Seeing the group of City Defense Army investigating the room across the hall, Li Song, who had launched the sneak attack, was completely stunned. He never expected that his mistaken belief about being discovered by the Federation was actually a wonderful misunderstanding. Instead, he had walked right into a disaster that could have been avoided.
The investigation squad was even more nervous than he was. From their perspective, Li Song’s tall and burly body resembled a giant bear standing upright. The flesh on his chest had rotted away to the bone, revealing a dark red, beating heart. Tendrils, like lush vines, firmly wrapped around this heart. This was the Blood Core, the source of power for grafting Pet Beast parts onto a mortal body, carrying the Extraordinary Power of the Pet Beast. The higher the quality of the Blood Core, the more Pet Beasts it could graft! A faint red blood mist also surrounded Li Song, emitting a degree of Spiritual Energy pollution.
The investigation squad leader’s scalp tingled, but he quickly steeled himself. He completed the summoning almost at the exact moment he spotted the Evil God Cultist.
A mass of blazing fire danced in the corridor as a gigantic, three-meter-tall rhino stepped out. Its horn, as bright as a crescent moon, cracked the ceiling above. The Blazing Rhino, low-grade War General level, possessed excellent offensive and defensive capabilities; its charge was comparable to a tank.
"Fire Armor, Frenzy, Charge!"
With this set of commands, the Blazing Rhino activated three skills, transforming into a dazzling ball of fire. The flames could easily set the hotel ablaze, but faced with such a formidable enemy, there was no time for such concerns. Hesitation might allow the opponent to escape, and his purpose was to delay until Qin Shi arrived.
Accompanied by a tremor in the corridor, the Blazing Rhino’s fur ignited like oil catching fire, sending sparks flying as it was enveloped in a layer of Fire Armor. The scorching heat distorted the air.
This strike momentarily restrained Li Song, and the other members of the investigation squad also summoned their Pet Beasts to join the battle: Steel Blade Mantis, Glance Ball, Cyan Silk Worm, Dream Butterfly...
However, the squad leader suddenly began breathing heavily, clutching his heart as he collapsed with a pained expression.
"Captain, Captain, what’s wrong?"
"My Glance Ball, Shui Lanlan, can heal you! Captain, you’ll be fine!"
"Star Spring Technique!"
The female team member beside him immediately supported the captain while her Pet Beast cast a healing skill nearby. But it was to no avail.
"I... I can’t hold on..." The captain clutched his clothes, weakly saying, "Tell Xiao Mei... I... I couldn’t keep my promise..."
With that, his gaze faded, and he stopped breathing.
The investigators were filled with rage, now tinged with a chilling fear. What kind of technique could kill someone from a distance?
"Beast Tamers are truly an ignorant, fragile, and short-sighted bunch of fools," Li Song sneered. "No matter how strong a Pet Beast is, how can it compare to one’s own Mighty Power!"
With its Master dead, he punched and shattered the Blazing Rhino’s head. His rough hand opened up, revealing a large mouth lined with concentric circles of sharp teeth, which began devouring the flesh. Trickles of Blood Energy flowed into his Blood Core, and the injuries inflicted by the other Pet Beasts began to heal rapidly.
His appearance became even more monstrous. Six eyes, like a spider’s, appeared on his head. Both hands transformed into mantis-like scythes, and he was clad in armor seemingly woven from layers of flesh, while his lower body became that of a massive Demon Spider. From his lower abdomen, eight venomous Spider Spears erupted, piercing two Pet Beasts. With a wrenching tear from the Spider Spears, blood sprayed and flesh scattered. He killed the Pet Beasts effortlessly.
This scene plunged everyone into despair. Evil God Cultists were dangerous fugitives, and the Life Sect among them were particularly crazed, having committed countless heinous crimes. Anyone capable of evading the Federation’s pursuit and remaining on the wanted list possessed strength far beyond what these investigators could handle. Having more people wasn’t always useful; in fact, against such a powerful enemy, fear spread even more easily.
Just as Li Song unleashed the power of his Blood Core, intending to slaughter these ’ants’ in one fell swoop, his spider-like lower body trembled, and he instantly leaped away. This was the precognitive danger sense derived from the Ghost-faced Demon Spider, a War General level Pet Beast, which allowed it to foresee and evade harm.
A fist imprint shimmering with golden light transformed into a violent, golden torrent of energy, which suddenly blasted through the concrete, sending Li Song flying through three consecutive walls.
The investigators, momentarily stunned, let out a collective sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"You brat, you really made me work to find you!" Qin Shi hovered in the air, glaring at the deep pit on a street corner where Li Song had crashed. A surge of Golden Spiritual Energy, much like the legendary Somersault Cloud, held him aloft, making him look incredibly imposing. Beside him stood an imposing ape donned in Golden Battle Armor, radiating a majestic and fierce battle intent. It was a mid-level Commander grade Pet Beast: the Great Ape King!
The ceiling trembled, and dust rained down.
"Damn! Is it an earthquake?" Chu Yi was startled awake.
"WHIMPER!" Bika and Jiang Qiuyun both curled up in his arms, trembling.
It’s so dangerous outside, we’re so scared... they thought.
What happened? Chu Yi’s thoughts raced. The end of the world? An Evil God invasion? A financial crisis? Could it be that my misdeeds have been exposed, and they’ve come knocking?
Touching the Ring of Curse, Chu Yi gathered himself and quickly drank a bottle of Energy Potion to boost his Spiritual Power.
"Get dressed, we’re going out."
But as he turned his head, he saw Jiang Qiuyun, alluring in her nightgown, fearfully clinging to one of his arms.
Ah, this damned Gourd Demon, trying to disrupt my composure again!
After she was dressed, Chu Yi found a black robe and put it on her. Once she summoned her Pet Beast, given their parent-child bond which ensured she’d obey his every command, she would effectively be a Silver-tier bodyguard.
Soon, he led his "family" to the door, listening to the commotion outside. The sounds of explosions, chaos, and fighting rose and fell in waves.
They’re probably chasing some criminal. It should still be relatively safe here... I’ll contact the Gray Mist Sect first. They have intelligence channels; they’ll surely know what’s happening.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the entire room began to shake violently, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
"We can’t stay here," Chu Yi said. He took Jiang Qiuyun’s small hand, picked up Bika, and walked out the door.
The corridor was a ruin, littered with signs of battle and the corpses of Pet Beasts. The overly gory scene made Jiang Qiuyun shut her beautiful eyes tightly, as if she had entered a haunted house, too scared to open them, and she clutched Chu Yi’s arm even tighter.
Bika, on the other hand, took the scene in stride. Tempered by blood and fire, it was no longer as timid as a newborn Pet Beast.
Well now... Despite being momentarily distracted by the soft, yielding pressure where Jiang Qiuyun clung tightly to his arm, Chu Yi didn’t forget what was important. His eyes lit up as he completely ignored the intense stench of blood.
Materials! Materials everywhere! What incredible luck have I stumbled upon? Extract! Extract! Mine! All mine!
[Shattered Ox Head x1]
After extracting all the materials from the fallen Pet Beasts, he fed their Souls to his Ghost Hand, extracting every last bit of value. He obtained a total of 18 materials, some of which were even War General level quality!
Materials equaled Feasts, which equaled higher Pet Beast Levels. The increase in his Pet Beasts’ strength would, in turn, allow Chu Yi to acquire more evolution points and resources, creating a virtuous cycle.
His heart blazed with excitement. Staring at the Pet Beasts that had unfortunately perished along the corridor, he licked his lips.
The Scavenger King is online!