Spiritual light flared from the talismans.
Thin streams of energy rose into the air, carrying urgent messages back toward the sect.
The disciples stood tense while waiting, constantly glancing back toward the forest behind them as though expecting something invisible to emerge at any second.
One disciple's hands still trembled while gripping the talisman.
"...Please respond..."
The silence did not last long.
A ripple spread across the communication seal before a voice echoed outward.
Cold.
Authoritative.
"Report."
The disciples immediately straightened.
Fear returned to their expressions instantly.
The disciple holding the talisman swallowed before speaking quickly.
"Senior Brother Liang is dead."
Silence answered him.
Then the voice sharpened slightly.
"Explain."
The disciples spoke over one another at first, panic disrupting their words.
Invisible attacks.
No detectable aura.
Instant death.
The unknown beast.
The voice on the other side remained silent throughout the explanation, listening carefully without interruption.
Then finally—
"You confirmed the beast is Golden Core?"
The disciples hesitated briefly.
Technically, none of them had seen the beast directly.
But one answered firmly anyway.
"Yes."
"There's no way a Foundation Establishment beast could do that."
Another added quickly.
"He was killed instantly."
Another pause followed.
"A mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator killed before he could even react?"
"...Yes, Elder."
"It ordered us to leave."
The atmosphere around the talisman shifted subtly after those words.
Even the disciples felt it.
When the elder finally spoke again, his voice had become calmer.
Colder.
"Return immediately."
"Do not re-enter the forest."
A brief pause followed before he continued.
"This matter will be handled personally by the sect."
The connection severed immediately afterward.
The disciples exhaled heavily almost in unison.
Relief mixed with lingering fear.
One muttered quietly beneath his breath.
"Handled personally..."
That could only mean one thing.
Golden Core elders.
Possibly multiple.
Because the sect would never allow a hidden Golden Core demonic beast to roam freely near its territory.
Especially not one intelligent enough to remain unseen.
High above the clouds, the invisible **Lizard** listened calmly.
Every word reached him clearly through sharpened senses.
His golden eyes flickered faintly.
The disciples had done exactly what he expected.
Now the sect itself would respond.
Stronger prey.
Denser spiritual energy.
More evolution points.
The lizard drifted soundlessly through the sky, and somewhere beneath that calm exterior, the quiet hunger within him stirred once again.
The disciples departed quickly afterward.
None dared linger near the forest longer than necessary.
Their figures disappeared down the mountain road, rushing back toward sect territory with fear hanging heavily over them.
Silence returned once more.
Only the wind moved through the trees below.
And high above, the invisible **Lizard** drifted soundlessly within the clouds.
Watching.
Waiting.
His concealment blended perfectly with the shifting sky itself.
No presence leaked outward.
No spiritual fluctuations escaped him.
The pouch and talisman hanging from his neck shifted lightly in the wind as his thoughts turned inward once more.
Golden Core elders.
That changed things slightly.
Foundation Establishment cultivators were manageable.
Predictable.
But Golden Core cultivators—especially sect elders—would not be careless.
They would possess stronger spiritual senses.
Better techniques.
Likely detection artifacts.
Possibly formations.
The lizard's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Not dangerous enough to concern him yet.
But no longer trivial either.
The endless forest stretched beneath him as time slowly passed.
Then, faintly, he sensed movement.
Far away.
Not one presence.
Several.
Fast.
Organized.
Unlike the wandering disciples from earlier.
These moved with purpose.
The lizard slowed slightly midair, his perception extending outward carefully.
Three stronger signatures.
Peak Foundation Establishment.
And one presence deeper than the others.
Heavier.
Stable in a way the others were not.
Golden Core.
The elder had arrived quickly.
The lizard hovered motionlessly within the clouds, watching the approaching figures from afar.
The Golden Core cultivator led the group calmly.
Dark silver robes shifted lightly in the wind around him, long sleeves flowing as restrained spiritual pressure surrounded his body.
Dense.
Controlled.
Far beyond the disciples from before.
The others followed several paces behind him, maintaining respectful distance instinctively.
The elder's eyes swept sharply across the forest below.
Observing.
Searching.
And unlike the earlier disciples, he was not careless.
His spiritual sense remained spread outward constantly.
Careful.
Precise.
The invisible lizard watched him silently.
Emotionless.
Then suddenly, the elder stopped midair.
The Foundation Establishment disciples behind him halted immediately as well.
One spoke carefully.
"...Elder Han?"
The elder did not answer immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly toward the clouds.
Toward nothing visible.
But his instincts, cultivated through centuries of survival and battle, felt something.
Not presence.
Not aura.
Just—
wrongness.
The air itself felt slightly too still.
The hidden lizard remained completely motionless.
Elder Han stayed silent for another moment, eyes sweeping across the surrounding sky carefully.
Something had felt off.
Subtle.
Brief.
But after extending his spiritual sense again, he found nothing at all.
Only lingering demonic energy scattered throughout the forest below.
Residual traces left behind from the earlier encounter.
The elder's expression eased slightly afterward.
"...Perhaps I imagined it."
The thought passed quietly through his mind.
Reasonable.
After all, if a Golden Core beast capable of perfect concealment truly stood nearby, even he would rather not believe it.
The elder finally turned toward the disciples behind him.
And as he did, the invisible **Lizard** hovered only inches away beside him.
Close enough to touch.
Close enough to hear every breath.
Yet completely unnoticed.
The elder spoke calmly.
"Explain everything again from the beginning."
The disciples obeyed immediately.
One stepped forward nervously.
"We were searching the eastern forest region where we sensed lingering demonic aura..."
As the disciple continued speaking, the lizard hovered silently beside Elder Han's shoulder.
Golden eyes calm.
Studying.
The elder's spiritual sense continued sweeping repeatedly through the surroundings.
Careful.
Experienced.
Yet every scan passed harmlessly through bent light and erased presence.
Nothing touched the lizard.
Nothing detected him.
The disciples continued explaining everything.
The invisible attack.
The severed head.
The unseen voice.
The warning to leave.
The elder listened without interrupting.
But inwardly, his thoughts grew steadily heavier.
Because the more he heard, the less he liked the situation.
An intelligent Golden Core beast was already dangerous.
One capable of remaining completely undetectable while instantly killing Foundation Establishment cultivators was something else entirely.
The elder's gaze slowly swept across the forest once more.
"A concealment-type beast..."
He muttered faintly.
"Troublesome."
Beside him, the invisible lizard remained perfectly silent.
Still hovering only inches away.
Listening to every word spoken about himself while the cultivators continued searching desperately for something they could not even perceive.