In the rain-drenched night, the blazing Forest Patrol Leader resembled a fierce demon.
His four hooves struck the ground, splashing countless raindrops and leaving half-meter wide pits in the mud, his towering form plunging down the slope like a train.
The War Blade in his hand, shaped like a large cleaver, ignited with Blood Flame, slicing through the curtain of rain towards Ren Mian.
Ren Mian’s eyes remained calm.
It was as if she did not perceive the terrifying enemy before her; while controlling the Green Lock Dragon to wrap Jiangnan Caiyi layer by layer, her fingertips flicked out a pink petal that flew not towards the Patrol Leader but landed on Jiangnan Caiyi’s body, merging into her waist wound, immediately stopping the bleeding and healing the injury.
A figure charged from the side, standing in front of Ren Mian.
He had entered a complete frenzy state, inflating to two and a half meters tall, almost level with the Patrol Leader, his muscles bulging, his Molten Rock Gun glowing red-hot.
The long spear aimed straight for the enemy’s throat.
The Patrol Leader’s War Blade flicked upwards, clanging thunderously as sparks flew. Chi Zhonglin was forced to retreat even faster, eventually losing his balance and tumbling down the slope.
However, the Patrol Leader’s charge was also halted.
Ren Mian’s gaze hardened.
Instantly, dozens of Green Lock Dragons pursued from the camp, engulfing the enemy like a mass of venomous snakes, wildly growing and binding, their spikes attempting to pierce flesh and blood.
The Patrol Leader snorted coldly as Blood Flame surged on his body, burning through the Green Lock Dragons and breaking free from their clutches.
"Blood-Drinking Fury Flame!"
Ren Mian frowned slightly, finally recognizing what the flames on the enemy’s body were; ordinary flames could never burn through her Green Lock Dragons.
Only the "Blood-Drinking Fury Flame" bestowed by the Red Emperor held such might.
"Everyone, fall back."
She called out in her mind, "He’s a Blood Warrior blessed by the Red Emperor, possessing Blood-Drinking Fury Flame. You’re no match for him."
Ji Xinghuo’s heart shook upon hearing this.
The majority of Star God disciples would not possess extra abilities, with only a tiny fraction of devotees having the chance to receive blessings from the Star God and dramatically enhancing their strength.
Disciples of the four sovereigns were among the best of the best.
When a Red Emperor devotee committed enough slaughter and sacrificed a great deal of blood, the Red Emperor would descend His blessing—the Blood-Drinking Fury Flame!
This was a seed cultivated by the Red Emperor from countless flesh and blood, integrating Blood Flame into the heart. Triggered by fresh blood, it vastly increased strength, heightened defenses, and ignited a wrathful flame from within the chest, spreading throughout the body and attaching to weapons, scorching the enemy’s flesh and spirit.
Disciples possessing Blood-Drinking Fury Flame were known as Blood Warriors.
Even the lowest-level Blood Warriors were exceedingly rare.
For one had to kill far too many.
Including their own family, friends, kinfolk, and an even greater number of enemies, sacrificing their lives and blood to the Red Emperor, to possibly garner favor from Him just once.
Blood-Drinking Fury Flame was extraordinarily powerful!
After each battle, the Blood Flame’s power, defense, and resistance would grow, and one’s mind would be directly infused with superb martial prowess, rapidly escalating in strength.
But Blood Flame required fresh blood to nourish frequently.
Blood Warriors harbored an endless thirst for fresh blood, and should it not be sated, they would suffer backlash, their wills becoming progressively deranged until they degenerated into emotionless killing machines.
Therefore, every Blood Warrior was a true madman.
They would pay any price for strength, engaging in endless battles until their dying day.
In the 1980s, one major incident occurred on Earth.
An average person from Africa joined the Red Emperor Sect in secret; overnight, he slaughtered his entire family of over 40 people, plus neighbors, relatives, and half of his village, finally winning the Red Emperor’s favor, receiving the Blood-Drinking Fury Flame, and becoming a Blood Warrior.
From then on, he embarked on a journey of carnage.
From an average person to a Mutant, his strength soared like a rocket, massacring his way through, annihilating villages and cities, and in mere months, ascending to a Super Mutant.
In the chaotic and disordered African continent, at first few paid attention.
