Chapter 725: Chapter 541: Monstrous Madness
In the dense jungle, a group of thirteen people moved cautiously through the thickets. They held weapons in hand, staying no more than five meters apart and forming an oval formation. Their expressions were cautious, constantly surveying their surroundings, even deliberately lowering their footsteps.
The person at the front of the team seemed to notice something, raising his right hand, prompting the rest to halt and wait in place.
Approximately fifty meters from the group, two men with bows and arrows looked down from the trees or gazed into the distance, ensuring the safekeeping of the team’s front and rear.
If danger arose, they would fire arrows to alert the team immediately.
The group coordinated seamlessly, able to progress swiftly while ensuring safety, avoiding any encounters with demon beasts they detected in advance, thus avoiding unnecessary battles.
"There was a battle up ahead, and three people died, two of them seem familiar."
A voice emerged, the air slightly distorted, and a figure appeared, a slender young man clad in light armor.
The young man held a dagger, pointing towards a position to the left front.
"Who are the unlucky two?"
Someone asked, but the slender young man didn’t answer, disappearing once more into invisibility.
Resuming their journey, a minute later, they were met with the pungent stench of blood, soon leading to a gruesome sight.
Amidst the withered yellow weeds, some parts of the rocky surface were scorched black, clearly burned. Trees had toppled, the ground bore clear signs of battle. Three charred corpses lay scattered, with chunks of meat and viscera vomitingly strewn about, while three grotesque heads hung by hook-like ropes from tree branches, five meters above ground, swaying slightly with the wind.
Even in death, their cyanotic faces remained twisted in expressions of agony, their empty eye sockets gouged out.
"Zhi Zhi."
On the ground, seven or eight small rat-like demon beasts gnawed at the chunks of flesh. Spotting the intruders, they shrieked and quickly scurried away, vanishing from sight.
"It’s Lin Xin and Zhou Daguo."
Xie Yixiao examined the three heads for quite a while before naming two of them.
Only two could be identified, the other head’s face was shattered beyond recognition by a heavy blow, making identification impossible.
Essential identifying weapons were also missing, taken away, leaving further guesses futile.
"Quite ruthless."
Xie Yixiao said, a trace of fear and hatred flickering in his eyes.
The two were indeed familiar faces, both former Glory professional players, six or seven years older than him. As seniors, they were stronger, yet died so horribly here.
Clearly, the three had suffered inhuman torment before dying.
"Truly brutish creatures, these methods are becoming increasingly perverse."
Zhao Zhou cursed, his face dark with anger.
Unlike Xie Yixiao, he felt only anger, not fear.
A former professional player, he retired a decade ago, not unfamiliar with life and death.
Post-retirement, he served as a mercenary to enhance his prowess, venturing through major space gates, accustomed to battle and corpses.
He’d witnessed all manners of bloodshed, but still, the brutal scene before him made him frown.
It wasn’t just dismemberment; the bodies were diced into pieces, gnawed by demon beasts, eyes gouged out, and heads suspended as ominous warnings.
"Indeed, they are beasts!"
Others felt both furious and somewhat apprehensive.
Joining the King Becoming plan, entering the Land of Fallen Gods, they were prepared for death. Yet, the grisly sight chilled them to the bone.
Unafraid of death, no one wished their posthumous treatment to be such desecration.
This was far less acceptable than death itself.
Besides, the three had endured excruciating torture before their demise.
"More from the Alien Race died, there were seven."
Seeing the disoriented emotions of his comrades, Chen Junhao scanned the surroundings before speaking.
To join the King Becoming plan, earning a student’s badge, meant being an expert among the Ninth Grade, even aides boasted notable strength.
The Land of Fallen Gods has thirteen access points, a vast arena; the Alien Race seeking to encircle them must dispatch ten or even dozens of times their number.
Alien Race strongholds outnumber the Human Race, yet not by such a margin, nor can they deploy entirely, not everyone being a Ninth Grade expert. The Alien Race makes up for quality with quantity,
It’s natural that more Aliens died than Humans.
Compared to dismembered pieces, Alien bodies were largely intact.
Chen Junhao merely glanced, observing the wounds, having no intention of venting by desecrating them.
It meant nothing, wasting both time and energy.
"What drove the Alien Race so mad, Lin Feng and the rest are responsible!
An unshortened young man wielding a shield and axe, though under one meter seventy, robustly built, spoke with discontent in his tone.
In his view, if not for the Avengers Alliance’s posts, the Alien Race would not have gone berserk.
On their journey, they had encountered numerous corpses, some strangers, others fellow students, yet none as gruesome.
