocious aura, which was still spreading.
"What is this...?" The two elders were greatly alarmed and frightened.
The disciples could also clearly feel the ground shaking, something that had never happened in the Hundred Refinements Mountain Range before.
Lin Hao had a thoughtful expression. The Mandala variant was now mature, and many high-level ferocious beasts had likely appeared, forming a small-scale beast tide.
"It's a beast tide..." Lin Hao looked into the distance and said.
Upon hearing this, the two elders and the disciples present all changed their expressions. If what Lin Hao said was true, the consequences of a beast tide here would be unimaginable.
"It's impossible. A beast tide has never happened in this area of the Hundred Refinements Mountain Range. There's no reason for a beast tide to form." The other elder shook his head, clearly not accepting Lin Hao's statement.
"There is a Mandala variant in the ferocious beast gathering place, a naturally conceived treasure. Now that the variant is mature, it's not strange for a beast tide to form." Lin Hao said straightforwardly.
If this had to be blamed, it could only be blamed on the Grand Steward. If not for him, Lin Hao would have destroyed the Mandala variant long ago, and this situation would never have occurred.
Mandala variant?!
Upon hearing Lin Hao's words, the Lin family's inner disciples didn't know what it was, but the two elders understood clearly.
The Mandala variant is a seed from the Mandala plant. Its scent can attract ferocious beasts and make them lose their minds, even high-level ferocious beasts are not immune.
If a Mandala variant really appeared here, it would certainly form a small-scale beast tide. At that time, the Flowing Cloud City would not be spared and would surely be overwhelmed by the beast tide.
With the strength of the four major families, fighting against a beast tide would not be an easy task, but rather a difficult one.
This mainly depends on the number and quality of the beasts. If the beast tide is not fully formed, it might be manageable, but once it is fully formed and includes high-level ferocious beasts, the consequences would be unimaginable.
A small-scale beast tide would be enough to destroy an ordinary city. In the Flowing Cloud City, only the four major families were in charge, and their combat strength was not to be underestimated.