Two years later, when the international community took notice of this Blood Warrior, he had already become a major warlord, commanding an army of tens of thousands, inciting numerous wars.
In the end, the Blood Warrior was eradicated by legendary warriors dispatched by various countries.
But he had caused the deaths of millions!
And this Forest Patrol Clan warrior was already a Fourth Rank powerhouse, equivalent to a Super Mutant on Earth. Once he triggered the Blood-Drinking Fury Flame, his strength neared the legendary!
Ji Xinghuo took a deep breath.
He immediately swapped his normal arrows for several Capacitor Arrows, grabbed them in his hand, notched an arrow to his Composite Bow, and aimed at the Patrol Leader, seeking an opportunity to shoot.
The Patrol Leader bellowed.
Although incomprehensible, his roar contained a spiritual attack, the surrounding rain visibly blasted away creating an empty space.
Ren Mian’s fingertips condensed crystal, firing at his face and exploding upon impact.
The Patrol Leader merely shook his head and continued his charge, his four hooves flipping over in a single motion, arriving near Ren Mian with his War Blade raised high to strike down.
A flash of lightning suddenly flew forth, striking his chest, right where the heart was.
The Capacitor Arrow didn’t penetrate, but it instantly released a high-voltage current, causing the Patrol Leader’s body to shake, the power of his descending War Blade greatly diminished.
Ren Mian had already surrounded herself with the Green Lock Dragons, building a thick wall of thorns.
The War Blade cut through the thorn wall as if it were a red-hot knife slicing through butter.
Chi Zhonglin, who had just climbed up from the slope, saw this and cried out in shock and anger.
Ji Xinghuo’s heart also skipped a beat.
The Green Lock Dragons turned into countless burning fragments, revealing Ren Mian’s form which left Ji Xinghuo astounded.
Ren Mian’s bamboo hat and scarf had been destroyed, revealing her true face.
Her body transformed into a diamond-like human sculpture, with her skin crystal clear, emitting multi-colored light from her face down to her legs, dazzling and dreamlike.
She raised her right hand and blocked the enemy’s war blade with her bare hand.
Though the high-temperature Blood Flame could sever the Green Lock Dragon, it couldn’t even scratch her crystal-like palm. However, the immense force carried by the war blade drove her into the ground until her feet were buried up to her calves.
A flicker of surprise crossed the frenzied eyes of the Forest Patrol Clan leader.
Just as he was about to strike again with his blade, a sudden bright light flared before him.
A fierce white light burst from Ren Mian’s body, instantly creating a terrifying shockwave that blasted the Forest Patrol Clan leader away. The shockwave swept outwards, pushing rainwater away within a hundred-meter radius and creating a spherical force field.
Ji Xinghuo, hidden in a tree, was also affected and almost fell off.
He steadied himself and saw Ren Mian had already engaged the enemy in battle.
Ren Mian wasn’t fast, nor was her strength formidable, but her defensive power was off the charts. The Forest Patrol Clan leader swung his massive war blade with each stroke containing terrifying power and the high-temperature Blood Flame, yet she only used her hands to fight, leaving only shallow white marks on her hands and body wherever the war blade struck.
Ji Xinghuo had recognized it.
"Crystalline Light Servant!"
Ren Mian always claimed herself to be a Plant Witch, which was true, but she never mentioned she was also a Crystalline Light Servant.
This was one of the most powerful Professional Templates on Earth.
In the ADC rating system, the Crystalline Light Servant Template scored a whopping 73 points, ranking third!
The core ability of a Crystalline Light Servant is "Light-Resident Crystalline Body," which can transform the body into a crystalline structure harder than diamond, reaching the theoretical limit in resistance to physical attacks. It can also store light and begin to manipulate it for use in battle.
The physical defense of a Crystalline Light Servant is ranked first among all professions.
But it wasn’t without weaknesses.
The extreme hardness of their bodies greatly reduced the speed and agility of Crystalline Light Servants, unless they could merge with an "Instantaneous Movement" Alien Species to move in the blink of an eye.
Moreover, Crystalline Light Servants lacked explosive power in the early stages and were somewhat limited in offensive techniques.
Ji Xinghuo observed the battle for a few seconds.
