Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jia Ru had to admit that he had underestimated the two Lord-tier familiars.
While the Wood Peacock wasn’t particularly suited for close-range combat, it had won battles in the past by wearing its opponents down with its high regenerative ability and never-ending vines. Unless it was matched against an opponent that heavily countered its Wood element, the Wood Peacock would rarely be put at a disadvantage in any battle.
However, right then, it was being backed into a corner by the skeletal-looking monster. It would seem that the latter was a much more powerful Lord-tier monster than the Wood Peacock.
“I remember now. You’re that young referee from the World Youth Trainer Championships,” said Jia Ru, recognizing Gao Peng. He was also aware of Gao Peng’s identity as heir to the Southern Sky Group.
“Haha, such a shame, to lose a genius like you in a place like this,” Jia Ru continued. He let out a mirthless laugh. “Kill them all. Leave none of them alive.”
An unseen force suddenly kicked the grime and dirt on the ground up into the air, forming a freak sandstorm in the middle of the forest.
There were other ways of putting out a fire besides aiming a hose at it. A sandstorm was one of them.
As the sandstorm began to rage around him, Gao Peng suddenly heard footsteps behind them. Three figures were ambling towards them from behind, effectively blocking their escape route.
Gao Peng turned around. Standing on his left was a freckle-faced girl in a black robe with flaming red hair. In the middle stood a six-foot-tall man whose body rippled with muscles, and beside him stood a gangly blonde-haired man with a serene look on his face.
Eight familiars were standing at the ready behind them.
Huang Ya scowled at the sight of the newcomers. “Young master, it’s a good thing we’re not too far away from Yuzhou City. Through our blood contract, I’ve ordered my Red Blood War Horse to tell Chairman Ji what’s going on here. Chairman Ji will send reinforcements to our location, and these fools won’t even know what hit them.”
Gao Peng slowly nodded.
Then Huang Ya said through gritted teeth, “Young master, as soon as you see an opportunity, make a break for it. Don’t worry about me. Just make sure that you leave these jokers’ heads on my grave. That way, I’ll have some company in hell.”
Gao Peng squeezed his eyes shut.
Stripey.
Stripey, who had remained underground all this time, crawled out of the earth before its master. “Gao Peng, I did some recon just now. The right side is clear. We can make our escape there!”
Suddenly, one of the enemy familiars fired a jet of water at Flamy, striking it down from the air.
Flamy clambered to its feet. Dirt and dried leaves were stuck to its feathers uncomfortably. It gazed at the enemy side and saw its assailant: a blue-scaled crocodile whose mouth was still bubbling with water elemental energy.
Flamy shuddered as memories of its deceased mother came rushing back to it at the sight of the crocodile.
The sight of hundreds of crocodile teeth tearing everything it had ever held dear into pieces on the day of the Cataclysm was still fresh in its mind.
There was a flash of anger in Flamy’s eyes.
…
The Red Blood War Horse was calmly grazing on a wide field. Suddenly, a troubled look appeared on its face. Then it began to panic.
It let out a sharp neigh, which echoed across the field.
In the next instant, it transformed into a ball of fire and hurtled at top speed towards the Southern Sky Group’s headquarters.
“Chairman Ji, we’ve already hammered out the details concerning Xiangxi’s development with the local government. We just need—”
“Hey, what’s the big idea? Someone stop that horse!” There were sounds of shouting and glass breaking outside the meeting room.
Xu Heti walked out of the room, his Golden Dazzling Light Boxing Champion Kangaroo following close behind.
A sudden sense of unease crept up on Ji Hanwu.
A moment later, Xu Heti reentered the room and said, “Chairman Ji, it’s Huang Ya’s Red Blood War Horse.”
While most people in the Southern Sky Group weren’t aware of Huang Ya’s existence at all, as Ji Hanwu’s personal aide, Xu Heti had come into contact with Huang Ya and his Red Blood War Horse multiple times.
Why has it come here? thought Ji Hanwu.
“Meeting adjourned,” he announced. Then he walked out of the meeting room and saw the Red Blood War Horse lying on the ground and letting out a low moan.
Ji Hanwu’s heart skipped a beat. “Has something happened to Huang Ya?”
He wasn’t sure if the Red Blood War Horse had understood him, as it continued moaning and swaying its head heavily from side to side.
Ji Hanwu took out his phone and tried to call Gao Peng. However, the mechanical voice in his phone simply stated that Gao Peng was currently out of signal.
Ji Hanwu was now growing even more uneasy…
At that moment, Gao Peng was completely surrounded by the enemy’s eight familiars.
Most of the fire in the forest had been put out. Only a curious-looking ball of fire was left flickering in the wind among the dried leaves.
Goldie, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, suddenly woke up with a start.
It was so warm just now, like a hot spring. Where did the hot spring go? thought Goldie.
It groggily got up and noticed that the sky had gone dark. “Quack?”
“What the hell is that?” said one of Gao Peng’s assailants. They hadn’t noticed the featherless 20-foot-tall duck lying on the ground amid the fire and swirling ash.
“Goldie, they’re laughing at how ridiculous you look without your feathers,” Gao Peng said to the duck through his blood contract.
Goldie, who was still looking absently at its surroundings, suddenly froze up and shot an incredulous look at Gao Peng, as if to convey that they were taking the joke too far. However, Gao Peng looked straight back at it, as if to say that he had no reason to joke about this.
“Quack?!” Goldie glared at the three trainers surrounding Gao Peng. It was now livid.
How dare you laugh at me!
Goldie rushed towards the crowd like a bull who had seen red. The golden lion that was closest to the duck let out a roar and rushed at it.
Goldie swung a muscular wing at the lion and sent it flying away as if it didn’t weigh anything. Next came the blue-scaled crocodile, ready to sink its teeth into Goldie’s right leg.
Bam!
Goldie kicked it in its snout, sending it flying through the air as well.
“Don’t rush at it head-on,” shouted the skinny blonde-haired young man. “We just need to restrain it!”
They had dealt with brutish monsters like Goldie before and knew all too well that one of the most effective ways to handle it was by impeding its movements.
A Tiger-striped Giant Carnivorous Spider stepped forth and spewed huge amounts of spider silk at Goldie, until it was encased in a tight cocoon. Some of its silk was stuck fast to the surrounding trees, forming a huge spider web around Goldie.
Goldie tried to take a step forward. However, the spider web tightened and pulled the duck back.
It would need to have the strength to uproot the trees around it in order to break free from the spiderweb.
