Chapter 146: Section 147: One Man Defeats an Army


    Zong Ge slowly opened his eyes.


    His vision went from blurry to clear, and he saw the ornate, exquisite floor tiles. The intense pain on his body made his memory also become clear.


    He had been surrounded and beaten by his half-brothers and sisters until he passed out.


    Silent tears flowed from his eyes.


    Despair, anger, hatred, and confusion overwhelmed the young Zong Ge. He curled up his body and sobbed quietly.


    Footsteps suddenly approached and finally stopped in front of Zong Ge.


    ...


    Through tear-blurred eyes, Zong Ge vaguely saw a pair of boots.


    “Sigh,” the owner of the boots let out a deep sigh.


    That mere sound of sighing made Zong Ge realize the identity of the newcomer.


    The next moment, he was pulled up to stand by the person.


    “Instructor…” Zong Ge called out helplessly.


    The Instructor stared at him and did not embrace Zong Ge to offer comfort, but instead handed him a sword.


    “Continue with your sword training,” the Instructor said.


    Huff, huff, huff…


    The middle-aged Zong Ge stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, holding the wooden handle of a bone giant hammer, continuously making vertical chopping motions.


    This was one of the most fundamental moves in swordplay.


    Zong Ge executed them meticulously.


    The massive, heavy Bone Hammer felt as light as straw in his hands.


    What moved the swordplay masters even more was that every one of his actions appeared to be a carbon copy of the previous one, whether it was the angle of the chop, the speed, or the heights of the hammer’s ends at the top and bottom, there was no variation whatsoever.


    After performing three hundred such chopping actions, the powerful Half-Beast was covered in sweat. Multiple strands of his brown hair were damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead. Sёarch* The Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The banquet had long since ended.


    The night was windless and without a moon.


    Zong Ge now stood at the edge of the temporary camp, with the bright campfire behind him and the vast, deep rainforest in front of him.


    The words “one of our own” from Zhenjin’s mouth brought back memories for Zong Ge, and under his calm and quiet expression, there was a restless heart.


    At times like this, Zong Ge would practice swordplay.


    Anything related to swordplay, even the most fundamental vertical chopping motion, could stir his thoughts and allow him to focus all his attention, dispelling any distracting thoughts.


    Zong Ge’s restless mood gradually calmed down.


    The monotonous swordplay motions, in his view, were almost an entertaining delight.


    “One of our own?”


    “It’s just a matter of circumstances.”


    Zong Ge finished his routine and propped the Bone Hammer on the ground, sighing inwardly.


    But the next moment, his ears trembled slightly, and his expression changed abruptly.


    In the faint sounds, he thought he heard a Wolf Howl.


    A night passed.


    After getting information from Zong Ge, Zhenjin personally led a team to investigate.


    At a distance of fifty thousand meters from the edge of the valley, Zhenjin and his team discovered a large area of disordered Beast Marks.


    “There are the paw prints of a Monkey-tailed Brown Bear, the hoof prints of a Strong Life White Rhinoceros, and the trail of a Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa… There’s no doubt about it, it’s the Demon Beast Army!”


    Zhenjin’s heart sank.


    The investigation continued, and the results were even more serious than he had originally predicted.


    In the northwest and southwest directions of the small valley, there were one and two Demon Beast Armies respectively.


    These three Demon Beast Armies roamed the edges of the controlled area of the small valley without venturing deep inside.


    The intelligence brought back caused the leaders to have a gravely serious expression.


    “This means there are at least three Blue Dog Fox Wolves eyeing our camp!”


    “Could it be that there is only one Demon Beast Army, and the Blue Dog Fox Wolf is using a feint?”


    “No, the scale of the army that attacked the camp before has basically confirmed that it is the limit of control for a single Blue Dog Fox Wolf. The traces left by the beast groups are very different. Moreover, it’s extremely difficult for these magic beasts to fake their own traces. After all, the Blue Dog Fox Wolf is special.”


    “Since these Demon Beast Armies are deliberately staying away from the valley, it proves they have discovered us. Their not attacking now means they are definitely building up strength!”


    “It’s very likely the Blue Dog Fox Wolf that was tailing us, it must have called more of its companions!”


    The situation turned very bad.


    Everyone needed to build ships while also defending against the attacks of the Demon Beast Armies.


    A Demon Beast Army commanded by a Blue Dog Fox Wolf is more than ten times tougher than a beast group of the same size!


    What’s worse, the volcanic eruption continued unabated, and the island seemed to be in the midst of some drastic transformation. If the shipbuilding was completed too late, everyone might have to be buried with the island.


    The leaders discussed many countermeasures, and they had experience dealing with Demon Beast Armies.


    But no matter how ingenious the methods, they needed people to implement them. Once manpower was diverted, the speed of shipbuilding would decrease.


    This was something no one wanted to see, but it could not be helped.


    “No, I have a way!” These were Zhenjin’s thoughts, but he didn’t say them out loud.


    Defense works began to be built and reinforced; as the others rested at night, Zhenjin sprang into action.


