[Restart Volume] Chapter 274: Crimson Lotus Heavenly Hound!

"What? The return route has been cut off by the Drakonids?" Mo Xing asked in surprise.

"Yes, the news just came in. The Drakonids have blockaded the southern end of the Dragon's Chant Canyon," Shiyan's voice came through from the other end via the [Titan Ring].

"What should we do then?" Mo Xing asked.

"I'll find you guys and regroup first," Shiyan said. "What's the situation over there? It looked like you just lifted the tarp on the vehicle."

"It's a long story..." Mo Xing paused.

A moment later.

The three of them gathered by the convoy.

"They're actually all corpses..." Shiyan's expression was extremely grim.

"Yeah, it's too sickening..." Mo Xing nodded.

"What's our next move?" Wu Dance asked. "The Drakonids have blocked the way back..."

"For now, returning is out of the question," Shiyan said. "We can either press forward or stay put."

"If we press forward, there might be many unknowns ahead," Mo Xing analyzed. "If we stay put, we risk being surrounded by the Drakonids."

"We're truly caught between a rock and a hard place," Wu Dance spread his hands.

"Let's move forward!" Shiyan said. "Sitting here waiting for death is no good."

"Alright." Mo Xing nodded, then pointed at the bodies laid out across the vehicles and said,

"Should we help bury them? Leaving them on the carts feels a bit bleak..."

"They are our senior martial brothers after all..." Mo Xing added. "I still hope they can depart with some dignity..."

"I completely agree with your idea, but... they smell so awful, I'm really not eager to move them!" Wu Dance sighed.

"We can use our powers to assist," Shiyan said.

"Use powers?" Mo Xing was clueless.

"Yes, just listen to me." Shiyan nodded.

...

Following Shiyan's method, Wu Dance first blasted several deep pits into the ground using a cannon, then used metal element magic to form several "coffins."

Mo Xing subsequently released [Grip of the Chilly Waters] to place the "coffins" into the deep pits one by one, before filling the pits back in.

As the final step, Shiyan used her power to restore the surface soil to its original state, making it look almost identical to how it was in the beginning, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Rest in peace, senior brothers."

Mo Xing pressed his palms together and observed a three-second moment of silence alongside Shiyan and Wu Dance.

"Alright, the burial procedures are done." Wu Dance raised his head. "Let's get ready to set off for the Red Lotus Other Shore!"

"Mm." Shiyan nodded, her gaze drifting toward another spot. "What should we do with that monster on the ground?"

Mo Xing and Wu Dance also turned around, looking at Ma Feifei lying on the ground not far away. In all the commotion, they had almost forgotten about this fellow!

"Don't—don't kill me!" Ma Feifei panicked. "You promised me earlier that as long as I truthfully reported the information you needed, you'd spare my life!"

"That may be what was said..." Wu Dance cracked his knuckles, "but how do we know if you were telling the truth?"

"You'll see for yourselves once you get over there!" Ma Feifei explained. "I, fatty Ma, gain nothing by lying to you! After all... I want to survive too!"

"Forget it, spare his life!" Mo Xing said. "Let's resume our journey!"

"Fine, he's not much of a threat right now anyway." Wu Dance nodded. Looking at Ma Feifei's half-dead state, he probably wouldn't cause any trouble.

"Let's go." Shiyan said, then turned and walked forward, with Mo Xing and Wu Dance following closely behind.

Watching the three figures recede into the distance, Ma Feifei struggled to stand up, breathing heavily before breaking into a wicked grin:

"Hoo-hoo—"

"These mortals are truly charitable! It's so easy to hoodwink them, haha!"

"Once you reach the Red Lotus Other Shore, go get yourselves mauled by that pack of wild dogs, haha!"

"Even if you can handle the pack of wild dogs, you certainly won't beat the Wolf-Blade King, haha!"

Ma Feifei muttered to himself, then ran over to check on the condition of his "brothers" like the little savage:

"Not bad, not bad! They're actually all completely dead! Once I eat your flesh and blood and recover my strength, I'll go report to Lord Lu,哈哈哈!"

With that, Ma Feifei bared his sharp teeth, latched onto the "brothers" he had once hauled supplies with, and ravenously devoured their flesh and blood.

"So fragrant! So delightful!"

Just as Ma Feifei was enjoying his meal to the fullest, a dark shadow wielding a blade suddenly appeared behind him.

"Ah—"

Amidst a flash of blades, Ma Feifei's cervical vertebrae suffered a fierce strike, and his entire body collapsed to the ground with a thud, his life ending right here.

"A monster is still a monster, truly a bundle of sins..." Zuo Zuo appeared behind it.

Brute-force fiend, a carnivorous monster with a three-star danger level, slightly overweight, fond of gluttony.

"Yeah."

Lin Ao also emerged from the shadows. The two of them had been hiding in the depths all along, observing every move made by Mo Xing and his group.

"What's our next move?" Zuo Zuo asked.