The Avengers Alliance’s provocation came at this bloody cost.
"Perhaps partially, but merely fuel to the flame, entering the Land of Fallen Gods is a forbidden domain for the Alien Race, the Avengers Alliance isn’t all-powerful, if afraid, they can opt-out."
A middle-aged man commented.
He earned his student spot through Might Makes Right.
Joining Chen Junhao’s team solely for the safety of companionship, there were no hierarchies.
As one who earned his place through skill, he held disdain for those reliant on showmanship for fame-based spots.
In his view, attributing the aliens’ actions to Lin Feng and his team was just an excuse for their own incompetence and fear.
Moreover, this wasn’t the first time the other party had said such things.
Seemingly detecting the sarcasm in the middle-aged man’s tone, the burly young man glanced at him, his eyes cold.
Just as he was about to speak, someone interrupted.
"Enough."
Noticing the subtle tension in the team, Chen Junhao stepped between the two, stopping them from further verbal sparring.
Such bickering was pointless and would only cause the team to fall apart.
This kind of conflict and banter happened every day, more than once or twice a day.
If they weren’t in a perilous space, and without his mediation, a fight would certainly have broken out.
As fellow trainees with slight skill differences, no one had the strength to overpower another, and none were willing to submit to others.
On top of that, their relationships were already distant, so if they encountered a large-scale siege and faced a deadly threat, such teammates were clearly unreliable.
He felt a bit exhausted.
Being a captain in the Glory Alliance was never this tiring.
At that moment, he even felt a bit envious of the Avengers Alliance.
It wasn’t their achievements he envied, but their unity.
The other members might be similar in age and skill, but as top All-Stars, Ye Xing and Yun Tianqi weren’t easy to get along with. With their prowess and pride, how could they hang out with a bunch of college students?
Why did they even stand obediently behind Lin Feng in public?
Even if Lin Feng had demonic talents, it shouldn’t have come to this.
He couldn’t figure it out.
This newly formed team, though he was the captain, had members who considered themselves equals, not subordinates, save for his two assistants.
If his orders conflicted with their interests, they would outright refuse without hesitation.
Chen Junhao couldn’t understand what charm Lin Feng possessed or what special ability made even Ye Xing and Yun Tianqi comply so readily.
If possible, he wanted to learn from that experience.
"I wonder if Lin Feng and his team have started their actions? There’s been no news." Xie Yixiao inquired.
Among the trainees’ clash and discord, as an assistant, all he could do was remain silent.
Without equivalent prowess, he lacked even the qualification to mediate.
He asked this only to change the subject.
Of course, he was also a bit curious.
They set out four days ago, neither early nor late. At that time, the Avengers Alliance hadn’t acted, now who knows if they have?
"They must have embarked, any later and it’d be too late."
Zhao Zhou said.
There are thirteen routes, and they chose the seventh one.
This route began from the Shangjing Base City, then proceeded 500 kilometers to the Southwest Satellite City; they would then use the Grade-Eight Earth Core Spatial Gate in the city, transferring through five Space Gates to enter the Ninth-Grade Yuanfeng Spatial Gate, intending to step into the Land of Fallen Gods from there.
This route suited their abilities well and, being relatively short, was one of the prime routes.
Of course, there were shorter, safer Space Gates, but their grades were too low for them to enter.
"It’s normal for there to be no information if they’re not on the same route."
Chen Junhao said, but just as he was about to continue, the sharp sound of wind breaking came, and a pitch-black arrow appeared in front of him, which he caught firmly.
This wasn’t an enemy’s attack, but a signal from a teammate.
It was the signal of the enemy’s arrival.
"Fight quickly, tactic B."
Chen Junhao commanded, his expression showing a hint of ferocity.
The arrow coming towards him signified that the enemy wasn’t strong and could be slain.
As he spoke, his body, resembling that of a bodybuilder, began to rapidly swell at a visibly fast rate...
They weren’t ordinary prey; under most circumstances, they would be Hunters.
The moment the signal appeared, the rest of the teammates silently and swiftly entered the Demon Transformation state.
"Seven."
Xie Yixiao, transformed into an Elf, observed the oncoming enemies with a fierce look in his eyes.
No one backed down, no one fled; the battle broke out swiftly, with the clash of weapons and the booming of soul skills resonating through the jungle.
Such battles occurred daily on these thirteen routes, each day claiming lives.
Some were Human Race, some were Alien Race.
The death toll rose daily, and throughout these routes, the figure of the Avengers Alliance was never seen.
They had chosen a path that no one had ever taken before.
A path they designed themselves.
