Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Battle of Geniuses

Chapter 37: What was the purpose of taking action?

On the horizon, dozens of blurry figures were rapidly approaching.

A-Yuan and Ya-Chi were both exceptionally talented individuals, and soon after Hun-Zhen noticed them, they also took notice of those figures.

His expression changed drastically at that moment.

They did not soften their stance after discovering that the visitors were human.

They knew perfectly well that there were indeed kind and easy-going people like the uncle in this fiery hell realm, but there were far more villains who held the power of life and death over the weak!

Compared to most fire beasts that follow their wild instincts, humans who harbor clear evil intentions are undoubtedly more terrifying!

"Damn it! How could this happen!?"

Yachi's face was extremely gloomy.

The reason Hunzhen brought them here was not just because this place could avoid the fire beasts.

Even most humans are unaware of the secrets of this place.

Moreover, compared to the number of fire beasts, the number of humans is far greater.

The probability of a group of humans passing by and discovering this place in such a short time is lower than winning the lottery!

And that is indeed the case.

If the Flame Fang Squad hadn't happened to have clashed with the Tiger-Men, even knowing that only one injured psychic had fought the Tiger-Men, they might not have searched the surrounding area for that Flame Beast Crystal.

In their view, the tiger-man's strength was comparable to their entire squad combined, and even if they killed the tiger-man, the mysterious mentalist must have been severely injured as well.

Even so, this chaotic buffer zone is extremely vast, and whether they can find the camp before the deadline they set for when "the enemy may have recovered most of their strength" requires a great deal of luck.

Even if one is extremely lucky enough to discover the approximate location of the camp, whether they can see through the illusion array outside the camp is another matter entirely.

But wasn't this just a coincidence? Their team happened to have a mentalist who was skilled in this art.

The little leader looked down, his gaze quickly sweeping over Hunzhen, Ayuan, and Yaqi, finally settling on the rhinoceros fire beast.

He frowned slightly, muttering to himself, "That one who looks so weak should be the mental master we suspected, and his condition is pretty much as expected. Those two kids are nothing to worry about. Only… this enormous fire beast is a real problem."

To fight or to retreat?

The thin, short deputy captain asked the leader for instructions.

The leader's mind raced, and he finally spoke to Hunzhen in a low voice: "Friend, our Flame Fang Squad recently hunted a tiger-headed, human-bodied fire beast monster, and we sensed its lingering aura on you. Let's not beat around the bush, could you part with it?"

He ultimately chose a compromise.

Perhaps killing this weakened mentalist would yield unexpected gains, but the opponent still has a first-tier cosmic-level pet.

Based on intelligence gathered from the previous battlefield, this pet beast is likely not very strong, otherwise its owner wouldn't have been injured trying to fight it. But... it is still a cosmic-level creature.

Even if they win a direct confrontation, they will certainly suffer heavy losses.

After a moment's hesitation, Hunzhen nodded gently under the uneasy gazes of the two little ones: "Okay—"

Suddenly, the leader's expression changed.

A flicker of wild joy flashed in his eyes.

Just now, his cousin, an extraordinary person with a special talent for treasure hunting, conveyed this message to him.

"Big brother, that gray-haired kid definitely has a treasure on him that's worth far more than a third-tier fire beast crystal!"

Upon receiving this message, he quickly interrupted Hunzhen's reply and pointed at Yaqi: "Besides, this kid has had a conflict with our Flame Fang Squad before. Could you hand him over to me as well?"

"???"

Yachi's eyes widened, and he didn't react for a moment.

After a long pause, his face twisted in anger as he looked at the leader of the small group: "You're lying! I've never even seen you before!"

He never expected that he would be targeted. Just as he said, he had no idea what he had that was worth the other party's attention.

"shut up!"

The leader of the small group, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly entered a state of extreme rage: "Because of your sneak attack, brat, one member of our Flame Fang Squad was seriously injured. I saw it with my own eyes, and you still want to deny it?!"

"I don't!"

Yaqi denied it sternly, while glancing at Hunzhen inadvertently, his face showing anxiety and panic.

Others might misunderstand it as a reaction to having one's true feelings exposed, but I truly know that some people react similarly when they fear being misunderstood or abandoned by someone they trust.

Hunzhen waved to Yaqi, then his expression darkened, and he sternly questioned the leader, "He's been by my side ever since we entered this secret realm. When did he have time to ambush your pathetic little team?"

The leader of the small group immediately narrowed his eyes.

From some subtle details of his actions, he noticed a slight awkwardness in Yaqi's presence when facing Hunzhen, concluding that the two hadn't known each other for long, which led to his comment.

Unexpectedly, Hunzhen readily accepted the gray-haired boy's innocence and instead questioned him.

Knowing that the other party was determined to protect the gray-haired boy, he subtly extended his finger behind him, changing the code.

Dozens of people set off at the same time.

Just then, a faint sigh echoed through the void.

"Why, why are you forcing me like this?"

Two enormous fire wheels appeared out of thin air and swept over the Flame Fang Squad like millstones of death, before their horrified eyes.

The speed of the fire wheel was beyond their imagination, and even though everyone scattered and fled, it seemed impossible to escape.

In the blink of an eye, one by one, the members of the Flame Fang Squad were crushed by the fire wheels, turned into mincemeat, and fell in all directions.

"you--!?"

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The leader of the small group stared wide-eyed, his whole body trembling.

He had intended to launch a sneak attack, but Hunzhen was even more ruthless than him and had already made preparations when he gave the order.

This sneak attack killed half of their members.

"Weren't you seriously injured?"

Ignoring the few people who had fled several kilometers in panic, Hunzhen smiled slightly and said, "But dealing with scoundrels like you is still no problem."

When the entire Flame Fang Squad is united, they can contend with, or even surpass, the Tiger-Man Flame Beast.

However, for those who excel at group battles, such groups are actually less of a threat.

If we wait until they are fully prepared and engage in direct combat, it might cause some trouble.

But like now, by launching a surprise attack first and crushing half of the enemy, the morale of the opposing team collapses, and the victory is basically secured.

The leader of the small group turned around without hesitation.

escape!

Escape at all costs!

That was his only thought at that moment.

"This guy isn't human, he's an invincible demon! What was I thinking, provoking him?!"

The leader of the small group was filled with regret.

But how could Hunzhen possibly let the mastermind behind this attack go unpunished?

No one could be missed, but he couldn't be.

There's no going back in life.

The crimson light evaporated the silhouette of the small-headed leader.

Crush them!

An undeniable crushing defeat!

Watching the battle erupt and end in an instant, En and Yaki, who witnessed it, were as excited as if they themselves had just defeated the enemy.

"Uncle, you—"

Just as they were about to offer their praise, Yachi's cheers abruptly stopped.

Hunzhen fell from the sky once again, but this time, he closed his eyes and had already lost consciousness.

Yachi's smile froze on his face.

With his quick thinking, he instantly understood why Hunzhen was not using the power of his mount, but instead went straight for the kill.

"Yes, it's for us..."

He gritted his teeth, flew out rapidly, and caught Hunzhen.

However, he did not notice that a red light floated out from his spatial ring and shot into Hunzhen's brain.

Hunzhen, who had already fallen into a coma, suddenly showed a strange smile on his face that was completely unlike his usual self.

(End of this chapter)