Killing Time (4)

"Maybe it was just a magical beast. There's no need to make such a fuss," the mage said, his voice very calm.

"Sigh." The big ball of flesh sighed and said, "What a waste of my good axe. Why was that magical beast so strange? Its blood could actually corrode refined iron." The blade of the giant axe in his hands had already twisted completely out of shape, and there was a hole the size of a human head in the axe head.

"Hehe, Mr. Feiqi's senses were still the sharpest. He was the first to hear that magical beast coming over. Fire Bull, who told you to be in such a hurry? Mr. Allen's magic had already hit it, but you relied on being close and swung your axe right away. If the young master hadn't had sharp eyes and quick hands, rushing over to block the blood that magical beast spat out with your axe, you wouldn't have kept your life."

"Right, young master, how did you know that magical beast's blood was extremely corrosive? Have you seen this kind of unusual magical beast before?" The young priestess looked toward the person wearing armor.

"I haven't. But the moment Fire Bull cut into that magical beast's head, I saw faint smoke rising from his axe blade, and the axe head showed signs of melting." The person they called young master sounded very young.

The mage had injured the Xenomorph in an instant, while the big ball of flesh had killed it in a single exchange! And this young master had actually moved faster than the blood spraying from the Xenomorph's severed head!

Li Junshan's heart began to pound violently.

The five of them searched around for a while. Seeing nothing unusual, they turned and continued forward.

Li Junshan still stayed where he was without moving. He did not think his movement technique could be faster than a Xenomorph's, or that his stealth could be more concealed than a Xenomorph's. Even the Xenomorph had been discovered by the other side as soon as it caught up. If he rashly followed them like this, it would be like carrying a lantern into a latrine—courting death.

"When I went to His Majesty the King to ask for the Blood Canyon notice, he already knew about you and was especially in favor of the matter. Water is always deeper than you imagine. In the Lans Empire, there are countless people who can defeat you, let alone Blood Canyon, where geniuses gather. Treat the Black Dragon as your trump card. As long as you're not in mortal danger, don't release it lightly. Only then can you protect your life to the greatest extent."

These were the words that Aldrich, the old duke and patriarch of the Harriman Family, had said to Li Junshan before he set out, and Li Junshan deeply agreed.

After thinking it over, Li Junshan still gave up on the idea of releasing the Black Dragon to kill them. After all, it had not yet reached such a critical moment.

"I've already obtained sixteen Space Rings. In other words, sixteen slots have already been erased. Excluding myself, only seventeen people remain. I'll catch up and take a look tonight. There are still two days left anyway." Li Junshan thought this to himself as he took out a few pieces of dried meat and slowly chewed them. Then he took a bottle of clean water from his Space Ring, drank a few mouthfuls, closed his eyes, and rested.

This forest seemed extremely large, but it was actually a canyon about three li wide. On both sides, at the far edges, were steep mountains that were difficult to climb. As long as one did not mix up the directions back and forth, one absolutely would not get lost.

After who knew how long, Li Junshan, who had not fallen deeply asleep, was suddenly startled awake by a burst of thunder. Thinking it was a lightning mage casting magic, he abruptly opened his eyes, only to discover that at some point the sky had become covered in dark clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. Clearly, a torrential downpour was about to arrive.

"A good chance." Li Junshan could not help being wild with joy. At this moment, the forest covered by towering ancient trees was pitch-black, almost no different from night. Coupled with the thunder masking sound, it was absolutely the best opportunity for the Xenomorphs to launch a sneak attack.

"Crash..." The torrential downpour came just like that. In an instant, rain poured down from the sky as if water were being dumped, dense curtains of rain slanting down overwhelmingly.

Not daring to be careless, Li Junshan released all five magic Xenomorphs. One ordinary Xenomorph had been injured by the mage, two more had been injured by that Grand Battle Master just now, and the group of five had also killed one. The one remaining ordinary Xenomorph was placed at the very front to scout the path, while he rode one magic Xenomorph and quietly felt his way forward through the canyon.

