Meanwhile, in another part of the outer region, a rather large young man could be seen moving with his group. His muscles glistened with sweat as he smashed his fist into the skull of a magical beast, ending its life.
"As expected of Senior Brother Wyatt."
One of the members of his group quickly spoke while approaching him with a piece of cloth to clean his bloodied hands.
"His strength is truly one of a kind."
Another member chimed in.
"I dare say even Senior Brother Julian and Senior Sister Clara wouldn't want to take on the full brunt of Mr Wyatt's punch."
A third member added while the others nodded their heads vigorously.
Listening to the rain of praises and flattery, Wyatt's expression didn't change much. However, internally, there was a smile on his face.
While he didn't express it outwardly, being praised and having his ego stroked was always a good feeling. Especially when he heard Julian and Clara's names being mentioned.
'Yes, that's correct. I only need a little bit more time before my technique reaches a higher stage. I'll see if that bitch Clara can still run her mouth then.
As for Julian...'
Wyatt thought internally before putting the carcass in his storage ring.
"Let's go."
With those two words, he led his team further into the mountain before their silhouettes disappeared into the mist.
As the various teams of cultivators wandered through the misty mountains, the presence of various powerful individuals started 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, its speed would have made others unable to track its 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 its afterimage behind.
However, the Silver-Winged Tiger was severely injured. It was attacked just after giving birth, which meant that it had just expended 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 realized that after being "chased" through the inner region into the outer region, they finally managed to escape that presence.
They then decided to lie low for a bit in case that being decided to chase them again.
They picked out new territories and soon settled down there.
Without realizing 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 started 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.
"It really is a Black-Scaled serpent!" one of the men exclaimed.
"It's rare to see one of them at this rank, especially-"
Before he could continue his sentence, it moved.