Encountering an Enemy
In the scorching desert, a tall figure sped swiftly in one direction, his feet barely touching the ground. Suddenly, his speed decreased, and he landed slowly on the desert sand, his eyes gazing into the distance, completely oblivious to the blinding sunlight from the sky.
"There's an ambush ahead!" a voice suddenly rang out; it was the Sea Emperor.
"I know!" Bigge nodded. The power of his Martial Dao Intent allowed him to perceive many things that others could not.
He took a few steps forward, seemingly slowly placing one hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, then suddenly drew the sword and forcefully plunged it into the sand until only the hilt remained.
A moment later, several screams came from not far away.
The corpses of several Earth-Walking Beasts had already turned into fragments, but those fragments were still slowly wriggling, and it took a long time for them to completely lose their life force.
Earth-Walking Beast are carnivorous monsters that live in the desert. They are actually quite weak when they are born, only one-star monsters, equivalent to Low-rank God in humans. However, through feeding, they can continue to evolve, and may even evolve into four-star monsters comparable to Peak-rank God in humans.
These monstrous beasts have no eyes, no limbs, and no scales. They perceive their surroundings by collecting airborne scents through their pores. Their bodies automatically secrete large amounts of mucus, providing lubrication when traversing the earth, and this mucus also insulates against heat and retains moisture. Tens of thousands of years ago, a company discovered the value of this Earth-Walking Beast mucus and processed it into a highly moisturizing beauty product, widely sought after by women. Then, over eight thousand years ago, a health supplement company discovered the commercial value of the Earth-Walking Beast mucus's lubrication properties and developed another topical health product, which was very popular with men.
Therefore, some companies artificially breed Earth-Walking Beast. These monsters are very easy to raise, whether fed live prey or rotting carcasses; they are not picky eaters. The only difficulty lies in extracting their mucus, which is extremely dangerous. These beasts are highly aggressive, with incredibly sharp teeth that rotate automatically while chewing. Being bitten by them is worse than being in a meat grinder.
Besides their teeth, they have a special venomous stinger on their tails that secretes a bone-softening toxin. When a creature is exposed to this toxin, all the calcium-containing parts of its body soften completely in less than two minutes, making it easier for the Earth-Walking Beast to eat.
Most remarkably, the Earth-Walking Beast's vitality is extremely tenacious. Scientists have conducted experiments showing that it only dies after being cut into at least twenty equal parts. Otherwise, the severed Earth-Walking Beast will split into several Earth-Walking Beasts with their own thinking abilities within a few hours.
During his few days in the desert, Bigge had encountered Earth-Walking Beast several times. The first time, if the Sea Emperor hadn't warned him beforehand, Bigge might have actually become food for one of these monsters. At the time, he thought that these monsters could be easily dealt with by simply cutting them in half.
"Come out, I can sense your killing intent, though you've hidden it well," Bigge suddenly shouted in a certain direction. "Don't even think about escaping, because no matter how fast you are, you can't outrun my blade."
Not long after Bigge finished speaking, a voluptuous woman emerged, her skin ruddy from frequent sunbathing. Most notably, she was scantily clad. She wore only a very short skirt, revealing her long, shapely legs, and a white blouse that exposed her entire waist.
"She is Alvira, an underling of Duke Lorraine. She's a four-star deity, a Beast Tamer. Besides controlling demonic beasts in battle, her own strength is considerable, around the level of a seven-star deity. Furthermore, she possesses a special divine power called charm, capable of bewitching opponents regardless of gender; those with weaker souls are easily swayed," the Sea Emperor concluded. This woman is a dangerous opponent for anyone.
"You're Bigge from the Gu Ding Team, right?" After revealing herself, Alvira didn't immediately attack, but instead asked in a calm tone. Her team had done their homework before coming in; they had heard about the recently rising Gu Ding Team and had briefly checked their Gu Ding, but hadn't paid much attention. However, when Alvira stood before Bigge, she realized how terrifying he was, and she had to be careful. "Taller and stronger than in the video projection."
Bigge remained silent, still considering whether to kill his opponent outright. After all, the other man was Duke Lorraine's subordinate, and if it were discovered that he was the one who had done it, it would likely cause great trouble for Gu Ding Team. But if he didn't kill him, it was clear that the other man wanted him dead.
Seeing that Bigge didn't react, she guessed Bigge's apprehension, immediately raised the corners of her mouth, then lifted her hips and swayed her buttocks as she walked towards Bigge.
