Chapter 269 268: Dog Bites Dog

"CROAK."

The Fire Scorpion Giant Frog let out a croak, its tail standing erect. From its tail, it shot a volley of poison needles toward Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming.

Seeing the poison needles, the two leaped into the air to dodge them. The moment they landed, they resumed their desperate flight.

As they fled, Jiao Zhiming cursed in frustration, "Damn it, why is this Demon Beast ignoring those three women and only targeting us?"

"Perhaps those three women are too weak to pose a threat to the Demon Beast," Shao Yushan analyzed. "But we are both Battle Kings, a Level comparable to this Demon Beast. It must see us as a threat, which is why it's ignoring them and focusing on us."

It had to be said, Shao Yushan's analysis was spot on. The reason the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog was chasing the two of them was precisely as he'd deduced. Because their strength had reached the Battle King Level, the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog considered them a threat and targeted them, ignoring Mu Xianling and the others.

Thanks to the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog, Mu Xianling and the other two women had fortuitously escaped, avoiding humiliation at the hands of Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming.

"CROAK! CROAK!"

Seeing that its first attack had failed, the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog did not let Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming go. It shrieked twice more, then opened its massive maw.

"WHOOSH!"

A torrent of deep Red fire spewed from the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog's mouth. The roaring flames instantly illuminated the pitch-black night.

The tongue of fire was like a ferocious, giant flame python, turning everything in its path into a sea of fire. Whether it was plants, trees, or any living creature, anything touched by the flames was instantly incinerated, leaving not even ash behind.

Furthermore, after the flames passed, a thick, strange odor lingered in the air. If anyone inhaled this scent, they would surely become dizzy, their body temperature would rise, and eventually, their skin would fester and they would die Bleeding from their seven orifices.

This was the potent venom carried within the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog's flames!

At that moment, the tongue of fire swept rapidly toward Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming.

"This is bad! Run!"

Seeing the flames rushing toward them, Shao Yushan's heart sank. In a panic, he pushed his Speed even further, fleeing into the distance.

Jiao Zhiming wasted no words, following closely behind Shao Yushan.

The two used every trick they had, running for their lives. The power of a Battle King was on full display. Their escape speed reached a Level that other examinees could never hope to match. If they had used this speed when chasing Mu Xianling and the others, they probably would have caught them long ago.

After running for some distance, Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming shot up and began to fly.

Battle Kings possessed the ability to fly.

Against ordinary attacks, Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming could have easily dodged just by taking to the sky.

However, this was no ordinary attack.

Their Movement Speed was fast, but the fire tongue spat by the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog was even faster!

Even though they were flying, the tongue of fire remained hot on their heels, the distance between them slowly closing. It was about to strike them at any moment!

Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming could already feel the searing heat behind them. Even a fool would know the consequences of being hit by that fire.

"Our luck is the absolute worst! We just came out to have some fun, and we run into such a troublesome Demon Beast," Jiao Zhiming grumbled. He then asked anxiously, "Old Shao, what do we do now? If we don't think of something, we're going to be burned to a crisp."

"There's no other way. We have to use the Nether Shield."

Shao Yushan thought for a moment before saying, "This fire is vicious, and we can't outrun it. Only the Nether Shield can Resist it."

"But... but it's our only life-saving measure. After we use it..." Jiao Zhiming hesitated.

"There are no 'buts'! If we don't use it, we'll die. When our lives are on the line, you're still worried about one Nether Shield?" Shao Yushan snapped.

"Alright," Jiao Zhiming nodded. With a flip of his hand, a small object appeared in his palm.

It was a thumb-sized Ghost Head Shield. The entire shield was shaped like a fierce ghost baring its fangs in a ferocious expression.

The shield was exquisitely lifelike; the ghost was so realistic it seemed True. A single glance was enough to make one's hair stand on end in a cold shiver.

Furthermore, holding the shield gave off an icy-cold sensation. Just by holding it, Jiao Zhiming felt a chill run down his spine. An inexplicable fear surged through his heart, causing the hand he held the shield with to tremble slightly.

Jiao Zhiming quickly threw the shield toward the flames behind him. If he had held it for another moment, he might have died of the sudden terror welling up inside him before the fire could even touch him.

Beside him, Shao Yushan had also taken out an identical item. He threw his at the same time as Jiao Zhiming.

The two small Ghost Head Shields were tossed toward the tongue of fire behind them.

At that moment, a piercing shriek came from an unknown source, like the cry of a vengeful ghost, a wail of suffering, a release of deep-seated hatred!

After the shriek, the two small shields—SWISH!—suddenly expanded. From their original thumb size, they abruptly grew to over two meters tall.

At over two meters tall, the engraved ghosts on the shields looked even more lifelike and even more terrifying.

As if that wasn't enough, after expanding, the shields began to emit wisps of black energy. Wreathed in this dark aura, the two Ghost Head Shields appeared even more sinister and dreadful.

"RUMBLE!"

As the two shields stood erect, the tongue of fire spat by the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog finally swept over them, crashing against the Ghost Head Shields with a deafening rumble.

The violent impact caused the two Ghost Head Shields to tremble and look as if they would shatter, but they still managed to block the tongue of fire.

Finally, with a CRACKLE, the tongue of fire was exhausted. The two Ghost Head Shields also turned into a pile of black powder and dissipated into the air.

The tongue of fire was blocked, but Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming had lost their two life-saving Ghost Head Shields.

"Whew."

Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming let out a breath of relief. Although they had wasted two treasures, they had saved their lives, which made it a worthwhile trade.

However, just as they breathed a sigh of relief, a massive Black Shadow appeared above their heads.

They looked up and saw the enormous body of the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog!

It had actually leaped right above them!

"No!"

Despair washed over Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming. The moment the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog fell, even with their Battle King strength, they would be crushed to death!

How could a mortal body possibly withstand the weight of such a colossal beast?

It was too late to escape. In the next instant, the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog's massive body would crash down on them, smashing them into a pulp.

Just as the two resigned themselves to death, a flash of Black Light shot across the sky.

"WHOOSH!"

Seeing this Black Light, the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog in the sky twisted its body, abandoning the chance to crush Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming. It chased after the Black Light, heading into the distance!

"Hmph. You two good-for-nothings. To think you'd provoke such a powerful Demon Beast. Not only did you use up the Nether Shields, but you also made me waste a Beast-Attracting Pill. Do you have any idea what your crime is?"

Just as the Fire Scorpion Giant Frog left, a cold snort echoed from the forest. Immediately after, a figure cloaked in black slowly materialized before Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming.