Chapter 81: Scroll

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Scroll

Ji Zhixing and the other four charged out of the tunnel, pursuing the retreating herd of Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles. The crocodiles were heading out of the Spider Cave tunnel in a loose formation, completely unprepared for the group’s sudden ambush.

"Kill!" Tie Shan took the lead. With a fierce smash of his shield, he sent a Single-Horned Blood Crocodile flying. It slammed against the cave wall, its brains splattering upon impact. Zhou Han’s blade flashed, severing another crocodile’s neck with a single strike and sending blood spraying into the air. Wielding the Tide Listening Rod, Ji Zhixing delivered a sweeping horizontal strike that sent two more crocodiles flying simultaneously.

Their movements were incredibly fast. From charging out of the tunnel to engaging the enemy, only a few breaths had passed. Before the Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles could even react, eight or nine of them had already collapsed to the ground.

"Store them!"

Having swiftly slain this batch of Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles, the group didn’t linger to fight. They immediately stored the corpses into their Genetic Furnaces.

The distant crocodile herd finally realized what was happening. They turned around and lunged at the group.

"Retreat!" Xiao Mingyue shouted. The five of them spun around and bolted back toward the tunnel.

Behind them, dozens of Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles gave chase in a frenzy, the ground RUMBLING under their heavy footfalls. However, the group was faster. In the blink of an eye, they had sprinted back into the narrow tunnel.

"Hold the line!" Tie Shan pivoted, raising his shield to block the tunnel entrance. Zhou Han and Ji Zhixing took position on either side of him, their long blade and long rod thrusting out from past Tie Shan’s flanks. Standing in the rear, Xiao Mingyue and Su Qing had already materialized their Flame Spirit Birds and Flame Spirit Butterflies.

The Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles were thoroughly enraged. They recklessly charged into the tunnel, one after another, lunging madly at the group.

"Kill!"

Tie Shan violently smashed his shield, sending the leading crocodile flying. Zhou Han’s blade strikes were lethal, each one biting deep into the crocodiles’ vital spots. Ji Zhixing unleashed blow after blow with his rod, forcing the beasts to retreat steadily. Meanwhile, Xiao Mingyue and Su Qing’s flames detonated within the confined tunnel, burning the crocodiles until they shrieked in agony.

In just a short span of time, another twenty-odd Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles lay dead in the tunnel. Blood pooled across the floor, and a thick, metallic stench filled the air.

"ROAR!"

In the distance, the Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodile could no longer hold back and let out a deep, resonant bellow. Upon hearing the command, the frantically charging Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles immediately halted. They stopped rushing forward and began to slowly retreat.

But this time, they had learned their lesson. Instead of turning their backs, they retreated in reverse. Their blood-red eyes remained fixed on the group, constantly on guard against another sudden ambush.

"Let’s not chase them," Zhou Han said, panting heavily as he shook his head.

"We’ve kept enough corpses this time. Let’s refine them first." Xiao Mingyue glanced at the pile of crocodile carcasses blocking the tunnel and made a quick estimation. "There are at least twenty here. That’s enough for us to refine for a while."

The group began clearing the corpses, storing the Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles into their Genetic Furnaces one by one to refine them.

Only Xiao Mingyue had nothing to do. She stood off to the side, bored stiff, her eyes glued to Ji Zhixing. Whenever Ji Zhixing finished refining a beast, she would lean in and ask, "How was it? Did it drop?"

Being stared at so intensely made Ji Zhixing feel entirely uncomfortable, but he couldn’t just ignore her. He had no choice but to lie about the yield every time.

"Got one."

"Nothing this time."

"Got one this time."

He tried his best to maintain a ratio of one Blood Crystal for every two beasts refined, ensuring his drop rate didn’t seem too outrageously high.

Xiao Mingyue’s eyes gleamed brighter with every update. "Four crystals out of eight beasts! That’s consistent! Too consistent! There is definitely something wrong with your Genetic Furnace. Absolutely something wrong!"

Her words made Ji Zhixing feel a bit guilty, but he kept his expression perfectly neutral.

After refining eight Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles, he checked the time and glanced at the remaining four corpses. "Why don’t you refine two of them?" he suggested to Xiao Mingyue. "Who knows, maybe your luck has turned?"

If he had to refine all of them by himself, they probably wouldn’t have enough time.

"I’ll give it a try then!" Xiao Mingyue agreed enthusiastically. She and Ji Zhixing split the remaining four Blood Crocodiles, taking two each.

She activated her Genetic Furnace and began the refinement process. A few minutes later, however, she opened her eyes, the smile completely wiped from her face.

"Nothing dropped?" Ji Zhixing asked.

Xiao Mingyue shot him a look but said nothing.

Ji Zhixing had also finished refining his two beasts. Looking at the four extra Blood Crystals and the bottle of Source Power Genetic Potion that had appeared in his Genetic Furnace, he couldn’t help but marvel at just how abysmal Xiao Mingyue’s luck truly was.

"I didn’t get anything either," he said, shaking his head. He chose not to tell the truth; it was best not to rub salt in the wound at a time like this.

With the refinement complete, the group took a break. Acting on a whim, Ji Zhixing took out the bottle of Source Power Genetic Potion he had just obtained, popped the cork, and downed the contents.

"Refine."

He activated his Genetic Furnace to absorb the medicinal efficacy. As the potion’s power integrated into his body, he could feel his cultivation advance by another sliver.

About half an hour later, everyone was adequately rested.

"Let’s go. We’ll check out the Blood River again," Xiao Mingyue said, standing up.

The others nodded and followed the tunnel back toward the Underground Blood River. Exiting the Spider Cave, they arrived at the riverbank and looked out over the water.

