Chapter 53: Section 54: I will not give up on anyone


    Two beast packs were clamoring, their noise and power swelling by the moment.


    The scorpion group gradually prevailed, as they boasted a Silver Level leader that exuded confidence. On the other hand, the lizard side lacked a Silver leader, yet under the pressure of the foreign enemy, these lizards united closely.


    Many Black Iron Level green-scaled lizards huddled together, facing the Silver Scorpions without any intention of retreating. This was the location of their nest, with not just one cave storing lizard eggs. Moreover, the lizards outnumbered the scorpions by a considerable margin.


    Eventually, the scorpion group leader grew impatient and, swinging its large pincers like double doors, it struck with a booming blow.


    It charged headfirst into the lizards straight ahead.


    Several of the strongest Black Iron Lizards acted simultaneously, some spitting Acid Liquid, others bearing fangs and claws, to confront the Silver leader scorpion.


    ...


    Unrestrainedly brutal, the Silver leader scorpion swiftly shattered the Black Iron Lizards’ defenses.


    The lizard pack began to panic, their previously tight formation scattering. Morale surged in the scorpion pack as they followed their leader, seizing the opportunity to charge into battle.


    At this moment, a full-scale battle unfolded between the two sides!


    Witnessing this scene, Zhenjin finally felt at ease.


    Compared to wild beasts, the Human Race’s physical ability was poor, but humans possessed wisdom, a trait most wild beasts could never match.


    It was for this reason that Zhenjin could effortlessly manipulate the scorpion pack.


    Of course, intelligence existed among beasts as well.


    Without even mentioning pure Dragon breeds, let’s consider the Zi Di squad that rescued Zhenjin; they were nearly wiped out under attack from a cunning Blue Wolf.


    In a head-to-head confrontation, the Blue Wolf might be weaker than the scorpion leader, but with human-like intelligence, it was able to fully leverage its abilities, its tactics cunning and ever-changing.


    Zhenjin wasn’t in any rush to lead everyone to escape; instead, he patiently waited a moment.


    Moments later, the massive lizard throngs grew even more chaotic, with many from underneath the dunes joining the front lines.


    Although a bunch of lizards still surrounded the dune, reluctant to give up the food atop it, their numbers were now far more sparse than before.


    “Follow me closely,” Zhenjin took a deep breath, looking down at the lizards below the dune.


    The group could hardly conceal their nervousness; breaking out was fraught with great risk. One misstep could lead to being devoured by lizards or demise from Acid Liquid corrosion. Yet not breaking out would certainly mean death if they remained on the dune’s peak.


    The breakout began!


    Zhenjin, wielding the Spider Blade and donning ill-fitting leather armor, took the lead.


    The lizards encircling the dune had been resting their heads low on the sand, feigning sleep. At the sound of movement, they instantly lifted their heads and, hissing, lunged towards Zhenjin and his companions.


    The closest lizard, ten steps from Zhenjin, suddenly opened its mouth wide and sprayed a stream of Acid Liquid.


    As the Acid Liquid advanced, everyone instantly sensed a pungent stench of corrosion.


    Originally, the group had been tightly following Zhenjin, but facing the Acid Liquid, none could withstand it and they scattered in panic.


    The tight formation had just started to break out when it was utterly dispersed.


    Zhenjin tumbled to the sand, rolling adeptly to position himself under the Lizard Head.


    He let out a low shout and leaped up, his Spider Blade drawing a phantom streak across the lizard’s eyes.


    Zhenjin brushed past the lizard.


    The next moment, the Lizard Head fell onto the sand, green blood spurting from the neck like a fountain.


    Zhenjin didn’t stop; he kept running, charging into the lizard crowd.


    The Spider Blade truly lived up to its origins from a Silver Level Magic Beast, unsurpassed in sharpness, no lizard could withstand it.


    These lizards were just ordinary wild beasts, while the Bronze and Black Iron Level Magic Beasts among the lizard groups had been lured away by the Scorpion Group.


    Hence, Lord Zhenjin was invincible, unstoppable!


    The brave Lord Zhenjin drew almost all the attention, and the others followed him to break through, finding the pressure to be far less than anticipated.


    “Lord Zhenjin is truly valiant!”


    “This is a Holy Temple Knight…”


    “The Holy Temple Knights indeed deserve to be the foremost Knight Order of our Human Race.”


    As everyone gazed upon Lord Zhenjin’s silhouette, their hearts were filled with praise and admiration.


