Lu Fei shouted, "Quick, return to the rescue center and notify the staff that an earthquake is about to happen here!"
The series of abnormal behaviors from the contracted beasts just now meant that the ground had already begun to shake. His first reaction was that an earthquake was imminent! This was common knowledge for students majoring in animal research.
His companions looked bewildered. They hadn't studied professional knowledge, but seeing Lu Fei run, they instinctively followed.
Tang Ao, panting, was about to ask a question when suddenly, the sky turned pitch black, transforming from day to night in an instant! The surrounding trees swayed violently in the strong wind. The calm river churned up massive waves, resembling a stormy sea. Everything was as if the end of the world had arrived.
Only then did they all understand. Zhou Shuyi, terrified, stumbled and ran to the very front, her short legs moving like spinning wheels. However, Lu Fei's frown deepened. A terrible thought struck him: the impending disaster might be more than just an earthquake!
...
At the command center, alarms blared continuously, and staff members could be seen rushing about. "Immediately notify all trainees to proceed to the nearest rescue center! This trial is temporarily suspended!" Chen Fei, the chief judge of this trial, issued the order. She pressed her hands onto the command console, her eyes fixed on the nine-grid screen before her. The screen showed panicked wild contracted beasts everywhere, mountains collapsing, floods surging in, and cracks appearing in the ground. The entire training ground looked as if it were about to be ravaged by a catastrophe! Several screens had gone blank, indicating that the [Reconnaissance Butterflies] had either been attacked or had fled the scene!
"Could what Teacher said really have happened? Has the Hunter organization found that unknown creature?" Chen Fei mused to herself, a sense of unease washing over her.
Just then, a staff member hurried over, his expression flustered. "President Chen! A large number of Hunter organization members have been found in the training grounds!"
"How many?" Chen Fei turned around abruptly.
"At least several dozen!"
Chen Fei's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but clench her fists. Despite the growing unease, as the chief judge, she had to remain rational. She composed herself and said in a deep voice, "Notify all Beast Masters with flying contracted beasts to transfer the trainees to a safe place!"
"In addition, notify all hired Beast Masters of rank advanced or above to intercept the entry of the Hunters!!"
"This..." The staff member hesitated to speak, then, after a moment of deliberation, voiced his doubts. "President Chen, but doing this would be tantamount to a small-scale war!"
Chen Fei's expression hardened. Just then, her phone rang.
"Teacher!" Chen Fei exclaimed with surprise. "Teacher! Did you see the anomaly in the training grounds? There are a large number of Hunter organization members breaking into the training grounds now, and I've ordered them to be intercepted..." She spoke at an extremely rapid pace, listing her solutions and next steps in one breath.
However, she was interrupted by Fifth River. The voice on the other end of the phone was still calm, as if he were unaware of the anomaly. Standing on a grand canyon, Fifth River spoke indifferently, "Chen Fei, let those small fries come in if they want to. Just ensure the safety of the trainees."
Fifth River's words were like a shot of reassurance, calming Chen Fei's anxious heart. "Teacher, do you already know what's happening?"
Fifth River grunted in affirmation. He looked up towards the opposite side and said plainly, "Huangfu Chenyi has arrived."
Chen Fei's eyes widened, and she almost stumbled. On the other side of the grand canyon, several hundred meters away from Fifth River, stood a silver-haired man in black. The man was spotless, his hair smooth, and his posture upright and crisp, giving an impression of meticulousness.
Huangfu Chenyi gazed towards the abyss, not meeting Fifth River's eyes. He said faintly, "I know you." His voice was not loud but clearly reached Fifth River's ears.
"It is my honor." Fifth River's tone was equally calm.
"Heh, so you are also here to catch me?" Fifth River shook his head, denying Huangfu Chenyi's words.
"I'm not interested in catching you."
"Oh? Then what is your purpose in seeking me out?" A terrifying battle intent erupted from Fifth River, and a smile flickered across his lips. He said earnestly, "To challenge you, and defeat you!"
Huangfu Chenyi chuckled, "Then you will lose miserably." He paused, glancing at the sky where faint white lights were scattered from the dark clouds, but the white light vanished before it reached the ground. Huangfu Chenyi continued, "But I'm not interested in sparring with you right now."
Normally, when an opponent says they don't want to fight, they would retort with something fierce, like "You scoundrel! You can't decide that!" But Fifth River's reply was:
"Then when will you be interested?"
Huangfu Chenyi was also a man of principle. After a moment of thought, he said seriously, "After I capture this star domain contracted beast." Their conversation was rigid and solemn. It was fortunate that Lu Fei wasn't here, or he would have been driven mad; if they wanted to fight, then fight, why all the nonsense!
Fifth River smiled and said confidently, "That won't do. Besides challenging you, I also promised others that I would never let you take away the unknown creature here!"
Huangfu Chenyi chuckled and said no more. The next moment. The faint white light in the sky above began to emit a strange glow. Three beams of light, like divine pillars, poured down, descending to the mortal world. One landed on Huangfu Chenyi. One landed on Fifth River. Huangfu Chenyi couldn't help but glance at Fifth River again. "You have a star domain contracted beast too?"
Fifth River said calmly, "Its bloodline is not pure enough, so I found this place closest to the barrier. I didn't expect to encounter you." Huangfu Chenyi performed his signature clap of his hands.
"Remarkable." He knew that to enter the barrier set up by the star domain contracted beast, one needed a contracted beast with star domain bloodline as a key. Moreover, the purer the bloodline, the greater the chance of entering the barrier. Additionally, being closer to the barrier also increased the chance of entry. What surprised him was that Fifth River also knew this rule, which made him regard the other party with a new appreciation.
The next second, the light pillars slowly disappeared. Simultaneously, both their figures vanished from the canyon. The last beam of light landed in a dense forest.
Along the way, the earth cracked, and the crevices that appeared in the ground were bottomless. Rocks and logs were constantly being hurled from all directions. Lu Fei and his group were running at full speed; the rescue center was just ahead!
However, some people disappeared as they ran...