Han Chengyong sensed that something was amiss and quickly said, 'It's fine, it's fine. Let's take care of that thunder wolf first.'
'Hmph!'
Su Heng snorted coldly and led his eighth-tier dragon horse beast into battle. After all, a mere sixth-tier minion was no match for them!
Zhou Ran said nothing, gazing coldly with an eerie aura emanating from his body.
Jiang Yuxi felt that Zhou Ran beside her was like a different person. He had always seemed peaceful and even a bit goofy, but now his gaze was so cold, as if he were looking at a corpse. Worse still, this aura seemed even more terrifying than when the captain was angry.
The Thunder-Eating Wolf by the river suddenly sensed the Dragon Horse Beast closing in from the sky and quickly raised its head. Just as it did so, Han Chengyong's eyes widened in horror, and he shouted, "This is bad!"
As the Dragon Horse Beast charged forward, Han Chengyong put on the Star Spirit Mirror just in case, and saw a blood-red wound the size of a bowl on the Thunder-Eating Wolf's neck.
A swarm of black insects continuously emerged from the wound, and the Thunder-Eating Wolf's body rapidly withered away, leaving only a skin.
'Su Xiong, stop immediately! The situation has changed! There's an unknown creature!' Han Chengyong shouted hoarsely.
'They're just some demonic insects. Watch my Dragon Horse Beast's Destruction Light obliterate them all!' Su Heng was slightly surprised upon seeing this, but he trusted the Dragon Horse Beast's power to eliminate them all with a single strike.
The Dragon Horse Beast in the sky, radiant with energy, suddenly fired a golden beam of light from its mouth.
Zhou Ran's expression darkened, and his gaze grew even colder.
These insects were carrion-eating bugs. Zhou Ran had seen them before in the fragments of the Thunder Abyss plane. Individually, they were not very powerful, only at the fifth-tier level. However, once they gathered in large numbers, they became a catastrophic threat. Even an eighth-tier beast surrounded by them would have no chance of survival.
Moreover, carrion-eating insects possess extremely high intelligence and are highly skilled in camouflage. This time, they had even hidden in groups within the bodies of the Thunder Wolves, which was truly cunning.
'If you don't want your Dragon Horse Beast to die, come back immediately!' Zhou Ran shouted.
Su Heng, standing nearby, was stunned. He hadn't expected to be shouted at by this youngster. 'They're just a bunch of insects. What are you shouting about?'
'Fool, those are swarms of carrion-eating insects. Do you think the Dragon Horse Beast has lived too long?' Zhou Ran shouted without mercy.
Su Heng's killing intent erupted on the spot. Having been born into a prestigious family, he had never endured such insults before. Moreover, hearing about these unheard-of carrion-eating insects only added fuel to the fire. 'What nonsense are you spouting! Do you want to die?'
Han Chengyong saw the two of them arguing and immediately pulled them apart. Suddenly, a heart-wrenching dragon's roar echoed from ahead.
Everyone hurriedly looked over.
They saw the carrion beetles forming a wall, effortlessly blocking the Destruction Divine Light. Su Heng had been confident because the Destruction Divine Light carried the power of light, capable of purifying dark energies. The swarm of black-energy-emitting beetles before them were clearly demonic creatures, the perfect targets.
However, the result was deeply disappointing. Not only was the Destruction Godlight ineffective, but the Dragon Horse Beast was instead surrounded by a swirling black mist. The black mist continuously poured into the Dragon Horse Beast's body, causing it to emit a heart-wrenching dragon's roar.
'Idiot,' Zhou Ran clenched his teeth in frustration.
'Leave this place immediately. Those are the legendary carrion-eating insects. Individually, they are only around fourth or fifth-tier in power, but once they gather in a group, they become a devastating disaster. Even an eighth-tier beast would be devoured in an instant.'
'Scavenger Beetle? I've never heard of it!' Han Chengyong and his team were surprised. They had been roaming this temporal rift for years, yet the name of this beast was completely unfamiliar to them.
When Su Heng heard Zhou Ran order them to retreat, his expression darkened, and he roared, 'Nonsense! My Dragon Horse Beast is merely surrounded—it's still fine!'
'Lin brother, I don't think there are that many carrion-eating insects. Why don't we team up? I think we can rescue the dragon-horse beast.' After all, Su Heng had invited him himself, so abandoning him now would be hard to justify. Han Chengyong said helplessly.
'If it's just this one group, there's still a chance to rescue it. But didn't you see the black-gold coloured insect on the lightning-eating wolf? If I'm not mistaken, that might be the carrion-eating insect king, at least an eighth-tier powerhouse!' Zhou Ran's expression darkened as he pointed ahead.
'An eighth-tier carrion-eating insect king?'
Everyone froze upon hearing Zhou Ran mention another terrifying beast.
'A swarm of fourth- and fifth-tier insects, plus a Bug King of at least eighth tier. I see the ninth-tier beast surrounded—it won't survive unscathed. Do you think the Dragon Horse Beast has any chance of survival?' Zhou Ran said coldly.
If this were in the system's plane, Zhou Ran would have already switched regions—why wait here to die?
'Even a ninth-tier beast can't match it...'
Everyone was so scared that their hair stood on end, and they all looked at the insect on the Shilei Beast. Sure enough, it was much larger in size, and it emitted an aura that was no weaker than that of the Dark Gold Magic Bear.
"Leave immediately! Hurry!" Han Chengyong was decisive and shouted immediately.
Su Heng was panicking. Just from that brief encounter, the contract with his Dragon Horse Beast was fading in his mind—a sign of impending death. He hurriedly said, "You can't leave! My Dragon Horse Beast is still inside!"
"Uh..." Han Chengyong's eyes flickered, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond. In any case, he had lost all face today.
"You little brat, I don't care what kind of backing you have, if my Dragon Horse Beast dies, you won't survive either!" Su Heng revealed a crazy killing intent, looking at Zhou Ran.
Zhou Ran completely ignored his threat. Seeing that everyone was delaying further, he immediately activated his divine sense technique. Blue-gold energy emanated from Zhou Ran's body, causing sand and stones to fly around. He coldly glared at Su Heng and said, 'If you don't want to die, leave immediately!'
'You!'
'I'll kill you!'
Su Heng's face twisted with fury as he drew a dagger from his chest and lunged at Zhou Ran.
At that moment, the Carrion Worm King on the Gold-Eating Beast stirred.
Boom!
With a piercing sound, the Carrion Worm King transformed into a black beam, piercing directly through the Dragon Horse Beast's forehead. Its eyes dimmed instantly, and it collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
In the next moment, countless carrion worms poured in through the wound on its forehead. In just a moment, the Dragon Horse Beast shriveled up, its death resembling that of the Thunder-Eating Wolf.
"No!" Su Heng screamed hysterically. In that instant, the beast contract in his mind shattered.
A wave of extreme fear washed over Su Heng as the beast died, causing his legs to give way, and he knelt down.
"Hurry up and leave!"
Zhou Ran, seeing the Dragon Horse Beast's death, felt a chill run down his spine, for the next target would be them. Without hesitation, he mounted the back of the Flow Shadow Moon Dog and fled.
Han Chengyong and the others were also filled with fear, instinctively mounting their beasts and following Zhou Ran in flight.
Su Heng had regained his senses by then, struggling to his feet. He summoned a golden lion from the light gate and followed after them.