    However, just as they were about to break through the encirclement of lizards, a group of lizard Magic Beasts finally made their appearance.


    At a glance, there were more than a dozen Bronze Level lizards and three or four at the Black Iron Level.


    It was clear that the lizards had no intention of letting go of this delicious meal.


    Pressure mounted on Lord Zhenjin!


    His Spider Blade was still incredibly sharp, able to inflict severe injuries on the green-skinned Magic Beast lizards with a single stroke.


    But the acid liquid spewed by the lizards was something Lord Zhenjin found equally difficult to defend against.


    Both sides were in a similar predicament: strong in attack but weak in defense.


    To avoid the acid, Lord Zhenjin had to opt for rolling and jumping, using all his might to dodge.


    What hindered him even more was that he could not act alone; he also had to take care of the people behind him.


    “Ahh!” Someone screamed in agony.


    Busy as he was, Lord Zhenjin glanced back only to see an exploration team member hit by the acid, falling to the ground, and writhing in pain.


    Almost simultaneously, the lizards around seized the opportunity, with some biting the exploration team member’s head, some grabbing an arm, and others a leg.


    The team member struggled violently, screaming in desperation, but was still easily dragged away from Lord Zhenjin’s team by the lizards to the side, while several lizards surrounded him, heads bowed, mouths opening and closing continuously, as they tore, chewed, and swallowed with relish.


    It was clear that rescue was impossible.


    Lord Zhenjin could only grit his teeth, exerting himself to the fullest to clear a path ahead.


    Finally, the young knight’s vision suddenly cleared, and the pressure around him lightened drastically—he had broken through the encirclement.


    “Ah, Scholar, sir!” However, Bai Ya’s cry of alarm suddenly came from behind.


    Lord Zhenjin quickly turned, and with one look, fury erupted in his eyes.


    Cang Xu had fallen onto the sandy ground, and the lizards behind him were only five or six steps away!


    The aged Scholar, who was already physically frail, had fallen behind the group despite being cared for during the escape.


    “Go on!” To Lord Zhenjin’s surprise, Bai Ya suddenly turned around, ran back a few steps, and reached out to Cang Xu.


    The lizards hissed menacingly, almost at their ears.


    Cang Xu, aware of his predicament, shouted furiously at Bai Ya, “Leave, don’t mind me!”


    But Bai Ya ignored the advice, gritted his teeth, walked over to Cang Xu, grabbed his clothes, and violently dragged him several steps forward.


    Almost at the same moment, a lizard pounced from behind, its gaping maw missing Cang Xu by mere inches as it bit into the sand and stones instead.


    The Lizard erupted in fury, swinging its tail with a whoosh as it spun around.


    Bai Ya had no time to dodge and could only raise his free left arm in a hurried defense. Sёarch* The N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a muffled thud, he was unsurprisingly whipped into the air by the Lizard’s tail.


    The Lizard opened its mouth, pouncing toward Cang Xu once again.


    But at that moment, Zhenjin finally turned back to join the fight, slashing down with his sword, not only finishing off that Lizard but also driving back several others behind it.


    “Go!” Zhenjin picked up Cang Xu with one hand and broke through again.


    Cang Xu was frail, but Zhenjin had a physical strength far beyond ordinary people; lifting him was effortless, and he sped away without missing a step.


    Without Zhenjin leading the way, the team immediately lost their momentum, stuck in the mud and surrounded by more and more Lizards.


    During this chaos, one team member, exhausted and unable to dodge in time, was struck in the head by acid and died on the spot.


    Zhenjin, carrying Cang Xu, broke through and rallied the team, easily shattering the Lizard’s encirclement ahead, kickstarting the team once again.


    After a fierce battle, the number of Lizards before Zhenjin dwindled, scattering in disarray.


    “We’ve broken through!” everyone rejoiced ecstatically.


    Zhenjin turned back to look, nearly all the members congregated around him, except Bai Ya, who had fallen into the midst of the Lizards.


    After being thrashed by the Lizard’s tail, Bai Ya had broken bones in his arm and ribs, entwined in severe pain and substantially slowed down.


    The Lizards, not daring to confront Zhenjin, attacked the weakest instead.


    Just as Zhenjin was about to turn back and rescue, Cang Xu sternly warned, “Lord, leave him. If we don’t go now, the Lizards will close in again.”


    Everyone looked at Cang Xu.


    Had it not been for Bai Ya buying time, Zhenjin wouldn’t have had the chance to rescue him. It could be said that Bai Ya was Cang Xu’s lifesaver as well.