Upon reaching Bigge, she winked at Bigge, then placed a soft, boneless hand on Bigge's abdomen. "Such firm muscles..."
Bigge's muscles were tense, but just as the other person touched his body, a strange feeling arose that prevented him from immediately attacking the woman.
Alvira had been observing Bigge's reaction closely. A slight smile played on her lips as two fingers continued their descent from Bigge's abdomen to his belt. She then slipped one finger inside his pants, gently hooking it up, pressing her body close to Bigge's, and looked up at him. She could feel Bigge 'Bigge breathing quickening. At that moment, she spoke again, her voice laced with seductive allure, "Do you want to be my man? Just give me a definite answer, and we can take the next step..."
Before she could finish speaking, a sharp slash rang in her ears, and she coughed up blood as the charm spell was completely broken. At the same time, a chill ran down her neck; she knew a knife was pressed against it.
Bigge took a step back and looked coldly at Alvira. "You shouldn't have used your charm on me; it only aroused my Blade Intent to protect itself."
"Before you make your move, I have a question," Alvira knew she was probably doomed, "If I hadn't used my charm spell, would you have stopped me from continuing?"
Bigge was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "The truly strong are those who follow their own hearts. That's what Gu Ding told me before. I will follow my heart's desires."
Alvira was somewhat surprised by this answer. She slowly closed her eyes and said, "Go ahead and do it."
Bigge sheathed his sword and sped away, leaving behind only the words, "Don't lay a hand on anyone in our team, or I'll kill you next time."
Upon hearing this voice, Alvira opened her eyes. Bigge had disappeared from her sight. She stood there in silence for a long time before turning and leaving.
In a deep abyss, a young girl rides on the back of a giant, entirely black python, eating fruit.
What's truly terrifying is that the giant python is a Profound Darkness Black Python, a powerful being possessing the bloodline of the divine beast Black Water Mysterious Snake. The one the girl rides, though still in its growth stage, has already reached a length of three hundred meters, and its cultivation has reached the peak of a two-star demon beast. Its strength is probably no weaker than One-Star High-rank God, and perhaps even stronger.
Surrounding the giant beast were hundreds of two-star demonic beasts of various shapes and sizes, including more than ten at the peak of the two-star level. They surrounded the Profound Darkness Black Python and the girl as if protecting their master, and moved in the same direction.
That girl was Liliath from the Gu Ding Team.
When she first entered this abyss, she was somewhat afraid. However, after hypnotizing her first demonic beast, Liliath discovered that her eyes and soul had become terrifyingly powerful after her ascension to demigodhood. The soul attacks unleashed with her eyes were only a step away from those of High-rank God. Her hypnosis was almost invincible in this abyss. Most two-star demonic beasts submitted at a glance, and even those at the peak of the two-star level were successfully hypnotized in less than ten seconds. The Profound Darkness Black Python beneath her was the strongest; it took multiple attempts with Soul Deterrence to successfully hypnotize it.
Liliath and her army of monsters were virtually invincible in the abyss. They had encountered several powerful human warriors, but Liliath didn't even have to lift a finger before the monsters tore them to pieces.
"Lily, there's a powerful figure blocking our path not far ahead. It's Aurora, the top 2," the Sea Emperor whispered to Liliath. "Aurora is a swordsman. Although her cultivation is only at the three-star god level, she has already grasped the basics of sword intent. Her Combat Strength is comparable to a seven-star god, and her strongest attack can even reach the level of High-rank God. Once she reaches the five-star god level and hones her combat skills further, she should be a strong candidate for a regular top 2 member, and there's even a high chance she'll secure a regular spot."
"One of the top 2?" Liliath's confidence had soared. She wanted to see just how much she had grown and whether she could contend with a top 2 powerhouse. "If he doesn't make a move, I can just pretend I'm passing by. But if he does, I can see just how much my strength has increased."
Liliath did not choose to give way, but instead led her army of monsters forward.
Aurora quickly spotted the army of demonic beasts, and then he noticed Liliath sitting atop the head of the Profound Darkness Black Python. He flashed to the front of the horde, "Liliath from the Gu Ding Team, leading so many demonic beasts forward, how arrogant!"
"I know you're Aurora, the top 2," Liliath laughed. "Are you going to make a move?"
"Your bounty is too low; I'm not interested in you. However, if you want to leave, leave that Profound Darkness Black Python behind." Aurora's gaze fell on the giant python beneath Liliath, her eyes gleaming.
"Are you dreaming?" Liliath was also furious.