Chapter 105: Chapter 103: Blazing Fire Skyward_1

The rising crescent moon hung in the sky, with the bright moonlight falling to the ground.

In a corner of the valley, the great battle came to a halt.

Like someone who had expended all her strength, Zhao Li slumped to the ground.

"Phew... that was sheer madness!"

"This Crawler, as long as it has consumed enough bloody food in its stomach, it’s fully capable of fighting beyond its level."

"We actually managed to bring down three... Master Han, you were too savage!"

"Without you, our only choice would have been to signal the assistant or the mentor for help with a firework..."

Zhang Wu and Huang Dengshan, two usually silent and taciturn men, nodded vehemently at her words.

"I fed the Big-Eyed Deer a stimulant elixir which should have increased our overall combat power by at least 10%."

"But meeting a Crawler of the same level, we didn’t stand a chance."

"Yes, these Fond Spirits are too dangerous..."

"Devouring bloody food and enhancing their recovery is one thing, but their instinct for killing without regard for their own lives... that’s something we can’t emulate."

"For that reason, we always have to be cautious when fighting, otherwise we can easily be severely injured..."

Su Mei nodded gently.

This was what she felt was the mostdifficult factor to deal with in the midst of fights.

However, Su Mei didn’t continue on this topic but instead looked at Ye Hanjun’s face and asked tentatively:

"Master Han, are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

Ye Hanjun waved, and with a thought, the lingering hint of murderous intent that had leaked out uncontrollably returned to his body.

"I’m giving you three minutes to tend to your injuries."

"Then... we’ll explore in that direction."

Following the direction pointed by Ye Hanjun, the four students looked into the distant sky.

Unbeknownst to them, where once was the site of rising smoke, thick black smoke was now present.

The raging flames looked like a monster’s open maw, brutally devouring swathes of the forest.

"Goodness..."

Zhao Li’s dazed gaze refocused.

Licking her lips in disbelief, she said,

"Are they setting fire to the forest? That’s a bit too ruthless, isn’t it..."

"Perhaps, they had no other choice."

Su Mei shook her head, theorizing,

"There must be other Crawlers active in the valley. Given their fondness for human flesh and blood, if they could find us, the third team certainly can’t have escaped them"

"It seems they acted in desperation and didn’t have much choice."

"Whether the fire was started intentionally or spread accidentally, they haven’t lit a firework, which means they’re not in an absolutely hopeless situation. They’re still trying to fend off the Crawlers’ onslaught..."

"So, Master Han, you mean... we should go and help?"

Zhao Li came to a realization, then immediately became concerned and asked:

"But we’re all in bad shape. I’ve even used up my only Protective Talisman."

"If we rush over there, won’t we... be a hindrance to Master Han?"

Ye Hanjun glanced at the four students and their respective beasts, murmuring to himself:

"To go or not to go, both are viable choices."

"However, there’s still a long time before sunrise."

"The long night is undoubtedly the golden time for the Crawlers’ hunting."

"If we don’t finish them off, they might track us through thermal perception and eventually launch a surprise attack on us." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Would you prefer to spend the night in unease, tossing and turning..."

"Or do you want to solve this problem sooner, so we can take a proper rest for most of the night?"

"I see..." Su Mei seemed to have gleaned some understanding, then resolutely said, "I will choose to attack proactively!"

Zhang Wu and Huang Dengshan exchanged a glance and made up their minds as well.

They took out the reserved medicine from their backpacks, applying or spraying it on the wounds of their Contracted Fond Spirits.

After that, they cleaned their hands and bandaged each other’s wounds.

Their movements were quite adept, likely the result of attending emergency medical courses in Canghai Pavilion.

"Let’s do this!"

Zhao Li gritted her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and injected a blue liquid medicine into her vein.

In a few breaths, the veins in her neck swelled, and a faint blue light shimmered in her eyes;

She raised her hand, swung her arm... all actions were faster than usual.

"I already possess an ’Lightness’ ability, and now with the ’Quick Potion’, my ability to react can reach its peak within an hour."

"However, after an hour, I’ll have to rely on you all..."

’Quick Potion’, each bottle costs 10 Lower Quality Spirit Stones.

Its effects are quite impressive, but the adverse effects are equally serious.

If the battle couldn’t be resolved within an hour,

Zhao Li would fall into an extremely exhausted state, one where she could sleep even while standing.

"An hour, that should be enough..."

Ye Hanjun, looking at the moon above him, murmured.

He actually could have stopped Zhao Li from using it, thus reducing the burden that would inevitably arise in the team after an hour.

However, among the people present, no one was rich enough to casually share their life-saving items.

Zhao Li, she was a member of Team Six. Team members could fight together.

However, the top priority when it comes to safeguarding each individual’s safety, it can only be their own.

"Set off."

Once all the preparations were done, Ye Hanjun took the lead, heading towards where the fire was blazing.