Ren Mian clearly lacked the "Instantaneous Movement" ability, and without "Curved Light Field" and "Shape Hardening", she could only fend off the enemy’s attacks with her incredibly hard body, occasionally retaliating with a "Light Burst Skill".
The difference in size and strength between her and the Forest Patrol Clan leader was vast.
This made it impossible for her to utilize her master’s Martial Arts Rank, forcing her into a passive defense.
The fight seemed evenly matched for a time, but as the Forest Patrol Clan leader grew more excited with each passing moment, his strength continued to increase, which was very disadvantageous for Ren Mian.
Being only on the defensive, something was bound to go wrong eventually.
Chi Zhonglin saw this and without hesitation rushed up the hillside to join the fray, attacking the Forest Patrol Clan leader from the rear.
The three of them fought fiercely, but only for a few seconds.
The Forest Patrol Clan leader was highly skilled in combat, with a Martial Arts Rank of at least master level, and he was experienced, fully utilizing his overpowering strength and the properties of the Blood-Drinking Fury Flame. In just a couple of strikes, he knocked Chi Zhonglin’s long spear away, and his war blade struck Chi Zhonglin’s chest.
Sparks flew as the hard Dragon Scale was cut through.
Chi Zhonglin’s body was split open on the spot.
If Ren Mian hadn’t rushed forward in time to block the next strike with her body, Chi Zhonglin wouldn’t have escaped beheading.
Ren Mian shouted, not forgetting to throw a peach petal onto Chi Zhonglin’s wound to prevent him from dying of severe injuries.
Not far away, Jiangnan Caiyi lay on the ground clutching her waist, biting down on her pain as she flipped her eyes back, showing signs of agony, a spectral shadow bursting from her head toward the Forest Patrol Clan leader.
Evil Spirit Possession!
The evil spirit split from her psyche and instantaneously entered the body of the Forest Patrol Clan leader.
But it was just a moment before the spirit was forced out.
Jiangnan Caiyi cried out in pain, her head felt as if it would split open, and she nearly passed out.
The desperate attempts of both to help were unsuccessful.
Ren Mian’s voice rose in the minds of the three, "Retreat now! Xinghuo, cover their escape, and don’t look back."
"What about you, Sister Ren?" Ji Xinghuo asked.
"I’ll hold him back," Ren Mian’s voice was devoid of hesitation, "Don’t worry, he can’t kill me, I can find a way to escape. You all head back to Olympia and wait for me."
Ji Xinghuo didn’t reply immediately. He could hear the resolve in Ren Mian’s voice.
Even if she really had a way to escape, he guessed it would come at a tremendous cost.
And he still had a card left unplayed.
"What are you hesitating for?" Ren Mian asked anxiously.
After a few seconds of silence, Ji Xinghuo finally replied, "It’s not time to retreat yet, let me give it a shot. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll leave immediately."
Doubt arose in Ren Mian, but she did not dissuade him.
A hundred meters away in a tree, Ji Xinghuo placed a Capacitor Arrow on his Composite Bow, aimed it at the Forest Patrol Clan leader tangled with Ren Mian, and activated Myriad Phenomena.
However, it only lasted for an instant before he immediately withdrew from it.
The disparity in strength was too great, and the distance was far too long; even though the Capacitor Arrow had far greater lethality than a regular arrow, he still couldn’t find a way to kill the enemy while using Myriad Phenomena.
"The power gap is too great."
Ji Xinghuo didn’t give up, but opened the interface of the Wanxiang Star Pupil and saw the 144 points of Spiritual Origin Ability he just acquired, immediately pouring them all into Rotating Magnetic Field.
[Rotating Magnetic Field (First Level 284/359)]
Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo felt his body rapidly strengthening, with Physical Star Power surging, spinning rapidly like a magnetic field.
In less than ten seconds, his strength nearly doubled!
Ji Xinghuo caught hold of a nano-rope and swung out from the tree towards the sky above the camp.
Midair, he activated the Gale Battle Boots, generating a stream of floatation force under his feet and leveraging the inertia of the swinging rope to throw himself above the hilltop. His Rotating Magnetic Field running at full power, he drew the Thunderbolt Battle Blade with his right hand, becoming a bolt of lightning descending from the heavens.
In a mix of puzzlement and astonishment, Ren Mian looked on as Ji Xinghuo plummeted from midair.