I have an Apocalypse City
Chapter 1053 - Chapter 1053 Chapter 1055 Earth-splitting Beast_1

Chapter 1053: Chapter 1055: Earth-splitting Beast_1 Chapter 1053: Chapter 1055: Earth-splitting Beast_1 After hearing Duo Tuo Luo’s words, Song Jian smiled faintly and said, “We have already made it here, what person could possibly harm us? My guess is nothing more than our commotion disturbing some monsters from outside the Scorching Gorge, and they are now lurking in the shadows.”

Duo Tuo Luo nodded and in a low voice, added, “Brother Song speaks the truth. I’ve been thinking the same, however…” Duo Tuo Luo, looking around warily, continued, “These spying eyes seem to be increasing, and I’m feeling an unease growing inside me. Brother Song may not know this, but my innate talent is beast intuition, allowing me to sense impending dangers…”

Upon hearing Duo Tuo Luo’s words, Song Jian became alert. With his strength, he wasn’t particularly afraid of being encircled by monsters. Even if he ventured deep into the Scorching Gorge, he had his ways to protect himself, let alone at the entrance.

After slightly extending his senses, Song Jian too realized that the monsters surrounding them seemed overly numerous, and rather than attacking, they encircled without moving in–an uncharacteristic behavior for monsters, as if there was a unified command behind them.

“Could it be that someone is behind these monsters, trying to play tricks?” Song Jian furrowed his brows and pondered, but after a moment he dismissed the idea of human interference. By now, the number of monsters encircling them had reached over a hundred, and it seemed that more powerful beings were constantly arriving. If these monsters truly were under someone’s control, no player — and probably not even an NPC adventurer — would possess such strength and control.

“If human involvement is out of the question, then it must be a monster leader…” Song Jian thought to himself, “Could there be a lord-level BOSS around here?”

However, after a bit of thought, Song Jian shook his head. Among the monsters eyeing them, there were already more than a dozen second tier Combat Power lord-level BOSSes. Bosses of the same tier wouldn’t submit to each other, and even if the boss behind them was at third tier Combat Power, it was unlikely to command second tier lords so obediently.

“Dominion level, or King Level?” Song Jian speculated inwardly, but judging by the monsters currently surrounding them, none seemed to be of a rank higher than lord-level. Song Jian guessed that a Dominion-level BOSS might be more likely.

Just as Song Jian was about to speak, from within Scorching Gorge, a sudden howl resonated, sounding like the low growl of a giant beast.

Boom boom boom–

Song Jian felt the ground tremble slightly and was startled, quickly standing up and looking towards the distant Scorching Gorge with a look of shock and confusion.

The others were also stirred, each of them gazing toward the gorge and whispering amongst themselves. Even the Flame Giant Wolves lying down resting stood up alertly, their little triangular ears flickering non-stop as they monitored the movements around them.

Seeing Song Jian’s actions, Duo Tuo Luo waved his hand and chuckled, “Don’t panic, it’s just a howl, nothing serious…”

“Brother Duo, such a terrifying howl could only come from a giant beast, right?” Song Jian said with knitted brows.

“Brother Song is new here, unfamiliar with the environment, which is understandable!” laughed Duo Tuo Luo. “It’s not from any giant beast, but rather caused by the environment inside the Scorching Gorge…”

“The environment?” Song Jian’s frown deepened, and bowing slightly to Duo Tuo Luo, he said, “Please enlighten me, Brother Duo.”

Duo Tuo Luo threw a couple of logs into the campfire and organized his thoughts before speaking, “Do you know how large the Scorching Gorge is?”

“I do not!” Song Jian shook his head.

Duo Tuo Luo sighed and said, “From here the gorge appears to be several kilometers wide, but the deeper you go, the broader and seemingly boundless it gets. It stretches thousands, even tens of thousands of meters and spans over a dozen countries…”

“Inside this vast canyon, the terrain is complex and varied, with not only grasslands, forests, Gobi, swamps, but also deserts, volcanoes, and even lakes!”

“Moreover, this place is filled with tyrannical fire energy. Due to the complex terrain and the constant flame energy, the climate within the canyon is also unpredictable!”

“One second it might be blazing sun in the sky, and the next it could be torrential rain. The most terrifying are the sandstorms. When a sky-darkening sandstorm hits, there’s nowhere to hide…”

“As for the earlier roaring sound, though it seemed to come from a giant beast, it was actually caused by a stone forest at the entrance to Scorching Gorge. The stone pillars have stood tall on the ground for many years, corroded over time. Eroded by wind and sand, scorched by fierce fire, they have become even harder than steel walls. Whenever a strong wind blows through this stone forest, it creates a sound similar to the roar of a giant beast we heard earlier, but it’s actually nothing to worry about…”

Upon hearing Duo Tuo Luo’s explanation, Song Jian relaxed, recalling the recent roar, which though loud, carried no force. It likely wasn’t made by any formidable creature.

Just then, the middle-aged strong man who had been guarding Count Xi Lin’s side suddenly gripped his spear, stood up, and shouted, “Enemies are incoming, be on your guard!”

Everyone was startled, and at that moment, Song Jian also sensed a horde of ferocious monsters rapidly charging toward their campsite.

“That strong man’s perceptive abilities are astonishing…” Song Jian couldn’t help but marvel. He had only sensed the danger when the monsters came within a hundred-meter radius, whereas the strong man had sensed the group of creatures at least five seconds earlier.

As the sky darkened, one shadow after another, resembling brown bears, was rapidly advancing toward them.

Boom boom~

Someone had already launched an attack with impatience. Most of the adventurers arriving were at the peak of second tier, and facing these level 50-60 elite bosses, they were not particularly fearful. As the monsters charged, the remote attacking professionals targeted one after another, launching their skills or other attacks. In no time at all, more than a dozen monsters lay fallen on their route.

But soon, more monsters rushed up, drawing ever closer to the group’s campsite.

Then, someone recognized the beasts launching the surprise attack and shouted in terror, “They’re Earth-splitting Beasts, damn it! We haven’t even entered Scorching Gorge yet. Why are there Earth-splitting Beasts here?”

The first Earth-splitting Beast quickly stormed into the campsite, standing erect with a massive stature of two to three meters tall, its head like that of a wolf, with a slightly curved horn above its brow, and its eyes exuded a ferocious light.

It slammed its palms fiercely toward the ground, and with a “boom,” a crack more than thirty feet long opened in the earth. An adventurer failed to dodge in time and found himself standing over the crack. As the ground split open beneath his feet, his face revealed a look of terror.

Crack~

The fissure in the ground spread, and he was horrifically torn apart by a great force, rending him asunder. Song Jian involuntarily gasped, his complexion changed, and a serious expression appeared in his eyes.

…