Chapter 79: The Shapeshifting Prodigy
Chapter 79: The Shapeshifting Prodigy
"If we obtain a spiritual variant, it'll naturally be given to Sister Ren."
Ji Xinghuo and the others had no objections. Ren Mian had helped them tremendously, and now that she needed their assistance, they would do their best to support her.
However, Ji Xinghuo had a question, "Sister Ren, how did you know there's a Bell Toad in the Deeprock Gorge?"
"I bought the information from the Dragonwatch Platform," Ren Mian replied.
"Is it reliable?"
A cold glint flashed in Ren Mian's eyes, "The Dragonwatch Platform wouldn't dare to deceive me. Their credibility has always been impeccable."
"I'm just worried that they might have sold the information to others as well," Ji Xinghuo remarked nonchalantly.
In this type of information trade, aside from the initial cost of acquiring the intelligence, the rest is pure profit. Whether they sell it once or a hundred times, it makes sense to have multiple buyers and earn even more money.
"That's indeed a possibility." Ren Mian pondered for a moment, "We'll enter the Deeprock Gorge after daybreak and investigate the Gekolite city. First, we need to confirm if the Bell Toad is still there." She turned to Ji Xinghuo, "Xinghuo, it's all up to you now."
Ji Xinghuo nodded firmly.
A few hours later, the morning sun quickly heated up the surroundings.
The Gekolites feared heat but not cold, light but not darkness. Due to these factors, they usually only ventured out during the night or under the cover of stars, rarely leaving the gorge during the day.
As the quartet approached the gorge, they began to survey the terrain.
This massive gorge, over a hundred kilometers long, was different from others. The surrounding area was barren, with large expanses of exposed rock and sparse vegetation, making it difficult to hide.
At its widest point, the gorge spanned several kilometers. Inside, jagged rocks and countless cliffs formed an incredibly complex landscape—a vast maze with depths that seemed to stretch on forever. Cold winds and mists blew out from tunnels and caverns, striking fear into the hearts of those who gazed upon it.
"Let's go in."
Ren Mian led the team into the gorge, and it didn't take long for Ji Xinghuo to discover signs of human passage.
He recognized them as Gekolite footprints, leading deep into the gorge, "If we follow these tracks, we should be able to find the path to the Gekolite city."
"Xinghuo, you lead the way."
"Okay."
Ji Xinghuo kept his magnetic field perception active. In fact, without even tracking the footprints, he could still find the correct path.
After walking for over an hour, the team had ventured deep into the middle section of the gorge, over a thousand meters below the surface. Looking up, they could only see dim light, as the sky was obscured by towering cliffs and boulders. The temperature dropped, and they felt as if they were traversing through a series of caves.
Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo signaled for his teammates to halt.
Ren Mian, using her Thought Necklace, asked, "What's wrong?"
"There's someone here."
Ji Xinghuo's expression turned peculiar, "They're humans, a hunting party of five, and they all seem to be superhumans."
The faces of the three teammates reflected their surprise.
Ren Mian's voice carried a hint of displeasure, "Just as you predicted, the Dragonwatch Platform sold the information about the Bell Toad to others."
Then she asked, "Did they spot us?"
"No."
Ji Xinghuo shook his head. The other team was over seven hundred meters away, and his group had been silent. They had applied 'Sweat-absorbing Fern Leaves' and sprayed deodorizers on themselves, ensuring they couldn't be seen, heard, or smelled. The other team was advancing through the gorge, oblivious to the fact that they had been discovered.
"Sister Ren, what should we do now?" Ji Xinghuo inquired, "They seem familiar with the gorge and are likely ahead of us."
Ren Mian thought for a few seconds, "Let's follow them and see how things unfold."
"Okay."
Ji Xinghuo locked his magnetic field perception onto the five individuals, trailing them from a distance of six to seven hundred meters.
The hunting party moved swiftly through the gorge, yet they produced no sound.
"A Sound Illusionist?"
Ji Xinghuo quickly figured out their trick.
Among the five, there was a Sound Illusionist who constantly masked the team's presence and absorbed their sounds, making them far stealthier than they would be with a single illusion bead.
Soon, the hunting party ahead slowed down, proceeding with caution as they hid in a corner.
Ji Xinghuo inched forward to find out what was happening.
Several hundred meters away, there was a tall cave entrance, clearly man-made and cleverly concealed by large boulders. The cave was deep, and inside, a squad of Gekolites stood guard. This was likely the entrance to the Gekolite city.
Ji Xinghuo conveyed this information to his teammates.
"They're about to enter."
Through his magnetic field perception, Ji Xinghuo witnessed one of the superhumans undergo a drastic transformation. Their height increased from around 1.85 meters to 2 meters, and a large tail sprouted from their back. Their hands turned into claws, and their body hunched over slightly, resembling a Gekolite in every way.
"A Shapeshifting Prodigy!"
Ji Xinghuo was astonished. He hadn't expected this hunting party to include a Shapeshifting Prodigy.
This was an extremely rare profession template, boasting three core abilities: "Inorganic Transformation", "Organic Restoration", and "Mimicry". The first two were ultra-limit abilities, while the last one was an exceptional ability.
