Chapter 41: Bloodthirsty Blaze

Chapter 41: Bloodthirsty Blaze

"Heh!"

A wild roar pierced through the rainy night. The Patrol Forest Chief burned fiercely, resembling a vicious demon.

His four hooves pounded the ground, splashing rainwater in all directions and leaving half-meter-wide puddles. His towering figure charged down the slope like a speeding train.

The giant battle blade, shaped like a broad chopper, blazed with a blood-red flame as it cleaved through the rain, aiming to strike Ren Mian.

Ren Mian remained calm, her eyes unwavering.

She seemed oblivious to the terrifying foe before her. With one hand, she manipulated the Green Binding Dragons to wrap layer after layer of protection around Jiang Nan Caiyi, while with the other, she flicked out a pink petal. It shot forth, bypassing the Chief to land on Jiang Nan Caiyi's body, melding into her waist wound and immediately staunching the bleeding and healing the injury.

A figure dashed from the side, positioning himself in front of Ren Mian to block the incoming attack.

It was Chi Zhonglin.

He had entered a state of complete rampage, his body swelling to a height of two and a half meters, almost matching the Chief. His muscles bulged, and his lava spear glowed a fiery red.

The spear aimed straight for the enemy's throat.

The Chief's battle blade flicked upward, clashing with a loud clang. Sparks flew, and Chi Zhonglin retreated even faster, unable to maintain his balance. He tumbled down the slope.

However, the Chief's charging momentum was also halted.

Ren Mian's eyes narrowed.

In an instant, dozens of Green Binding Dragons rushed from the campsite, engulfing the enemy like a swarm of venomous snakes. They bound him tightly, their spikes attempting to pierce his flesh.

The Chief let out a cold snort, and the blood flames on his body surged wildly, burning through the bindings of the Green Binding Dragons.

"Bloodthirsty Blaze!"

Ren Mian frowned, finally recognizing the nature of the flames engulfing the enemy. Ordinary flames couldn't burn through her Green Binding Dragons.

Only the 'Bloodthirsty Blaze', a gift from the Red Emperor, possessed such power.

"Everyone, fall back!" Ren Mian shouted in her mind, "He's a Blood Warrior blessed by the Red Emperor, endowed with the Bloodthirsty Blaze. You are no match for him."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xinghuo's heart trembled.

Most believers of the Star Gods didn't possess additional abilities. Only a select few had the opportunity to receive blessings from their Star Gods, resulting in a surge of power.

And among them, the believers of the Four Great Gods were the cream of the crop.

When a follower of the Red Emperor wreaked enough havoc and sacrificed enough blood, the Red Emperor would bestow upon them the Bloodthirsty Blaze!

This was the Red Emperor's gift, cultivated from countless lives. The Bloodthirsty Blaze was ignited within the heart, fueled by blood, enhancing strength and defense. The angry flames burned from the chest, engulfing the body and weapons, scorching the flesh and spirit of enemies.

Those who possessed the Bloodthirsty Blaze were known as Blood Warriors.

However, even the lowest-ranked Blood Warriors were extremely rare.

Because to attain this power, one had to take countless lives.

Including one's own family, friends, tribesmen, and countless enemies—their lives and blood had to be sacrificed to the Red Emperor to even have a chance of earning his favor.

The Bloodthirsty Blaze was immensely powerful!

With each battle, the strength, defense, and resistance of the flames grew. Additionally, advanced combat techniques were directly imprinted into the mind, leading to rapid power enhancement.

The Bloodthirsty Blaze craved frequent blood sacrifices.

The Blood Warriors yearned endlessly for blood, and if their thirst was not satisfied, they would suffer backlash, driving them insane. Eventually, they would become emotionless killing machines.

Thus, every Blood Warrior was a true madman.

They would stop at nothing in their pursuit of power, fighting endlessly until the day they fell.

In the 1980s, a heinous crime shook the Earth.

An ordinary man in Africa secretly joined the cult of the Red Emperor. In a single night, he slaughtered over 40 members of his own family, along with neighbors, relatives, and half the villagers. His atrocities finally caught the attention of the Red Emperor, who bestowed upon him the Bloodthirsty Blaze, transforming him into a Blood Warrior.

Thus began his murderous journey.

