C14 Poisonous Breath
Wang Yan's first choice was a given. If all else failed, he was prepared to gamble and push Green to the next level by force.
The gap between 2.9 and 3.0 was negligible; it might just hold up.
As for the final option, it was a last resort.
Shortening one's lifespan was preferable to death. Life meant hope, and who knows? Perhaps in the future, he might come across treasures that could extend his life!
"Wait?"
Hearing Wang Yan's plan, the group exchanged uneasy glances.
They were encircled by innumerable ferocious beasts, and if the energy shield were to fail, death was certain.
But then again, they were out of alternatives and could only pin their hopes on Wang Yan to change the course of the battle.
Time flew by. The first ferocious beast reached them and slammed into the energy shield.
Puff!
It burst like an overripe squash hitting the ground, splattering blood in all directions.
The beast had charged too hastily and met its end upon impact.
Meanwhile, the energy shield stood unshaken, steadfastly guarding the four like an unyielding mountain.
The shield was designed to withstand an elite ferocious beast's attack for ten minutes, but with the current onslaught, that duration was bound to be significantly shortened.
Sure enough, as more beasts furiously collided with it, faint ripples began to spread across the shield's surface.
With each passing second, the ripples multiplied, quickly surpassing twenty in just five seconds.
Bang!
A rhinoceros-like beast charged headlong, snapping its horns and cracking its skull.
It lay dead, and the shield, once ripple-covered, now trembled slightly.
"Is that really the only way?"
Wang Yan clenched his jaw, steeling his resolve.
As he made up his mind to exchange for a Rank 3 crystal to forcibly elevate Green's level, it felt as if a chord had snapped in his mind, followed by a refreshing coolness.
At this critical juncture, his Soul Strength had finally hit the three-point mark!
"Green, eat this!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Wang Yan produced a Rank 3 Spirit Crystal and fed it to Green.
A flash of light suddenly appeared, this time focusing on the creature's head.
Wang Yan glanced at his attribute panel, his tense mood instantly easing.
Poison Fang: Bite the target, injecting venom into their body through the teeth.
Poison Breath: Release a stream of poison forward, entering the target's body through inhalation.
Two skills were available—one for a single target, the other for area damage.
One dealt high damage, the other had a wide range.
The choice was obvious; he'd definitely go for the second.
With just a thought from Wang Yan, Green quickly mastered the new skill.
...
...
Standing on a small hill, about 500 meters from the ferocious beast horde, a black horse faced the wind.
Majestic, robust, it wore a look of utter contempt. To its gaze, everyone was a fool.
This was the Rank 5 elite Tyrant Horse, an exceptionally unique ferocious beast.
Not quite the leader, but merely a step below.
Unintimidated by the leader's might, it possessed an ability rare even among those of leader caliber.
Were it not for the constraints of its bloodline, it could easily rank among the top leaders.
"Sssss... Sssss... Sssss... Sssss... Sssss... Sssss... Sssss..."
The Tyrant Horse let out a piercing neigh, its resonant call spreading far and wide.
It was issuing commands to the peripheral beasts, ordering them to kill the few humans at any cost.
The beast tide had been in the making for a long time, and it was crucial they remained undetected by humans for now.
In no more than a month, the ferocious beast leaders would be fully prepared, and even more formidable beasts, surpassing the leaders, would emerge.
Humans were nothing more than chickens and dogs in their eyes!
With this thought, the Tyrant Horse's excitement surged.
But in the next moment, it sensed something amiss.
The number of ferocious beasts was dwindling rapidly.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
The Tyrant Horse was baffled. It had lured nearly three thousand beasts, mostly ordinary Rank 1 and Rank 2 creatures. Against merely four humans, it was overkill, like using a cleaver to kill a chicken.
What's happening now?
Why did the ferocious beast die so quickly?
Tyrant Horse was perplexed. After pondering for a moment, he decided to leave the area.
Whatever the reason, anyone capable of annihilating three thousand ferocious beasts so swiftly was no ordinary individual.
Approaching them would be a near-certain death sentence.
...
...
Puff!
In the midst of the crisis, Green unleashed a new skill and expelled a breath of venom.
A verdant cloud of poison fog spread over a twenty-meter radius in a fan shape, instantly killing the nearest ferocious beast.
As a Rank 3 leader, Green could effortlessly overpower any standard Rank 4 ferocious beast with a mere flick of the wrist.
This ability sacrificed single-target high damage in favor of a wider area of effect.
Against another leader, it might not be lethal, but for a swarm of ordinary and elite foes, it was devastatingly effective.
Puff!
Puff!
Puff!
Hundreds of ordinary ferocious beasts succumbed to the toxic mist, not surviving even a second.
A handful of elites fared slightly better, lasting two seconds before collapsing.
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
A cross-country rabbit with blood-red eyes seized the chaos to break through Green's blockade, leaping into the air.
Its snow-white teeth glinted with a chilling sheen in the sunlight, and its soft, long fur rippled with the breeze, creating undulating waves.
Amidst the frenzy of beasts and the surrounding carnage, it exuded a strange allure and ferocity.