Su Mei rode a pink ostrich, and Huang Dengshan rode a big-eyed deer.

Zhang Wu and Zhao Li, like Ye Hanjun, walked on their feet, sometimes rushing, sometimes slowing down.

...

"Run quickly, we’ll hold them off!"

In the distance, they could hear human voices.

Five hundred meters away, merciless crimson flames were devouring everything, and one after another, towering trees collapsed.

Among the trembling earth, countless Fond Spirits of mice, snakes, insects, ran in groups, fleeing in fear and panic.

Shang Jie, a muscular man of 1.8 meters, seemed as though he had rolled in mud, his body covered in filth.

He was running barefoot, carrying the unconscious Lin Yue on his back.

Above their heads, a cracked Tooth Beetle and a bloodied Black Feather Swallow were opening a path for them, one on each side.

Behind them, Sun Houbing and Ling Biao stood shoulder to shoulder.

Fear was written all over their filthy faces.

But beyond the fear, there was a kind of courage, being squeezed to the limit, forced to ignite.

"Die...die!"

Two small Crawlers made of clay, one in front and one behind, charged forward with their claws digging into the ground.

They were both burnt to varying degrees.

However, with no saturated fat attached, the flames couldn’t continue to burn.

Their charred muscles squirmed and regenerated continuously.

With every step forward, their killing intent surged.

"Blood... the smell of blood!"

"Die quickly... die... I said die!!!"

The skill "Bounce," followed by the skill "Hook Claw."

This was the Crawler’s favorite method of hunting; its prey was often killed with a single blow to the head.

"Bounce, hold it back!"

Ling Biao bit his teeth, and despite the filth, the green pattern shining on his arms was constantly drawing elemental energy from the vegetation around him.

At that moment, a green beam of light shot from his chest into the Slingshot Flower in front of him, about half his size.

Active Ability-"Elemental Supply"!

This was an inherent skill of an E-class Magic Apprentice. Once the wood element was infused into the Slingshot Flower, its stem and leaves immediately turned a lush green.

With a swoosh, a palm-sized bud was shot, and like a cannonball, it violently hit the head of one of the Crawlers.

"Die..."

The Crawler’s pounce was forcibly interrupted.

A large hole appeared on its not-so-hard skull, caving in by six to seven centimeters, and its entire forehead was spurting blood.

"Damn it, the power is still not enough. If I could blow up its whole head, it probably wouldn’t be able to recover, right?!"

Ling Biao cursed hatefully, very unsatisfied with the effect of the strike.

He rolled awkwardly to dodge a falling tree, then hurriedly picked up the Slingshot Flower and continued to flee.

"Roar!!"

A battle-scarred Blue Lion blocked the other Crawler.

It must have taken a certain enhancing drug; otherwise, its blue pupils could not have turned blood red.

But... even if it fought so hard, the Crawler clawed at its face in an instant, almost blinding it.

"Damned Corpse Race! Die!"

The rope tied around Sun Houbing suddenly loosened without any external pull.

One end of the rope flew straight at the Crawler, tied its hind legs with lightning speed, and then gave it a strong flick.

Bang!!

The Crawler amazingly flew up, uncontrollably being tossed into the blazing fire behind it.

Rope Master-"Rescue Rope"!

This ability was quite powerful among F-class abilities. The passive ability "Rope Wrapped Around" provided the Rope Master with a sturdy rope armor, helping him fend off damage.

Once the active ability was used, the wrapped rope could cross twenty to thirty meters, bind a target, drag it by one’s side, or fling it in another direction.

Although it is called "rescue", if used properly it can be a crucial controlling skill.

Especially the burst of power at the moment of binding, even a Ton Ton Pig of the same level could be lifted, let alone a Crawler, which did not weigh enough to suppress it.

"Ahhhh..."

"Die! Die! Die for me!"

The Crawler that fell into the fire staggered back out.

It was severely burned again, the muscles all over its body showing a light to moderate degree of carbonization.

It became even more angry, still targeting Ling Biao and Sun Houbing, vowing to crush their heads and drink their blood.

"Ga! Ga! Ga!!"

A flash of pink, and the Pink Ostrich charging from the side stomped on the Crawler’s face with its big leg.

This was not a normal kick, it was a "Spring Kick".

The Crawler, which had just escaped the fire, flew tens of meters away once again, falling into the fire.

Accompanied by a harsh scream echoing in the sky, the stunned Sun Houbing came back to his senses. Looking at the formidable and awe-inspiring Su Mei, he felt... overwhelmingly cool!

"Hahaha, we have reinforcements!"

Seeing a shield made of yellow sand formed before him, helping him fend off the Crawler’s hook claws, Ling Biao burst into laughter.

Of course, when he saw Ye Hanjun appearing from behind, holding a dagger, and rushing towards the Crawler without any emotion on his face.

His laughter froze on his face, his eyes were wide open, bigger than a bronze bell, showing an expression of disbelief.