Fang Si and Zhang Dali had no clue why those two were freaking out. Their faces were pure confusion.
"Sis Fang Si, stop him! This lunatic blew up Frost Canyon AND Taiping Mountain!"
The moment those words left Xu Xingxing's mouth, Fang Si's expression visibly jolted.
"Holy shit, that was really you?!"
She'd seen the news coverage. The Frost Canyon explosion had turned the Dragon Guard's internal channels upside down -- everyone had been speculating wildly about the cause.
But not once had anyone suspected that Chen Shu was the one who'd blown it up!
"Uh... that was just an accident..."
One look at the four pairs of eyes locked onto him, and Chen Shu meekly tucked the Explosion Potion back into his bag.
ROAR!
While the group was still arguing, the Black Claw Beasts up ahead had already spotted them.
The Black Claw Beast Lord leapt into the air, its jumping power absurdly powerful.
Its claws radiated an eerie glow as it slashed toward the Mutant Thunderbird.
"Hmph!"
Fang Si's expression didn't change. The space in front of them suddenly tore open, and two terrifyingly powerful dragon-type contract spirits materialized out of thin air.
The Scarlet Flame Dragon spat out a scorching fireball, blasting the Black Claw Beast Lord back by sheer force!
"Watch yourselves!"
Fang Si called out, then threw herself entirely into the battle.
The Scarlet Flame Dragon's offensive power was ferocious beyond measure. Its wings beat powerfully enough to sustain low-altitude flight.
ROAR!
A torrent of crimson flame erupted from its jaws. It was like a world-burning dragon of legend -- everywhere the fire touched, the grass ignited instantly.
Countless Black Claw Beasts shrieked in agony, rolling across the ground.
Ordinary Black Claw Beasts were only 9th-rank fierce beasts. The gap between them and the Black Iron Three-Star Scarlet Flame Dragon was enormous -- one pass and they were dead.
"Dali! Get the pot ready! I'll prep the seasonings!"
Chen Shu called out, swallowing hard.
They hadn't even gotten to properly enjoy their hotpot earlier. Now the ground was littered with fierce beasts -- why not treat it as an open-air barbecue? Wouldn't that be amazing?
ROAR!
The Black Claw Beast Lord's expression twisted with fury. Its eyes had gone completely blood-red, as if it had lost all reason.
In an instant, it threw back its head and howled. Black light engulfed its body, and a second shape gradually separated from it.
A Black Claw Beast forged entirely from black light appeared out of thin air!
"A clone skill?!"
Fang Si's eyes contracted. But she quickly shook her head and murmured:
"No -- that's not a real body. It's just a Skill Phantom."
A Black Iron-rank fierce beast shouldn't have been able to comprehend a skill of that caliber. The sheer absurdity would be on par with a Slime learning Gigantification.
A true Clone Divine Skill created a perfect duplicate body -- one that possessed every skill except the cloning ability itself. It was essentially creating another "you" for a short period.
Chen Shu could defy logic all he wanted, but a mere Black Iron Lord didn't get that luxury.
The Black Claw Beast and its Skill Phantom came charging through the air, razor-sharp claws aimed at tearing the Scarlet Flame Dragon apart.
ROAR!
The Frost Dragon, which had been lying in wait, snapped its wings open with a low, rumbling growl. Frost surged around its body.
In an instant, two streaks of azure ice shot out and temporarily locked down the Black Claw Beast Lord.
Its raw killing power wasn't exceptional, but its crowd control was more than enough to stall the Lord.
Meanwhile, the Scarlet Flame Dragon continued raining fire down on the ordinary Black Claw Beasts below.
"Xiao Xing, keep your eyes peeled! Fly higher!"
Chen Shu called out. Both of Fang Si's contract spirits were engaged in the fight now. If someone caught them with a sneak attack, things could get dangerous fast.
With the Mutant Thunderbird's burst speed, it was easily on par with a Black Iron-rank contract spirit.
Fang Si relaxed, reassured, and threw herself fully into the battle below.
Minutes passed. Fire blazed across the ground, black smoke billowing in thick columns.
