One end of the red-hot chain remained inside the ring of fire, while the other leaped through the air like a fiery serpent.
It surveyed its surroundings as though alive, then aimed at the pack of Ghost Wolves attacking Xu Chao.
Whoosh!
The chain shot toward a Ghost Wolf and quickly coiled around its body.
Sizzle!
The red-hot chain seared the Ghost Wolf's flesh, sending up wisps of black smoke!
Immediately afterward, it seemed as though a pair of giant hands inside the ring of fire were pulling hard on the chain!
No matter how the Ghost Wolf struggled, the chain remained tightly wrapped around it until it was pulled into the world inside the ring of fire.
At the same time, an image appeared in Qin Xun's mind.
In a dark space, a Ghost Wolf was bound by a glowing red chain, and the harder it struggled, the tighter the chain constricted.
Another flaming chain descended vertically from above, its end a sharp, cone-shaped point!
The point pierced the Ghost Wolf's body!
The Ghost Wolf's body petrified at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Qin Xun could also clearly feel a strange energy pouring into his body.
The energy was extraordinarily overbearing, rampaging through his body and flowing through every blood vessel.
By the time the energy stopped pouring in, the Ghost Wolf had completely petrified.
The chain that had pierced vertically into its body pulled out, as though reluctant to stop.
The chain wrapped around it also released its body, as if it had lost interest.
Completely petrified, it floated in that dark space of unknown size.
The little girl standing on the tree trunk stared at the ring of fire in utter shock.
Suddenly!
The chain that had just dragged a Ghost Wolf in and withdrawn reached out again,
And this time, there were two more.
The three chains sprang into action together, quickly dragging three Ghost Wolves into the ring of fire.
A few seconds later, they reached out again and dragged another three Ghost Wolves into the ring.
Qin Xun knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat, his face as white as snow.
He could clearly feel his stamina draining rapidly every time the chains strained to pull a Ghost Wolf.
As the Ghost Wolves on the field dwindled one by one, the pressure on Xu Chao gradually eased.
He finally saw the spinning ring of fire in midair, sparks flying from it.
Ghost Wolves were being dragged into it one after another by the chains.
"What's going on? Whose Psionic Power is that?"
He had received information from Mengmeng that there was no one nearby except the four of them.
It couldn't be that girl's ability!
Nor could it be the middle-aged man's Psionic Power!
Then whose could it be?
Surely it couldn't be Qin Xun's?
Or was there a Psionic Power user hiding nearby, helping them in secret?
Had Mengmeng failed to detect them?
Before long, more than twenty Ghost Wolves had been forcibly dragged into the ring of fire.
Qin Xun was utterly exhausted by then.
He had no strength left at all; even something as simple as blinking was terribly difficult.
Yet energy was still pouring into his body without end!
In his mind, five Ghost Wolves had already petrified, and the rest were bound by chains.
A chain descending vertically from above was taking turns piercing the Ghost Wolves' bodies, one by one.
Each time a Ghost Wolf petrified, it pierced another.
It seemed that the violent energy in his body came from that vertically descending chain!
The energy pouring into his body grew more and more violent, until it filled his entire body!
His eyes became bloodshot, and the veins on his face bulged, as if the energy would burst his body apart at any moment!
"Ah!"
Qin Xun could bear it no longer and let out a heart-rending roar!
Suddenly, he felt as though a vortex had appeared inside his body.
It was like a great hole had suddenly opened in a riverbed, drawing water into it from every direction.
The violent energy in his body flowed endlessly into the vortex, like river water pouring into a hole in the ground!
The vortex then released a surge of energy.
Compared to the violent energy, this energy was much gentler, flowing through every inch of Qin Xun's skin.
Not a single Ghost Wolf remained, but the three chains did not return.
They split up. One rushed toward the little girl and swayed nimbly before her like a fiery serpent with the front half of its body raised.
Firelight shone on the little girl's face, and her cheeks were roasted red.
A trace of fear rose in her heart!
She was afraid!
Afraid that the chain would suddenly seize her as it had the Ghost Wolves and pull her into the ring of fire.
It had simply and effortlessly dragged more than twenty Ghost Wolves into that fiery hole in such a short time.
She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold on and would be dragged in too!
The second and third chains aimed at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man backed away little by little, likewise fearful of the unknown fiery hole!
"Go!"
Taking advantage of the chains blocking the two of them, Xu Chao rushed over and scooped Qin Xun up.
The little girl and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance.
They wanted to give chase, but the chains in front of them kept them from acting rashly.
Only after Qin Xun had gotten far away
Did the three chains withdraw into the ring of fire.
The ring of fire gradually shrank as it spun, until the last spark faded and it vanished completely.
As he ran, Xu Chao said with relief, "I wonder which big shot saved us. If I ever get the chance to meet him, I'll have to call him my ancestor!"
Qin Xun lay on Xu Chao's back and opened his mouth to speak.
But his stamina was severely depleted now; it seemed the chains had used his strength to drag the Ghost Wolves.
He saw that a large chunk of flesh was missing from Xu Chao's shoulder. The wound was a bloody mess, with stark white bone faintly visible.
But Xu Chao hadn't so much as grunted.
"We can't go to Zone 104, or we'll only end up in the same predicament as in Zone 108. First we'll escape this forest, then find a safe place to rest before going to Zone 96 to meet up with them." Xu Chao murmured, "I hope Dazhuang is out of danger..."
Qin Xun closed his eyes.
The scene where the chains existed appeared in his mind.
In the dark space, the bodies of more than twenty Ghost Wolves had petrified.
They floated about without any pattern, while the nine chains moved through the space on patrol, like guards.
It was different from before.
Previously, no matter how Qin Xun tried to control the chains, he had failed.
But now, with a thought, the nine chains actually moved according to his will.
With another thought, the dark space disappeared from his mind.
Qin Xun sensed the state of his body.
The violent power inside him had been completely absorbed by the vortex.
Now, he felt that his body had undergone a transformation.
It seemed somewhat different from before.
Xu Chao sped up; it and Mengmeng were running almost as if their lives depended on it.
He knew full well that, given his current physical condition, if any pursuers caught up to them, he would be finished here.
It didn't matter whether he lived or died.
Although he didn't want to die either.
But he absolutely could not let Qin Xun fall into their hands!
"What happened to you just now?"
He recalled how Qin Xun had knelt on the ground, clutching his head in pain.
At the time, Xu Chao had even wondered whether Qin Xun had been poisoned.
"I'm... I'm fine. My head just suddenly started hurting a little."
Qin Xun did not mention the chains.
It wasn't that he no longer trusted Xu Chao.
Rather, even he hadn't figured out those chains yet.
Before he understood what was going on, it was best to keep it to himself.
"It hurt that badly? Once we're safe, find a doctor to take a look at your head!"