Finley projected his soul voice in the direction of the mist.
He waited. There was no reply.
Suddenly, there was an enormous boom.
Instantly, the foggy space began collapsing rapidly, as though the world itself was being crushed and destroyed.
Finley's expression changed. He felt as though his own soul was also about to collapse.
"What's happening?"
He gasped for breath. 'Wow, ' he thought to himself, as his soul quickly retreated from the space.
He had not expected that.
Darren noticed the panic on his face and asked, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Nothing..." said Finley. His face was still pale.
"Finley, stop playing tricks. Are you doing this because you want me to notice you? Don't even think about it," said Lindsay with a short laugh. Lindsay seemed to be reading his mind.
This time, Finley did not bother to explain. He smiled blandly and said nothing.
Lindsay felt strange about being ignored by Finley, but she didn't know why.
Her brows drew together. 'So he's not even refuting my words. Is he angry?' She sighed and began moving forward. The others followed behind her. 'Forget it. Anyway, it doesn't matter if he's angry, because I don't have any feelings for him at all.'
They had been walking for a while when Lindsay finally halted. She lifted a hand, beckoning everyone to stop moving.
Jeremy was feeling faint, frightened by the strong aura. This must mean they were close.
Everyone began using their god's sense to probe their surroundings.
Murphy was the first to detect the aura of something alive. It came from about a hundred kilometers away.
"Someone's coming," he told the others.
"Master Murphy, could you see it clearly?" asked Darren.
Murphy shook his head. "I can't see it clearly. It's foggy."
Darren looked thoughtful. "It's likely to be the Archean Beast. Should we retreat now, or go and check it out?" Darren's question was met with silence.
No one wanted to answer him.
They all knew that if it was truly the Archean Beast, it was extremely likely that they would get killed if they confronted it.
Finally, Lindsay spoke. "In my opinion, we'd better retreat," she said.
No one looked enthusiastic about Lindsay's suggestion, either. Although they were afraid, they were also intensely curious about the power of the Archean Beast.
Murphy suddenly spoke again, his voice harsh with urgency. "It's too late! It's moving more quickly than I anticipated. Everybody, run! It's coming!" His face was grim and anxious.
They could hear the faint sound of trees collapsing in the distance, then another crash of trees, much nearer this time, as though something huge was rampaging through the forest.
Even as Darren and the others started to flee, they realized it was too late. Something very powerful was approaching. They could not outrun it.
Murphy grimaced and stepped forward. He motioned for the others to step behind him, so he could protect them as best as he could.
A voice sounded near them. "Why are you running around? I thought I had found the target."
It was a middle-aged man in a cyan robe.
Darren and the others were relieved to see that it had been a human coming towards them.
"I am Murphy You, a disciple of the Starry Sword Sect. May I know who you are?" Murphy asked the stranger politely. He bowed a little, to show that he was not hostile.
But the stranger did not look pleased about encountering them. "No questions. Leave me alone. I'm looking for treasure," the man said coldly.
"Are you looking for the Archean Beast? We thought we felt its aura, so we came to take a look," Darren said. He did not want to give up on their search, not at this point.
"Are you sure you sensed its aura?" the man asked doubtfully. He added, "You're all so weak! How do you even know that there is an Archean Beast here?"
"It was the law enforcers of the Ninth Precipitous Mountain who told us. Those idiots were heading in the opposite direction," said Lindsay.
"So you really can sense its aura?" asked the man.
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