"It's failed?!"
Everyone's expressions turned grim. They turned to look, their hearts sinking like stones.
Could something have truly gone wrong?
"There's a problem!"
Chen Shu's brow furrowed. The rabbit already bore over a hundred spatial imprints, yet it hadn't successfully left.
"Don't panic!"
Lao Hei's gaze was calm. "Lao Jin has already confirmed there are no living creatures here. It might be due to the altar's special properties!"
Upon hearing this, everyone relaxed slightly.
After all, this was the Beast Emperor's territory; some special properties were to be expected, and altars were inherently unusual.
"Let's proceed cautiously on foot!"
Lao Hei surveyed the surroundings. "Lao Jin, your reconnaissance and survival skills are the strongest, so take the lead. I'll be in the middle to cover both front and rear, and Thirteen will bring up the rear!"
Logically, Lao Hei, with his superior strength, should have been at the forefront.
However, Lao Jin did not object and led the purplish-gold rat to the front.
Chen Shu and Yang Buren had no objections either. At least they were positioned in the middle, giving them time to react if a crisis arose.
With no dissent, the group quickly fell into formation, with Dali naturally staying by Chen Shu's side.
Just then, their expressions shifted once more.
Black mist suddenly billowed up around them. It felt as if unseen beings were lurking within, intensifying their unease.
"Be careful, there's a problem!"
Chen Shu moved to Dali's side, already clutching a Berserk Potion.
While the spatial rabbit was usually unable to leave, it could with medication. Over a thousand spatial imprints would be enough to break most restraints.
As for the others... Chen Shu wasn't familiar with them.
"Don't hold back anymore, or you might be the next to face trouble!"
Lao Hei issued a warning, then summoned three King-tier contract spirits to guard the flanks of the group.
Thirteen still had no contract spirits by her side, but her demeanor was calm, indicating she was prepared.
The group began to advance cautiously,
Yang Buren, positioned fourth, looked visibly frightened, his eyes darting around.
Despite his King-tier, two-star strength, the thought of legendary creatures still unnerved him, revealing a slight weakness in his mental fortitude.
"Could it be the Beast Emperor..."
Chen Shu's gaze swept across the surrounding black mist, which exuded an aura of death, unsettling the mind.
As they advanced a few hundred meters, a sudden shock occurred!
Roar!
A terrifying roar erupted from the mist, echoing throughout the entire territory.
Everyone's bodies trembled. They hadn't expected there to be actual creatures!
"Don't panic!"
Lao Hei's expression was grave. He asked, "Lao Jin, what's the situation?"
"I didn't detect any creature's presence..."
Lao Jin swallowed hard. "Even a King-tier, three-star creature couldn't evade Little Mouse's detection, unless it's..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the others understood.
They seemed to have fallen into an ambush...
"Brother, are we going to be alright?"
Yang Buren looked towards Lao Hei ahead, his eyes filled with unease and fear.
"If it were truly a Death Heaven Knight, it would have attacked by now. It wouldn't wait until this moment!"
Lao Hei calmly analyzed. "Stay focused, watch the black mist around us, and don't let your guard down even for a moment!"
Instantly, everyone summoned their contract spirits and stood guard on the flanks, anticipating attacks from the black mist.
"Something feels off..."
Chen Shu's brow furrowed in thought.
He hadn't summoned his other contract spirits. The spatial rabbit alone was sufficient. His other contract spirits would be too cumbersome against a legendary creature.
At this moment, the black mist around them fell silent again, as if the previous roar had been a mere illusion.
The group cautiously advanced another three hundred meters.
But just then, the black mist surged again, and a world-shattering roar sounded, as if a creature was about to burst forth.
Yang Buren's body stiffened, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Instinctively, he ordered his contract spirits on either side to unleash skills, preparing for an assault from the black mist.
The next second, an anomaly occurred.
But it didn't come from the black mist on their sides. It came from within their own team!
Thirteen, at the back of the group, suddenly turned cold.
A black lizard tail appeared beside her and shot towards Yang Buren's body!
There was no skill fluctuation, just a plain physical attack, but a human body couldn't withstand it.
Even more shocking was that,
Almost simultaneously, Chen Shu also made his move!
The spatial rabbit, holding a giant carrot, slammed it forcefully towards Lao Jin's head. Again, to maintain stealth, it was a simple physical attack.
Bang! Bang!
Two screams rang out simultaneously, both filled with shock and venom, completely unprepared for the turn of events.
Yang Buren's head was pierced by the lizard tail, blood gushing out gruesomely.
However, he didn't die immediately.
A King-tier's vitality allowed him to cling to life by a thread. But with another twitch of the lizard tail, his head would be crushed, leaving no trace of life.
Under normal circumstances, he would have reacted to the surprise attack.
But in that crucial moment, both he and his contract spirit were captivated by the unknown creatures in the black mist, never expecting Thirteen to suddenly strike.
"Why... why..."
Yang Buren's eyes were filled with terror as he felt his life force draining away.
"Why?"
At this moment, Thirteen moved past Yang Buren, her gaze fixed on Chen Shu ahead.
Not just her, but Lao Hei also looked at Chen Shu. This guy's actions were truly unexpected, something no one had foreseen.
At that moment, Lao Jin's head shattered, turning him into a headless corpse. His contract spirit also perished alongside him.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Shu commanded the spatial rabbit to retrieve Lao Jin's contract spirit corpse. Grinning, he said,
"Didn't we already agree on this?"
"..."
Screech!
The lizard tail in Yang Buren's head flicked, instantly killing him!
The next second, his contract spirit, also dead, was forcibly retrieved by Chen Shu.
Lao Hei and Thirteen's expressions flickered with anger, but they quickly calmed.
"You figured it out?"
Lao Hei's brow furrowed, his eyes filled with confusion. He genuinely couldn't understand Chen Shu.
In fact, he had known Thirteen and Lao Jin for a long time, and they had engaged in many illicit activities together, including murder and robbery.
This time, their intended prey was Chen Shu and Yang Buren!
Of course, the resources within the "Death Altar" were also something they desired.
According to their plan, they would use the unknown creatures in the black mist to distract the two, then Thirteen would assassinate Yang Buren, while Lao Hei would instantly kill Chen Shu.
Even King-tiers would experience unknown fear towards legendary creatures and would not remain calm.
Yang Buren was a perfect example. Their plan seemed flawless.
Their previous oath of brotherhood was also a tactic to make the two relax their guard.
However, what no one expected was that Chen Shu, this fellow, would deviate from the script and directly kill Lao Jin in a frenzy.
The entire script had been thrown into disarray!