From an ordinary man, he became an anomaly, his power skyrocketing like a rocket. He left a trail of massacred villages and obliterated cities in his wake, quickly ascending to the ranks of a super anomaly within a few months.

In the chaotic African continent, his actions initially went unnoticed.

Two years later, when the international community finally took note of this Blood Warrior, he had already become a powerful warlord, commanding an army of tens of thousands and instigating countless wars.

In the end, legendary powerhouses from various countries joined forces to eliminate the Blood Warrior.

But not before he had claimed the lives of millions!

And now, this Patrol Forest warrior, a fourth-stage powerhouse equivalent to a super anomaly on Earth, had unleashed the Bloodthirsty Blaze, pushing his might to near-legendary levels.

Ji Xinghuo took a deep breath.

He quickly replaced his ordinary arrows with capacitive arrows, nocking one to his bow and aiming at the Patrol Forest Chief, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The Chief let out a battle cry.

Although they couldn't understand his words, the sound waves carried a mental attack, leaving the rain-soaked surroundings eerily silent.

Bang!

Ren Mian's fingertips condensed a crystal, which she shot at the Chief's face, causing a small explosion.

The Chief merely shook his head and continued his charge, his four hooves churning as he closed in on Ren Mian. He raised his battle blade, ready to strike.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed, striking the Chief's chest and embedding itself in his heart.

The capacitive arrow couldn't penetrate, but it released a surge of high-voltage current, causing the Chief's body to tremble. The force of his descending blade was reduced by more than half.

Ren Mian had already surrounded herself with Green Binding Dragons, forming a thick wall of thorns.

Boom!

The battle blade sliced through the thorn wall as if it were hot butter, cutting through the air.

"Sister Ren!"

Chi Zhonglin, who had just climbed to his feet at the bottom of the slope, witnessed this scene and let out a furious roar.

Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat.

The Green Binding Dragons transformed into countless burning fragments, revealing Ren Mian's figure. However, her current form shocked Ji Xinghuo.

Ren Mian's straw hat and scarf had been destroyed, revealing her true appearance.

Her body had transformed into a diamond-like sculpture, her skin translucent and radiant. From her face to her legs, vibrant, colorful light radiated outward, creating a fantastical and dreamlike sight.

A flicker of surprise flashed through the Patrol Forest Chief's mad eyes.

Just as he was about to swing his blade again, a brilliant light suddenly erupted before him.

Boom!

Ren Mian's body radiated intense white light, instantly forming a terrifying shockwave that sent the Patrol Forest Chief flying. The shockwave swept the surrounding area, with the light spreading out like lightning, pushing away the rainwater within a hundred-meter radius and creating a spherical force field.

Ji Xinghuo, hidden in the trees, was also affected and almost fell from his perch.

He steadied himself and saw that Ren Mian had already engaged the enemy in battle.

Ren Mian's speed wasn't fast, nor was her strength sufficient, but her defensive capabilities were extraordinary. The Patrol Forest Chief brandished his massive battle blade, each strike imbued with terrifying power and accompanied by high-temperature blood flames. Yet, she faced him bare-handedly, blocking the blade with her hands or body, resulting only in shallow white scars.

Ji Xinghuo had realized something.

"Crystal Light Attendant!"

Ren Mian had always claimed to be a Plant Witch, which was true, but she hadn't mentioned that she was also a Crystal Light Attendant.

This was one of the most powerful occupation templates on Earth.

In the ADC rating system, the Crystal Light Attendant template scored an impressive 73 points, ranking third!

The core ability of the Crystal Light Attendant was the "Light-dwelling Crystal," which allowed them to transform their bodies into a crystalline structure harder than diamonds, granting them theoretical maximum resistance to physical strikes. They could also store and manipulate light to a certain extent in combat.

The Crystal Light Attendants had the highest physical defense of all occupations.

However, they weren't without weaknesses.

The extremely hard body of the Crystal Light Attendant caused their speed and flexibility to decrease significantly, unless they could merge with the "Fold Leap" exotic, enabling them to move instantaneously.

Moreover, Crystal Light Attendants lacked burst damage in the early stages and had slightly deficient offensive capabilities.

Ji Xinghuo observed the battle for a few seconds.

It was evident that Ren Mian didn't possess the "Fold Leap" ability nor the "Curved Light Force Field" or "Shape Solidification." She relied solely on her incredibly hard body to withstand the enemy's attacks, occasionally counterattacking with "Light Burst Technique."

