Chapter 994: Chapter 606: Transformation
After the two of them crossed the bridge, there lay a dense forest ahead, with the air carrying a strong stench of rot, extremely pungent.
Xue Lan had just stepped onto the clearing when Liu Mei’s brows slightly furrowed, and a look of disgust rose in those beautiful eyes.
As the eldest daughter of the Xue Family, she had never suffered such grievances, but Xue Lan understood at this moment that none of this was Liu Hun’s fault.
If she hadn’t voluntarily insisted on following Liu Hun into this in the first place, she wouldn’t be enduring such hardships now.
“According to the map’s directions, we’re still some distance away from Xiao Fan, so we need to hurry,” Liu Hun said, gripping Xue Lan’s small hand tightly, his expression somber.
As soon as they both stepped onto this piece of clearing, they felt their inner strength decisively halved, which meant their cultivation here was only half of what it usually was.
However, compared to others, the two of them were already much luckier; at least they had some strength left, unlike the others who had none at all.
At this very moment, in a forest at the foot of a mountain peak, a young man, filthy all over, with eyes like hungry wolves, stared fixedly at the flaming creatures ahead.
If Liu Hun were here, he would easily recognize that these flaming creatures were Flame Dogs, beings of mythological tales, not something that should appear in the real world.
Yet the test of death was so named precisely for such reasons; within it, anything was possible, and no matter what it was, you would encounter it—merely a matter of luck.
If confronted with some terrifying demon beasts, those like them without any power would face nothing but a dead end.
The young man had no idea how far he had traveled in this vast world during this time, narrowly escaping death several times.
Now, seeing the finish line just ahead, he encountered the Flame Dogs, and there were three of them.
He had once seen others encountering them by chance, and one of the Flame Dogs had immediately pounced, biting off the person’s head and devouring it.
So now, facing these three Flame Dogs, the young man’s already pale face turned even paler.
His body trembled constantly, and beside him, there were several young men and women.
These people were those the young man had met by chance. In his view, if they traveled together, their chances of survival naturally increased, but he did not realize that the more people there were, the greater the danger they would face.
“Brother Xiao Fan, what do we do now? These are Flame Dogs; we’re no match for them, and the end is just past them!” At this moment, a filthy young girl not far away, with clenched white teeth biting her lip, looked at the three Flame Dogs in front of her and asked Zhang Fan apprehensively.
“I once saw others encounter these Flame Dogs; they’re extremely ferocious. With just a few of us, we’re no match for them. If we all stay, we’ll all probably die here.” Zhang Fan suppressed his fear, knowing that if he showed fear now, the others would become even more frightened, and if they panicked, the Flame Dogs would pounce without hesitation and devour them.
Through the trials in this Land of Death, Zhang Fan was no longer the same pampered son of an official and wealthy family; he had matured into someone who could act independently.
“What should we do, Brother Xiao Fan? You always have good ideas, quickly think of a solution.” The girl was anxious, becoming more flustered as she spoke.
“Do you remember what I told you about my boss? If you manage to leave here alive, and if circumstances allow, I hope you can help him in the future—my request to you. As for now, I will stay behind to block these Flame Dogs while you quickly escape!” Zhang Fan tightened his grip on his machete, though the blade was somewhat nicked.
Zhang Fan had found this machete by chance, and with it, he had survived several times. Today, he intended to use it again to kill these Flame Dogs.
Otherwise, his companions behind him would still be unable to escape.
“Brother Xiao Fan, we live or die together. If not for you, we would have died here long ago, so we won’t abandon you!” A young man gritted his teeth and shouted to Zhang Fan at this moment.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan was slightly taken aback. He turned his head and gave the group a deep look, his eyes filled with emotion.
When he first brought these people together, it was not just because there is strength in numbers, but more importantly, because a person would undoubtedly go mad if they stayed here forever without seeing daylight. These newcomers reminded Zhang Fan of himself when he first arrived.
He, too, was filled with fear and unease like these people, which is why he ultimately made this decision. Initially, in his view, whoever they were, when disaster strikes, everyone would fend for themselves. He never expected that at this moment, these few people would show such loyalty.
