"Be careful, don't die!"
Qin Yun warned. But she was too careful. The Swordback Rhino's charge only sent me flying. I didn't lose more than a hundred thousand HP. It was nothing!
But even I was sent flying. This made Ling Xue and Bing Cha feel as if they were facing a great enemy.
Ice Sealing Slash!
Lightning!
Ice Cyclone Sword!
Several powerful skills went up to greet the rhino. Ling Xue even entered Cyclone Transformation. The Swordback Rhino was just a rhino after all. It couldn't withstand such fierce attacks. After two or three hits, Bing Cha's Emperor Fall cut off the rhino's horn before I could even react.
Boom!
The rhino's 2.5 meter tall body fell to the ground, dropping a small pile of gold and a black rhino horn.
I walked up and picked it up. It was a rare crafting material!
[Swordback Rhino Horn]: Rank 8 Crafting Material. Can be used to create daggers. It increases the weapon's Attack by 45%.
… …
I didn't have a blueprint, so I threw the horn into my bag. Even if I didn't need it, I could sell it. There were many Curiosity Hunters in White Cloud City. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a toilet bucket could be sold as a Divine Wood Imperial Cauldron.
We continued forward. The Swordback Rhinos only appeared in twos and threes. They didn't pose much of a threat to us, especially with a super priest like Qin Yun around.
"So weak …"
After killing a Swordback Rhino, Bing Cha said with a smile, "I thought the monsters in the Wildlands were invincible. I didn't expect them to be so weak."
I nodded and said, "Maybe we haven't met the real boss yet. Why are you so cocky …"
At this time, there was a rustling sound. The forest suddenly moved, and a few red dots flew into the sky!
"What's that?!" Bing Cha gripped the Emperor Fall Sword and asked nervously.
The red dots grew closer and closer. They were blood-red Mountain Eagles. Their tails had spikes and were highly venomous. They were also Level 270 Warsong Monsters!
The Snake-tailed Eagle was one of the Basic Monsters in the Wildlands. It was highly venomous, had extremely high Attack Power, and had an extremely high Defense Attribute.
Before we could react, Ling'er in the sky exclaimed, "Ah?!"
The two whip-tailed eagles had already locked onto Ling'er. They swung their tails and stung Ling'er. Ling'er's War God Armor was instantly stained purple. She had been poisoned, and her HP was rapidly dropping!
The rest of the whip-tailed eagles were like sharks that had smelled blood. They quickly flew over and surrounded Ling Er. In less than a minute, Ling Er's nearly 10,000,000 Health Points had been depleted!
"Whoosh!"
Qin Yun threw out the Goddess' Elegy, barely saving Ling Er's life.
Ling Xue hurriedly said, "Scholar, tell Ling Er to come down and stop flying!"
"Ah?!"
I was a bit puzzled, but I still told Ling Er to fly toward the ground. The strange thing was that the moment Ling Er touched the ground, the whip-tailed eagles immediately scattered instead of chasing after her!
"What the hell is going on …" I frowned.
Ling Xue laughed softly. "I just checked the Spirit of Grief encyclopedia. Snake-tailed Eagles are monsters that only attack the sky. They are harmless to ground creatures …"
"OMG, what the hell!" Everyone was dumbfounded.
Ling Yue rejoiced. "Thank goodness we didn't come in on T-rex. Otherwise, we might have been wiped if we encountered these Snake-tailed Eagles …"
I nodded. "Long live the infantry!"
The deeper we went, the more Swordback Rhinos we killed. The Snake-tailed Eagles turned into forbidden creatures. These things were terrifying!
Not long after we passed a small hill, we saw a red, ancient dragon learning to fly. It spread its young, fleshy wings and rose into the sky. However, it didn't fly far before it attracted the attention of the Snake-tailed Eagles. In the next moment, countless Snake-tailed Eagles surrounded the young dragon and began to peck at it. It was a tragic sight. In just a few seconds, the young dragon was reduced to a skeleton!
Thud!
The infant dragon's skeleton landed right in front of our feet. I shivered in fright. Damn, these whip-tailed eagles were practically the overlords of the sky. This infant dragon was almost instantly killed. Even if a real adult dragon came, it might not be able to defeat them. There was a 70% to 80% chance that it would die!
"What a pity. Such a good mount …"
Bing Cha looked at the young dragon's skeleton on the ground with regret.
