Heaven-Gifted Source Essence

The rules of small combat-type Ash Zones were generally simple, emphasizing the thrill of battle.

There were no twists or turns, just straightforward fighting that put raw strength to the test.

On this expedition, the squad had a clear goal: the hidden treasure in this Ash Zone.

And combat-type Ash Zones had another hidden rule: treasure was always guarded!

That was the greatest challenge of the expedition.

Two pieces of cannon fodder guarded Li Peipei on either side as she strode forward, dragging her sword in one hand.

The heavy sword scraped against the cold ground, throwing off sparks and making a grating noise.

White light shone in her eyes, penetrating the cavern walls and allowing her to clearly perceive the treasure and its guardians ahead.

As Li Peipei rounded a corner, her view suddenly opened up, revealing a spacious underground cavern.

The cavern was spacious and level, with little clutter. Glowing plants dotted every part of it, lighting the place up like day.

At the center of the cavern, two enormous canine creatures, each ten meters long, had already sensed Li Peipei's arrival. They rose to their feet, letting out threatening growls as churning lava gathered in their mouths.

Nether Breath Hounds, level-five aberrants.

But Li Peipei's gaze swept past the Nether Breath Hounds to the object between them.

It was a multicolored, diamond-shaped crystal floating in midair.

The diamond-shaped crystal glittered with the radiance of treasure. Li Peipei's eyes grew eager as she looked at it, and she softly murmured its true name.

"Heaven-Gifted Source Essence."

A precious treasure born only in shattered Ash Zones, and an object coveted by all Ash Zone Walkers.

No one knew the true nature of the Heaven-Gifted Source Essence.

Just as no one knew how shattered Ash Zones worked.

But being unable to uncover its nature was hardly a problem. What mattered was what the Heaven-Gifted Source Essence did.

It had another name: the Heaven-Gifted Blind Box.

It was a blind box. Once obtained, the Heaven-Gifted Source Essence would turn into a random reward, generously bestowing a handsome prize upon the brave.

The rewards came in all kinds, but one thing was certain: the Heaven-Gifted Source Essence never disappointed its recipient.

Li Peipei thought of the upcoming Human Race Sequence Hegemony Battle.

She needed only one Heaven-Gifted Source Essence, and her strength would surely reach new heights. Breaking into the top thirty of the sequence wouldn't be impossible.

And as a member of the top thirty in the human race's sequence, reputation and influence were secondary. What mattered was that there were simply too many benefits to be gained.

The strong stayed strong. That was the unshakable truth.

"Then let's begin."

Li Peipei raised her heavy sword, her voice ringing out like clashing steel.

"White Dragon True Eye, grant me sight!"

White Dragon True Eye (S-rank): Grants night vision and greatly enhances visual perception. At close range, the user's visual perception can easily pick up an enemy's movements as they exert force.

"Black Dragon Body, grant me strength!"

Black Dragon Body (S-rank): All attributes +20. Dragon scales grow over the body's surface, granting massive damage reduction!

"Wind Dragon's Protection, grant me agility!"

Wind Dragon's Protection (S-rank): Agility +30. Greatly increases movement speed.

She lunged and raised her sword.

"Dragon Flash Dance!"

Dragon Flash Dance (S-rank): Must be performed with a bladed weapon. Requires all attributes to reach 50 points. Once activated, the user rushes toward a target at extreme speed and flashes back and forth between multiple targets, delivering crushing blows!

Class: Dragon Warrior!

Class trait: Greatly enhances the effects of skills with "dragon" in their names!

Light flared in the cavern.

Li Peipei appeared instantly above the first Nether Breath Hound. Her heavy sword chopped down, smashing into its head and drawing a great spray of blood.

Before the Nether Breath Hound could howl, Li Peipei had already flashed above the other one.

For a moment, Li Peipei seemed to have vanished. Only the bright silver light trailing her repeated flashes grew ever more dazzling.

As soon as Li Peipei made her move, Zhang Wen and Xie Xiaotian charged toward the battlefield with a shield and twin blades, bringing the two remaining pieces of cannon fodder with them.

As Li Peipei's teammates, both knew her Dragon Flash Dance was a burst skill that couldn't be sustained.

And once Dragon Flash Dance ended, Li Peipei's skill combination wouldn't allow her to fight multiple enemies alone. The Dragon Warrior class was better suited to one-on-one combat.

When that happened, the two of them and the two pieces of cannon fodder would need to hold off one Nether Breath Hound for a while, buying Li Peipei time to finish her fight.

That was the plan.

There were no difficulties or problems in carrying it out, either.

The two level-five Nether Breath Hounds were fearsome, but the five-person squad worked seamlessly together, and none of them had ulterior motives.

The outcome of the battle was predictable.

Provided nothing unexpected happened.

"Nothing unexpected will happen."

At the cave entrance, An Yue and Rouyun watched the battle from a safe distance.

As the team's two support members, both were level four, had no class, and had only four skill slots.

Both had chosen support skills for all four slots.

