"Huff-chuff—"

"Huff-chuff—"

On the outskirts of the bamboo forest, the sound of hard objects digging into the earth and heavy breathing could be heard.

Looking over, there was a pangolin with scales all over its body emitting an earthy yellow glow, surrounded by an earthy yellow wave, diligently digging lumps of soil out.

It dug for a long time.

And a winding cave appeared.

The depth and seclusion of the cave were just enough for it to hide in comfortably without being disturbed by external enemies.

"Alright, this cave is also good enough for me to go into closed cultivation. It’s deep enough that even if a demon beast walks over it, there wouldn’t be any impact below."

The cave where it previously cultivated in seclusion was destroyed, so the pangolin had to venture to the edge of the Great Mountain’s depths to dig a ground cave, ready to go inside for closed cultivation.

Then, the pangolin jumped in, a stream of yellow Spiritual Qi spread from the pit, restoring the surrounding soil to its former state, with no difference from before.

Just as the pangolin was about to close its eyes to start its cultivation, tremors came from the ground, and dirt kept falling from the newly dug pit above.

"What’s going on? I haven’t even closed my eyes yet?!"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

At this time, four fierce auras transmitted from above the pit. The naturally timid and trouble-averse pangolin quietly stilled, sensing the auras it could not resist.

Listening to the sounds, it was clear that these four auras had come right over it; these auras were stronger than it could handle, so it decided to wait until they passed by.

"So cold!"

The pangolin, originally waiting quietly for the four auras to pass over, suddenly felt an icy aura, as if from the Underworld, seeping through the yellow soil into its pit. In an instant, the temperature in the small pit plummeted. Even the top of the pit began to condense fine droplets of water, and it seemed it wouldn’t be long before the pit started to freeze.

Its whole body curled up, trembling uncontrollably, its eyes filled with fear, its bloodline deeply afraid of this suddenly appearing powerful aura.

It’s known that though the pangolin’s combat power is low, its defense is unmatched within the whole Great Mountain, not even the White Ape might be able to break its defense.

Yet, even it could not resist this incredibly chilling aura; this meant that whoever owned this aura was stronger than the White Ape.

"Why are so many demon beasts suddenly appearing in the Great Mountain? And each one is terrifyingly strong? Could it be that the Great Mountain is about to change?"

The pangolin thought fearfully, its body still trembling involuntarily, while threads of yellow Spiritual Qi emanated from within, clinging to the top of the pit to strengthen it, aiming to prevent the soil and water above from falling.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"

From the small pit, suddenly came sounds, and the pangolin looked closely, only to see the Spiritual Qi it had attached to the pit top dissipated instantly, and the soil above, unable to withstand, began to fall incessantly.

"Boom—"

Then, a powerful stomp came from directly above the pit, causing the already thin yellow soil to cave in instantly. The newly dug pit meant for closed cultivation collapsed at that moment, burying the pangolin entirely beneath, not daring to make any sound.

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

"Boom—"

...

The footsteps from above gradually distanced, eventually disappearing completely, but the piercing coldness lingered, as if it had etched into the bones.

Upon hearing the sound from above vanish entirely, a tiny head emerged from the collapsed yellow soil, eyes sharp and intelligent.

The pangolin shook off the yellow soil on its body, gazing at the retreating figures, the fear in its eyes yet to dissipate.

In the distance, four figures, each at least three meters tall, were carrying a palanquin with a massive demon beast lying on it. The bone-chilling cold and fear just now emanated from the beast on the palanquin.

"Those... aren’t they the four demon beasts that cut down my sunshade tree earlier today?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The pangolin instantly recognized the backs of those carrying beasts—they were the very culprits that drove it to the edge of the bamboo forest, and yet, after so little time, its freshly dug home was destroyed by them again.

But that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was.

The four demon beasts, each capable of rivaling the White Ape, were actually carrying a palanquin!

The palanquin was entirely tawny, with a tiger’s head, fangs, and tiger eyes at the front, and a long tiger tail at the back, resembling a Tiger Demon.

Who was the beast lying in the palanquin, capable of having four demon beasts fit to be tribe leaders carry it?

Just how terrifying was that demon beast’s cultivation?

"The demon beast in the palanquin probably has the power to sweep across the entire Great Mountain, right?"

The pangolin swallowed, muttering to itself.

The events of today had utterly shattered its worldview. Given its current defensive abilities, it might not be as safe as it used to be.

"It seems there will be major changes in the Great Mountain soon. I should focus on closed cultivation for now, and only come out once this period is over, or else, I might die without knowing how."

The pangolin, who had just prided itself on its unassailable defense in the mountain, cowered at the sight of the demon beast on the palanquin.

Immediately it set off to find another location for closed cultivation.