The Dragon Flame team, having run far away, suddenly encountered a squad fully clad in armor.
Soon, Firefox recognized them.
It was a team led by their guild's leader.
At the forefront was their guild's strongest, Long Xiaotian!
"Firefox? What are you doing here? How's the Living Sacrifice Spirit mission going? Why is your team reduced to just a few people? Where is everyone else?"
Long Xiaotian also recognized Firefox.
He had come for the Living Sacrifice Spirit source as well.
It was said that killing the source of a Living Sacrifice Spirit granted immense rewards.
As guild leader, he naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity.
Before Firefox could answer, Crow began to complain, his voice full of grievance:
"Boss, we were executing the mission, but we ran into a horde of Living Sacrifice Spirits chasing us. Our team members were killed or injured!
And that's not even the worst part—our spirit crystals were all taken by someone named Chen Jie!"
Crow distorted the facts deliberately.
He wanted Long Xiaotian to help them reclaim the crystals.
There were hundreds of them!
With Long Xiaotian's strength, they could certainly take them back.
Then, they could each still get a share.
As for the truth…
In the face of profit, it didn't matter.
Firefox remained silent.
She had been listening to Crow, waiting to see what he planned.
Those crystals were hard-earned, and if she could use Long Xiaotian to recover some of them, she would be overjoyed.
"Chen Jie? Never heard of him. Now even some nobody dares run wild before our guild?"
Listening to Crow's account, Long Xiaotian's expression darkened.
As guild leader, he had to step up if his members were bullied.
"Where is this person now? Take me to him!"
Anger laced Long Xiaotian's tone.
"Not far, in the park. He's currently dealing with the monster inside the black coffin. Boss, we could strike when he's tired—a sneak attack. Then… they fight each other, and we reap the benefits!"
Crow rubbed his hands together, eyes gleaming with malice.
Having lost so many crystals to Chen Jie before, he hated him deeply.
"Lead the way!"
Long Xiaotian didn't say more, repeating only once.
A sneak attack?
Something like that he would never do.
If news of it reached other guilds, his reputation as leader would be ruined.
However… someone unknown dared to challenge the Living Sacrifice Spirit source inside the coffin.
That shocked him.
He had already discovered that source before.
At the time, he was only a third-stage awakened human.
Just standing in front of the coffin made his legs tremble.
He hadn't dared challenge it.
Later, after returning to the guild and forcibly upgrading to fourth-stage through collected crystals, he finally dared to check the black coffin.
Danger always comes with great rewards, and he wasn't about to hand the Living Sacrifice Spirit source's rewards to someone else.
…
Inside the park.
After Chen Jie used the Open Heaven Axe to split the coffin, billows of black mist surged out.
Soon, the mist condensed into a gigantic deformed monster.
It was the source of the Living Sacrifice Spirits—the Sacrifice Spirit King!
The Sacrifice Spirit King resembled a massive octopus, with countless claws attached to its tentacles.
A pair of blood-red eyes brimmed with killing intent.
"Human, you seek death! Disturbing my rest, your time has come!"
The voice of the Sacrifice Spirit King slowly emerged from its body.
Its evolution hadn't even completed before Chen Jie interrupted it.
Though it could retreat and wait to evolve again, Chen Jie's actions enraged it.
Especially since Chen Jie was human.
Humans were supposed to be its prey.
Now, the prey jumped up and bit back.
Could it tolerate that?
Immediately, two massive tentacles lashed out like whips toward Chen Jie's position.
A glint appeared in Chen Jie's eyes. He sidestepped, avoiding the attack.
The tentacles slammed into the park's open ground, leaving half-meter-deep craters, with concrete and rebar shattered.
If they had hit an ordinary third-stage awakened human, it would have been fatal.
"Not bad. You're no ordinary awakened human! To compensate me, become my food!"
Seeing normal attacks ineffective, the Sacrifice Spirit King opened its massive mouth, releasing gusts of chilling wind.
Anything caught in these winds would be drawn into its mouth.
Even with Chen Jie's speed, the winds caught his legs.
Instantly, he felt his body being torn by a mysterious force.
"Battle Spirits, go!"
Chen Jie shouted, pointing at the Sacrifice Spirit King's mouth.
The two golden dragons roared into the sky.
Then… the dragons surged toward the Sacrifice Spirit King's mouth.
"Boom!"
The golden dragons collided with the Sacrifice Spirit King, creating massive waves, uprooting all vegetation in the park.
Even nearby buildings were smashed to pieces.
After the collision, the dragons dissipated, and Chen Jie felt his chest uneasy.
The Sacrifice Spirit King spat a mouthful of black blood!
"Roar! Human! If I weren't unfinished in my evolution, crushing you would be as simple as killing an ant!"
Struck by a blow, the Sacrifice Spirit King was shocked and enraged.
A mere third-stage awakened human could actually affect it.
Its pride was utterly shattered.
"If only your attacks were as impressive as your words!"
Chen Jie sneered.
He shook the Open Heaven Axe again.
"Open Heaven, Split Earth!"
Another strike!
"Damn it!"
The Sacrifice Spirit King swung its tough tentacles to block.
"Shhh!"
The axe's extreme sharpness immediately left deep gashes in the tentacles.
"Is that all?"
Chen Jie sneered.
He leaped into the air, bringing the axe down toward the Sacrifice Spirit King's head.
"You forced me!"
The Sacrifice Spirit King seemed to resolve itself.
Black mist spewed from its mouth, sweeping across the area in front.
Chen Jie didn't know what this mist was.
He retracted the axe and hurried backward.
The black mist was highly corrosive, eating through the ground in front of the Sacrifice Spirit King, leaving three- to four-meter-deep craters.
In just moments, the Sacrifice Spirit King absorbed the black mist into its skin.
Its body glowed red, swelling continuously, and its aura climbed higher and higher…