“When I brought you here, I just wanted some company. I didn’t know when I might die here. So, before that happens, it’s good to have someone to talk to. But now, if you all stay, we will all end up dying here; that’s not the outcome I want to see. I came in to break through in power and then go out to help my leader, but now it seems this wish cannot be fulfilled temporarily. If you survive, it would be excellent if you fulfilled this wish for me outside. Moreover, in a few hours, my time will be up. If I can’t reach the destination then, I will still die here.” As Zhang Fan’s words just settled, one of the Flame Dogs in front let out a low growl, its body moving like the wind, carrying a scorched aroma in the air, pouncing directly at Zhang Fan.
Feeling the wave of heat rushing towards him, Zhang Fan’s eyes widened tremendously, and he shouted at the group with all his might, “Go!”
After saying this, he swiftly turned around, his eyes fixated intently on the Flame Dog before him.
The Flame Dog’s shape is similar to a Tibetan Mastiff, except they emit Flame Power all over, and their teeth are extremely sharp. Once provoked, they can even spit out some fireballs.
The temperature of their flames is much higher than that of ordinary flames.
If it lands on a human body, it would instantly melt them.
Zhang Fan naturally didn’t want to see this outcome, so he stood in place, his eyes radiating a chilling killing intent.
Just as the Flame Dog pounced toward him, Zhang Fan disregarded the heat wave searing his body, fell to his knees directly, then leaned back slightly, gripping his already unsheathed machete tightly, and thrust it fiercely toward the Flame Dog’s abdomen.
“Screech!” The moment it entered, following the Flame Dog’s inertia, the machete in Zhang Fan’s hand directly sliced open the opponent’s abdomen.
As soon as the Flame Dog landed, Zhang Fan, holding onto the machete, exerted a slight force on his knees, propelling himself upward instantly, avoiding getting splattered by the contents of the Flame Dog’s belly.
At this moment, the filth from the Flame Dog’s abdomen spilled all over the ground, it bemoaned softly twice, and a trace of reluctance flickered in its fierce eyes, then it gently closed its eyes.
“Brother Fan, we’ve said before, if we can’t live together, we’ll die together. So we won’t leave you to survive alone.” Right after Zhang Fan killed one Flame Dog, the rest of the group quickly gathered in front of Zhang Fan, speaking to him with a serious face.
Gazing at the group in front of him, Zhang Fan gave a bitter smile, shook his head. Although he had killed a Flame Dog just now, it was merely by luck. Over the months, Zhang Fan realized that any bizarre creature appearing here possesses a certain degree of wisdom.
So, for the remaining two Flame Dogs, they will definitely not make the same mistake as the first one. Thus, killing these two Flame Dogs again may not be that simple.
However, faced with the people before him, Zhang Fan felt touched; no matter what, it was a good start. If they work together moving forward, it might not be impossible to slay the remaining two Flame Dogs.
Thinking of this, Zhang Fan nodded at the few people and said firmly, “Alright, we will work together to get rid of the remaining two Flame Dogs, and then we will step into the Peak together; by then, we can all leave here alive.”
Upon hearing Zhang Fan’s words, a hint of joy arose on everyone’s faces. In their view, Zhang Fan was their backbone; if Zhang Fan was present, they had nothing to fear.
However, just as Zhang Fan’s words settled, the last two Flame Dogs howled to the sky. The next moment, their bodies, initially one meter high, suddenly grew bigger. Within moments, the height of these two Flame Dogs reached two meters.
At the same time, whether it was the Flame Power on their bodies or the sharp claws and fangs in their mouths, they now resembled steel knives. If they landed on a person, they would probably tear them in half instantly.
Faced with this scene, at this moment, everyone’s face was filled with a stunned expression. The little confidence they had just risen instantly shattered.
Faced with these two terrifying Flame Dogs, although they didn’t know what had turned Shi Qing, everyone in the field knew very well that even with Zhang Fan present, they still could not escape the fate of death this time.