Then...
Smack!
A hand materialized from nowhere, striking the rabbit squarely in the face and sending it hurtling through the air.
"A deranged rabbit actually thinks it's a warrior!" Wang Yan scoffed, his mood somber.
With Green present, these ferocious beasts posed little threat. But what if their numbers were to increase by hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands?
That would be a beast tide!
A frenzy of unrelenting savagery.
They would not back down unless decimated by more than half.
Over four centuries, the Flame Empire has witnessed more than a hundred such events, large and small. Its scholars have long since unraveled the causes behind these beast tides.
The breeding was out of control!
In plain terms, a ferocious beast is simply a powerful wild animal. They don't practice family planning; without natural predators, they mate at any opportunity. More mating means more offspring, naturally.
With resources in short supply and the ferocious beast population growing unchecked, food scarcity soon followed. Tensions rose among the various ferocious beast species, leading to inevitable conflict.
Humans, with their multitude of high-level beast tamers, formidable spells, and advanced technology, could easily handle tens of thousands of ferocious beasts—they were barely a snack.
Under normal circumstances, ferocious beasts wouldn't dare provoke such formidable opponents.
But reality told a different story!
Just as humans had high-level beast tamers, ferocious beasts had their own high-level leaders.
Just as humans wielded powerful spells and technology, ferocious beasts had endless hordes of low-level fodder.
To alleviate the survival pressures of their species, many leaders and even higher-tier ferocious beasts banded together to strike at human settlements, using this as a means to cull their lower-tier numbers.
This was the onset of a beast tide!
Once the cause and effect were clear, the solution was straightforward.
Match soldier with soldier, general with general.
High-level beast tamers would confront the formidable ferocious beasts. After slaying them, the remaining fodder would descend into disarray, and a barrage of firepower would finish the job.
Despite the countless human lives lost and the immense property damage with each beast tide, this was deemed the best strategy.
The ferocious beasts nearby hardly constituted a minor threat, yet there were only four of them.
Had it not been for Wang Yan's energy shield buying time, and Green's timely advance to Rank 3, they might have been doomed.
In the end, Wang Yan was prepared to fight to the death, but not for three strangers.
Lending a hand was already more than enough; he couldn't afford to take a loss for others.
When Green unleashed havoc, annihilating hundreds of low-tier ferocious beasts with a single venomous blast, Big Fatty Zhang couldn't contain himself and blurted out, "Holy shit, that's badass!"
"Hey, remember hygiene!"
Wang Yan gave him a significant look.
Big Fatty Zhang: "???"
"Bursting into laughter!"
Zhang Liang couldn't contain his laughter, while Zhang Xiaomei shyly lowered her head, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.
"I didn't mean it that way. I was just expressing my thoughts."
Regaining his composure, Big Fatty Zhang hurriedly clarified, "Xiaomei is my true love, not 'awesome'!"
"Go to hell!"
Offended by Big Fatty Zhang's comparison, Zhang Xiaomei lashed out with a kick.
Green's breakthrough had averted their peril, swiftly turning the tide of the dire situation.
Surveying the swathes of slain beasts, Wang Yan's heart harbored no joy, only seething anger.
"I swear, if I catch that creature!"
After stowing his binoculars, Wang Yan's gaze fell on the sports car, now resembling something punctured repeatedly by a horde of strongmen, his annoyance making his teeth itch.
East Wind vehicles were renowned for safety, and despite the onslaught of the beasts' trampling and scraping, the car's glass was shattered, its surface pocked and peeling, yet its frame remained largely intact.
If the damage wasn't too severe, it should be repairable.
He jimmied the door open and gave it a try; true to the Flame Empire's reputation, the Dongfeng car still started.
"Let's move out. We need to report today's events to the Beast Tamer Association. I have a feeling something big is on the horizon."
Wang Yan's face was etched with seriousness, the image of the Tyrant Horse haunting his thoughts, inescapable.
He was aware that higher-tier ferocious beasts had intelligence comparable to humans, but for a mere Rank 5 elite to achieve this was astonishing.
The quality of a ferocious beast might be unchangeable, but its level could grow just like a human's.
Should the Tyrant Horse be left unchecked, by the time it reached Rank 9 or 10, it might become untouchable.
And the question lingered: was the quality of ferocious beasts truly unimprovable, as the textbooks claimed?
Wang Yan harbored skepticism about the situation.
Considering Green's case, it might not be that improvement was impossible, but rather that it couldn't be achieved through conventional means.
It was akin to the protagonists in those underdog novels who, after enduring great trials and breaking free from their constraints, experienced a metamorphosis that could alter their fate.
"I need to secure a contract with a second spirit beast quickly. If I run into a situation like this again, luck might not be on my side."
With a sigh, Wang Yan resolved to seek out the elder.
His first spirit beast had been a leader, so naturally, the second couldn't just be an elite.
But elite or leader, acquiring either required a substantial sum of money. And with his father pressuring him into an engagement with Ruan Mei, he had no choice but to resort to this plan.