    But now, Cang Xu was preventing Zhenjin from saving Bai Ya, choosing to abandon him.


    Such ruthless indifference changed the way everyone looked at Cang Xu.


    Though they despised his attitude, no one argued.


    Having fought to this point, two members of the exploration team had been sacrificed. Everyone was in bad shape. Thinking back on battling through the sandstorm and falling into the underground caves of the Lizards, then being trapped at the top of a sand dune and now barely breaking free, they were all extremely hungry, thirsty, fatigued, and weak. Most had reached the limits of their physical strength, surviving solely on their fear of death and desire for life.


    Cang Xu was not wrong; if Zhenjin turned back, they would be encircled by Lizards once more.


    How much longer could they hold on? Could they last until Zhenjin returned with Bai Ya?


    No one had that confidence.


    For a moment, Zhenjin hesitated as well.


    Unlike Cang Xu, Bai Ya was an ordinary man, a hunter with precise shooting skills.


    His value was much lower than Cang Xu’s, replaceable.


    “What if I go to save him, and these people fall to a Lizard attack? What then?”


    “Others may be one thing, but particularly Zi Di, and Cang Xu…”


    In an instant, the young Knight surveyed everyone around.


    They were all watching him.


    As he saw the complex looks in their eyes, Zhenjin’s hesitation dissipated, and he made his decision.


    “I’ve said we won’t abandon anyone,” Zhenjin declared resolutely, “and Bai Ya will be no exception!”


    Everyone felt a jolt in their hearts.


    Just as Zhenjin was about to set off, Zi Di grabbed his arm, pointing in the northwestern direction, “Lord, please be careful and look over there!”


    Zhenjin then saw the Scorpion group’s leader, the Silver Level Golden Spear War Scorpion, was already charging nearby.


    The Lizard horde had no Silver Level leader, and not even many Black Iron or Bronze Level Lizards could stop it.


    The Silver Battle Scorpion bulldozed through, its claws like shielded gates blocking countless streams of acid. Its scorpion tail kept stabbing fiercely, each strike claiming the life of a Lizard.


    “It’s coming for me!” A bolt of realization struck Zhenjin.


    To provoke the Scorpion group, he had fiercely slashed at the War Scorpion, achieving no significant result but instead having his arm pierced by the scorpion tail, forcing him to flee in disarray.


    The Silver Battle Scorpion keenly held a grudge, stubbornly leading the Scorpion group in a long chase after Zhenjin, and now cutting through the Lizard horde, it sought trouble with Zhenjin.


    “Please be very careful! I’ll be right back,” Zhenjin reassured Zi Di and felt a touch of warmth in his heart.


    The Spider Blade in Zhenjin’s hands was exceedingly sharp.


    With a single slice, another Lizard fell to the ground, never to rise again.


    Zhenjin quickly made his way to Bai Ya.


    “Lord!!” Bai Ya, trapped in a desperate situation, was overwhelmed with emotion as he saw Zhenjin coming to rescue him, his eyes filled with gratitude, admiration, and devotion.


    Carrying Bai Ya, Zhenjin fought back and successfully regrouped with the others.


    The concerns Zhenjin had earlier did not come to pass; Zi Di, Cang Xu, and the rest were unharmed.


    “Follow me out of here,” Zhenjin commanded calmly as he once again led the charge.


    “Yes, Lord!” They all responded in unison.


    With Zhenjin’s return with Bai Ya, the team’s morale surged immensely!


    At that moment, the young man seemed enveloped in a halo of glory in the eyes of everyone.


    Zhenjin had once said he would not abandon anyone.


    Now having saved Cang Xu and returned with Bai Ya despite the threat of the Scorpion group’s leader, he fulfilled his promise.


    He also made his will clear to all.


    Nothing is more persuasive than concrete action.


    At that moment, everyone was thoroughly convinced and sincerely admired Zhenjin.


    Finally breaking free from the siege, Zhenjin looked back to see the Lizard horde in disarray, with no pursuers.


    He had been worried about the Scorpion group’s leader while saving Bai Ya earlier.


    Unexpectedly, in the end, it had been the Lizards and the Silver Battle Scorpion locked in fierce combat, both too preoccupied to pay Zhenjin’s group any attention, allowing them to easily escape.


    Exhaling a sigh of turbid air, Zhenjin still harbored some concern.


    For some reason, he felt it wouldn’t be so easy to shake off the Golden Spear Scorpion Group.