The Immortal Salamander possessed monstrous regenerative abilities, excelled at close combat, and was covered in poison. Its arrival made life miserable for the six Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters.
Among the Tier 2 Exotic Beasts present, the strongest had only been a Tier 2 B-rank. The moment the Immortal Salamander arrived, it became the leader of the Beast Swarm. S-rank Exotic Beasts were naturally capable of suppressing lower-ranked Exotic Beasts of the same tier through their bloodline.
Seeing that things were going badly, Su Ze returned to Liu Wenyin's side and asked, "How many minutes are left?"
Liu Wenyin instantly understood what Su Ze meant and replied, "More than six minutes have passed. In less than four more minutes, the Beast Swarm will disperse."
"Only a little over six minutes?"
Su Ze felt that those six minutes had been exceptionally long. And from the look of things, their group would not hold out for the next four minutes.
After some thought, Su Ze handed the Head of the Wailing Ones to Liu Wenyin. "Here, take it back."
Liu Wenyin immediately understood his intention and accepted it naturally.
As the Head of the Wailing Ones passed into Liu Wenyin's hands, Su Ze seemed to feel those greedy gazes spying on him from the shadows vanish at once.
With the Head of the Wailing Ones in Su Ze's possession, some people might be tempted to covet it. But by pretending it belonged to Liu Wenyin and returning it to her, he had dispelled everyone's greed.
As long as Aunt Yun was around, no one in the team would dare set their sights on Liu Wenyin.
Su Ze had a second reason for giving the Head of the Wailing Ones to Liu Wenyin: he wanted her to use this strange item to assist the team.
Although Liu Wenyin was not skilled in combat, she was undeniably a peak Pupal Stage Evolver. Her Mental Power might even be stronger than Su Ze's. If she used the Head of the Wailing Ones well, she could provide considerable help to the team.
After obtaining the Head of the Wailing Ones, Liu Wenyin copied Su Ze's method and launched a barrage of mental attacks at the Tier 1 Exotic Beasts. She actually helped the team kill more than a dozen Tier 1 Exotic Beasts.
With that, the escort team actually gained the advantage in numbers!
This also freed up several Pupal Stage Hunters to support the six Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters who had been barely holding on.
Some of the six Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters had already been injured. One elderly Hunter had half his palm bitten off by the Immortal Salamander, while another had been poisoned, his entire body mottled blue and purple.
That wave of support finally gave them a chance to catch their breath.
What surprised Su Ze was that after Liu Wenyin launched more than a dozen mental attacks with the Head of the Wailing Ones, her expression remained unchanged. She showed no signs of having exhausted her Mental Power.
Normally, as lifeforms both at the Pupal Stage, even if there were differences in the strength of Su Ze's and Liu Wenyin's Mental Power, the gap should not have been too great. Yet Liu Wenyin's Mental Power clearly surpassed that of Evolvers at her level.
Su Ze guessed that Liu Wenyin had probably mastered a skill that enhanced Mental Power.
Still in excellent mental condition, Liu Wenyin even had enough strength left to continue launching mental attacks. She shifted her gaze toward the Tier 2 Exotic Beasts instead.
Although the Head of the Wailing Ones' mental attacks could not pose a substantial threat to Tier 2 Exotic Beasts, they could still briefly affect them. Just as when Su Ze escaped from prison, he had used the Head of the Wailing Ones to attack the "Vampire" and the Sickly One, causing the two Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters to miss the best opportunity to escape.
In battle, however, a brief lapse could very well determine the final outcome. Even if it could not help the six Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters reverse their disadvantage, it could at least reduce the pressure on them and let them hold out longer.
However, Liu Wenyin quickly encountered a problem. The Head of the Wailing Ones required eye contact with the target to launch a mental attack, but the several Tier 2 Exotic Beasts were completely focused on the battle. No matter what kind of disturbance Liu Wenyin made, none of them glanced at her.
Given her strength, she also did not dare rashly enter the battle zone between the Tier 2 Exotic Beasts and the Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters.
The best choice now was to hand the Head of the Wailing Ones to the Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters and let them use it themselves. But this strange item was extraordinarily valuable. Su Ze had been willing to give it to Liu Wenyin out of trust in her, yet Liu Wenyin would not pass it on to someone else without Su Ze's permission.
At that moment, one Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunter noticed Liu Wenyin's predicament and shouted, "Let's work together to draw the Immortal Salamander's attention toward the employer. With the strange item in the employer's hand, we'll try to kill this beast in one go!"
"Alright! Let's give it everything we've got!"
The Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters all responded. The Immortal Salamander was the one putting the greatest pressure on them. As long as they could deal with it, they were confident they could endure the remaining time.
But if they did not eliminate the Immortal Salamander, then even if they killed one or two other Tier 2 Exotic Beasts, they would still be in a difficult position against it.
And most importantly, the Immortal Salamander's extract was worth a fortune!
Even split among so many people, it would still be a considerable sum.
"Be careful. Don't make eye contact with the skull in my hand, or you might get caught in it by mistake," Liu Wenyin warned.
The six Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters immediately began coordinating, deliberately drawing the Immortal Salamander's attention toward Liu Wenyin. Liu Wenyin gripped the Head of the Wailing Ones tightly and aimed it forward, ready to act.
But after several attempts, even when the Immortal Salamander faced Liu Wenyin's direction, its attention remained fixed on its opponents. It did not spare the distant Liu Wenyin even a second glance.
Liu Wenyin gritted her teeth and moved much closer.
At that moment, a Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunter whose body was covered in a layer of bony armor suddenly charged forward. He clamped onto the Immortal Salamander's head and forcibly twisted it toward Liu Wenyin.
The Immortal Salamander's skin was covered in poison. Anyone who came into direct physical contact with it was very likely to be poisoned.
The Immortal Salamander struggled with all its strength, then lashed out with its massive tail. It shattered the armor on the back of the Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunter clinging to it, making him spit out a mouthful of blood.
But that Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunter still refused to let go. Through his efforts, the Immortal Salamander's gaze finally swept across Liu Wenyin nearby, making momentary eye contact with the Head of the Wailing Ones in her hand.
The mental attack activated!
The Immortal Salamander immediately fell into a dazed stupor.
"Quick! Seize the chance!"
During this brief window, the Immortal Salamander would neither flee nor dodge, nor would it use skills to defend or counterattack. They had to focus all their firepower and kill it.
The six Cocoon Breaking Stage Hunters were highly experienced. The three who specialized in defense immediately used their strongest Defense Skills, risking injury to block the attacks of the other Tier 2 Exotic Beasts. Meanwhile, the other three, who specialized in offense, unleashed everything they had, wildly bombarding the Immortal Salamander with all sorts of attack skills.
The Immortal Salamander's defensive ability was not particularly outstanding. In an instant, it suffered grave injuries: all four limbs and its tail were severed, its head was split open, and its heart was shattered.
"Don't let up! It's not dead yet!"
Su Ze, watching from afar, also noticed that the Immortal Salamander's wounds were healing at a visible speed. Even its severed limbs and tail were slowly regrowing.
This thing was far too hard to kill!
Excitement appeared on Su Ze's face.
He was definitely getting the Immortal Salamander's extract!
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