There was a saying along the lines of how everyone would become friends over a dinner table, even if they were strangers before. That was somewhat true as the team was eating grilled Boulder Boar meat around a fire. They all felt closer after a meal.

Xiang Ning had always thought that he could make the best barbeque in the wilderness, thanks to his system. All he needed was to spend some Fury Points and he would be able to master the technique completely. But Gu Kun was no pushover, either. It was one of the best grilled meat that Xiang Ning had ever tasted.

Still, that wasn’t the most important bit. Everyone realized that Gu Kun wasn’t as stern as he looked. He was just a solemn man. All four of them changed their perspective of Gu Kun after hearing his story.

“You must’ve heard of the story of how I’ve survived in the wilderness for half a year? I was more or less forced to learn this.” Gu Kun chuckled as he munched on a piece of meat.

Everyone nodded. This was written in the information sheet.

“To be frank, I don’t really know how I endured it. It was pretty boring, so I had to find something to entertain myself or I’d have gone crazy.”

The other four were silent. They knew the reason why Gu Kun stayed in the wilderness for half a year was so that he could kill the beast that had killed his wife. He had survived for half a year through grit, determination, and vengeance.

“Gu Kun, could you tell us about your experience in those six months?” Long Xiaoqi wanted to lighten the mood; she was also curious. The wilderness was home to various beasts, herbs, and ores.

Gu Kun ate the last piece of meat and stood up. He surveyed his surroundings again. “Sure, but we need to move now. I’ll talk about it when we have another chance to rest.”

“Aw….” Long Xiaoqi turned to look at Chu Long as she felt embarrassed.

It was a short rest, but the team’s morale was high. Gu Kun made sure everyone was alright throughout their journey and even taught them everything he knew about the wilderness, including the less well-known information.

They walked for two hours before they arrived at a city that had been swallowed by nature. Grass, ivy, and trees had covered the last remnant of the fallen city.

“We’ve arrived at Westwater City.” Gu Kun merely stated as he saw the place. “In the past, the beasts that were found here after this city fell were all Beast Generals.”

Westwater City was the sister city of Hang City and had fallen more than a hundred years ago. It acted as a natural line, and very few Beast Generals would journey past it. It was considered lucky if one were to meet a Beast General before reaching it.

Since the stampede, there was no longer any value in the ruins. The only thing it signified was that, past this fallen city, the journey ahead would be tougher as the beasts they would encounter were all strong.

“We need to get past here without alerting the beasts. The fortress detected an increased number of beasts in the city due to the stampede. If we’re discovered, we’ll be surrounded by thousands of beasts.” Gu Kun held up a pair of binoculars, surveying the area.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Xiang Ning, your perception is leagues above mine. You take the lead and avoid all large groups of beasts.”

Xiang Ning nodded. Their resources were finite, and they needed to conserve as much as they could before arriving at their destination. Who knew how many more beasts they would have to fight? As for his keen perception, everyone knew how strong it was on paper, but they haven’t seen it in real life. Gu Kun also wanted to know how strong it was.

Xiang Ning knew that and was confident in his abilities. His Combat Instinct had grown much more powerful as he advanced into a higher tier.

Westwater City was a large city, considering that it was the sister city of Hang City. Time was limited, and they needed to traverse it before nightfall. Since the city wasn’t their destination, there was no need to travel into the heart of the city; they only needed to walk past the perimeter.

With their current speed, as long as they didn’t encounter many beasts, they would be able to get past it before evening.

Xiang Ning was also someone who had fought in stampedes and entered the deeper parts of the wilderness. However, this was one of the few times he had explored a fallen city. He still treaded carefully. Unlike the open field, if the beasts were to surround them, their options to escape would be limited. The very wall that had kept humanity safe was now their obstacle.

Most beasts had incredible senses of smell. To them, a martial artist’s vitality was like a lamp in the dark. Some of them were even so sensitive that, just like a shark picking up the scent of a single drop of blood in the ocean, they could locate a martial artist from a significant distance. One of the examples was the Pale Moon, a specialized apex hunter.

Even though Xiang Ning was guiding them, Gu Kun was the one that decided which way to go. Xiang Ning still didn’t have the necessary experience. He was confident in running or fighting alone with his ability, but he had teammates now.

At that moment, it seemed like the heavens were watching over them. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew as clouds drifted over the city. It looked like it was going to rain.

“Hmm. To think it's going to rain. It looks like the heavens are watching over us.” Chu Long was smiling.

“This is a good opportunity. It looks like it’ll rain heavily too. We should be able to traverse this city before the sun goes down.”  Yu Qian was smiling as well. The rain would mask their smell, and the sounds of their footsteps.

But before they could even celebrate, Xiang Ning warned, “We need to change our route.”

“What’s wrong?” Gu Kun was puzzled.

“There are many high-tier beasts over there.” He felt a hint of danger from further away. It wasn’t a very strong sense of danger, but it would bring them a lot of trouble in this city.

They were currently on the eighth floor of a building and there was a single steel wire that would allow them to cross to the other building.

“Are you sure?” Gu Kun wanted to confirm one more time.

Xiang Ning nodded with certainty. Gu Kun thought about it and instructed everyone to cross the steel wire.

All five of them did so without hesitation. When they saw the other side of the building, their expressions stiffened.

But they were not the only ones in this city. Ten other pairs of eyes had seen them crossing the wire.

Of course the Seven Deadly Sins would be there