The airship continued its journey, and Ning Beichen took the opportunity to explain tactics to everyone on board. He also provided specialized guidance on their cultivation, greatly benefiting Yang Qianrou and the others, who all saluted him respectfully as a mentor.
In this world, mentorship and inheritance were treated with great seriousness; no one would teach others casually.
Although Ning Beichen was not their formal master, his willingness to guide them selflessly was a profound kindness.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these ten days, they encountered attacks from aerial predators multiple times, but Yang Qianrou and the others repelled them. They had not yet faced any formidable enemies requiring Ning Beichen's intervention.
However, on the twelfth day, they encountered another airship.
Fortunately, this airship merely passed them by without any conflict.
Then, on the twentieth day, the airship ran into a beast tide in the air, with over a hundred large predatory birds descending. This time, even with Ning Beichen's help, the airship could not be saved and crashed into a mountain range, shattering into pieces.
The three giant birds pulling the airship were also killed by the predators. In other words, they were now without an airship.
The three individuals who piloted the airship stood nervously before Ning Beichen. They had done their utmost but failed to protect it, and they feared Ning Beichen might kill them in his anger.
However, they were mistaken. Ning Beichen was not a killer, and besides, these three had no reason to wish for such an outcome.
Losing the airship offered them no advantage, as everyone knew that attempting to reach the Central Continent on foot was an almost suicidal endeavor.
Unless they were willing to sacrifice themselves, to take revenge on Ning Beichen and perish with him.
But if they had possessed such courage, they would not have waited until this moment. A little sabotage during the first or second day of flight would have caused the airship to crash then.
Instead of now, where the airship crashed only after descending to a certain altitude, preventing those on board from being killed by the impact.
"Alright, this is not your fault."
Ning Beichen did not vent his anger by killing them, which relieved the three people from the Central Continent.
With the airship gone, their only option to reach the Central Continent was to travel on foot, traversing the dangerous mountain range.
But this mountain range was the domain of fierce beasts, and even beast kings existed here.
Yet, even so, Ning Beichen and the others had no better alternative.
Unless another airship happened to land before them, and they managed to seize it, but that possibility was even slimmer than their chances of successfully crossing the mountains and reaching the Central Continent safely.
Ning Beichen, however, was not overly disheartened. While the mountains were dangerous, they were not an insurmountable path to certain death.
Moreover, many strong individuals had successfully crossed these mountains before, and Ning Beichen did not believe he, with his strength, could not reach the Central Continent.
After making preparations, Ning Beichen led them to begin their trek through this immense mountain range.
Fortunately, those accompanying Ning Beichen were all members of the original hunting party, and they were familiar with this environment, not exhibiting any naive nervousness.
However, soon Ning Beichen and his group experienced the terrifying nature of the mountains. After only a short journey, they were attacked by an unknown creature, which resulted in the loss of two members of their team.
This was not due to Ning Beichen's inaction; rather, the two individuals were scouting ahead, some distance from the main group. By the time they heard their screams and rushed over, only a pool of blood remained on the ground, and the people were gone, likely carried off by a wild beast or devoured.
Ning Beichen searched for a while but found neither their bodies nor any trace of a beast.
To prevent such incidents, Ning Beichen ordered everyone to remain together and not to split up, even if it slowed their progress. Survival was paramount.
Shortly after Ning Beichen's group departed, a chameleon was observed strangely appearing in a patch of grass in the distance.
This chameleon was the culprit that had attacked the two individuals, and the pair had already become its meal.
Chameleons were not uncommon in Ning Beichen's world, but there they were small, rarely exceeding the size of an adult's arm, making it impossible for them to consume humans.
However, the chameleon here was fifteen meters long, larger than an adult elephant, and could easily swallow humans.
This chameleon's inherent offensive power was not particularly strong; its strength lay in its camouflage ability. Even powerful humans found it difficult to detect, which was why it had eluded Ning Beichen's senses.
Therefore, despite its moderate strength, it posed a significant threat to humans due to its ability to ambush them invisibly, making it hard to defend against.
The two individuals it had consumed were not weak, but they had no time to react when this chameleon ambushed them.
However, the chameleon's appetite was not limited to just two humans; its target was the entire group, including Ning Beichen, all of whom had become its prey.
But it was still daytime, and the chameleon did not act rashly; it was waiting for nightfall.
At night, its tracks would be even harder for humans to discern, making it the optimal time for hunting.
The mysterious disappearance of two people cast a pall of apprehension over the team, as everyone feared becoming the next to vanish.
Thus, without any order from Ning Beichen, the group dared not separate and stayed tightly knit, recognizing that unity was their best defense.
Ning Beichen was no longer as relaxed as before.
As he walked, he meticulously sensed his surroundings. He did not wish for another such incident to occur, lest he end up alone before reaching the Central Continent.
However, he sensed nothing overtly threatening along the way. Yet, his intuition told him they were being watched by something, something lurking nearby.
Ning Beichen trusted his instincts and was certain that something was observing them, or perhaps something was simply waiting for the opportune moment.
Before long, the sky began to darken. Ning Beichen ordered the group to halt their advance and find an open area to set up camp.
The mountains were perilous even during the day, and at night they became even more dangerous. But Ning Beichen's group had no choice. Continuing to travel at night would be far riskier.
Moreover, at night, visibility in the mountains was zero, making it difficult even to discern direction. Traveling in the mountains after dark was a suicidal act, one that even powerful human cultivators would not dare to undertake.