Along the path winding down the mountainside, Tang Yu walked with extreme caution. This area was already beyond the territory's monitoring range, and from time to time, demonized beasts would suddenly leap out... only to be smashed into pulp by Number One.
In front of the hotel was an open space, which had previously been occupied by numerous temporary sheds taking up most of the square. But now, these sheds had all collapsed.
Number One killed the demonized beasts attracted by the noise, while Tang Yu followed behind, slicing open the heads of the dead beasts to see if there were any Source Crystals inside.
Soon enough, a few shiny Source Crystal Stones were in his hand.
"It always feels like hunting beasts yields more Source Crystals than searching the homes of those Awakeners. It's hard to believe those Awakeners are so poor. A whole villa district of Awakeners only contributes a little over a hundred units of Source Crystals. How tragic."
After clearing the surrounding demonized beasts, Tang Yu instructed Number One while following closely behind, entering the hotel.
Suddenly, a shadow from the ceiling attacked. Before he could make sense of it, he heard a loud bang, accompanied by intense vibrations. As the dust gradually settled, before him lay the unrecognizable corpse of a demonized beast, reduced to pulp.
Tang Yu swallowed his saliva.
He couldn't tell if he was more intimidated by the demonized beast or by Number One's violent actions... But, Number One, if you keep smashing things , won't you end up demolishing the whole building?
While thinking this, suddenly, Number One gripped the long spear with both hands, the spear tip slanted upward, faintly pointing into the distance.
Tang Yu became vigilant too.
This was Number One's defensive stance, indicating full preparedness for imminent danger! Even back then, when facing those three obviously formidable demonized beasts, Number One had held back some strength.
Following the direction of Number One's vigilance, soon, a red silhouette rapidly enlarged in his vision.
Inside the cold storage.
The survivors were breathing heavily, having narrowly escaped with their lives.
"Are... are we saved?"
"Let's get out of here quickly!"
"But what if that demonized beast is still out—"
Another loud bang occurred, more intense this time, like a demolition crew working upstairs. Some survivors staggered and fell to the ground.
This uproar was only the beginning, with continuous crashing and roaring sounds. The survivors' faces turned pale as they felt the ground shake, fearing the hotel might collapse at any moment.
What on earth is going on?
What should they do now?
The survivors didn't understand.
Chen Haiping's face was heavy, with a faint suspicion in his heart, though he found it hard to believe.
The tremor didn't last long and quickly subsided.
A few survivors exchanged anxious glances. Those who wanted to leave earlier now found themselves unable to speak, fearing the return of the demonized beast.
At this moment, there were noises at the already breached entrance, and the survivors held their breath, eyes wide open.
Blue and red lights interwove, causing the walls to collapse and the ground to crack wherever they passed.
Tang Yu watched the battlefield intently, preparing to remotely direct Number Two to assist. Suddenly, he noticed the blue light gaining the upper hand. Although he couldn't clearly see the movements, the blood scattered on the ground told him the demonized beast was wounded!
As a combat-specialized advanced Puppet, Number One had an extremely high combat instinct. Seizing the opportunity, the spear tip began to spin violently, instantly seeming to freeze the surrounding air. The wind was stirred up, smoke and dust swirling, resembling a small tornado.
The next moment, the wind stopped.
Number One retracted the spear, with the crimson demonized beast lying on the ground, a hole on its forehead, bright red blood gushing out.
"Finally, it's over."
Tang Yu looked at the chaotic scene, the hotel now punctured with several breaches and likely a hazardous structure, and let out a sigh of relief.
This crimson demonized beast was the strongest he had ever encountered. Fortunately, Number One was reliable. Tang Yu realized this demonized beast wasn't much inferior to Number One in strength and speed, but Number One's Puppet attributes, with its godly defense and endurance, clearly overwhelmed the crimson demonized beast.
Walking down the corridor, Tang Yu arrived at the underground cold storage, originally the Sanctuary's food storage facility.
At this time, the cold storage door was destroyed, and the pile of debris behind the door was like trash, torn to pieces.
In the dim light, Tang Yu heard heavy breathing.
They were alive, survivors!
Tang Yu instantly froze for a moment.
"It's humans, not demonized beasts!"
The survivors, upon discovering the newcomers, breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Haiping observed more closely. One was a young man in clean casual attire, while the other was fully clad in armor, face obscured, but with armor stained in blood.
He initially suspected that the commotion above was due to someone fighting the demonized beast. Seeing these two, his first reaction was that someone had dealt with the terrifying demonized beast—although the notion seemed far-fetched to him. For such a terrifying demonized beast, heavy weaponry seemed necessary. But, given the current circumstances, this was the likeliest scenario.
However, seeing these two, Chen Haiping began to doubt his theory.
Neither the cleanly dressed young man nor the blood-stained warrior emitted any aura of an Awakener. Without being Awakeners or using heavy weaponry, he couldn't believe these two could confront such a terrifying demonized beast.
Did the demonized beast inadvertently leave without encountering them?
He voiced his doubts.
Tang Yu, hearing the question, furrowed his brows, "Terrifying demonized beast? Are you referring to the one outside? Of course, it's dead."
The other ordinary survivors gasped, then burst with uncontrollable joy.
Chen Haiping dashed out of the cold storage to the ground floor, initially still cautious, but as he reached the main hall, he saw the crimson demonized beast, its body full of wounds, lifeless.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The armored mystery warrior, carrying a spear stained with blood, matched the demonized beast's fatal wound on the forehead!
"Could it really be them who killed it?"
Observing the chaotic scene, with the main hall's floor cracked, walls collapsed, Chen Haiping realized the hotel would have collapsed if not for the supporting columns. The intense vibrations made sense now. The crimson demonized beast's strength was beyond his expectations, but those who killed it must be even mightier!
He no longer considered Tang Yu and the other as ordinary people—ordinary individuals could never possess such power!
Chen Haiping knew that the strength of Awakeners had distinct tiers.
More precisely, Awakeners would have a significant physical boost upon reaching a certain threshold by absorbing and refining soul power. Among the original Sanctuary's Awakeners, he was considered upper-middle, yet he remained a First Layer Awakener.
This meant, despite being stronger than average Awakeners, he hadn't hit the critical point. He knew the Sanctuary's most formidable individual had already breached the second threshold, reaching the third Awakening layer.
Across the Sanctuary, or even from what he had heard, only one had achieved the third layer. That person perished in the Demon Tide, but Chen Haiping had witnessed the destruction caused by their actions, which wasn't even this severe.
So, were these two much stronger Awakeners?
Chen Haiping was startled by his own deduction, but it was the only explanation that made sense. Due to the vast power difference, he couldn't detect Awakener auras from them, mistaking them for ordinary people.
Furthermore, unless someone was a super-strong individual, how could that young man's clothes remain spotless? Only a super powerhouse could roam the wilderness unsoiled.
It had to be this way!