Chapter 81: Striking When the Iron is Hot

Chapter 81: Striking When the Iron is Hot

The sound of an explosion reverberated through the cave.

The Legendary Gogun immediately locked onto the five Superhumans, but instead of engaging them himself, he let out a furious roar in their direction.

Two Tier 4 Goguns at his side sprang into action, leading hundreds of Three Tribes guards towards the intruders.

Stirred by the commotion, the Stoneling lizard-people opened their eyes in their nearby rocky nests. They grabbed their weapons and crawled out, rousing half the cave in mere seconds, like a boiling cauldron.

In the blink of an eye, the five Superhumans were surrounded.

"Retreat!"

The Tricky Genius shouted, his eyes fixed on the rock where Ji Xinghuo was hiding, his face filled with reluctance.

The Illusionist, who had been manipulating the illusions, was suddenly struck by a blast of flame arrows, disrupting his control. He was just dozens of meters away from exposing Ren Mian and the others' positions when he was forced to dissipate his illusion.

The five Superhumans turned and ran.

But they didn't get far before the first wave of interceptors arrived. Ahead, a dozen Stoneling archers fired their arrows. Most Stoneling were warriors, unskilled in archery, so they could only hastily gather this meager force for a saturation volley.

The heavily armored Heavyweight stepped forward, shielding his teammates with his large body.

The arrows flew towards him and fell to the ground at his feet.

A few arrows struck his armor but bounced off harmlessly, unable to penetrate.

At the same time, the Black Sprinter suddenly charged forward, his speed increasing rapidly as he dodged the arrows aimed at him. In the blink of an eye, he was among the Stoneling archers, his twin short swords a blur of light and shadow as they danced, leaving behind a trail of dead Stoneling.

They continued to push forward, but the Stonelings were simply too numerous.

The Illusionist once again cast his Silent Phantasm, cloaking the entire team, but the Legendary Gogun on the palace steps pointed, and a shard of ice shot forth from his fingertip.

The shard of ice sped like lightning, rapidly expanding in mid-flight until it became a spear several meters long.

The ice spear hurtled towards the five intruders.

"I'll take care of this!"

The Gravity Controller shouted, turning his body to shield his teammates once more. He held up the axe-face of his great axe like a shield, bracing for impact.

Boom!

The ice spear struck the axe, shattering into countless fragments of ice and cold air.

The Gravity Controller instantly froze, becoming an ice sculpture. The cold crept from his feet to the ground, instantly spreading in a hundred-meter radius, turning the area into a sheet of ice.

The other four, who had managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, were now covered in frost, and the Silent Phantasm immediately dissipated, causing their speed to drop.

Seizing the opportunity, the surrounding Stoneling warriors closed in.

The Tricky Genius erupted in flames, transforming into a giant over three meters tall, his body composed of molten lava. He reached out and gently patted the frozen shoulder of the Heavyweight, transferring his flames and immediately freeing his teammate from the ice. The surrounding chill was dispelled.

At that moment, the two Tier 4 Goguns arrived, along with another group of Stoneling warriors, herding them into a encirclement.

The Martial Artist brandished his spear and charged into the crowd of Stonelings, coming face to face with the Tier 4 Stoneling warrior.

"Ah!"

A sharp cry pierced the air.

The Illusionist's mouth opened, releasing a visible sound wave. A 'Sonic Spear' shot from his mouth, grazing the Martial Artist and hitting the Tier 4 Stoneling warrior first. The powerful sonic attack caused the warrior's body to stutter, blood flowing from his orifices as his mind was assaulted.

The Martial Artist thrust his spear through the warrior's head, then swept it horizontally, instantly clearing a path through the crowd.

His spear was imbued with 'Collapse Energy'!

This star energy ability, combined with his force techniques, resulted in an attack that would cause instant disintegration into a pile of meat, even if one was merely grazed by the spear.

On the other side, the Tricky Genius and the Gravity Controller worked together to take down the two Tier 4 Goguns in just a few breaths.

The Gravity Controller created a gravity field centered on himself, slowing down any enemies who entered its range. The Tricky Genius, ever-changing, used his body as a weapon, pouncing on the slowed Goguns. His molten lava body instantly turned them into charred corpses.

The Black Sprinter, too, became a reaper, harvesting the lives of the Stoneling archers.

The five Superhumans fought their way towards the exit.

Stonelings swarmed them from all sides like a tidal wave, but they stood firm like immovable reef, unyielding even as the most ferocious waves crashed against them.

They moved swiftly towards the cave exit, leaving behind a trail of dead Stonelings and Goguns.

