Chapter 1073: Part 1: Stone Foxes on the Hunt

Wilderness (Special Base)

Stella used her mental power but didn’t find anything. Night time arrived. Jeremy told Stella to rest. They could resume the mission in the morning.

Stella found him the location of a big shade tree before taking a rest. He then headed to that location. He went through the overgrown vegetation and came to the spot.

The area had a few large shade trees making up a big canopy that covered the sky. First, he looked for footprints of the beasts.

The place was an ideal spot for the corrupted beasts to rest during the daytime. If the beasts were to come at night, he would be exposed.

It didn’t take long for him to spot the footprints. But the size of the footprints was not that big. They could be Tier-5 or Tier-6.

Still, they were not Tier-6 and above. He could rest in this place. Even if Tier-6 beasts were to show up, he could put up a fight.

After gaining some clarity in his thoughts, he went to the big shade tree nearby and carved out a hole in it. He spent a couple of minutes on the process.

Next, he took out the beast-repellent powder and sprayed it around the big shade tree. Not only that, he exited the tree hole and spread it around other trees nearby.

After doing that, he put away the bottle. Next, he collected dry twigs and leaves before settling inside the tree hole. He covered the tree hole entrance with the dry leaves and twigs.

He then closed his eyes and leaned against the tree wall.

[You can go to sleep. I will know when there is a beast nearby.]

Jeremy heard her voice and thanked her. He thought he was going to have his first deep sleep in the wilderness; he was used to being in a half-awake state.

Time passed.

As the night deepened, the corrupted beasts started coming out. They were outside to hunt.

Meanwhile,

The death of the Stone Fox was learned by its members. They could not find their kin. The Stone Fox group decided to search the wilderness.

Among them, there were Tier-4 to Tier-7 Stone Foxes as well. They rarely hunted alone unless they were Tier-6 or Tier-7 beasts.

These beasts could protect themselves. Now that one of them was missing, they suspected the other higher-tier beasts and the Human Beast Tamers.

The group split. A few Tier-7 and Tier-6 beasts were leading groups of Tier-5 and Tier-4 beasts. Some other beasts ventured alone.

As time passed, they searched the core area and the deeper area of the wilderness. Those were the places where food could be found.

If the higher-tier beasts were to leave the core area and enter the inner area, it would alert the Human Beast Tamers.

There was also the possibility of Human Beast Tamers coming into their territory to attack them. Anything was possible. But they still wanted to search the wilderness.

Due to the nighttime, the activity of the corrupted beasts was already high, so the Stone Foxes encountered them.

Some of them already disliked each other, which led to clashes. A fight among higher-tier beasts was no ordinary matter.

The aftermath of their collision reverberated throughout the deeper area. The Human Beast Tamers who were on missions had to hide right away.

They had come here with their teams. They could become easy targets for the corrupted beasts because the aftermath caused disturbances.

The disturbance would cause other beasts to run away from the fighting area. It would eventually expose other Beast Tamers to danger.

The fleeing of the corrupted beasts would become like a small beast tide. Such scenarios were common in the wilderness.

The Beast Tamers had experienced it many times, so they took action to protect themselves.

Meanwhile,

Jeremy Night was in a deep sleep. He forgot that he was sleeping inside a tree hole rather than a cozy bed.

Stella, who was recovering, stopped the process. She felt something was amiss, danger could be nearing them.

She spread her mental power. She did it carefully so as not to alert other beasts; otherwise, their current location could be exposed.

Soon, she assessed the situation. A fight between higher-tier beasts was taking place. She recognized the two beasts: one was a feline Tier-7 beast, and the other was a Tier-7 Stone Fox.

Stella was surprised. She didn’t expect to see a Tier-7 Stone Fox. Usually, the higher-tier beasts were the heads of the fox groups.

She felt something was not right, so she stopped paying attention to the fight. Instead, she spread her mental power to other areas.

It didn’t take long for her to find a fox group. It was a small fox team consisting of Tier-4 and Tier-5 beasts, headed by a Tier-6 beast.

Right now, the Stone Foxes were searching for something. Seeing that, Stella was confused. She thought the mid-tier beasts might just be looking for food.

So she retracted her mental power, but she didn’t give up. She continued to scan other places. Then she found a similar group headed by a Tier-7 beast.

As she continued to monitor the area, she found that some Tier-7 and Tier-6 beasts were actively searching for something.

Stella was smart. She recognized the pattern and understood that the Stone Fox groups might be looking for their missing member. It was also possible for them to sense the death of their kin.

Jeremy Night was currently surrounded by extreme danger. If he decided to explore the wilderness at night, he would come across many beast groups.

If he were to bump into the fox groups, he would be exposed. He had fought and killed the Tier-6 Stone Fox, and the scent of the beast was still lingering on his body. It wouldn’t go away soon.

Right now, their current location is safe. She decided not to alert Jeremy Night. She believed Jeremy would definitely try to go outside, which would land him in danger. So, she made her decision.