60: Chapter 60 What is the terrifying upright ape?

(This chapter was originally intended for tomorrow, but my hand slipped and I posted it accidentally...)

"Bang!"

Dozens of Divine Sea Realm light waves blasted out simultaneously, instantly shattering the flying Yellow Changkong.

But when everyone looked up, Chen Xing's figure was nowhere to be seen; he had already flown away.

Chu Li was about to give chase when she was stopped by Shangguan Xu.

"Don't pursue a cornered foe; catching up to them won't do us any favors. It would only give Zhang Zhiyu a chance, and it wouldn't be good if he stole the two-thousand-point Challenge Beast," he said.

"Let's clear out all the Challenge Beasts first, except for the one in the very center. That way, we won't have to worry about anyone stealing them later," Chang Qinian added.

"They're likely heading for the nearest Challenge Beast as well. Are we just going to let them have it? That would be four thousand points per person," Chu Li frowned.

"No need to be so pessimistic. Old Wu entered long ago; maybe he's also stealing them. We'll go elsewhere to avoid Su Xinghe bringing people over to flank us," Shangguan Xu preferred a steadier approach.

Chu Li's temper had always been fiery, which made her feel a bit frustrated, but after thinking it over, she suppressed her temper and chose to cooperate with her teammates.

Giving up impulsiveness and choosing stability might be a change in itself...

She murmured to herself, thinking of a tall silhouette—a purple-haired girl who stood tall in her world.

...

Chen Xing, Li Baxian, and the others headed deeper into the ruins, stopping to rest for a while on the way before setting off again.

Once they were certain the people from Niliu Academy wouldn't catch up, they began discussing their next move.

"Where's Sister Xing? Have you met her?" Li Baxian asked about Su He's whereabouts.

"Met her once; she came from the Southern Region..." Chen Xing spoke about what happened at the border of the Eastern Region.

"I see. That's not good. I landed in the Northern Region; if she's going to pick up the people from the Northern Region now, it'll be a wasted effort," Li Baxian frowned.

"What?" Chen Xing paused.

Then wouldn't the people who landed in the Western Region be...

"Sigh, bad luck, nothing we can do. Who told us we only have three people?" Li Baxian shook his head helplessly.

"Alright, let's talk about something else. Although the Challenge Beasts in these ruins are strong, their red markers on the map are still red. Do you know what those black-red ones are?" Chen Xing opened the map.

"Not sure. I originally saw that there was one last Challenge Beast in the Eastern Region and chose to rush there, but then I saw the notification that Chu Li had killed it," Li Baxian shook his head.

"Left with no choice, I had to head for the Central Region. On the way, I saw Wu Hang take the lead in killing a Challenge Beast. That's not good, so I found a Challenge Beast before Wu Hang could make his next move. You arrived at the last moment," he recounted his experiences.

"It seems we can't save our brothers in the Western Region. I hope they can break through on their own," Chen Xing's expression was grave.

"Sigh, nothing we can do. Who told us we only have three people? While they have a full four, exactly corresponding to the four regions. I guess Wu Hang landed in the Western Region; the brothers over there are probably all gone," Li Baxian sighed.

"Then there's no other way. We'll have to rely on the remaining people. Let's check the vicinity first," Chen Xing said.

"I'm fast, so I'm perfect for scouting. The rest of you shouldn't come; I might be able to escape situations that you can't," he stood up and locked onto several nearby Challenge Beast areas.

"Be careful," Li Baxian said gravely, then took out a golden bead.

"This is something I custom-made. If you inject Light Element into it, it can resonate with my metal power, allowing us to communicate over long distances. If anything happens, send a signal."

"...Alright." Chen Xing was a bit surprised. Metal element could have this kind of ability? As expected, every S-class Esper has their own unique skill.

"By the way, I just sent someone to deliver a message and left marks along the way. It won't be long before Su He arrives with her people," Chen Xing said, then turned into a flash of light and sped away.

Li Baxian watched him leave. He disappeared in seconds. He couldn't help but marvel, "Every profession has its specialty. The Light System really is faster than us in terms of speed."

Someone came to his side and asked, "Senior Li, where should we go next?"

Li Baxian looked ahead, then behind, and said, "I hope Sister Xing realizes the Northern Region people are gone and follows his marks. As for us, we'll wait here for news."

"Either we wait for a message from Chen Xing, or we wait for Sister Xing to arrive. We'll run into one of them eventually."

...

One hour later.

"Player [Wu Hang] and dozens of students from the same academy have defeated the red Challenge Beast [Bi'an], and all members have gained two thousand points."

Shortly after, Chen Xing sent a message.

The nearest Challenge Beast location was a large volcano, home to the Vermilion Bird among the Divine Beasts, though the simulated version likely wasn't that strong.

Most importantly, Chen Xing had scouted the area, and no one had set foot there.

"Good, let's kill the Vermilion Bird first." Hearing this, Li Baxian stood up.

"Everyone, are you all rested?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go, we'll slay the Vermilion Bird first."

"Are we not waiting for Sister Xing?"

"No. We'll leave marks, and she'll catch up."

"Not waiting?"

"Are you worried about her safety?"

"Uh..."

"..."

It took another hour to travel. After all, they were a group. Fortunately, Chen Xing had scouted the path thoroughly, so they didn't waste much time.

Upon arriving, Chen Xing scouted once more. After confirming no one else was there, Li Baxian led the group into action.

"Roar!"

The Divine Beast Vermilion Bird possessed the legendary Samadhi Divine Fire, capable of melting almost anything in the world, and was even expected to evolve the Nine-Samadhi True Fire.

Of course, this was clearly a nerfed version. Its wingspan was only fifteen meters, and it stood only eight meters tall on its claws.

The group worked together with a clear division of labor: some were responsible for drawing fire, some for long-range damage, and at the very back was a group of Support Classes.

The power of a team was not to be underestimated. Everyone was in the Divine Sea Realm, and they weren't as weak as imagined.

In fact, no one who could make it this far was weak (aside from the Support Classes).

The reason they were willing to hide in the back was entirely because there were two S-class Espers holding the front. With those two there, damage output was guaranteed.

There were also senior students at the eighth or ninth level of the Divine Sea Realm in the group. Their strength was also not to be underestimated; at the very least, they wouldn't be easily suppressed by A-class or B-class users.

"Roar...!"

The Vermilion Bird let out a long cry toward the sky. Facing attacks from all directions, it had nowhere to hide and could only choose to trade injury for injury.

It spat out raging fire, but the members of the Tianhe System changed their formation, joining forces to set up a giant protective shield that blocked the erosion of the flames.

As soon as the fire dispersed, they immediately struck back, giving the Vermilion Bird a deep experience of what a Terror Upright Ape truly was.