The appearance of the tanuki was just the beginning.

More animals and even monsters rushed towards the altar from the depths of the forest. In Zhang Shi and the others' field of vision, the figures of various wild beasts flashed among the trees.

Zhang Shi's expression was somewhat solemn. If such a large number of wild beasts were to charge towards the altar all at once, Jin Ping and the other three would have a hard time stopping them.

"Moo~"

A bull emerged from the forest, charging menacingly toward the altar. The bull was massive, its horns gleaming, and its eyes were bloodshot, as if it had mad cow disease.

Ge Dalong was worried that the bull would charge and smash through the fence. He quickly activated his magic wand, unleashing an energy ball that he fired at the bull.

In an instant, the energy ball struck the bull, blasting his flesh apart and causing a rain of blood to fall all around.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhao Feng smashed a giant rat that was digging a hole to death with a hammer, exclaiming that Ge Dalong was awesome.

The bull's charge seemed to be a signal, and the wild beasts and monsters in the forest rushed out and surrounded the altar. Among them were wild beasts, slimes, and even goblins.

At first, Zhang Shi had time to deal with some large beasts using the buffs provided by his equipment. However, when the monster horde reached the fence, various monsters displayed their unique abilities, leaping and climbing, and a large number of them rushed into the fence. Zhang Shi had no choice but to draw his old Duan and engage in close combat.

Seeing the situation was turning against her, Wu Qing took out a bulging cloth bag from her backpack, which seemed to be filled with a lot of things. Wu Qing decisively set the bag and the bag on fire, and immediately, a strong, faint fragrance wafted from her side into the open space.

"Hold your breath!"

Wu Qing took out another bottle of pills and quickly distributed them to everyone. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everyone had taken the pills.

As soon as they smelled the strange fragrance, all sorts of monsters collapsed to the ground and fell into a deep sleep. Some of the larger beasts were still able to stand, but their bodies were swaying and they didn't seem to be able to hold on for long.

Wow, Breaking Bad!

Seeing this, Zhao Feng picked up the hammer and was about to go out, but Zhang Shi stopped him and asked in confusion.

"Why are you stopping me? There's plenty of experience to be had right here."

Zhang Shi had long ago discovered that the number of monster tides was constant, and he was worried that if the number of monster tides decreased, new monsters would spawn at the altar.

"Don't cause any trouble. Our target is the elite monster summoned by the altar."

The four stood back to back on the altar, warily surveying their surroundings. The area around the clearing was filled with slumbering monsters, and the forest remained eerily quiet, yet the so-called elite monster was nowhere to be seen.

The eerie atmosphere lasted for a while, and the red light on the altar gradually dimmed, seemingly about to dissipate.

"System notification: The ritual is about to fail."

Zhao Feng panicked when he saw the notification.

"What happened? How could it have failed?"

Ge Dalong's face was grim as he slowly said, "Sacrifice requires offerings. If there aren't enough offerings, the sacrifice will fail."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi calmed down, grabbed Lao Duan, and began a killing spree.

Everyone reacted upon seeing this, and even Wu Qing picked up her spear and joined the battle.

Calling it a battle is not quite accurate; it should be described as a massacre.

In the wilderness, the law of the jungle prevails. If you don't pick up a knife, you'll be the one slaughtered when the monsters wake up.

The monsters lay motionless on the ground, and the four of them dealt with them very efficiently. Even if the dead monsters were torn to shreds and bleeding profusely, they would be cleared away by the system in a few seconds, leaving no flesh or blood behind. Only the red light on the altar flickered even more intensely, and the four of them gained a large amount of experience. They all leveled up to level 4, while Zhang Shi was almost at level 5.

The four of them killed countless monsters, and the red light on the altar began to solidify, turning the entire forest blood red.

"Boom!"

The altar began to sway slightly again, the blood-red light dissipated, revealing a cocoon.

Upon seeing this, the four of them spontaneously gathered together.

"Scratch!"

A sharp cutting sound came from inside the cocoon.

A creature, entirely black and resembling an ape, emerged from its cocoon. This strange creature had two horns on its head, which seemed to flow like lava and shimmered with a crimson light. Behind it were a pair of enormous wings, like bat wings, covering half of its body. It revealed sharp teeth and fangs, and its appearance was somewhat similar to that of a goblin, but even more ferocious.

Holding the old Duan sword, Zhang Shi's heart was in his throat. Unable to discern the monster's level or strength, Zhang Shi tried using his True Essence technique to assess its power.

"Ding! I can tell at a glance: Gargoyle."

Gargoyle (Green): Panel (Unknown) Ability Value: 44

[A refined-level elite monster with high magic resistance, a body as hard as a stone statue, and the ability to cast some basic spells.]

The gargoyle scanned its surroundings, and upon seeing Zhang Shi and his group of four, its eyes flashed with ferocity. It spread its wings and leaped into the air, charging towards Zhao Feng, who was at the front.

The gargoyle was fast and powerful. Zhao Feng, relying on his high strength attribute, tried to force a fight with it. However, before his hammer could even fall, he was sent flying backward by the gargoyle's impact.

Everyone was anxious when they saw Zhao Feng being attacked.

Ge Dalong activated his magic wand, conjuring three energy balls that shot towards the gargoyle. The gargoyle protected itself with its wings, and the energy balls, as powerful as bombs, vanished without a trace, leaving no ripple.

As if provoked, the gargoyle turned its attention to Ge Dalong, intending to retaliate. Zhang Shi quickly drew his bow and unleashed a triple strike at the gargoyle. Sensing the extraordinary power of the arrow, the gargoyle flew into the sky to dodge.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Shi shared the information from the appraisal and also checked Zhao Feng's situation.

Wu Qing had already helped Zhao Feng up. The iron armor on Zhao Feng's body was extraordinary, which helped him block the gargoyle's attack. However, he was also not feeling well from the shock of the force.

Wu Qing put a pill in his mouth, and Zhao Feng finally recovered. He glared fiercely at the gargoyle in the sky, gripped the hammer tightly, and turned to shout at Wu Qing.

"Girl, bring out whatever good stuff you have. Today I'm going to skin this beast alive."

Wu Qing's backpack is like Doraemon's pocket from another dimension.

She reached out with her bare hand, and an object resembling an eggshell appeared in her palm.

For once, Wu Qing's expression showed a hint of heartache.

"I only managed to make one of these."

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you when we get back."

Wu Qing glared at Zhao Feng, then squeezed her hand hard and crushed the "eggshell".

Zhao Feng felt a chill in his groin.

With a whoosh, a mist filled the space, and everyone felt as if they had inexhaustible strength. Checking their panels, they found that a new buff bar had been added.

[Blue Seal Incense: Increases the Strength of all friendly units within 100 meters by 8 points for 5 minutes.]

Zhao Feng exclaimed "Wow!" in excitement, discovering that his strength attribute had reached a terrifying 23 points.