Chapter 489: Chapter 362: The Difficult-to-Cross Third Tier
Chu Mu had the Demon Tree Warrior change its position, facing the south. At this time, there weren’t many Desert Mad Edge Scorpions in the south; although Shan Jing was struggling to hold them off, he had already killed many of them.
In group battles, Demon Tree Warriors were definitely superior to any other type of Soul Pet. It was clear that the four members of the team didn’t have Wood Element Soul Pets, otherwise they would have summoned them right away.
After recovering from his surprise, Shan Jing quickly adjusted his Soul Pets to face the west, dealing with the remaining Desert Mad Edge Scorpions.
Qingqing’s support was all focused on Li He’s position. Li He’s Four-winged Snake Demon was healed, its combat power quickly restored to its full state. The arrogant snake twisted its body, weaving through the Mad Edge Scorpions, continuously crushing the hard-sh.e.l.led creatures.
Team Leader Guo Zhan was in charge of dealing with the Level Nine Desert Mad Edge Scorpions. His strength was obviously much stronger than the others, not only firmly defending his own direction, but also killing all the Level Nine creatures in the Mad Edge Scorpion swarm!
“It seems like another large wave of Desert Mad Edge Scorpions is rushing towards us.” Qingqing looked at the top of the surrounding sand dunes with a pale face, and whispered.
“Yeah, get ready to summon your third pet.” Team Leader Guo Zhan said calmly.
The number and strength of the next wave of Desert Mad Edge Scorpions would definitely be greater. Everyone had to use triple control to have a chance of holding their ground.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak”
With sounds like sharp teeth grinding, the noise echoed around them. On the golden sand dune, a gray shadow slowly enveloped and covered the area, as if a gray tide was surging towards them.
The overwhelming insect aura was like an army of thousands running wild in the desert, causing the five Soul Pet Masters to take a sharp breath.
“How… how many are there?” Qingqing covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes filled with a hint of panic.
“How could there be so many? This is just the front end of the Sand Bone Basin!” Li He also widened his eyes.
With so many Desert Mad Edge Scorpions, how long would they have to fight? If there were even more of these creatures after this large wave, their team wouldn’t even be able to step into the middle area of the Sand Bone Basin!
“Summon your third pet!” Team Leader Guo Zhan frowned and told all the Soul Pet Masters.
The other three also realized that this was going to be a fierce battle, and they hurriedly began reciting their spells to prepare for the onslaught of the Mad Scorpions.
“Chu Chen, why aren’t you summoning?” Qingqing asked anxiously.
Qingqing quickly noticed that Chu Mu wasn’t reciting any spells. Although Chu Chen was a young expert, his strength shouldn’t be much stronger than Li He and Shan Jing. Li He and Shan Jing hadn’t even summoned their main pets to fight yet … They should be using all their strength at this time!
“There’s no need.” Chu Mu shook his head, then pointed to the gradually sinking red setting sun in the distance.
The light of the setting sun slowly turned into a beam, like a slowly closing door, leaving darkness in this world…
Something strange happened!
Right after the setting sun disappeared, the entire desert suddenly became quiet!
“Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff, puff”
At the moment night fell, all the running Desert Mad Edge Scorpions suddenly froze in place. Then, these Desert Mad Edge Scorpions, which had an extremely regular schedule, buried their heads into the sand and used their sharp scorpion claws to toss the sand aside!
A killing wave stirred up, and the sand around them looked like boiling water. The countless Desert Mad Edge Scorpions’ bodies slowly disappeared into the sand…
The movements of the Desert Mad Edge Scorpions were almost identical, and their actions left everyone amazed. It wasn’t until all the Desert Mad Edge Scorpions disappeared from sight that they slowly came to their senses.
“We were so focused on killing them that we forgot they don’t like fighting at night.” Li He smiled, showing his teeth.
Desert Mad Edge Scorpions were very averse to night battles, and they would return to the sand immediately when night fell. This could be considered one of the quirks of the Desert Mad Edge Scorpions.
Previously, the team leader had said that they only needed to defend until the sun set, but as the fighting ensued, they had all forgotten about the time.
Team Leader Guo Zhan looked at Chu Mu. When the Desert Mad Edge Scorpions were engulfing the area, he had also forgotten about the setting sun, as his emotions had shifted somewhat.
What surprised Guo Zhan was that this young man, who was much younger than himself, could still keep track of time even in the face of the immense pressure of the Desert Mad Edge Scorpions. This required an extraordinary level of calmness!
“We can finally rest now.” Seeing that there was no more threat around them, Qingqing patted her chest and sat down on the sand directly.
“Everyone, take a short break here before we continue on our way,” said Team Leader Guo Zhan.
Desert Mad Edge Scorpions don’t like to fight at night, so they could use this opportunity to pa.s.s through the Sand Bone Basin.
Chu Mu didn’t rest but asked the Demon Tree Warrior and Zhan Ye to help him collect the poison liquid from those Desert Mad Edge Scorpions they had defeated earlier.
