Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame

"Hah!"

A wild roar rang out.

In the rainy night, the blazing Forest Patrol Leader looked like a ferocious demon.

His four hooves struck the ground, splashing up countless droplets and leaving half-meter-wide mud pits behind. His towering figure charged down from the top of the slope like a train.

Blood Flame ignited along the gigantic blade shaped like a massive machete. It split the curtain of rain as it slashed toward Ren Mian.

Ren Mian's eyes remained calm.

It was as though she had not noticed the terrifying enemy before her. While controlling the Green Lock Dragons to wrap layer after layer around Jiangnan Caiyi, she flicked a pink flower petal from her fingertips. It shot out, but its target was not the Forest Patrol Leader. Instead, it curved around him and landed on Jiangnan Caiyi, merging into the wound at her waist. The bleeding immediately stopped, and the injury began to heal.

A figure rushed in from the side and blocked Ren Mian.

It was Chi Zhonglin.

He had entered a full berserk state. His body had expanded to two and a half meters tall, nearly matching the Forest Patrol Leader in height. His muscles bulged all over, and his Lava Gun had turned fiery red.

The spear thrust straight for the enemy's throat.

The Forest Patrol Leader swept his blade upward. With a ringing clang, sparks scattered everywhere. Chi Zhonglin was sent flying back even faster, unable to keep his balance as he rolled down the slope.

However, the Forest Patrol Leader's charge had also been checked.

Ren Mian's gaze sharpened.

Dozens of Green Lock Dragons immediately caught up from the camp, pouncing onto the enemy like a writhing mass of venomous snakes. They grew wildly, binding him tightly as their spikes tried to pierce his flesh.

The Forest Patrol Leader snorted coldly. The Blood Flame around his body surged, directly burning through the Green Lock Dragons and freeing him from their restraints.

"Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame!"

Ren Mian frowned slightly, finally identifying the flames on the enemy's body. Ordinary fire could never burn through her Green Lock Dragons.

Only the Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame bestowed by the Scarlet Emperor possessed such power.

"Fall back."

She called out in their minds, "He is a Blood Warrior blessed by the Scarlet Emperor. He has Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame. None of you are his match."

Ji Xinghuo was deeply shaken.

Most Star God followers did not possess additional abilities. Only a very small number had the chance to receive a Star God's blessing, causing their strength to soar.

The followers of the Four Divine Lords were the finest among them.

When a Scarlet Emperor Follower committed enough slaughter and sacrificed enough blood, the Scarlet Emperor would bestow his blessing—Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame!

This was a seed cultivated by the Scarlet Emperor with countless bodies and masses of flesh. Blood Flame was fused into the heart and activated by blood, greatly increasing strength and defense. Furious flames burned from the chest, spreading across the entire body and clinging to weapons, scorching the enemy's flesh and spirit.

Followers who possessed Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame were called Blood Warriors.

Yet even the lowest-ranked Blood Warrior was exceedingly rare.

Because it required killing far too many people.

Their own family, friends, clansmen, and even more enemies—their lives and blood all had to be sacrificed to the Scarlet Emperor for even a chance of gaining his favor.

Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame was immensely powerful!

After every battle, the enhancements to Blood Flame's power, defense, and resistance would increase. It would also directly pour superb combat techniques into the user's mind, rapidly elevating their strength.

Blood Flame needed frequent nourishment from blood.

Blood Warriors would also develop an endless craving for blood. If it could not be satisfied, they would suffer backlash, their minds gradually descending into madness until they finally became emotionless killing machines.

Therefore, every Blood Warrior was a true lunatic.

They could pay any price for power, fighting without end until the day they fell.

In the 1980s, a major case occurred on Earth.

An ordinary man in Africa secretly joined the Scarlet Emperor Cult. In a single night, he personally slaughtered more than forty members of his own family, along with neighbors, relatives, and half the villagers in his village. Only then did he gain the Scarlet Emperor's favor, receive Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame, and become a Blood Warrior.

From then on, he embarked on a journey of slaughter.

He went from an ordinary person to an Aberrant, his strength rising like a rocket. He killed all the way through villages and cities, advancing to Super Esper in just a few months.

On the chaotic and lawless African continent, few people paid attention at first.

Two years later, when the international community noticed this Blood Warrior, he had already become a major warlord. He controlled an army of tens of thousands and had started several wars.