Her stature was several times smaller than the Patrol Forest Chief's, and the gap in their strength was even more significant.

This prevented her from fully utilizing her master-level martial arts realm, forcing her into a purely defensive stance.

The battle remained indecisive for the time being, but as it dragged on, the Patrol Forest Chief grew increasingly frenzied, his strength continuing to rise—a turn of events that was highly unfavorable for Ren Mian.

Passive defense without any offense would eventually lead to disaster.

"I'll help you!"

Chi Zhonglin also noticed this and rushed up the slope without hesitation to join the fray, attacking the Patrol Forest Chief from behind.

The three of them fought in a chaotic melee, but it only lasted for a few seconds.

The Patrol Forest Chief's combat skills were extremely proficient, his martial arts realm at least at the master level, and his experience was abundant. He fully utilized his overwhelming strength advantage and the Bloodthirsty Blaze's characteristic, easily disarming Chi Zhonglin's long spear with a few strikes and slicing open his chest with the battle blade.

A trail of sparks flew, and the tough tungsten dragon scales were actually cleaved apart.

Chi Zhonglin's abdomen was sliced open.

If not for Ren Mian's timely intervention, blocking the next strike with her body, Chi Zhonglin would have surely been decapitated.

"Get back!"

Ren Mian shouted, not forgetting to throw a peach petal onto Chi Zhonglin's wound to prevent him from dying from excessive injuries.

Not far away, Jiang Nan Caiyi, lying on the ground, clutched her waist. Gritting her teeth, her eyes rolled back, revealing a painful expression, and an invisible phantom flew from her head toward the Patrol Forest Chief.

Evil Spirit Possession!

The evil spirit, a split entity from her spirit, instantly entered the Patrol Forest Chief's body.

But it only lasted for a moment before it was forced out.

Jiang Nan Caiyi cried out in pain, her head throbbing as if it would split open, almost causing her to lose consciousness.

Even with two people's desperate help, they couldn't succeed.

Ren Mian's voice sounded in the three of their minds: "Retreat now! Xinghuo, you cover their escape. Don't look back."

"What about you, Sister Ren?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"I'll hold him back," Ren Mian's voice was firm and without hesitation. "Don't worry, he can't kill me. I have a way to get out. Wait for me in Olympia."

Ji Xinghuo didn't answer immediately. He heard the resoluteness in Ren Mian's words.

Although he didn't know if she truly had a way to escape, even if she did, she would likely have to pay a very heavy price.

And he still had an ace up his sleeve that he hadn't used.

"What are you hesitating for?" Ren Mian sounded anxious.

After a few seconds of silence, Ji Xinghuo finally replied, "It's not time to retreat yet. Let me try. If it still doesn't work, we'll leave immediately."

"You?"

Ren Mian was skeptical but didn't stop him.

A hundred meters away, in the trees, Ji Xinghuo nocked a capacitive arrow onto his compound bow, aiming at the Patrol Forest Chief entangled with Ren Mian, and activated the Myriad Phenomenon.

However, it only lasted for an instant before he disengaged it.

The gap in their strength was too vast, and the distance was too far. Even though the capacitive arrow's lethality far surpassed that of ordinary arrows, in the state of Myriad Phenomenon, he couldn't find a way to strike down the enemy.

"The gap in strength is still too big."

Ji Xinghuo didn't give up. He opened the interface of the Myriad Star Pupils and looked at the 144 points of spiritual source energy he had just obtained, immediately investing it all into the Rotating Magnetic Field.

[Rotating Magnetic Field (Level 1: 284/359)]



Instantly, Ji Xinghuo felt his body rapidly strengthening, his vitality and star power surging like a magnetic field in rapid rotation.

In less than ten seconds, his strength had almost doubled! Ji Xinghuo suddenly grabbed the nearby nano-rope and swung from the tree, soaring into the air above the campsite.

He activated the Wind Battle Boots in mid-air, generating a floating force under his feet, and using the inertia of the rope swing to propel himself above the top of the slope. With the Rotating Magnetic Field running at full capacity, he drew the Lightning Battle Saber with his right hand, becoming a bolt of lightning that plummeted from the sky.

Amidst Ren Mian's puzzled and astonished gaze, Ji Xinghuo descended from the sky.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end