    After transforming into a bat monkey, he quickly made his way through the rainforest.


    Ultrasound detected a Demon Beast Army.


    Bat Monkey Zhenjin swiftly flew to higher skies.


    In the air, he saw the Blue Dog Fox Wolf firmly in the center of the army, heavily guarded.


    The next moment, Zhenjin mobilized his Heart Core and underwent a Mutation.


    Red light twinkled high in the sky, then the bat monkey form dissipated, replaced by Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa Zhenjin!


    Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa Zhenjin had no wings nor the ability to float, and his body was even fatter than that of an ordinary Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa.


    Zhenjin plummeted straight down from the high skies!


    The Demon Beast Army naturally had bat monkeys, and initially, Bat Monkey Zhenjin didn’t alert them, but a large Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa Zhenjin falling from above made the bat monkeys emit screams of terror.


    Just as the Blue Dog Fox Wolf began to react, boom, with a loud noise, Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa Zhenjin smashed onto the ground.


    Tall, stout trees were toppled by his weight, and several unfortunate magic beasts were crushed to death on the spot.


    The crocodile skin of the Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa showcased formidable defensive power. But this skin armor alone wasn’t enough; underneath it was a thick layer of fat.


    This fat was certainly not all from the Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa, but rather from the Underground Sand Worm.


    Zhenjin had defeated the Underground Sand Worm and naturally covertly transformed some of it. Although he could not yet transform into a complete form, the thick fat was one of his current optional Mutations.


    The fat violently trembled, significantly reducing the reaction force from the impact with the ground.


    The Blue Dog Fox Wolf leaped backward, and Zhenjin burst forward, quickly closing in on the Blue Dog Fox Wolf. Then, with a sudden lunge of his head, the massive crocodile jaw opened, struck like lightning, and bit down on the Blue Dog Fox Wolf.


    The Blue Dog Fox Wolf tried to howl, but at that moment, a large gush of Acid Liquid erupted from Zhenjin’s throat.


    The Acid Liquid surged back up, causing the Blue Dog Fox Wolf to cough uncontrollably.


    It frantically scratched and clawed, its hind legs outside kicking in vain. Unfortunately, by that time, Zhenjin had already angled his upper serpentine body upward, suspending the Blue Dog Fox Wolf in the air where its hind legs could find no purchase.


    Then, red light surged from Zhenjin’s mouth, forming four blood lines that bound the Blue Dog Fox Wolf tightly.


    As the blood lines submerged, the Demon Beast Army launched a frenzied attack on Zhenjin.


    The fastest to act were not the Monkey-tailed Brown Bears or the Strong Life White Rhinoceros that were closest to Zhenjin, but the Flying Squirrels.


    A large number of Flying Squirrels.


    But Zhenjin had anticipated this, although he was in the form of a Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa, he erupted with a Silver Level bat monkey’s sonic wave.


    The Flying Squirrels suffered from the sound waves, instantly sprawled and fell to the ground, no longer a threat.


    Two Strong Life White Rhinoceroses charged at him, and Zhenjin had no time to dodge. Since he was not yet proficient in the form of a Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa, even if he had made a dodging move, it might not have been successful.


    So, he simply did not dodge and instead transformed his crocodile skin into a scorpion shell.


    The Strong Life White Rhinoceroses fiercely collided with the scorpion shell, not penetrating it, but the immense force of the impact was transmitted to him.


    The thick layer of fat beneath the scorpion shell once again acted as a shock absorber, the severe vibrations rapidly dissipated the force, perfectly catching it.


    At the same time, a red light glinted in Zhenjin’s mouth; the Blue Dog Fox Wolf was transformed and absorbed, turning into a pile of carbon dust.


    After killing this Blue Dog Fox Wolf, Zhenjin’s spirits soared. Having or not having a Blue Dog Fox Wolf meant completely different scenarios!


    The effects of the strange scent persisted.


    Watching their Commander be killed before their eyes, these demon beasts erupted into a frenzy, launching a mad assault on Zhenjin.


    The other demon beasts were somewhat better, but the key was the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear’s fiery red claws; each thrust could pierce the scorpion shell, poking holes in Zhenjin, as the underlying fat was roasted alongside, emitting a pleasant food aroma.


    Zhenjin rolled on the spot, crushing out a path. The red light flashed, and the huge form of the Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa dissipated; he transformed again into a Silver bat monkey and flew into the sky.


    All of the bat monkeys went after him, while the rest of the beast horde could only stand on the ground, helplessly roaring.


    Zhenjin elevated himself, soaring into the sky, moving extremely fast; only two Silver bat monkeys could barely keep up with him.


    Zhenjin suddenly turned around and launched an attack on the Silver bat monkeys.


    He grew a Lizard Head, but with Spider Blade mouthparts.


    Two clumps of milky white spider silk squirted out, hitting the two Silver bat monkeys straight on, binding their wings.


    The Silver bat monkeys shrieked as they plummeted toward the ground.


    The other bat monkeys stretched out their hands to help, catching their leader in mid-air.