I said, "Why don't we take the skeleton back? Even if it can't be used as a mount, it can be cooked into a pot of bone soup. It's fate …"
"I despise you …" Bing Cha glared at me. He was speechless.
Ling Xue said, "Take a guess. Didn't Seven-star Lamp obtain the Flaming Bone Dragon's mount?
He also came to the Barbarian Lands. If he encountered a Snake-tailed Eagle, would he die as well? "
"It's hard to say. His Flaming Bone Dragon hatched not long ago, and its level isn't high. It probably doesn't meet the requirements for a mount. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to escape death. Right, quickly notify Bing Zhiyi and Fleeting Time. Tell them to fight on foot when they enter the Barbarian Lands. Don't fly."
"Mn!"
We didn't stop and directly passed through the forest. Not long after, we arrived at a gravel area. Stepping on the pebbles, we didn't go far before a huge basin appeared. The basin's diameter was at least dozens of kilometers. It was as vast as a plain.
This basin didn't look like it was formed by water. It looked more like a meteor had collided. It was so round!
In the basin, there were many simple camps of various sizes. Smoke lingered in the air, and many wisps of smoke could be seen rising from chimneys.
"What's that?" Ling Xue's eyes widened, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise. "Beastmen?
No, it doesn't look like beastmen … "
I looked over and said confidently, "Of course it's not beastmen. It's a half-beastman camp."
"Half-beastmen?"
"Yes. Beastmen are the hybrids between beastmen and humans. Half-beastmen were originally humans, but for some reason, they turned into beastmen …"
"OMG, you know so much!" The little beauty's eyes were hazy.
I put down the encyclopedia and said righteously, "You have to read more books. Good books!"
Bing Cha looked at me with disdain and said, "Cut the crap. Let's go kill them."
Ling Yue said, "Wait. There should be NPCs around a large map like this that can receive quests. Don't you have any gaming knowledge?"
"Really?
It can't be … that thing, can it?! "Bing Cha's mouth fell open as she pointed to the right.
I turned around to take a look and jumped in fright. There was actually an old man holding a magic staff standing in the grass to my right. However, he probably couldn't be considered a human. He was an old half-beastman with fangs protruding from the corner of his mouth. His skin was a mixture of white and green. He hadn't fully evolved, as all half-beastmen looked like this.
A line of words floated above the old man's head: Prophet Dagoura.
I walked forward and politely said with a smile, "Old man?"
The old man rolled his eyes and growled, "Damn it, why didn't you let my people go? You goddamn demon, I will never forgive you!"
It looks like there's a chance. Angry old man, give us the quest!
I pleaded in my heart and walked forward with my sword. "How can we help you?
We are … adventurers from White Cloud City. Look, there are many beautiful women … "
Ling Xue quickly kicked me. "Why are you talking about beautiful women?"
I coughed, but the old man didn't care. He continued, "The entire village changed in one night. Their hearts became twisted, filled with killing and conflict. This shouldn't be our home …"
As he said that, the old half-beastman let out a long cry. "I have a premonition that a hero from afar will untie this knot and take revenge for my people!"
The old half-beastman finally noticed me. He said expressionlessly, "Young man, you are too young. I was much stronger than you four hundred years ago, but … if you can help me fulfill my wish, I can give you a treasure before I die."
I was excited and nodded. "What treasure?"
The old half-beastman reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. Damn, it was a crafting blueprint!
[Netherworld Armor (Mount Set)]
High-grade Mount Armor Crafting Blueprint
Required Materials: Netherworld Stone x1, Hundred Year Cold Iron x10, Dark Gold Orb x100
Netherworld Iron Armor: Mount movement speed + 50%, Defense + 27%, Max HP + 24%, Attack + 20%, Mount tenacity + 17%, Warhorse mounts only...
I was overjoyed. It was an armor for mounts and pets. If I could get this blueprint, then it would be amazing. I could share it with Ai Lan in the King's City and forge an unlimited number of pieces. If I could equip all the Yinyao cavalry on Snow Moon with this Netherworld Iron Armor, wouldn't their strength greatly increase?
The Hundred Year Cold Iron and Dark Gold Orb weren't a problem, but I didn't know what this Netherworld Stone was.
But no matter what, I had to get this first. As long as I had the blueprint, it wouldn't be hard to get the Netherworld Stone.