Hiding behind the rocks, Ji Xinghuo watched the battle in awe.

These five Superhumans were exceptionally powerful, each stronger than their tier suggested. They could not be underestimated, and working together, they were an unstoppable force. It would take the direct intervention of the Legendary Gogun to stop them, and without that, the Stonelings would only sacrifice thousands of lives in vain.

The Legendary Gogun turned his gaze towards him, and even with the rocks as cover, Ji Xinghuo felt a terrifying chill in his heart.

Without hesitation, Ji Xinghuo jumped down from the rock.

Almost as soon as he rolled away, an ice spear pierced through the rock and landed in the spot where he had been standing just a second ago, sending a burst of frigid air surging towards him.

Ji Xinghuo's body turned cold, and golden-scaled patterns appeared on his skin as he scrambled to escape.

He heard a command shouted by the Legendary Gogun, though he couldn't understand the language, he guessed that the Gogun was ordering the Stoneling lizard-people to chase him down.

"Xinghuo?" Ren Mian's voice sounded in his mind. "What's going on?" She still had no idea what had happened.

"I've been spotted," Ji Xinghuo replied quickly as he ran through the alleyways. "Don't move yet. I'll draw the enemies away first, then I'll see if there's a chance to hide elsewhere."

Through his magnetic field sensing ability, he detected hundreds of Stonelings surrounding him.

But he remained calm.

The Stoneling nest had a complex terrain, with a multi-layered honeycomb structure and plenty of corners to hide in.

As long as he didn't directly appear in the Legendary Gogun's line of sight, with the stealth ring and his magnetic field sensing ability, he was confident he could shake off his pursuers.

He could even guide his teammates to find other hiding places through the thought link.

Ji Xinghuo moved stealthily, navigating swiftly through the gaps in the rocky nest without making a sound, always careful to stay out of the Legendary Gogun's field of vision.

His magnetic field sensing ability projected the terrain and the enemies' positions in his mind, as if he had a full map of the area.

He knew the Stoneling nest even better than its inhabitants.

After a few twists and turns, the Stonelings who were chasing him lost their way and looked around in confusion, unable to see their elusive target.

"I'm safe now," Ji Xinghuo said to Ren Mian through the thought link as he stood in a crevice, less than a hundred meters from where he had been discovered, still within the range of the link.

While evading his pursuers, he had kept an eye on the five Superhumans' situation.

The battle was intensifying, and the cave echoed with the sounds of slaughter.

However, the five Superhumans were moving further away from the palace, having retreated to the exit of this cave. If they could just fall back a little further, they would be able to reach the previous cave.

In just a few minutes, several hundred members of the Beiluoshimen Tribe had been killed.

Ji Xinghuo opened the interface of the Myrioptica Star Eyes and took a look.

The spiritual source energy was constantly jumping, +1+1+2+1+3+5+2+1...

The Myrioptica Star Eyes absorbed spiritual source energy from a wide range, even if Ji Xinghuo himself didn't make the kill, he could still absorb the energy.

By now, he had accumulated over 600 points!

However, as the battle sounds moved away, Ji Xinghuo noticed that the spiritual source energy was no longer increasing, probably because they were now out of the absorption range of the Myrioptica Star Eyes.

He estimated this distance to be about two kilometers, a bit further than he had expected.

"Do you think you can hold back from taking action?"

Ji Xinghuo's magnetic field sensing locked onto the Legendary Gogun. If the Gogun didn't make a move, as long as the five Superhumans entered the previous cave, the Illusionist would be able to conceal their tracks and they could easily escape.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the Legendary Gogun sprang into action.

He rushed down the steps from the palace, his body shimmering with frost and mist, forming blue waves beneath his feet. With each step, he covered a distance of several dozen meters, reaching speeds of over a hundred miles per hour as he rapidly closed in on the five Superhumans. He was like a towering wave rushing towards them.

"Our chance is here," Ji Xinghuo rejoiced inwardly. Without waiting for him to speak, Ren Mian, who was equally sharp, seized the opportunity and emerged from her hiding place in the rocky nest.

Jiang Nancaiyi maintained the illusion bead, cloaking the team as they advanced towards the palace entrance.

Ji Xinghuo, still in stealth mode, caught up and joined them.

"If we're exposed, don't hold back. Just charge straight in," Ren Mian said decisively, glancing back at the Legendary Gogun who was bearing down on the five Superhumans. "They won't hold him back for long. We have limited time, so as soon as we get to Chanling's cave, the rest is up to me."

They covered the distance of a few hundred meters in the blink of an eye, and the four of them soon reached the steps leading up to the palace.

