Shu Mingling stayed at the front of the group and Themur was at the extreme end. The rest of the group were arranged in the middle. That way, it would be easy to kill strong beasts.
The group did not slack off even as the path had been very easy. They knew that they were just entering the Dark Forest's danger zones and the true horror of the Dark Forest would soon show itself.
Even the chatty Shu Teng had stopped talking long ago. It was a period of silence.
"Hiss!"
A huge snake reared downwards from the branches of a huge tree towards Shu Mingling, its green eyes shining with bloodlust.
"When did…?" Shu Mingling was stunned. Somehow, he had not noticed the snake.
"Fwoosh!"
The sound of burning flames was heard as a sharp flame projection cut at the snake's head.
"Hiss!" The snake hissed violently as it moved its large head backwards, dodging the flame projection.
As if it had life, the flame projection turned towards the snake again and easily beheaded it.
The crimson flames of the Vermillion True Flame took ablaze on the snake's incapacitated head, turning it into ashes. Only its crystalline beast core was spared.
All of this happened in a single moment.
Shu Mingling stared fixedly at the body of the snake which fell downwards after being incapacitated. He was too shocked to move.
"Lu Zheng…" Hong Haoyu took a glance at Lu Zheng who still held his sword in his hands as faint fire Qi enveloped him.
With a glance, everyone understood that it was him that saved Shu Mingling's life.
"Before we encountered a rank four beast, he did not even participate in the killings and yet… he is the first to kill one even when we were frozen in shock" Shu Jun thought as he stared at Lu Zheng. He now understood why he had lost to the latter.
Lu Zheng sheathed his sword and calmed his aura as the faint fire Qi around him dispersed. He did not look like someone that had instant-killed a rank four beast.
"Why are you all gawking? Won't you divide the beast?" Lu Zheng was surprised.
Shu Mingling cupped his fists: "Thanks"
"Hmm" Lu Zheng nodded.
Shu Lin and Shu Mu quickly resumed their work, expertly cutting the hide of the snake away.
Even when dead, the duo who were at the first tier of Domain Formation realm found it hard to cut the snake's hide. They wondered how Lu Zheng who had a similar cultivation base had beheaded it so easily.
However, when they remembered how he had beaten Shu Jun who was at the second tier of Domain Formation realm so easily, they understood. Lu Zheng had freakishly high battle strength.
Shu Kai had to join the two and only then were they able to divide the beast's corpse.
"You should have this" Shu Mingling said as he gestured the snake's beast core to Lu Zheng.
"Oh no, I couldn't" Lu Zheng smiled. "Aren't we meant to share them later after we've left the Dark Forest?"
Shu Mingling ignored Lu Zheng's words and pressed the four-edged beast core in the latter's palms: "I insist"
Lu Zheng smiled faintly and accepted the beast core from Shu Mingling: "Then I won't be courteous"
"Come on" Shu Mingling said to the others.
"Let's continue walking"
The group continued venturing into the Dark Forest till rank four beasts became common place. They only stopped advancing when they knew that any further and they could meet rank five beasts.
Not even a group of ten third tier of Domain Formation realm martial warriors stood a chance against a single rank five beast. The disparity in strength and cultivation base was too great.
Only after their storage artifacts were filled to the brim with valuable cultivation resources did they stop pillaging and left the Dark Forest.
The sky was already dark as a crescent moon hung, shining brightly on the Earth.
"Today was fruitful" Shu Teng had a bright smile as she stole a glance at the storage artifacts. The very sight of them put a bright smile on her face.
"Tell me about it" A cold voice sounded all of a sudden.
The group of ten looked up at the sky and saw the owner of the voice. It was a tall man with broad shoulders and short blond hair. He stood mid-air beside a large spatial tear.
"Spatial portal?! Void Passage realm!" Themur gasped in fearful shock as he stared at the man.
"You have good eyes beast. Now, you can only die" The man crossed his arms arrogantly.
Dense sun Qi gathered around his body as he became dazzling in the night sky. It was like he was a new sun.
His aura felt invincible.