The surface of the river was peaceful. The blood-red water flowed sluggishly, and occasionally, a few Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles could be seen swimming slowly beneath the surface. However, their numbers were noticeably lower than before.

"Looks like our last few skirmishes have crippled their herd," Zhou Han said with a grin.

SWOOSH—CRACK!

Tie Shan picked up a rock from the ground, took aim at the nearest Single-Horned Blood Crocodile on the surface, and hurled it with all his might. The rock struck the crocodile square on the head with a crisp snap.

The crocodile shuddered violently from the impact, nearly knocked unconscious on the spot. Once it regained its senses, it let out a furious roar.

Yet, it didn’t charge ashore. Instead, its body sank into the Blood River, and it vanished in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, the other crocodiles also submerged, and the water’s surface returned to its eerie calm.

"What’s going on?" Tie Shan was stunned. "Are these Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles really that smart?"

Zhou Han frowned. "Did we beat them so badly that they’re too scared to come ashore?"

"What do we do now, then?" Su Qing asked anxiously. "If they won’t come up, we can’t exactly jump into the water to kill them, can we?"

Refusing to give up, Tie Shan picked up an even larger rock and tossed it into the river. SPLASH! This time, the splash was bigger, but there was still no movement beneath the surface. The Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles seemed to have completely vanished, showing absolutely no reaction.

"This is tricky," Xiao Mingyue said, shaking her head. "If they refuse to come up, there’s nothing we can do."

The group exchanged helpless glances, momentarily at a loss for a solution.

BOOM!

Right at that moment, the surface of the river not far from them suddenly erupted!

Water sprayed everywhere as three massive Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles burst forth, lunging straight out of the water and charging fiercely toward the group.

It was the three Tier Two Blood Crocodiles!

Immediately after, a dense swarm of Tier One Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles surfaced as well, rushing out from behind the three Tier Two beasts. There were at least forty or fifty of them.

"Crap!" The group’s expressions drastically changed.

They hadn’t expected these Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles to be so devious. The beasts had actually feigned fear, waiting for them to let their guard down while secretly swimming closer underwater to launch a surprise attack. Because both the river water and the Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles were blood-red, none of them had noticed anything amiss.

"Kill! Fall back while fighting!" Tie Shan bellowed. Raising his shield, he took a wide stride forward to intercept the leading Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodile.

BANG!

The shield collided with the crocodile’s swinging claw, emitting a muffled, thunderous crash. Tie Shan intentionally retreated a few steps to dissipate the kinetic force, while the blood crocodile was momentarily stalled.

At this point, they couldn’t just turn and run. Both he and Zhou Han were Tier Two Genetic Cultivators; they were fast enough to escape without issue. But Ji Zhixing, Xiao Mingyue, and Su Qing were much slower. Even with the buff of Encircling Wind, it was unlikely the three of them could outrun these three Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles.

"Kill!" Ji Zhixing roared as well. With a mere thought, his body rapidly expanded.

Gigantification!

His height shot up to 2.7 meters. Activating Body of the Boulder simultaneously, a layer of grayish-white keratin covered his entire body. Gripping the three-meter-long Tide Listening Rod, he exuded a heavy, oppressive aura. Taking wide strides, he stepped forward to meet the second Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodile.

Zhou Han intercepted the last one. The three Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles were now firmly blocked by the three men.

The attacks of the Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles were exceptionally ferocious. Their front claws acted like two massive axes, each swipe generating a howling gale, heavy and filled with momentum.

Although Tie Shan and Zhou Han were both Tier Two Genetic Cultivators, they couldn’t secure a quick victory against such vicious beasts. They could only fall back while fighting, doing their best to stabilize the defensive line.

Ji Zhixing was struggling even more. After all, his cultivation was only at Tier One Peak. Despite Gigantification and Body of the Boulder boosting his strength significantly, he could barely hold his ground against a Tier Two Blood Beast.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew wildly as the long rod clashed with the crocodile’s claws. With every collision, the impact forced Ji Zhixing to take a step back, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger going numb. Still, he gritted his teeth and stubbornly tangled with the blood crocodile, refusing to let it break through.

"Retreat quickly! Head for the tunnel!" Xiao Mingyue shouted. Flame Spirit Birds continuously flew from her hands, bombarding the Tier One Single-Horned Blood Crocodiles to relieve the pressure on the three men.

Su Qing was also desperately releasing Flame Spirit Butterflies, but there were simply too many Tier One Blood Crocodiles. The two women couldn’t possibly block them all. While the three Tier Two beasts were stalled, more Tier One crocodiles charged from behind, attempting to bypass the men and attack Xiao Mingyue and Su Qing in the rear.

"Not good!" Tie Shan’s expression turned grim.

If those Tier One Blood Crocodiles broke through, Xiao Mingyue and Su Qing wouldn’t stand a chance.

Just then, Xiao Mingyue suddenly raised her hand and retrieved a Scroll from her Genetic Furnace.

The scroll was crimson through and through, its surface rippling with a fiery luminescence.

"Crimson Flame Spear!" Xiao Mingyue shouted. The Genetic Source Power within her surged wildly, pouring entirely into the scroll.

The scroll flared up, radiating a blinding red light.

In the next instant, a blistering spear of fire shot out from the scroll. Carrying a terrifying momentum, it streaked straight toward the Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodile currently locked in combat with Zhou Han.

BOOM!

The flaming spear flawlessly pierced right through the blood crocodile’s body. The Tier Two Single-Horned Blood Crocodile died motionless, without even the chance to scream. A massive hole had been burned through its torso by the spear of fire, and the stench of charred flesh quickly permeated the air.