Chapter 138: To Fight, or to Flee?

"What do you mean by 'might' break through? It is guaranteed to break through, alright? This 'All-Spirit Pill' is refined from countless spiritual herbs and contains immense spiritual energy and essence. Even an ordinary person would gain immediate, superhuman strength after taking just one."

If anyone else had dared to question his pills like this, Le Kai would have long since knocked them flat with a punch. But facing Li Yan's skepticism, he only offered a grinning explanation, without a hint of impatience.

"Stay here in the stone house and focus on your breakthrough. Once this pill is taken, it will take at least three to five hours to fully absorb," Le Kai said thoughtfully. With his army of mutant beasts patrolling outside, he wasn't worried about any intruders getting in, making this the safest place for Li Yan.

Le Kai, however, truly sensed something amiss. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: "The Xi family really doesn't know when to give up. They've already lost three waves of men, and yet they still dare to send more. Very well, if they dare to enter the wilderness, they must have the resolve to die."

Talking about slaughter in front of someone as pure and kind as Li Yan was a sin. Le Kai gave the pill to Li Yan, carefully explained the precautions for taking it, and then closed the stone door, swiftly darting outside. He knew the potency of the "All-Spirit Pill" better than anyone and was not worried about it causing Li Yan any harm.

Over the past few days, Le Kai had already destroyed three of the Xi family’s scout ships, yet these people remained stubborn, showing up again today. Even as patient as Le Kai was, he was starting to lose his temper.

"Xianxian, has their signal been completely blocked?"

"Yes. The moment they entered our sector, they lost contact with the city. Now, they are scurrying about like headless flies."

Although Xianxian "lived" within Le Kai’s consciousness, her existence was a special case—or rather, part of her consciousness remained in Le Kai’s mental space, while the other part controlled the massive local area network of "Azure Star." Any news within the firmament was known to her instantly.

Xi Tianfeng would never have guessed that the moment his family's experts left the Huazhong city center, Le Kai already knew.

Xi Tianfeng’s actions gave Le Kai peace of mind, as they clearly showed he knew something had happened to Sang Qing. At the same time, it revealed his absolute terror; his constant probing was likely just an attempt to figure out exactly how much Le Kai knew. Yet, every expert and scout ship he sent vanished like a stone cast into the ocean. Even as composed as Xi Tianfeng and his butler usually were, they were on the verge of madness.

Living under such immense mental pressure for so long, Xi Tianfeng looked as if he had aged ten years overnight, haggard and worn. The butler, usually calm and sophisticated, had also lost his composure, his brow furrowed with worry. Every day was spent in fear, and with no news coming from the front, both men were on the brink of collapse.

In the last two days, news had emerged that shocked the entire War Wolf Empire: the Blood Fiend Mercenary Group, disregarding all agreements, had used their power to raze "Xisha Star" to the ground. The entire planet was destroyed, and the hundreds of millions of slaves mining there, including the Li family's overseers, were all wiped out.

Because of this, a rift had appeared in the decades-long bond between the Blood Fiend Mercenary Group and the Li family. It was said that the head of the Li family was furious and was currently negotiating compensation with the commander of the Blood Fiend Mercenary Group, creating an unprecedentedly tense atmosphere.

As for Sang Xing, after descending upon "Xisha Star," he clearly hadn't found the results he wanted. He was now scouring the world for any clue, swearing to avenge his son, Sang Qing.

That wretch Sang Xing was truly a madman. To avenge a single life—his son’s—he had destroyed an entire planet, causing countless lives to be reduced to ash, and he still refused to stop. Such madness had terrified Xi Tianfeng. He had no doubt that if Sang Xing discovered the truth, the entire Xi family would cease to exist.

The consequences were simply too dire.

Logically, by tracing the roots, it should have been easy for Sang Xing to find Azure Star. But what baffled Xi Tianfeng was that nearly half a month had passed, and there was still no news of Sang Xing making a move against "Azure Star."

Regardless of the final outcome, Xi Tianfeng clung to a glimmer of hope; even if Sang Xing eventually came knocking, he must never admit to anything. He was now desperate to erase all evidence that Sang Qing had ever visited Azure Star. Yet, the continuous stream of bad news left him both furious and helpless. Even experts at the level of the Martial Arts Hall had been sent from the family, only to never return. The wilderness was like an unfathomable black hole, swallowing every intruder.

At this moment, the game belonging to Gun God Rambo and the others had officially begun.

Kong, like a god of war, stood in the center. On either side of it stood ten mutant beasts and ten team members undergoing special training. The two sides stood apart like ancient warriors about to duel, their fighting spirit surging.

Kong acted as the referee, its majestic gaze sweeping over the participants before it waved its giant hand.