An Yue: Forced Control, Petrified Skin, Swift as the Wind, All-Round Buff.

Rouyun: Flesh Bomb, Silence, Taunt Aura, Rapid Healing.

Although their attributes did meet the standard for level four, their weak skill sets left the two women with almost no ability to fight head-on.

On a level-five battlefield, all they could do was apply buffs, then stay well clear and avoid holding their teammates back.

In the cavern ahead, Dragon Flash Dance had already ended.

Li Peipei and her sword had the Nether Breath Hound on the defensive.

Although both were level five, the difference in their skill combinations made for a considerable gap in combat power. Li Peipei might need only a minute or so to end the fight.

Two explosive booms suddenly rang out.

Rouyun had deliberately detonated the two Flesh Bombs on the other side, relieving the pressure on Zhang Wen and Xie Xiaotian.

The two were struggling, but thanks to the Flesh Bombs, they were still holding their ground. They could clearly last until Li Peipei ended her fight.

"We've got this."

That was Rouyun's assessment.

But An Yue frowned, thinking about something else.

"I'm still puzzled..."

"I definitely found six pieces of cannon fodder, but only five have blown up so far. There was one more person I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried just now, but now I remember."

"The first piece of cannon fodder I found was that guy... tall and thin, and pretty handsome. How did he disappear?"

Rouyun thought it over and nodded too. "I remember raising six Flesh Bombs as well, but five have exploded now. I don't know where the last bomb went..."

A sharp crack rang out.

Before Rouyun could finish, her head had been twisted a hundred and eighty degrees!

Her eyes went wide as the life quickly faded from them. At the very end, she finally saw the figure who had appeared behind them without their noticing.

It was the missing cannon fodder...

Xia Lin slowly released his hands and spoke calmly.

"My name isn't Cannon Fodder, and it isn't Bomb. My name is Xia Lin."

With that, he turned to look at the dumbstruck An Yue.

He grinned, his lips stretching instantly to his ears. A cold glint flickered in his mouth, and the circular rows of razor-sharp teeth, like those of a great white shark, were chilling to behold.

A thick, bloody stench burst from Xia Lin's mouth and washed over An Yue's face.

"Also, thanks."

"Thanks for calling me handsome."

"Let me treat you to something tasty."

Xia Lin pulled a Lizard Hound's hind leg from his waist and stuffed it into An Yue's mouth with lightning speed.

Her delicate mouth was instantly torn open, blood and teeth squeezing out through the side of her face.

Her eyes were full of terror.

For she saw specks of red light dancing on Xia Lin's chest.

They looked like the light of a Flesh Bomb, but not quite...

She could also sense that Xia Lin was far stronger than she, a level-four Walker, was.

That made no sense.

He had only just entered the Ash Zone... He had clearly...

"Eat!"

The furious roar cut off An Yue's thoughts.

Xia Lin grinned, his eyes red and his hair bristling, looking like a madman.

"Eat it!"

"Eat! Eat!"

"It doesn't taste like anything! It's not bad, it's not bad!!"

"I ate it, so why the hell won't you? Why the hell won't you eat it!!"

Xia Lin forcibly stuffed the Lizard Hound's hind leg, a full meter long, into An Yue's mouth.

In the process, he burst her throat, her stomach, and her abdominal cavity.

Blood sprayed from An Yue's mouth and neck, dyeing Xia Lin completely red...

Yet Xia Lin still didn't stop!

Forced Control.

Unable to control himself.

The despair and helplessness before entering the Ash Zone.

The struggle and eating after entering the Ash Zone.

Slimy blood, cold, hard flesh.

His taut nerves snapped again and again, only to be rebuilt each time by his determination to survive.

Then it reached an extreme.

Terror filled An Yue's eyes, gradually turning to despair.

Her mouth had been torn apart; she couldn't even beg for mercy!

Then Xia Lin abruptly stopped and broke into a hearty smile.

"Oh, I forgot. I don't have a sense of taste anymore. You did that."

"So, does it taste good?"

An Yue couldn't answer Xia Lin's question.

Xia Lin didn't need an answer from her, either.

He pulled out the Lizard Hound's hind leg, then swung it down in a wide arc!

Smack.

An Yue's pretty head shattered like a watermelon.

"Whew..."

Xia Lin tossed the hound's leg aside and let out a long breath.

"That feels good... Now that feels good..."

Life's three greatest joys: revenge, revenge, and more fucking revenge!

Suddenly, a furious roar rang out from afar.

"How dare you!!"

An Yue and Rouyun's deaths had alerted Li Peipei and the other two in the cavern.

Li Peipei was locked in a fierce battle and couldn't break away. Xie Xiaotian, however, disengaged and charged at Xia Lin with red eyes!

"You little bastard! You dared to kill An Yue! You're as good as dead!!"

Xia Lin slowly tilted his head, then smiled in understanding.

"You had a crush on her."

Then he stepped forward, moving faster and faster.

He broke into a mad sprint!

"Then I'll send you on your way too!!"