The Scarlet Flame Dragon's offensive firepower was staggering. Its fire attribute was already top-tier among Black Iron rank.
Swathes of Black Claw Beasts wailed and rolled across the scorched earth, filling the air with the rich aroma of cooking meat. Everyone on the Thunderbird couldn't stop swallowing.
ROAR!
The Black Claw Beast Lord screeched and howled, but it was completely helpless -- all it could do was watch its entire pack get slaughtered.
"Now THAT hits the spot!"
Chen Shu looked perfectly content. Good thing he'd been smart enough to tag along.
Zero danger whatsoever, and he was racking up Beast Taming Power for free.
It felt exactly like being power-leveled by a max-rank player in a game. He could just lie back and enjoy the ride.
In under ten minutes, every last one of the hundred-plus Black Claw Beasts had been wiped out.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The Black Claw Beast Lord threw its head back and howled. Rage ignited inside it like wildfire.
The second Skill Phantom had already dissipated into nothing.
Red light began pulsing across the Lord's body. A terrifyingly savage aura rolled off it in waves, as if it were about to stake everything on one final charge.
"Hm?"
But a smile tugged at the corner of Fang Si's lips. She crossed her arms and watched like she was enjoying a performance.
Sure enough, the Black Claw Beast let out one savage howl -- then bolted in the opposite direction.
But the Scarlet Flame Dragon had been waiting for exactly that. It cut off the escape route instantly.
"Why do all Black Iron Lords pull the exact same thing?"
Fang Si shook her head. The Black Beetle Lord last time had done the same thing. Too bad for this one -- she only fell for that trick once.
The two dragon-type contract spirits fought in tandem, and their combined killing power surged exponentially.
The Black Claw Beast Lord found itself on the back foot immediately, teetering on the edge with every passing second.
Everyone craned their necks in anticipation, eagerly waiting to sample Lord-grade meat.
But at that very moment, on a small hill a thousand meters away -- overgrown with wild grass -- the brush suddenly shifted.
A pitch-black muzzle slid silently out of the undergrowth.
"Hunting Huaxia Academy's geniuses... now that gets me excited!"
A man braced behind a heavy sniper rifle, eyes blazing with fanatical exhilaration.
But his hands were rock-steady. Not a single tremor.
He loaded a specialized armor-piercing round with an easy, practiced motion, and a savage grin split his face.
He could already see it -- the target's body exploding on impact.
At that exact instant, Chen Shu -- mid-swallow -- suddenly found options materializing before his eyes.
Ding!
[Option 1: Do nothing -- trust in reincarnation!]Completion reward: Title "Theist" (wearing effect: higher success rate at conning others)
[Option 2: Have the Thunderbird accelerate to dodge!]Completion reward: Large Beast Taming Power
[Option 3: Summon the Slime to block from behind!]Completion reward: Death Potion + Berserk Potion
Chen Shu's pupils contracted. His expression froze solid. He understood instantly.
"Xiao Xing!"
He was about to have Xu Xingxing steer the Mutant Thunderbird.
But it was already too late!
A sense of mortal danger exploded through him like an alarm, and the threat of death sent a raw shiver tearing through his body.
Almost on pure instinct, he summoned the Slime and placed it between everyone and whatever was coming from behind.
BOOM!
A horrifying blast rang out. Cracks splintered across the Slime's body and blood sprayed everywhere.
The sheer impact force drove the Slime backward, and it slammed into the group.
"What happened?!"
"Holy shit!"
All five of them lost their balance instantly. They toppled off the Mutant Thunderbird.
Chen Shu let out a breath. He ordered the Slime into Flight Mode, and it caught all five of them before they hit the ground.
"Sneak attack!" [1]
Chen Shu shouted, and the Slime activated Gigantification in the same breath. Its enormous golden body planted itself squarely in front of the group, blocking the line of fire.
The specialized armor-piercing round could one-shot a Black Iron-rank Beast Tamer -- but it couldn't kill the Slime.
Fang Si understood what had happened. She said nothing. Her eyes filled with nothing but ice-cold fury.