Boom! A clap of thunder rang through heaven and earth. Lightning comparable to the lightning forbidden spell magic Doomsday Fury tore open the sky, instantly illuminating the dark forest in bright light.

After sneaking and running forward for a long while, Li Junshan suddenly sensed that the Xenomorph ahead had stopped. He immediately ordered the other four magic Xenomorphs to draw in, advancing almost step by step at a slow pace.

Following the guidance of his mind, he quickly reached the ordinary Xenomorph that was scouting the way. Its huge body was buried behind a thicket at this moment. Li Junshan slowly crept over and looked through the gaps in the underbrush. His eyes immediately lit up.

Under a giant broad-leaved tree ahead, the five people were sitting at the base of the tree. An almost transparent milky-white barrier formed an arc over their heads, causing the raindrops falling from the branches and leaves to slide off to the side.

"That mage is a water mage."

Li Junshan thought to himself. With the help of several flashes of lightning, he also saw the appearances of the five people clearly.

The big ball of flesh was indeed just as Li Junshan had expected. His face was full of bulging flesh, but he did not look particularly fierce. Instead, he looked somewhat honest and simple, holding a piece of dried meat in his hands and gnawing on it.

The mage was a middle-aged man with a pale, beardless face. At this moment, he was holding a transparent crystal bottle filled with pale green liquid, taking a sip from time to time, looking very comfortable.

The man in black had his body hidden behind the big ball of flesh. If Li Junshan had not looked carefully, he would not have noticed him at all. He was just like a shadow.

The young girl was extremely sweet-looking and was softly chatting with the person beside her whom they called "young master." From time to time, she let out a light laugh, and the two dimples on her cheeks were especially pretty.

That young master was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with bright brows and clear eyes. His fair complexion was no worse than the young girl's, and he was extremely handsome, but no matter how Li Junshan looked at him, he felt there was a bit too much femininity about him.

He commanded the ordinary Xenomorph to circle far around behind them, while two magic Xenomorphs spread out to the left and right. One crawled to a spot in front of him, and the one he was riding did not move, ready at any moment to launch a fatal blow—or flee.

The torrential rain continued without stopping, but the thunder and lightning seemed to be brewing for a long time and refused to erupt. In addition, they were huddled together, so Li Junshan did not dare strike casually. By now, his entire body was already soaked through, and he was growing rather impatient.

Suddenly, the big ball of flesh stood up. No one knew what he said softly, but it provoked a coy complaint from the young girl. The big ball of flesh chuckled, scratched his forehead, and walked straight toward Li Junshan.

"What's going on?" Li Junshan was suddenly startled. Then he saw the big ball of flesh undoing his belt as he walked, and only then did he understand that the other party wanted to come here to relieve himself.

Seeing the big ball of flesh walk closer and closer, his target clearly the thicket where he was hiding, Li Junshan's heart leaped into his throat. Suddenly, inspiration struck him. He drove the Xenomorph beneath him to slowly retreat step by step, had another Xenomorph spit out black mist to cover the thicket, and then had it also withdraw silently.

All of this was done extremely covertly by the two Xenomorphs, without making the slightest sound.

Sure enough, just as Li Junshan had estimated, when the highly corrosive black mist covered the thicket filled with hanging water droplets, it did not immediately begin to corrode it. The branches and leaves slowly blackened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"I hope he won't see that cloud of black mist." Li Junshan said inwardly, so nervous that his fists clenched tight.

It was also the big ball of flesh's own bad luck. Just as he was about to go around behind the thicket, raindrops dripping from the trees suddenly splashed into his eyes. He could not help reaching up to rub them as he walked, and he stepped into the black mist.

"Ah!" The instant the big ball of flesh entered the black mist, he let out an earth-shaking scream. His entire body shot out of the thicket like a cannonball and fell in front of his companions.

"Now." Li Junshan gave the order to attack to the other five Xenomorphs.