And so, I quickly accepted the quest —
Ding ~!
System Notice: Your party has accepted the quest [Evolution]!
(Current Quest Difficulty: 15000)
Description: There are many half-beastmen living in Orc Gorge who have not fully evolved. They have lost their minds and have begun to kill their own kind. In order to prevent the situation from worsening, you must kill at least 1000 half-beastmen and collect 100 half-beastmen shell necklaces. Give them to Prophet Dagoura. After completing the quest, you will receive a generous reward!
… …
Quest in hand, time to start!
"Be careful!"
I walked forward, my Eternal War Boots stepping on the soft grass. Not far away, there was a half-beastman warrior holding a catfish that had just come out of the water. His battle axe was placed to the side. The half-beastman warrior held the catfish's head and put it above his mouth. Just as he was about to eat it, the catfish's vitality was unexpectedly strong. It desperately twisted its body, its long tail like a whip fiercely whipping the half-beastman warrior's mouth. The slapping sounds were like a festival.
Half-beastmen had human heads, but their frontal bones protruded out and their teeth were sharp. They looked like demonized humans, and much stronger.
The half-beastman warrior was a Level 261 Warsong monster. Attack + 4, Defense + 1. It was a typical type of monster with thick skin and powerful Attack.
"Wah!"
The half-beastman roared angrily and exerted force with his arm. The catfish's brain was instantly crushed. At this moment, the half-beastman's arm muscles were like winter melons. This guy was too strong. It was hard to imagine how terrifying the explosive power of such a strong arm would be when it swung a heavy battle axe!
Ling Xue looked at the half-beastman's strong arm, and then at my arm. She shook her head and said nothing.
Tears streamed down my face, and I immediately rushed forward. Scarlet Heaven Sword shone brightly and slashed heavily on the half-beastman's shoulder. With a "clang", 974547 damage appeared. This half-beastman's Defense did not disappoint. My Attack could not deal more than a million damage.
"Roar!"
The Beastman Warrior was obviously furious that his meal was interrupted. He raised his battle axe and swung it in a semi-arc without saying a word. The battle axe smashed into the Glacial Barrier!
Boom!
“242743！”
The damage wasn't very high, but it was enough to send me stumbling backward and crashing into the stone wall behind me. I lost another 30000 HP from the impact.
"Scholar's Strength …" Bing Cha was very doubtful.
I immediately nodded. "That's right. My Strength can't compare to this half-beastman's. I can only stand above him with support equipment. Be careful. Half-beastmen have a natural racial advantage. Don't fail miserably …"
"Don't worry!"
Bing Cha gripped his sword with both hands and dashed next to the half-beastman warrior. The Emperor Fall Sword turned into a beam of light and slashed the monster's armpit!
Crack!
“412374！”
It was clear that Bing Cha's Attack was slightly weaker than mine, but he didn't have the Destruction effect. As a result, the damage he dealt was much lower.
Ling Xue was the same. Our progress against this half-beastman warrior wasn't very fast. A Level 261 Warsong monster had about six million HP, and even with the three of us working together, it still took us half a minute to kill it. We could've been faster, but the half-beastman would be knocked back almost every time it attacked. It greatly affected our efficiency.
"Uwah!"
The half-beastman warrior let out a scream of pain and dropped a small pile of gold. Along with the gold was a dull shell necklace. It was the quest item!
I picked up the necklace and threw it into my bag. Let's continue!
A simple half-beastman tent appeared in front of us after we walked a short distance. There was a bonfire in front of the tent, and four half-beastman warriors were holding battle axes. They were speaking in bird language that we didn't understand.
I said, "Ling Xue will pull first left, I'll pull second left, Bing Cha will hold third left, and Fragrance will seal fourth left. Understood?"
The girls nodded and were about to move when Ling Yue frowned and said, "Wait!"
"What is it?"
"Look inside the tent. There's another one, a bigger one …"
I immediately moved toward Ling Yue's direction. As expected, there was an even bigger half-beastman sitting inside the tent. Unlike normal half-beastmen, this one's arms were covered in black armor, and most of his body was covered in black armor. His weapon wasn't an iron axe covered in cracks, but a sharp axe that glowed with a bloody red light. It was probably enchanted with magic power. Usually, high-level weapons that glowed with magic power were enchanted.