The Shapeshifting Prodigy's body was capable of endless transformations. They could not only morph into other humans and members of different races but also take the form of inanimate objects like stones, flowing water, or furniture. Their combat style was incredibly unpredictable, making them a formidable foe.
Simultaneously, his body turned into a large cloud of smoke, engulfing the remaining Gekolites.
They immediately suffocated, unable to utter a sound.
The smoke was evidently poisonous, entering through the Gekolites' nostrils and accelerating their demise. The smoke acted like invisible hands, choking their necks and coiling around their bodies, killing them silently.
In just a few seconds, an entire squad of Gekolite guards lay dead.
Ji Xinghuo was awe-struck.
Even if one knew beforehand that he was a Shapeshifting Prodigy, it would be extremely difficult to guard against such a deadly technique.
After the Shapeshifting Prodigy eliminated the guards, his teammates emerged from their hiding places and entered the cave.
"Let's go in," Ren Mian said.
Ji Xinghuo and his group approached the cave entrance, and upon seeing the Gekolite corpses on the ground, Ren Mian's expression turned grim. She had already guessed that the Shapeshifting Prodigy was responsible for this.
"This team is not to be underestimated," Chi Zhonglin thought.
"Just the presence of a Shapeshifting Prodigy is enough to make them a force to reckon with," Ren Mian remained calm, "However, the information about the Bell Toad is over a year old. The Dragonwatch Platform probably sold the information to others besides us and the team ahead. With insufficient preparation, they might not have found the Bell Toad yet, so it should still be there."
She paused, "This could actually be a good thing."
Ji Xinghuo guessed her train of thought, "Sister Ren, you want to use them as bait?"
"Exactly," Ren Mian smiled, "Let's be the bird that takes advantage of the situation. This time, we'll be the ones waiting in ambush."
As they spoke, the four of them had already entered the passage behind the cave entrance.
The passage descended, winding and twisting, with numerous forks and guards along the way, but they had all been cleared by the team ahead.
Ji Xinghuo and his group followed discreetly, gradually venturing deeper.
Soon, the passage opened up to a massive cave that was nearly 200 meters high. Giant pillars and rocks supported the ceiling, and the dim light made it difficult to see clearly from one side to the other, with the distance appearing to be three or four kilometers.
Ji Xinghuo gazed into the distance, realizing that the passage they had taken was just one of many entrances to the cave.
There were at least a dozen similar passages.
The cave was filled with countless nests that had been dug out of the original giant rocks, creating a well-ordered, honeycomb-like structure, but instead of bees, it was inhabited by the Gekolites, forming a massive underground city.
The dim light had little effect on Ji Xinghuo's ability, and he looked towards the other side of the cave, where a hundred-meter-high arch stood.
Beyond the arch, another cave could be seen.
It was through these interconnected caves that the Gekolites had built their underground city.
On their home planet, the "Night Star," the Gekolites also lived underground, and their technology was not advanced, perhaps even primitive, which was why they had been defeated by the expeditionary forces of the Dagons and subjected to their rule.
Meanwhile, the team ahead had already moved on.
They used the Sound Illusionist to conceal their presence as they carefully avoided the Gekolites in the cave, making their way towards the arch.
Ji Xinghuo easily saw through their silent illusion.
This was his first time observing the hunting team directly, and he could guess their professions from their equipment and appearance.
The Sound Illusionist and Shapeshifting Prodigy had already been identified.
Of the remaining three, one was a large man carrying a long spear, likely a Martial Artist.
Another was clad in thick full-body plate armor, resembling a moving human fortress, wielding a giant axe that weighed at least 200-300 kilograms. Yet, his movements were light and agile, as if the heavy armor and axe had no weight at all, as if they were made of foam.
"A Gravity Master!"
Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. Only a Gravity Master could possess such an ability to make the heavy seem light.
The last member's profession was also easily identifiable. He wore streamlined soft leather armor with elasticity to fit his body tightly. His weapons were a pair of short swords, and his boots were also specially designed superpower equipment. These designs were meant to reduce air resistance during high-speed movement.
"He's a Speedster."
A Shapeshifting Prodigy, a Martial Artist, a Sound Illusionist, a Gravity Master, and a Speedster.
This team's profession configuration was quite unreasonable, indicating that they were most likely a temporary alliance, formed solely based on individual strength rather than strategic compatibility.
When one had sufficient strength, many problems could be solved.
Their skin colors also hinted at their diverse backgrounds. Among the five, except for the Gravity Master who was fully covered in heavy armor, there were two Asians, one Caucasian, and one African.
Such multinational teams were rarely long-term partnerships, especially when all five members were superhumans.
They had most likely come together for the Bell Toad.
"Where's the Bell Toad?"
Ji Xinghuo wondered, gazing at the direction the team was heading.
"Over there," Ren Mian pointed to the arch on the opposite side of the cave, "The Bell Toad is located in the deepest part of the Gekolite city. We'll follow them and let them lead the way."
(End of Chapter)
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