Chu Mu only wanted the poison liquid, not the Soul Cores or Soul Crystals. Those were considered communal property, and it was up to the team leader to distribute them. Picking them up himself would lead to resentment.
“Chu Chen, what do you need this poison liquid for? Are you a Spirit Master?” Qingqing curiously asked Chu Mu.
Qingqing was also somewhat curious about Chu Mu and felt that this young expert seemed rather mysterious.
“No, my reward quest requires this poison liquid,” Chu Mu replied.
“The poison liquid of Desert Mad Edge Scorpions? Why does it sound familiar?” Shan Jing scratched his chin. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and exclaimed with disbelief, “A Level 8 t.i.tle friend told me that Xuan Zhen Hall seems to have issued a Level 8 reward quest to collect enough poison liquid. Did you accept that Level 8 reward quest in the hall?”
“Yes, I need 1000 portions of poison liquid. This is far from enough,” Chu Mu admitted with a nod.
Chu Mu quickly finished harvesting the poison liquid from every scorpion. Including the poison liquid from the Level Nine Desert Mad Edge Scorpions, he had about 180 portions. Coupled with what he had collected before, the total amount of poison liquid reached 280 portions, still far from the 1000 portions required.
Chu Mu could see that this team didn’t seem particularly eager to battle Desert Mad Edge Scorpions, which meant it would be unlikely for them to help him collect poison liquid in the future.
“A thousand portions? That means you have to kill a thousand Desert Mad Edge Scorpions! If you hadn’t met us, would you have to kill so many Desert Mad Edge Scorpions all by yourself?” Qingqing stared wide-eyed at Chu Mu.
“Pervert! A perverted-level young expert like you really can’t be understood in a normal way. When I was your age, I was still struggling for Level 6 rewards quests. Even now, I still need others to guide me into the Eighth-level Mysterious Realm,” said Li He with a sigh.
“Chu Chen, you’ll definitely partic.i.p.ate in The World Decree, so you’ll surely shine in the third-tier!” Qingqing said excitedly.
“The third-tier? My goal is the second-tier,” Chu Mu answered while carefully stowing away all the poison liquid.
“The second-tier? You mean the second-tier?!”
At this point, everyone’s eyes widened, unable to believe Chu Mu’s words. Even the calm Team Leader Guo Zhan showed some emotion.
“Chu Chen, the second-tier… I think you’d better not set foot there. You haven’t partic.i.p.ated in The World Decree before, so you have no idea how strong the experts in the second-tier are,” Shan Jing said solemnly.
Shan Jing could see that the young man in front of him had great potential and would undoubtedly become a top expert in the future. But attempting to contend in the second-tier fights would be utterly delusional!
“A dozen years ago, I also set my sights on The World Decree, hoping to gain authoritative glory in this compet.i.tion where countless young experts gather. I’ve traveled through many Earth Realms, exchanged pointers with various experts, and followed even stronger Soul Pet Masters into Mysterious Realms. When I felt my strength was sufficient, I went back to World City,” Shan Jing began slowly.
Shan Jing looked much older than his peers, and his eyes seemed even more bleak when talking about this matter, without any glimmer of hope.
Chu Mu quietly watched Shan Jing speak, seeing a complicated expression on the man’s face that seemed to be a mix of resentment, helplessness, and self-mockery.
“I was 25 years old at the time and felt that my strength wasn’t much different from what it is now. But I’ve made little progress these six years because my soul pets perished in the Eighth Mysterious Realm. I was young and impulsive back then, believing that my strength was enough to make a name for myself at The World Decree. But the moment I entered World Realm…” Shan Jing took a deep breath, shrouded in gloom, unable to continue.
Li He, who was standing beside Shan Jing, angrily interjected, “Hmm, why be so shy about it? It’s just a complete defeat!”
Shan Jing opened his mouth to respond, and finally sighed, “Actually, at that time, I couldn’t even squeeze into the third-tier compet.i.tion.”
At this point, everyone was astonished. If Shan Jing had reached his current level of strength six years ago, he should have at least been considered an expert in the third-tier. How could he have failed to even make it into the third-tier compet.i.tion?
“Big Brother Shan Jing, you must be joking, right? I’ve never dared to partic.i.p.ate in The World Decree, but I always thought it wouldn’t be as terrifying as you described it. With your current strength, you should be able to achieve glory in the third-tier,” said Qingqing.
“I’m not exaggerating. You can ask the team leader yourself if you don’t believe me,” Shan Jing replied, glancing at the silent Guo Zhan.
Guo Zhan had just sat there listening, not speaking at all. When everyone’s eyes focused on him, he finally uttered in a strange tone, “Let’s concentrate on our mission. Those things don’t belong to us, there’s no point in discussing them.”
“There’s nothing to say. It’s just like that,” Guo Zhan replied indifferently. He seemed not the kind of person who would casually reveal his story, and he simply ignored Qingqing’s charming request.
“Rest well and then continue on our journey,” Guo Zhan said calmly. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit ReadNovelFull () and cast your votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)