The instant the big ball of flesh screamed, the first to move was the man in black. As the big ball of flesh let out that scream, he leaped out, his body flying to the big ball of flesh's side like an arrow leaving the string. Just as he was about to reach out and help him, he noticed the abnormality on his companion's body and leaped back at an even faster speed than he had come. Then he drew a bright, half-meter-long sharp blade and parried aside the Xenomorph tailbone that had silently drifted to his side.

The mage's Water Arrow was almost instantaneous. A thick Water Arrow carried a fierce rush of wind as it shot toward the Xenomorph pouncing at him from the treetop. In the chaos, the Xenomorph spat out a light bullet and tried to dodge, but the Water Arrow still grazed across its abdomen, tearing away several pieces of cartilage.

The light bullet was blocked by the mage's magical shield. The mage's mouth had not stopped moving the entire time, and he was already preparing another spell.

The fastest-moving one was precisely that "young master." Somehow, a slender sword more than two meters long appeared in his hand. Blue battle aura sword radiance flickered in and out, and as his wrist shook, the sword body moved like a venomous snake. Without even turning his body, he reversed his grip and unleashed a violent spinning slash.

The "young master" withdrew his sword, wrapped an arm around the young girl beside him, and rapidly retreated to avoid the bloody rain spraying from the Xenomorph's body. Only then did the body of the Xenomorph that had ambushed him from behind split into four or five pieces and fall to the ground.

"Another Grand Battle Master." Li Junshan lay motionless in ambush within the forest. Seeing that ordinary Xenomorph instantly dismembered, he could not help feeling both shocked and furious.

"Ah!"

The man in black suddenly let out a scream. With difficulty, he lowered his head to look at the Xenomorph tailbone that had pierced through his chest. His eyes were wide and round, as if he could not believe it.

It was a Xenomorph clinging to the tree trunk, slowly crawling down from behind the tree. It stretched its head to the back of the man in black's skull, and its strong, powerful inner jaw stabbed out fiercely, completely scattering the last trace of the man in black's consciousness.

All of this happened in an instant. The "young master" was both shocked and furious, but before he could react and charge over, the water mage's icicle arrived after being cast but struck first, shooting straight toward the Xenomorph behind the man in black.

Whoosh! The Xenomorph withdrew its tailbone with a nimble flick, then darted into the forest.

"Everyone, together." The "young master's" voice trembled slightly, whether from fear or rage. The remaining three pressed their backs together and gathered tensely beneath the great tree.

All around them was a curtain of rain stretching from earth to sky. The ferocious magical beasts from moments ago had all retreated. The three were so tense they hardly dared breathe, watching their surroundings warily.

But that big ball of flesh still was not dead. Everything below his waist had turned into a stinking puddle of pus, and he kept screaming miserably.

Under the cover of the other two, the young girl silently muttered something. The silver rod in her hand suddenly lit up, and several streaks of white light flew one after another to the big ball of flesh's waist, which was seeping black fluid, but they had not the slightest effect.

Whoosh! A Xenomorph suddenly burst out of the woods. Before the three could react, its tailbone stabbed fiercely into the big ball of flesh's chest, ending his life. Then it dragged the corpse backward and swiftly darted back.

"Don't chase it, young master," the mage shouted hurriedly as he felt the body pressed against his back tense all over.

The "young master" gritted his teeth and stopped where he was.

"Feiqi's body... it's gone..." The young girl's face was full of terror, her teeth chattering as she spoke in a trembling voice.

The other two turned to look, only to find that Feiqi's corpse had been dragged away by the magical beasts at some unknown time, and they had not sensed it at all.

"This magical beast is too strange." By now, the mage had cast a pale-blue magical barrier over each of the three of them. He said tensely, "Without Feiqi, it'll be very hard for us to sense where they are, or when they'll appear and launch a fatal strike. For now, we'd better not act rashly."

"Could Feiqi sense them?"

The "young master" felt a wave of helplessness in his heart. He thought that Feiqi himself had still been killed by that bizarre magical beast's sneak attack.

Aside from the pattering rush of the rain, the dim forest returned to silence.