In the end, the Blood Warrior was eliminated by legendary powerhouses sent by various nations.

But he had already caused the deaths of several million people! And this Forest Patrol Clan warrior before them had originally been a fourth-level powerhouse, equivalent to a Super Esper on Earth. After activating Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame, his strength nearly rivaled that of a legend! Ji Xinghuo took a deep breath.

He immediately replaced his ordinary arrows, grabbed several Capacitor Arrows, nocked one to his bow, and aimed at the Forest Patrol Leader as he searched for an opening.

The Forest Patrol Leader let out a cry.

Though they could not understand what he was shouting, the sound wave contained a mental attack. Even the rain around him was blasted away, leaving an empty patch.

Bang! A crystal condensed at Ren Mian's fingertip and exploded against his face.

The Forest Patrol Leader merely shook his head and continued charging. With one surge of his four hooves, he reached Ren Mian. He raised his blade high and brought it down.

A bolt of electricity suddenly flew in and struck his chest, embedding itself over his heart.

The Capacitor Arrow failed to pierce through, but it instantly discharged a high-voltage current, making the Forest Patrol Leader's entire body tremble. The force behind his descending blade weakened by more than half.

Ren Mian had already surrounded herself with Green Lock Dragons, forming a thick wall of thorns.

Boom! The blade cleaved through the thorn wall like a red-hot knife through butter.

"Ren-jie!"

Chi Zhonglin, who had just climbed back up from the bottom of the slope, saw this and cried out in alarm and fury.

Ji Xinghuo's heart also seemed to stop for an instant.

The Green Lock Dragons scattered into countless burning fragments, revealing Ren Mian's figure. But her appearance at that moment left Ji Xinghuo stunned.

Ren Mian's conical hat and scarf had been destroyed, revealing her true face.

Her body had transformed into a diamond-like humanoid sculpture. Her skin was crystal-clear, radiating dazzling multicolored light from her face to her legs. It was gorgeous and dreamlike.

She raised her right hand and blocked the enemy's blade with her bare hand.

The high-temperature Blood Flame could burn through even Green Lock Dragons, yet it could not harm her crystal-like palm in the slightest. However, the tremendous force carried by the blade drove her into the ground, her feet sinking down to her calves.

A trace of surprise flashed through the Forest Patrol Leader's crazed eyes.

Just as he was about to swing again, brilliant light suddenly erupted before him.

Boom! Intense white light burst from Ren Mian's body, instantly forming a terrifying shockwave that sent the Forest Patrol Leader flying. The shockwave swept through the surroundings, its light spreading like lightning and pushing away all the rain within a hundred-meter radius, creating a spherical force field.

Ji Xinghuo, hiding in a tree, was caught in it as well and nearly fell.

He steadied himself and saw that Ren Mian had already begun fighting the enemy.

Ren Mian was not fast, nor was she particularly strong, but her defense was utterly outrageous. The Forest Patrol Leader swung his enormous blade, every strike carrying terrifying force and high-temperature Blood Flame. Yet she fought with only her hands. When the blade struck her hands or body, it left only a faint white mark.

Ji Xinghuo had already recognized it.

"Crystalline Light Servant!"

Ren Mian had always said that she was a Plant Witch, and that was indeed true. But she had not mentioned that she was also a Crystalline Light Servant.

It was one of the most powerful Class Templates on Earth.

In ADC's rating system, the Crystalline Light Servant had a template rating as high as 73 points, placing third! The core ability of a Crystalline Light Servant was the Light-Residing Crystalline Body. It could transform the body into a crystalline structural material even harder than diamond, granting resistance to physical attacks that reached the theoretical limit. It could also store light and initially manipulate it for use in battle.

The Crystalline Light Servant had the highest physical defense of all classes.

But it was not without weaknesses.

An extremely hard body greatly reduced the Crystalline Light Servant's speed and agility, unless they could fuse with the Ability Seed "Blink" and move instantaneously.

Furthermore, a Crystalline Light Servant lacked explosive power in the early stages, and their offensive methods were somewhat limited.

Ji Xinghuo watched for several seconds.

Ren Mian clearly did not have the "Blink" ability yet, nor did she possess the Light-Bending Force Field or Shape Solidification. She could only rely on her incomparably tough body to withstand the enemy's attacks, occasionally retaliating with Light Burst Art.