With perfect synchronization, both sides let out a roar and charged. Even Rambo, who was usually cowardly, did not flinch; his eyes widened, and in an instant, he was locked in combat with the opposing mutant beast.

High above, Le Kai’s spiritual perception covered the area, observing everyone's condition. He frowned slightly: "Fighting against peace-level mutant beasts and not gaining the slightest upper hand? This is a bit insulting to the pills I worked so hard to refine."

Xianxian said: "Although their potential is astonishing, their training time is too short. While they have learned many things, they lack the seasoning required to truly apply them. With more grinding, they will naturally be able to master them."

Le Kai smiled faintly: "The best way to refine one's strength is, of course, to fight opponents stronger than oneself. Under the pressure of life and death, it's hard not to break through." As he spoke, his mental power split like fission, dividing into ten more strands. The next second, ten more mutant beasts roared, suddenly breaking away from the herd and charging madly. Everything in their path was sent flying; their violent demeanor was simply a carbon copy of Kong.

"Brother, these mutant rhinoceroses are massive, their physical strength already reaching the 'expert' level of a warrior, with power exceeding 4,000 Ankes. Coupled with their inherent violent nature, their power is multiplied. Among them, only the Gun God has reached the warrior realm. The gap in strength is too great—aren't you worried they will be injured or even killed?" Sensing the power of this batch of mutant rhinos, Xianxian began to worry for the group.

Le Kai dismissed the concern: "The mutant rhinos are powerful, but they are not without weaknesses. Their intelligence hasn't increased; in fact, it's lower than before they mutated. They have a violent nature, but don't the team members have one too? Besides, if I don't use up some of these pills, it wouldn't be worth the effort I put into them!"

Xianxian was speechless. This brother of hers was sometimes as cute and pure as a child, sometimes as evil and heartless as a devil, sometimes as strategic and calm as a great general, and other times as hot-blooded and impulsive as a grassroots hero, acting without regard for consequences...

Such a complex person—even the universal super-intelligence known as "all-knowing" was starting to lag; she simply couldn't figure him out!

The group, who had originally been moving with ease and secretly congratulating themselves, thinking this training was nothing special, were stunned by the earthquake-like sound that suddenly erupted. They looked into the mist in terror, only to see the mist being torn apart by a massive force as ten streaks of air whistled toward them in a wild, charging stampede.

"Careful, avoid the brunt of the attack!"

The Gun God, who had the highest cultivation and the deepest mental training, felt the terrifying fluctuations in the mist ahead. His heart trembled, and he let out a loud shout.

The mutant beasts that had been tangling with the group sensed the terrifying pressure and aura; they whined, abandoned the humans, and instantly darted into the mist, vanishing from sight.

Just as the Gun God's warning ended, a roar gathered into a massive wave of sound that shattered the mist. Ten enormous figures, carrying endless pressure, leaped into the air. Their high, upright horns, like stone pillars, struck toward the group with absolute dominance.

Even the bravest person, facing this aura that had nearly condensed into a physical weight and an attack that felt like it would crush the heavens, could only choose to retreat.

However, the rhinoceroses seemed even faster.

The group was still in mid-air from their leaps when the giant figures descended. The entire space felt as if it had been locked down; even breathing became a luxury.

BOOM!

A terrifying blast of air erupted—it was the true energy the group had desperately forced out of their bodies. Or rather, it wasn't quite true energy yet, but an internal energy nearing that level. In this crisis, it was triggered, subconsciously protecting them.

In their berserk state, the impact force of the mutant rhinos reached a terrifying 7,000-plus Ankes. Under the violent collision, except for the Gun God and Wu Nitian, who were strong enough to move aside and roll away, the rest of the group let out miserable screams. Their bodies were sent flying tens of meters away at several times their original speed, leaving a trail of blood in the air. Before they even hit the ground, they were already severely injured.

In a single exchange, they hadn't even seen the shape of the rhinos' horns before being incapacitated. The group was horrified. Fortunately, they had remained in a state of extreme alertness and kept their medicine on their persons; even in mid-air, they pulled out the pills. Ignoring the violent churning and nausea in their chests and abdomens, they forced them down.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

One after another, they slammed into the ground, dust flying as craters inevitably formed, blood staining the edges red. If they hadn't been on the verge of becoming warriors, with their internal energy nearly transformed into true energy, providing a strong protective layer, they would have had their bones shattered and died on the spot.

Facing such a brutal strike, a surge of intense rage rose in almost everyone. The "Berserker Battle" technique flared; they flipped and stood up rapidly. The energy in their dantians boiled like a cauldron, instantly becoming violent, spinning and roaring, following the special channels of the "Berserker Battle" to converge on their fists.

Fight, or flee!

Everyone chose the former!