    But this was precisely Zhenjin’s scheme.


    He dominated the high altitude, continuously spraying spider webs, shooting down one bat monkey after another.


    Soon, the sky cleared, leaving only Zhenjin.


    With no bat monkeys to tangle with him anymore, Zhenjin began to use Acid Liquid, continuously spraying it.


    The horde of demon beasts could only roar and howl, but they were helpless against Zhenjin; common wild beasts were killed by the Acid Liquid, while Bronze and Black Iron Level demon beasts were all seriously injured by it.


    After such prolonged battle, Zhenjin’s reserve of Heart Core Magic Power had decreased by more than half, and the entire Demon Beast Army had been exhausted by his torment.


    “Now’s the time!” Zhenjin saw the moment and swooped down, transforming into the form of a Monkey-tailed Brown Bear.


    He landed directly on top of a Strong Life White Rhinoceros.


    His fiery red bear claws pierced straight through the skull of the Strong Life White Rhinoceros, then his nails mutated into Spider Blades, piercing directly through the White Rhinoceros’s brain and emerging as sharp points from its jaw.


    Another Strong Life White Rhinoceros charged at him, while at the same time, a Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa behind him launched an attack.


    In a split second, Zhenjin transformed into a Silver Flying Squirrel, dodging like a shot from a gun.


    The Strong Life White Rhinoceros and Crocodile Head Hammer Tail Boa collided with each other.


    Zhenjin crashed directly into the embrace of a Monkey-tailed Brown Bear and, before it could react, unleashed a powerful electric shock.


    Bang.


    The Monkey-tailed Brown Bear fell, smoking all over.


    It was not a Strong Life White Rhinoceros; such a hit killed it instantly, with no chance of Resurrection.


    But an electric shock assault of this degree consumed the most demon energy. Afterward, Zhenjin no longer used such a method.


    Even without electric shock, he still managed to throw the Demon Beast Army into utter chaos.


    Without the Blue Dog Fox Wolves, these Demon Beasts had limited intelligence and were arbitrarily manipulated by Zhenjin, with no concept of formation at all. In fact, many of their attacks landed on their own companions.


    The most critical change was that Zhenjin had grown stronger.


    All this time, he had trained tirelessly and accumulated many accomplishments, making significant progress in many areas. For instance, before, Zhenjin could not switch forms quickly during intense combat. Now, however, he did it very smoothly.


    Before the battle with this Demon Beast Army, Zhenjin lacked an opportunity to thoroughly test himself.


    Now the opportunity had arrived!


    “Exhilarating! Too exhilarating!!” Zhenjin felt his blood boiling more fervently as the battle raged on.


    At first, when he employed various Magic Beast forms, there were many awkward aspects, especially the transitions between Magic Beast forms.


    But in the heat of battle, he became increasingly adept and composed.


    Many movements that were not fluid during routine training became much smoother under the external pressure of being surrounded and attacked. The connections between various moves and tactics also became automatic.


    Quantitative change had triggered a qualitative transformation, and Zhenjin could feel himself getting stronger!


    He was stronger the next second than he was the one before.


    “Just a bit stronger!”


    “Even stronger!” Zhenjin roared inwardly.


    “Slow, too slow!” he caught up to a Monkey-tailed Brown Bear, his hand blade flashed, and the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear’s head fell to the ground.


    “Weak, too weak!” he stomped one after another on the bat monkeys bound by spider webs, crushing them on the spot.


    Corpses were strewn everywhere, blood covered the ground.


    Zhenjin single-handedly faced an army, unfolding a bloody and brutal slaughter.


    The Demon Beast Army had been decimated, and the survivors began to flee.


    Zhenjin pursued relentlessly.


    There were no Demon Beasts that could escape his pursuit.


    When the last Strong Life White Rhinoceros fell beside the small lake, Zhenjin couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh wildly.


    “HAHAHA!” The confusion and depression of recent days, the pressure, all found their release and venting in this battle.


    Behind him, the scorpion tail skillfully stabbed, piercing through the body of the Strong Life White Rhinoceros.


    Then bloodlines wrapped around it, transforming and absorbing the Strong Life White Rhinoceros.


    “So, I’ve become this strong!”


    “What else can stop me?”


    “Hmm? What else?”


    “Even if another Demon Beast Army comes, what can they do to me?”


    Zhenjin stood tall and proud, his chest out, as he surveyed his surroundings.


    The clouds dispersed, revealing moonlight.


    At this moment, the vast rainforest fell silent as if cowering before his ferocity.


    Zhenjin’s gaze swept around, and suddenly, he paused; he saw his reflection in the lake.


    At this moment, he had a scorpion tail, a Lizard Head on top, a body covered in scorpion shell, the physique of a bear, and Spider Blades on the back of both hands.


    A… monster.


    Zhenjin was stunned.


    The joy in his heart, the surging battle spirit, receded like the tide.


    He became like a statue.


    Moments later, his body trembled slightly, as if coming to a realization.


    He slowly backed away, backing away until he could no longer see his reflection in the lake.