Their bodies differed several times in size, and the gap in strength was even greater.

This prevented her master-level Martial Dao Rank from showing its full potential. She could only defend passively.

The outcome could not be decided for the moment, but the longer the battle dragged on, the more excited the Forest Patrol Leader became, and his strength was still increasing. This was extremely unfavorable for Ren Mian.

Defending without attacking would lead to trouble sooner or later.

"I'll help you!"

Chi Zhonglin saw this as well. Without hesitation, he charged up the slope and joined the battle, attacking the Forest Patrol Leader from behind.

The three of them fought in a tangled melee, but it lasted only a few seconds.

The Forest Patrol Leader's combat techniques were extraordinarily refined. His Martial Dao Rank was at least master-level, and he was highly experienced. Fully exploiting his overwhelming advantage in strength and the traits of Blood-Drinking Wrathful Flame, he knocked Chi Zhonglin's spear away in two or three strikes, then chopped his blade into Chi Zhonglin's chest.

A shower of sparks flew. Even the tough Tungsten Dragon Scales were cut apart.

Chi Zhonglin was disemboweled on the spot.

If Ren Mian had not rushed in time and blocked the next strike with her body, Chi Zhonglin would have been beheaded.

"Get back."

Ren Mian shouted, not forgetting to throw a Peach Blossom Petal onto Chi Zhonglin's wound to prevent him from dying of excessive injury.

Not far away, Jiangnan Caiyi lay on the ground clutching her waist. Gritting her teeth, she rolled her eyes back in pain as an invisible phantom flew from her head and pounced on the Forest Patrol Leader.

Evil Spirit Possession!

The Evil Spirit clone split from her mind instantly entered the Forest Patrol Leader's body.

But in just an instant, the Evil Spirit clone was forced back out.

Jiangnan Caiyi cried out in pain. Her head felt as though it were splitting apart, and she nearly fainted.

Even with the two of them desperately helping, they could not succeed.

Ren Mian's voice rang in all three of their minds. "Withdraw immediately! Xinghuo, cover their retreat. Don't look back."

"What about you, Ren-jie?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"I'll hold him back." There was not a trace of hesitation in Ren Mian's voice. "Don't worry. He can't kill me. I have a way to escape. Go back to Olympia and wait for me."

Ji Xinghuo did not answer immediately. He heard the resolve in Ren Mian's words.

He did not know whether she truly had a way to escape. Even if she did, she would probably have to pay a terrible price.

And he still had a trump card he had not used.

"What are you hesitating for?" Ren Mian grew anxious.

After several seconds of silence, Ji Xinghuo finally replied, "It's not time to retreat yet. Let me try. If it still doesn't work, we'll leave immediately."

"You?"

Ren Mian was doubtful, but she did not stop him.

From a tree a hundred meters away, Ji Xinghuo nocked a Capacitor Arrow onto his compound bow. He aimed at the Forest Patrol Leader, who was entangled with Ren Mian, and activated Myriad Aspects of the Universe.

However, he withdrew from it after only an instant.

The gap in strength was too great, and the distance was too far. Even though the Capacitor Arrow was far more lethal than ordinary arrows, he could not find a way to kill the enemy while in the Myriad Aspects of the Universe state.

"The gap in strength is still too great."

Ji Xinghuo did not give up. He opened the Myriad Stellar Eye interface, looked at the 144 points of Spirit Source Energy he had just acquired, and immediately poured all of it into Rotating Magnetic Field.

Rotating Magnetic Field (Level 1 284/359)

At once, Ji Xinghuo felt his body rapidly strengthening. His physical strength and Stellar Force surged, spinning at high speed like a magnetic field.

In less than ten seconds, his strength had nearly doubled! Ji Xinghuo suddenly grabbed the Nano Rope beside him and swung directly from the tree toward the air above the camp.

While still in midair, he activated the Gale Boots. A wisp of levitating force formed beneath his feet. Using the momentum of the rope swing, he flung himself above the top of the slope. The Rotating Magnetic Field ran at full power as his right hand drew the Lei Chi Battle Blade. His entire body descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning.

Under Ren Mian's puzzled and astonished gaze, Ji Xinghuo fell from the air.