Lightning streaked across the sky; Ling Yangxu reappeared a few thousands of miles away. His face was bloodless.

What was that?

His gaze was filled with doubt as he wondered what attacked him.

“What a huge hand!”

“What’s that?”

“Oh my god, is that a high-tier imperial star beast?”

“There are some of them in the forbidden zones, but candidates normally prefer to stay clear of them. Ling Yangxu is quite unlucky.”

“Sigh, he did it to get rid of Wang Teng. If not, he wouldn’t have been as reckless.”

“That’s right, it’s Wang Teng’s fault.”

“Wang Teng: Blame me then.”

“No one expected that terrifying star beast to be hibernating below an ordinary-looking mountain.”

“That’s right, Ling Yangxu is under huge pressure but he’s still careful. He was just unlucky.”

“He must be possessed by the God of misfortune!”

“I am the God of misfortune. Pay me or I’ll make you unlucky!”

“I’m so scared~”

…

The spectators on the live chat platform were stunned by the sudden development. They gawked at the huge pair of hands in terror, while trying to decipher what it was.

What kind of hands are they?

The hands were creased and weathered, with lines etched deep into the skin. They were rough and massive; black soil was embedded within those lines. They looked like the hands of a laborer.

Yes, that was an appropriate analogy.

However, those hands were rougher. They didn’t look like the hands of a human.

Of course not. What human would have such big hands?

On the Great Qian Academy’s spacecraft—Pei Tianzhou’s pupils constricted a little as he stared at the massive limbs. He blinked and observed them closely, trying to ascertain what creature it was.

“A high-tier imperial star beast?” Bao Dewen’s expression changed a bit. His heart almost leaped out of his chest when he saw Ling Yangxu being slapped. Fortunately, the fellow managed to escape and his injuries weren’t serious.

“Why did Yangxu run into this guy?” Qi Yunxia furrowed his brow. No one was able to stay calm in the current situation. The young warrior was seriously unlucky.

On the Cavendish spacecraft—Borla and the others also became serious as they stared at the large pair of hands.

Di Qi hesitated. This should be a high-tier imperial star beast, right?”

“Based on the Force fluctuation released, it should be so.” Borla nodded.

“Brother Wang Teng is there too. Will he be alright?” Olivia asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry. A creature of that level is incapable of threatening his life.” Di Qi smiled and heaved a sigh of relief.

Letitia, who was about to comfort Olivia, turned and stared at Di Qi in surprise.

The creature was as strong as a heaven stage warrior, but somehow, Di Qi felt relieved after hearing their assessment.

Was it her imagination?

Or did they have some misunderstanding about high-tier imperial star beasts?

“I’ve heard about Wang Teng’s achievements, but this is just his clone. Aren’t you being a little overly confident in him?” said Dubois, the universe stage warrior.

“Fourth grandfather, you don’t know how many unexpected moves Wang Teng has. It might be just one of his clones, but I have absolute confidence in him.” Di Qi smiled.

The expert gave him a strange gaze before going back to watching the broadcast.

At the same time, the eight dukes of the big families, the formidable warriors from the imperial family, and the bosses of the various factions had all their attention in Zone 2 as well.

A high-tier imperial-level star beast!

That was the first high-level creature to appear during the League of Talents, an extremely powerful lightning-element star beast.

Based on its destructive force, one could tell it wouldn’t be easy to deal with!

On Yuming Planet.

Wu Xingyun, Old Han, and the others were worried. They couldn’t tell what level the creature was at but they could see it was powerful.

Wang Teng was present at the scene and quite close to the monster, so they wondered if he could remain unscathed.

On the Battle Hearth Mercenary Team’s spacecraft—Lin Chuhan clenched her fists tightly, while staring intently at the young figure on screen.

Isah noticed her reaction, but there were too many screens and a vast number of warriors displayed, so he didn’t know who she was looking at. He wondered who she was worried about.

He remembered her violent reaction when he spoke badly about Wang Teng.

A bad feeling rose in his heart, while inadvertently tightening his fists.

…

In Zone 2—Wang Teng stared to a place ahead of him with an impassive face. One could only see his gaze flickering a little.

The ground shook while the mountain gradually pulled itself up from the ground. The surrounding forest rose slowly too, as if it were also part of the star beast’s body.

The ground convulsed under their feet. Soon, a giant stooping figure emerged in front of the crowd.

Once the giant figure stood up, he was taller than the mountains.

However, he was hunched; the mountain and the forest on his back seemed to have bent his spine.

The giant was hideous, with fangs and… balding. Thick yet sparse hair vines drooped down his head. His arms were so long they reached his knees.

