As the various teams of cultivators wandered through the misty mountains, the presence of various powerful individuals were starting to pop up from time to time.
Since some beasts from the inner region had also migrated towards the outer regions, it was only a matter of time before they were found out by the various cultivators.
Deeper into the outer regions, near the border that separated the outer and inner regions, several battles could be heard taking place.
Several powerful individuals were fighting, including various elders from the War Machine sect.
While there was an influx of beasts from the inner region, this didn't mean that all the beasts were scared into the outer regions.
With the vast size of the Misty Mountains, only a small fraction of the population was actually chased into the outer regions.
In fact, it was by sheer coincidence that the silver winged tiger happened to be moving in the direction of Stonehold city.
Normally, when a beast at that level travelled, it's speed would have made others unable to even follow it's movements, let alone follow it.
This was especially true for a beast that could fly. It would have just zipped right past them, leaving only it's after image behind.
However, the silver winged tiger was severely injured. It was attacked just after giving birth, which meant that it had just expanded a great deal of energy without the chance to replenish it.
It hadn't even been able to go out to hunt for food before the mountain bear attacked it.
Already in a weakened state, it expended even more energy in fending off the mountain bear.
It barely managed to escape from the bear and still had to travel using its energy that had already reached the bottom of the barrel.
Only after leaving the core region was it able to slow down to save its energy. This slow flying speed coupled with the intense pressure it was emitting was what frightened the beasts and gave the illusion that they were being chased.
In fact, the smarter species among the beasts had already figured out that they weren't being chased. Not all beasts decided to flee, or rather, not all of them could flee.
The slower ones among them simply retreated and hid themselves while hoping to avoid the attention of whatever terrifying being was up there.
It turned out that their choice was correct. The slow moving pressure simply washed above them and didn't linger in the surroundings.
Meanwhile, the beasts that had fled soon realised that after being "chased" through the inner region into the outer region, they finally managed to escape that presence.
They then decided to lay low for a bit in case that being decided to chase them again.
They picked out new territories and soon settled down there.
Without realising that their own presence in the outer region was a cause for alarm for the native residents there, which in turn caused them to vacate their own residences for the stronger beasts.
In one of these occupied residences, around a cave at the base of a mountain, the sound of battle could be heard as the mountain rumbled.
A few minutes prior, these individuals had just arrived here after a few days of travelling. Their back robes spotted a familiar armor like pattern that would be recognized anywhere they went.
These people were the elders of the war machine sect. Their robes billowed in the wind as they landed a few meters from the cave.
"Do you feel that?" a female among them asked. Her voice was quiet, but there was a tightness in it.
All of them felt it as a slow, rhythmic pulse in the earth, like the heartbeat of something impossibly large reverberated through the surroundings.
Another elder, a middle aged man who was the tallest of the group, suddenly let out a small breath as a cold smile appeared on his face.
"It knows we're here."
A spear materialized in his hands as soon as he spoke those words.
No sooner had he said this did a startling change start to occur. The mist below parted like a great wave, revealing black scales that glistened like wet stone. Then, from the depths, the serpent emerged.
It was massive, easily the length of a city wall. Its body thickness seemed to match the height of the tallest of the group.
Its head alone could swallow a man whole. Eyes the color of burning emeralds flickered in the dim light, and its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air.
"Hisssss!!!"
A loud hissing sound reverberated in the surroundings as if the serpent was announcing its presence.
Then it moved.
The attack came faster than any of them expected. The ground exploded beneath the serpent as it struck, its jaws snapping shut inches from one of them.
A man wielding a pair of daggers barely twisted out of the way, rolling to safety as the impact sent shards of stone flying in all directions.
"Damn it!"
The dagger wielding man roared as he quickly picked himself off the ground in order to avoid being struck again.
Seeing it's earlier attack fail, the serpent didn't waste any time and launched another attack.
However, it's opponents were no pushovers. They quickly recovered from the surprise attack and began their counter attack.
The woman who spoke earlier quickly brought out her bow and unleashed a barrage of arrows towards the snake.
Multiple arrows that emitted a frosty chill flew out towards the serpent. As soon as the arrows landed, a burst of ice shot from them slamming into the serpent's side. The frost spread, locking some of its thick scales in place.
"Now!" she shouted.
The spear-wielding man surged forward, driving his weapon toward the frozen patch of scales. The golden tip struck hard, but instead of piercing through, it skidded off, barely leaving a mark.
"Too thick," he gritted out.
The serpent hissed in irritation. Its tail whipped around in a blur, smashing into another member of the group, a broad-shouldered man in heavy armor. He barely had time to cross his arms in defense before the impact sent him flying into the rocks. The sound of metal crunching echoed through the ravine.
"We have to blind it," he called out. "It's too fast otherwise."
The bow wielding woman manifested several arrows made of ice and fired. This time however, her aim wasn't towards its body but now towards its eyes.