C50 â Stop Right There!
The Fish Dragon was rather large, so Zhou Mu carved up the carcass and fed it piece by piece to Gator.
During the recent skirmish, Zhou Mu noticed that despite both being of dragon species and fourth-rank lords, Gatorâs combat prowess seemed to far surpass that of the Fish Dragon.
The Fish Dragonâs fiery breath was no more than a tickle to Gator, who shattered its scales with a mere flick of its tail.
âCould there really be differences among dragons?â
Zhou Mu pondered this briefly, but soon gave up on unraveling the mystery.
The Fire Grounds were under the jurisdiction of the Ambergrasp area command, where fiend beasts had been culled numerous times. Only the strongest elites, leaders, and lords were deliberately spared.
They were either of a special lineage or a unique species.
Take the Rock Monsters, for instance; they werenât eradicated because they harbored high-purity Fire Ore within.
The primary objective for the many students venturing into the Fire Grounds was to target these creatures.
The territory of the phoenix species was quite a distance from the Fish Dragon. Zhou Mu had to sprint for over an hour to reach its domain.
The more formidable the fiend beast, the larger its realm.
Had the Fish Dragon not been confined to its lava pool, the gap between their territories could have been dozens of times wider.
The phoenix species was no less challenging to confront than the Fish Dragon.
Though the Fish Dragon resided in the lava pool, driving it out would allow Goldie to team up with Gator for a two-on-one assault.
The fiend beasts of the phoenix species were all capable of flight, making it difficult for Zhou Mu to capture them if they chose to flee.
âLetâs just see how things unfold,â he decided.
Zhou Mu couldnât help feeling frustrated. Goldie, a member of the phoenix species, couldnât fly?
He shot Goldie a stern look before popping a nut into his mouth and crunching down on it noisily.
Goldie: â???â
The fiend beast of the phoenix species made its home atop a volcano. Though it didnât soak in a lava pool like the Fish Dragon, it was still a formidable opponent.
With Gator unable to assist and Goldie flightless, their chances of success were slim.
âHmm? Is there a battle up ahead?â
Upon reaching the base of the volcano, Zhou Mu was greeted by a violent explosion.
A fissure had torn through the cylindrical volcano, with molten lava cascading down its sloped stone face.
âLooks like weâve got company!â Zhou Mu marveled, a sense of camaraderie with another warrior washing over him.
âTo tackle the Fish Dragon, he had turned the entire lava pool into ice.
This mysterious individual had gone so far as to blow up the volcano to take on a phoenix species fiend beast.
But then again, phoenixes can fly, so what good does blowing up a volcano do?
âThereâs truth to the saying, âThe mantis catches the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.â We might just find an opportunity to benefit from this,â he mused.
Zhou Mu and Goldie exchanged a glance, each finding unwavering resolve in the otherâs gaze.
Resources were scarce, yet people were plentiful.
To thrive, they knew they must compete and claim.
Zhou Mu would take from others, and they from him â a fair exchange.
At the volcanoâs summit, a group was locked in combat with a fire bird.
The Fire Bird unfurled its wings, spewing flames, while beneath it lay a nest of haphazard branches cradling a watermelon-sized egg.
Ten people, along with over twenty spirit animals, were engaged in battle with it.
They encircled the Fire Bird, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.
To shield its egg, the Fire Bird had no choice but to withstand the onslaught and retaliate with its clumsy flames.
The egg was fragile; the wide-reaching attacks could harm the enemy but also risked crushing the stones around it.
The egg needed warmth to hatch, yet a fall into the volcano would incinerate it.
Concerned for its offspring, the Fire Bird held back, but the humans grew increasingly frenzied.
âHahaha! Try this on for size!â
A man pulled an explosive from his storage bag, yanked the pin, and hurled it toward the bird.
Boom!
The blast left the Fire Bird disheveled, yet it remained steadfast.
Enraged but resolute in protecting its egg, the Fire Birdâs counterattacks were feeble.
âKeep up the attack, donât let up. If we canât kill this fledgling, no matter â getting the egg is what counts. If we canât secure the egg, then weâll just have to destroy it.â
The manâs face twisted into a snarl, his words dripping with shamelessness.
âHeh, I thought I had no shame, but next to you, Iâm practically a saint.â
A scornful voice echoed from nearby, as a flash of murderous intent flared across the manâs contorted face. He bellowed, âWhoâs there?â
âChi!â
His answer came in the form of a searing white sword qi that sliced through the air, severing his arm.
âAh!â
A piercing scream erupted as the manâs right arm was cleanly cut from his body, blood gushing forth like a geyser.
Had his reflexes been any slower, his head would have been the next to fall.
Zhou Mu wasnât one to take lives without cause.
In the Illusion Mirror, killing ten thousand people didnât truly end their lives, and often, those people were the instigators.
But this was different; Zhou Mu felt a genuine urge to kill.
If he couldnât have something, heâd rather destroy it. Such shamelessness, cruelty, and pettiness were intolerable.
Leaving him alive would only bring harm to countless others.
Zhou Mu didnât consider himself a saint, but he wouldnât stoop to such lows.
Without any personal vendettas, heâd rather leave what he couldnât have for someone else.
Maybe, thanks to his restraint, Noshar would gain a new champion in the future.
But those who would rather destroy than let go, who were vindictive and spiteful, were a burden best left behind.
âWho are you?â
The manâs voice was faint, his vision blurring from the loss of blood. He collapsed to the ground mid-sentence.
âBoss, somethingâs not right.â
Jin Ziâs voice rang out with grave concern.
âWhat is it?â
âThe human is nearly dead, and his spirit animal isnât reacting at all.â
Jin Zi spoke, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
Somehow, the spirit animals that had been besieging the fire bird had all pulled back, seemingly intent on encircling them.
âRetreat!â
Zhou Mu didnât hesitate for a second before turning on his heel and fleeing.
Their identities and motives didnât matter; escape was the only sensible option.
Facing an enemy of unknown power, a direct confrontation was unwise.
Time was on their side. For now, they would retreat and regroup later.
Zhou Mu wasnât concerned about playing for time. He had the ability to purge the fire toxin from his system, unlike the others.
The more he dragged it out, the bigger his edge grew.
He even had a hunch that these people werenât after the fledgling at allâthey were after him.
As expected, the moment Zhou Mu made a break for it, an angry shout erupted from behind.
âZhou Mu, hold it right there!â
With that command, the nine pursuers and their twenty-plus spirit animals launched into a frenzied chase.
âYou expect me to stop just because you say so? What do you think I am, your dad?â
Zhou Mu let out a contemptuous snort, his pace not only unslowed but even quickening a notch.
âKid, youâre asking for it!â
His taunt sent the chasers into a rage, hurling insults and unleashing their skills in attack.
But Goldie was no pushover. As Zhou Mu surged ahead, Goldie hurled back insults and counterattacks.
âMoron, with your dogâs head and toadâs eyes, youâre as useless as a barrel. Still chasing? Youâre chasing your own tail!â
Whoosh!
âWhatâs the use of you? Youâre hopeless at everything and leave nothing behind. Why should you even exist?â
Whoosh!
âGive it up. Your mom couldnât catch up with you back in the day, what makes you think you can?â
Whoosh!
Click this and direct to readðð
Click to visitðð
OR download the app and search the book name directlyð
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!