The figure appearing on the horizon was none other than the intruder, the Barioth, famously known as the "map wanderer."
When Bai Mo first crossed over to the New Continent, he had already encountered the Barioth mid-air. That creature had even torn his parachute. Now, it seemed this was the same Barioth he had met before. Had he been marked by this thing?
Though inwardly complaining, Bai Mo still immediately raised his weapon, ready for battle. Jasper and his team, along with the three Felynes, were equally on high alert.
After all, the Barioth occupied a much higher ecological niche than the Anjanath. Their squad—no, the entire research outpost—had yet to achieve a successful hunt against a Barioth. Flying wyverns were far more troublesome to deal with than brute wyverns. Their ability to fly allowed them to simply leave the battlefield when threatened.
Thus, preparing to combat flying wyverns required much more effort, and currently, they lacked effective anti-air measures.
After aiming his bow for a long while, the archer Albert shook his head. "I only have two restraint shots left, and without fixed chains, it'll be difficult to bring it down to the ground."
Dual-blade wielder Morris also looked grim as he asked squad leader Jasper, "Should we abandon the Anjanath?"
"We can't yet determine the Barioth's target. For now, we'll observe and wait. If things go south, we retreat immediately!"
Jasper issued a conservative order. In his view, the Anjanath could always be recaptured later, whereas the lives of his squad members—especially Bai Mo, who needed special protection—were far more important.
They couldn't afford to let Bai Mo get caught in the Barioth's bombardment.
Unfortunately, the Barioth's target was unmistakably clear.
Watching the Barioth head straight for his hiding spot, Bai Mo rolled his eyes in exasperation. Back when he first descended from the sky, he hadn't done anything to this Barioth! Why was it so fixated on him?
He didn't even have any "Jizhi Tangjiang" (a reference to a Chinese cough syrup ad where a cheetah chases a girl for the syrup)!
"Guess there's no other choice," Bai Mo sighed. "I'll have to lure this Barioth away myself."
"Alright. In that case, Albert and Morris, you two stay here and wait for backup. Bai and I will lead the Barioth in another direction."
After giving orders, Jasper immediately moved to retreat with Bai Mo in the opposite direction.
Strangely enough, as soon as Bai Mo left, the Barioth in the sky didn't linger—it chased after him without hesitation.
"How the hell does this thing keep finding me?" Bai Mo grumbled. "We're so far apart. A Barioth's sense of smell and vision shouldn't be that sharp, right?"
"I'm not sure either," Jasper replied, equally puzzled as they hurried away. "We've encountered Barioths several times in the Ancient Forest and the Wildspire Waste, but they've never acted this abnormally."
Hearing this, Bai Mo suddenly thought of something.
If the hunters had never experienced a Barioth's pursuit before, then as an otherworlder, what did he have that would make the creature so fixated?
Bai Mo came up with an answer.
Pulling out the Vision pendant around his neck, Bai Mo felt the distant Barioth suddenly speed up.
It was the power of the Vision!
The Barioth could sense the power of the Vision? How was that possible?
But upon closer thought, the essence of a Vision was an external elemental organ that helped its wielder channel elemental energy.
Could it be that the Barioth was sensing the Geo energy emanating from his Geo Vision?
With this in mind, Bai Mo immediately stored the Vision inside his system space.
Sure enough, the Barioth in the sky immediately lost its target, flailing around like a headless fly.
So that was it!
But why could the Barioth sense the elemental energy of the Vision? Was this its unique ability, or could higher-tier monsters all do the same?
To confirm this intel, it seemed he had no choice but to engage this creature in battle.
Taking the Vision back out from his system space, Bai Mo shouted to Jasper, "It's after me! Split up—I'll lead it to Location Two!"
"Got it. Be careful!"
With that, Jasper immediately split off, heading toward the alternate ambush point originally meant for capturing the Anjanath.
Meanwhile, the Barioth in the sky, sensing the Vision's energy once more, dove straight for Bai Mo.
But this time, Bai Mo didn't flee. Instead, after dodging the Barioth's pounce, he raised the Vision and asked, "You—you want this?"
"Give! Hand it over!"
"Can you tell me how you sensed this thing? Is it useful to you?"
"Power… natural power! Eating it… makes me evolve! My blood tells me… I need to devour it!"
The Barioth's reply shocked Bai Mo.
Natural power!
A Vision, which allowed humans to wield elemental energy, could indeed be considered a tool for harnessing natural power.
But the Barioth's answer didn't fully satisfy Bai Mo.
If the Barioth's bloodline could sense the power of a Vision, could other creatures do the same?
For example—the Elder Dragons!
Or was it because this was a Geo Vision that the Barioth had a special sensitivity to it? Would creatures like Basarios or Gravios also possess similar abilities?
And if he fed a Vision to a monster, would it truly trigger an evolution?
Unfortunately, before Bai Mo could ponder further, the Barioth interrupted him.
"Two-legs… hand it over… or I eat you!"
"Sorry, but that's not happening."
With that, Bai Mo activated the Joestar family's secret technique—
NIGERUNDAYO! (Run away!)
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T/N:
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