Chapter 281: Followers of the War God
The heavens and earth changed colors!
The entire Barren Stone Plateau trembled!
In just one day, over a dozen overwhelmingly powerful auras swept across the land—none below Level 95!
Even the proudest wild beasts lowered their heads, hiding in their dens and trembling.
Thirteen individuals had gathered!
"This is the Path of Hunger... The Apple Thief and the Sin of Divine Blood are together. Kill the Sin, retrieve the apple. Complete either task, and we can enter the Divine Realm, blessed by the heavens!"
"Enough repeating the orders. Let's move out now!"
One of them hesitated, saying, "We should be cautious. I've heard the paths below are very strange, and the deepest parts can lead to the Gourmet World. It's extremely dangerous."
"Hahaha~"
"It's just a Yellow Zone. Even a Level 90 beast, I can tear it apart with my bare hands. And you're saying such cowardly words... Hahaha~"
Mocking laughter continued.
To reach Level 95 in the Human World was a testament to their immense power.
In the Human World...
there was nothing left to fear.
With this lineup, even if they encountered an incomplete form of one of the Four Beasts, they could put up a fight.
The thirteen individuals advanced without restraint, like rampaging beasts, crushing every rock and patch of earth in their path!
What was a dangerous place for ordinary gourmet hunters was like a backyard garden to them. The frenzied beasts that could form stampedes were nowhere to be seen.
One of them rubbed his nose and said, "It's in that direction. They entered that forest."
"Let's go!"
The thick fog did little to hinder them. The thirteen charged recklessly through the forest. If not for fear of damaging scent trails, tearing down the entire forest would be no difficult task for them.
A burly man named Bata led the way, snapping trees in his path.
Suddenly, Bata stopped in his tracks.
"What is it, Bata? Did you find something?"
Bata scratched his body, puzzled. "Strange, why do I feel so itchy?"
Itchy?
This thick-skinned guy was feeling itchy?
"Useless!"
The others ignored him and continued forward.
Bata could only follow at the back of the group, scratching himself with increasing force.
But strange occurrences kept happening. One person grew flowers on their head, while another had mushrooms sprouting from their pants.
"Weird!"
"Is it poison?"
"Maybe it's this thick fog. It's making my mouth dry."
"Heh, dry mouth? That's simple to fix."
The one who chuckled strangely suddenly let out a loud roar. A visible soundwave spread out in all directions...
Echo Destruction Wave!
This skill had two stages. The first stage emitted a massive amount of energy in the form of soundwaves, sweeping out in a ring.
The powerful soundwaves created a detection effect, clinging to the surfaces of living beings and marking them as beacons!
The second stage saw the outward soundwaves converging back, focusing not on the emitter's location but on the strongest beacon!
At that moment!
The soundwaves gathered in the sky!
They plummeted downward like divine punishment!
A mushroom cloud, akin to a nuclear explosion, billowed upward, its destructive power no less than Zhang Wei's!
"Old Bat, your power has grown again. It's a wonder the Human World guardians haven't come for tea with you. They must be blind!"
Old Bat paid no heed, flying through the forest to the epicenter of the explosion!
There, a majestic nine-colored deer lay crouched, already severely injured.
Old Bat exclaimed in delight, "To withstand the Echo Destruction Wave, its capture level must exceed 80... Hehe, here I come!"
Without another word, Old Bat pounced, pinning the giant divine deer beneath him and biting into its throat!
Scalding deer blood sprayed out...
Old Bat slurped, and all the splattering blood flowed into his mouth like a river returning to the sea!
The others rushed over. The fresh scent of this top-tier ingredient made their mouths water.
"Come on, Old Bat, let us have a taste too!"
"Get lost! If you want some, catch your own!"
"Dammit, no camaraderie at all? Let's just take it!"
Old Bat had no choice. Outnumbered twelve to one, he couldn't refuse. He had to share the nine-colored deer with the others...
One of them looked at the deer leg and said, "This deer... I think I've heard of it."
Adorned with nine colors...
Majestic and elegant in form...
Like a forest spirit...
"Could it be!"
"This is the Nine-Colored Divine Deer!"
The man was startled, exclaiming in regret.
According to legend, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer symbolized auspiciousness and had the ability to grant wishes!
But there was also a legend that those who harmed or captured the Nine-Colored Divine Deer would suffer nature's curse and punishment...
"Hah, nonsense!"
He took a bite of the deer meat...
Huh?
Wood?
Old Bat spat out a mouthful of sand, disgusted. "What's going on?"
"I clearly killed it..."
As everyone was puzzled,
the scent tracker said, "Stop messing around. I found the target. They're in that small cabin over there!"
Compared to eating or solving mysteries, the group was clearly more focused on completing their mission.
They immediately headed toward the cabin.
Old Bat walked while spitting out sand.
It was as if the sand in his stomach was endless!
Gag~~~~
Sand gushed out like a pillar, and the feeling of needing to vomit eased instantly...
"Wait... wait for me!"
Covering his mouth, sand sprayed from his nostrils and ears!
As the sand spewed forth, Old Bat felt himself growing weaker, as if the sand was made from the cells of his own body!
"You heartless bastards!"
"Help me!"
Old Bat staggered to the front of the small cabin. The others had already gone inside.
Looking at his hands, they were already cracked and damaged...
A stout toad approached. "Guest, do you need help?"
"Save me... I'm so thirsty..."
At that moment, Old Bat felt that the power he had wielded across the lands, nearly invincible, had left him. Now, he was even weaker than a frail old man!
The stout toad stepped forward and stomped down.
Old Bat's head exploded, revealing nothing but sand...
"Hurry up and clean this. Don't let the wind blow it everywhere!"
………………
The twelve individuals rushed into the house. A white-cloth ghost wearing a mask floated over.
"Sir... please change your shoes... do not step on the clean floor..."
"Sir, there are clean bathrobes and wooden clogs here... please feel free to use them."
The group had no patience for a bath.
Let alone changing shoes.
They ignored the white-cloth ghost and stepped into the house with their dirty feet...
One step into emptiness!
The floorboards seemed nonexistent. The person sank directly below the floor, disappearing without a trace!
"What!"
"Dammit!"
"There's something strange here!"
"Where did you take him?"
One of them immediately attacked, grabbing at the white-cloth ghost. The cloth instantly expanded, wrapping around the assailant.
The white cloth and mask fell to the ground...
One person lifted the cloth, but there was no sign of their companion.