Evolved Burrowing Rat

The three Drill Groundhogs shimmered with a metallic sheen, their bodies slightly larger than ordinary ones—clearly, they had devoured a great deal of metal and were on the verge of evolving.

Upon sensing the Drill Groundhogs' presence, the Sunflower King perched atop Da Hui's head seemed somewhat excited.

Hunting Drill Groundhogs was its specialty.

It began to squirm, but under Da Hui's soothing touch, it calmed down.

The Drill Groundhog lunged at the Thousand Changes Silkworm, claws bared and fangs flashing.

The Thousand Changes Silkworm looked plump and white, exuding a pleasant scent that drove the Drill Groundhog wild.

"Thousand Changes Silkworm, use Harden."

A pale white light enveloped the Thousand Changes Silkworm's body, greatly boosting its defense.

"Roll."

The Thousand Changes Silkworm curled into a ball and rolled across the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

The Drill Groundhog leaped high, its sharp claws slashing toward the Thousand Changes Silkworm.

The moment its claws met the silkworm, sparks flew in all directions.

The Drill Groundhog felt a sharp pain in its paws, and before it could dodge, the Thousand Changes Silkworm crushed it mercilessly.

Blood gushed from the Drill Groundhog's eyes, nose, and ears. A miserable shriek escaped its mouth as its life rapidly drained away.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. A translucent Silk Thread pierced the Drill Groundhog's brow, pinning it to the ground.

Crimson blood seeped from the wound. Its body convulsed violently, then its head lolled to the side as it breathed its last.

The Drill Groundhog stared at the Thousand Changes Silkworm with lifeless eyes, refusing to close them in death.

Starlight-blue light surged from the Drill Groundhog's body and flowed into the Thousand Changes Silkworm.

The death of their companion did not send the other two Drill Groundhogs fleeing; instead, the scent of blood spurred them on.

Their eyes bulged wide, and their teeth chattered with a clicking sound.

Drill Groundhogs were omnivorous Strange Beasts—they ate anything, and when starving, they would even turn on their own kind.

A bloodthirsty gleam shone in their eyes.

Blood-red Sha Qi coiled around them, and a layer of Blood Mist spread over their bodies.

Ye Bai's eyes were also stimulated, turning blood-red, though the color was hidden by the custom black contacts he wore.

Eye of Insight automatically identified the Drill Groundhogs' current state.

[Name: Drill Groundhog]
[Gender: Male]
[Level: Lv9 (First Order, Level 9)]
[Skills: Berserk (Proficient), Steel Claws (Proficient), Bite (Entry Level)]
[Status: On the verge of entering a Berserk state; their attack power will multiply.]
[Evolution Path 1: Berserk Blood Rat—devour large amounts of flesh and blood, reach the peak of First Order, and condense a Blood Core internally to complete evolution.]
[Evolution Path 2: Drill Groundhog—devour large amounts of metal, reach the peak of First Order, and complete evolution.]

[Name: Drill Groundhog]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: Lv9 (First Order, Level 9)]
[Skills: Berserk (Proficient), Steel Claws (Proficient), Iron Head (Entry Level), Tearing Claws (Proficient)]
[Status: On the verge of entering a Berserk state; their attack power will multiply.]
[Evolution Path: Blood Steel Rat—devour large amounts of flesh, blood, and metal, reach the peak of First Order, and condense a Blood Core internally to complete evolution. Its fur will become as hard as steel.]

Ye Bai was momentarily stunned when he saw one of the Drill Groundhogs' data—this creature actually had another evolution path.

An idea struck him: he could push these two Drill Groundhogs to evolve from First Order to Second Order.

Killing a Second Order Strange Beast yielded far more experience than a First Order one.

A single Second Order Strange Beast was worth the experience of ten First Order ones.

More importantly, Second Order Strange Beasts produced Crystal Cores.

Crystal Cores were a hard currency—they could be used to enhance a Strange Beast's strength or traded for other goods.

With the Third Order Sunflower King and the even stronger Da Hui guarding his back, Ye Bai wasn't afraid of any accidents.

"Thousand Changes Silkworm, toss that Drill Groundhog's corpse out."

The Thousand Changes Silkworm yanked the Silk Thread sharply, sending the Drill Groundhog's corpse arcing through the air.

The body crashed heavily in front of the two Drill Groundhogs, blood pooling on the ground.

The two Drill Groundhogs flared their nostrils, feeling ravenous, their stomachs growling like drums.

The Drill Groundhog that had just been killed by the Thousand Changes Silkworm had also been on the verge of evolution, its flesh and blood rich with abundant energy.

Stimulated by the fresh blood, the two burrowing rats could no longer hold back. They opened their pitch-black mouths, revealing sharp teeth.

The sounds of gulping and gnawing on bones came from the scene.

Before long, the entire burrowing rat was devoured clean. The levels of these two burrowing rats had clearly reached lv10. Their bodies trembled violently, seemingly on the verge of evolving.

One of the burrowing rats radiated a great blood light. A circle of blood-red Sha Qi coiled around its body, and a Blood Mist spread outward, appearing corrosive—the ground beneath it was pitted and scarred.

Its blood-red eyes locked onto the Thousand Changes Silkworm, and a rumbling sound came from its throat.

It now looked like a skinned rat, exceptionally hideous in appearance.

This was a second-order Berserk Blood Rat, extremely cruel by nature. It would swallow its prey alive while it still breathed, delighting in the sound of its victim's screams.

"Good. Thousand Changes Silkworm, use Silk Spit."

The Thousand Changes Silkworm suddenly shot crystalline silk threads from its mouth. The threads wrapped around a lamppost by the roadside, and the silkworm swung like a giant pendulum, smashing into the Berserk Blood Rat.

A vicious sneer curled at the corner of the Berserk Blood Rat's mouth. It swung its claws, glowing with a bloody light, intending to pierce through the silkworm's body.

Bang.

The moment the Berserk Blood Rat made contact with the Thousand Changes Silkworm, its claws suffered a violent impact, shattering inch by inch.

It felt as if it had been hit by a heavy truck. Its body involuntarily flew backward, crashing heavily into a wall.

Cracks spread across the wall like a spiderweb. The spot where the Berserk Blood Rat was struck caved in deeply.

If it had been an ordinary burrowing rat, it would likely have been dead by now. But after evolving into a second-order Berserk Blood Rat, its vitality had grown much stronger.

Its heart continued to pump blood, and the dented area of its body began to slowly recover.

"Thousand Changes Silkworm, use Silk Spit."

Taking advantage of the Berserk Blood Rat's incomplete recovery, the Thousand Changes Silkworm shot silk threads from its mouth—threads sharp enough to cut through iron.

A piercing sound tore through the air. Just as the threads were about to pierce the Berserk Blood Rat's heart, a dark shadow blocked their path.

It was a strange beast covered in metal spikes. The metal armor on its body gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.

Its greedy eyes stared fixedly at the Thousand Changes Silkworm, as if the silkworm were nothing more than a choice piece of meat.

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