At that moment, hundreds of Stoneling warriors, led by a Tier 4 Gogun, were guarding the palace entrance. They formed three human walls with only a few meters between each wall, leaving no gaps for intruders to slip through.

Ji Xinghuo and his teammates climbed the steps and ran swiftly.

The illusion bead could conceal their figures but not the sounds of their movements, and so, halfway up the stairs, they immediately drew the attention of the Stonelings.

"Cayi!" Ren Mian shouted.

"Close your eyes!"

Jiang Nancayi leaped lightly, jumping several meters high on the steps.

Her body transformed into a murky black and white form, her features distorted beyond recognition, as countless black mists emerged from within, flesh rapidly proliferating, and tentacles appearing out of thin air, forming an indescribable shape, no longer resembling a human, like the most evil and terrifying existence in the world.

At this moment, she was no longer human.

Even a mere glance at her would pollute one's spirit and inflict a violent shock to the mind, rendering it incredibly fragile.

"$@%..."

This indescribable entity emitted an indescribable sound.

On the steps before the palace, hundreds of members of the Beiluoshimen Tribe instantly fell into a daze, their hearts filled with boundless fear and madness.

They screamed and ran amok, some raising their weapons to slaughter those around them, turning on each other.

Some even choked themselves to induce suffocation or directly mutilated themselves.

"That's enough."

Jiang Nancayi landed on the ground, reverting to her human form. Her voice sounded weak, and her face was pale, as if all the energy had been drained from her body.

Ji Xinghuo looked at her with lingering fear.

The Devil Man's "Heart Demon" combined with the evil spirit's "Malicious Form" was the Devil Lord's "Unspeakable Dread." These two abilities, which did not directly inflict lethal damage, had an effect comparable to a star-fall ability, instantly shattering the resistance of several hundred enemies.

"Let's go!"

Ren Mian led the charge up the steps to the top, and as they pushed through the chaotic crowd, any Stoneling warriors who came too close were impaled by Chi Zhonglin's spear.

Ji Xinghuo's Dragon Falcon Bow fired several arrows in quick succession, picking off the Tier 2 and above Stoneling warriors who were about to regain their senses, shooting them one by one.

This included the Tier 4 Gogun, who had just shaken off the mental fear and now had an arrow piercing his head.

The four of them advanced without any obstacles and rushed into the palace.

At this time, most of the Beiluoshimen Tribe had regained their senses and roared as they chased after them from the steps.

Ren Mian quickly threw out a dozen spikes, each covered in thorns, towards the palace entrance. They exploded like bombs, sending out hundreds of spikes in all directions. The spikes were coated with poison, and the pursuing Beiluoshimen Tribe members fell like wheat being mowed down.

There were also guards inside the palace, but not many, just over a hundred.

Chi Zhonglin rushed to the front, brandishing his spear and carving a bloody path.

Ji Xinghuo's hands moved swiftly, and arrow after arrow flew out, with more than half of them piercing through two or even three heads like candied hawthorn sticks.

The spiritual source energy values were jumping every second.

Most of the elite warriors had been drawn away, and they couldn't withstand the four of them. Soon, the four reached the entrance of a passage at the end of the palace.

"Go in!"

Ren Mian shouted in a low voice.

Ji Xinghuo suddenly turned and looked towards the cave outside the palace. The Legendary Gogun was engaged in a fierce battle with the five Superhumans. He could only see the Martial Artist, the Sonic Master, and the Gravity Controller, but the Tricky Genius and the Black Sprinter were nowhere to be seen.

A massive ice blade sliced the Martial Artist in half, and the Legendary Gogun turned his head towards the palace, rushing over without hesitation.

"Sister Ren!"

Ji Xinghuo was startled and anxious. Entering Chanling's cave at this moment would mean being trapped.

Ren Mian also saw the returning Legendary Gogun, but her face remained calm as she said, "Go in quickly. I have a way to deal with him. I guarantee we can get away."

The three of them trusted her absolutely and turned to run into the passage.

Ren Mian brought up the rear.

This passage was not very long, only about a hundred meters. When they had run about halfway, Ren Mian threw a few black roots back, which landed on the ground and began to swell and grow frantically, drilling into the hard ground and walls and taking deep root. They quickly destroyed the passage.

A dull sound reverberated.

Cracks appeared in the floor and walls of the passage, fragments fell, and dust filled the air as the passage seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

The Legendary Gogun, who had rushed into the palace, saw this and let out an angry roar, but he dared not pursue them into the passage.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the passage collapsed.

A loud rumble echoed, and the hundred-meter-long passage was completely blocked.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end