Actually, when the arms were fully stretched, they could reach the ground.

He was looking at Wang Teng and Ling Yangxu with his murky and purple eyes.

The gaze was filled with cruelty and madness, seemingly devoid of any conscience. And yet, one could sense the immense pressure released through his pupils.

This contradictory feeling was filling up his eyes, making him unique and bizarre.

The star beasts roaming the Battle Planet were powerful, but there was a flaw: they rarely had any intelligence. Most acted on instinct and remained wild.

This applied also to mid-tier imperial star beasts. The candidates killed many creatures, but none of them were sentient.

That was why the Great Qian Empire chose the Battle Planet to host the League of Talents.

Those star beasts would be troublesome for the empire if they left the Battle Planet.

Holding the event there would also serve to remove star beasts regularly and get rid of the trouble. What a great way to kill two birds with one stone!

Pei Tianzhou’s expression changed a bit as he called out the name of the behemoth.

“A Great Lightning Monster!”

“The Great Lightning Monster?” Bao Dewen and the others had never heard of such a creature. They turned and stared at the president in surprise.

Pei Tianzhou ignored their reaction and muttered to himself in disbelief, “How can there be a Great Lightning Monster on the Battle Planet?”

“President, what is this creature?” Qi Yunxia asked curiously.

Pei Tianzhou regained his composure after hearing the question. He slowly replied, “The Great Lightning Monster is a unique presence living in the depths of the universe. You can consider it a… star beast.”

He paused for a second when he said ‘star beast’, as if the two words were inappropriate. But, since people had always categorized it as a beast, he reluctantly used the term.

Pei Tianzhou continued, “It is said that the Great Lightning Monster carries the bloodline of an ancient race, but it isn’t pure. That’s why it’s a half-human, half-beast; a bit like a subhuman species but lacking intelligence. They act like wild beasts.”

“An ancient bloodline!” Bao Dewen was astounded.

Everyone glanced at the ancient battlecrafts of the Seven Stellar Academies. There were ancient runes carved on each. If anyone was familiar with the ancient races, it would be them.

Would the Great Lightning Monster attract their attention?

“President, is this creature uncommon?” Qi Yunxia asked curiously.

“That’s right, they are rare indeed. They’re scattered across the universe, and will instinctively choose a planet suitable for their cultivation. Then, they go into hibernation and gradually raise their abilities,” Pei Tianzhou explained. He shook his head and lamented, “I didn’t expect to find one hibernating here.”

“It must be powerful if it has the bloodline of an ancient race!” Bao Dewen suddenly caught the crux of the matter.

“Correct. The Great Lightning Monster’s ability is terrifying. You can say it’s invincible among star beasts of the same level. Its comparable to a universe behemoth.” Pei Tianzhou became grim. He sounded a little emotional as he continued, “Aside from universe behemoths, nothing can go against it.”

“Gasp, comparable to universe behemoths?” Bao Dewen inhaled a mouthful of cold air due to shock. He gave Ling Yangxu a worried look, his forehead with a deep crease. “Yangxu…”

Pei Tianzhou frowned and replied, “Don’t worry. As long as he admits defeat, he’ll be saved.”

…

At the same time—many experienced and knowledgeable warriors recognized the monster. There was a tumultuous uproar.

Even the heaven stage and universe stage martial warriors were astounded by what they saw, finding it unbelievable.

The audience went crazy on the live chat platform. All of them were guessing what the giant monster was.

Most were low-ranked warriors, so they didn’t know about the Great Lightning Monster’s existence. Fortunately, there was always someone who could explain to them.

“Oh my god, that’s a very big… very big fellow!”

“What is that?”

“My mom asked me why I’m watching the live broadcast lying down. That’s because the monster is too big. I have to lie down to see it.”

“Gosh, how creative!”

“A Great Lightning Monster! That’s a Great Lightning Monster!”

“What’s a Great Lightning Monster??”

“It’s a rare monster that possesses a small bloodline portion of an ancient race. They’re extremely powerful… Nevermind, it’s too hard to explain. Take a look yourselves [jpeg] [jepg].”

“The picture looks the same! Oh my, you’re amazing. How do you know something so obscure?”

“A monster with an ancient bloodline? I didn’t know such special creatures existed in the universe. The world is vast indeed.”

“I’ve learned new things today!”

“Will Wang Teng and Ling Yangxu be in danger?”

“Danger! Danger! Danger!”

“Danger! Danger! Danger!”

…

The word ‘danger’ started to flood the chat after everyone understood what the Great Lightning Monster was. All of them felt anxious for Wang Teng and Ling Yangxu’s safety.