"Move forward," Lin Ao said.

On the other side.

"We need to walk another two hundred meters west."

Mo Xing checked the map navigation information displayed on the [Titan Ring]. The three of them were still a few minutes away from the Red Lotus Other Shore.

"There's a large unknown area to the southwest, marked as a restricted dragon territory, and the information inside is basically zero. The road ahead is likely going to be tough," Wu Dance shrugged.

"That's true." Mo Xing turned his head and asked, "Shiyan, are there any notices or arrangements from Hanchuan Academy?"

"Hanchuan Academy stated that the situation at the southern end of the Dragon's Chant Canyon is extremely tense, and instructed all students out on missions to relocate to safe places," Shiyan summarized the notification just received by her storage bracelet.

"It seems our earlier choice was correct; we didn't stay put and wait for death," Shiyan smiled.

"Mm." Mo Xing nodded. "We're about to reach the Red Lotus Other Shore. We'll find a suitable place to make camp and rest then."

"Hey! What's that?"

Wu Dance, leading the way, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What is it?" Mo Xing followed his gaze and saw a pack of purple wild dogs in the distance seemingly surrounding something.

"It's two people!" Shiyan recognized them. "They're surrounded by a pack of wild dogs!"

"Let's go! We'll help them!"

Mo Xing immediately released [Frostless Divine Step] and ran over.

...

"Senior Brother Ling Buyu, there are simply too many of these Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds!" said a handsome, delicate-looking youth with cyan hair, holding a cyan sickle named [Heavenly Dao].

"It's nothing, Dongjun!" Senior Brother Buyu beside him tightly gripped a pair of cyan twin blades named [Samsara] and said with a smile, "You're destined to become the successor to the Lord of Dan-shang County Imperial City. These difficulties won't trip you up; they will only make you grow!"

"B-but the quality of my summoned beast is too poor, its strength simply isn't enough to compare with other members of the royal family!" Dongjun looked at the small silver fox at his feet—the "Shadow-Swift Fox." This was a summoned beast he had spent a very long time summoning, whose quality was only one star, and whose moves were basically limited to speed-boosting skills.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, two Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds pounced forward. Ling Buyu swung his blades, and the power of the wood element materialized into a unicorn that knocked them flying to the side.

"Summon! Forest Elder!"

Forest Elder! A seven-star summoned beast! Possessing healing abilities from the depths of the forest! Its impact and crowd-control capabilities are no less than summoned beasts of the same star level, with cyan glowing light flickering across its body. When entering battle, it can substantially buff the summoner with various attributes, special abilities, and extended moves.

"Woof—"

Seeing their companions fall, the other Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds rushed forward en masse!

"Forest Elder! Unleash Wood-Element Falling Thunder!" Ling Buyu shouted.

The Forest Elder raised its hooves, its sharp horn turning into a flash of cyan light, and a bolt of startling thunder descended from the sky, striking the front row of Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds!

"Woof—"

The Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds in the rear roared, their entire bodies erupting with purple flames, their jaws blazing as well. They were furious!

"We're finished! They're going to use the Braising Technique!"

Dongjun panicked entirely. He had done his homework before coming to Dragon Tooth Island! The ultimate move of the six-star magical beast—the Red Lotus Heavenly Hound, [Braising Technique], was immensely powerful. If they couldn't withstand it, there was a high chance they would end up braised themselves!

"It's fine, Dongjun! Hide behind me!"

Ling Buyu gripped his [Samsara] tightly. He wasn't sure if his summoned beast Forest Elder, paired with [Wood Shield], could withstand such a fierce ultimate move.

If they were only dealing with five or six Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds, he would dare claim he wasn't afraid in the slightest, but right now there were hundreds of Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds before them. Even an eight-star summoned beast might not necessarily be able to handle this!

"Thousand Miles Sealing Frost!"

A voice suddenly drilled into Ling Buyu's ears. A youth wielding a blade was seen plummeting from the sky, and before he landed, the surrounding air instantly dropped by several degrees. In the blink of an eye, the Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds ahead were completely frozen solid!

"Wild dogs shouldn't go around biting people randomly!" the youth said dashingly after landing, his blade exuding a chilling aura.

"Wow! So cool!" Dongjun blinked with starry eyes.

"Who... who are you?" Ling Buyu was stunned.

"Me? My name is..." The youth was just about to report his name when a shout came from afar:

"Mo Xing! Dodge quickly!"

Mo Xing turned back and discovered that those frozen Red Lotus Heavenly Hounds were unloosing purple flames, melting the ice on their bodies with fire billowing from their jaws.

Braising Technique!

Hundreds of purple fireballs came roaring down overwhelmingly, radiating an oppressive aura!

"Glacial Pillar!" Mo Xing hurriedly released an ice pillar for defense!

"Forest Elder! Release Wood Shield!"

Following Ling Buyu's command, the summoned beast also released a layer of cyan protective barrier!

However, the opponent's explosive power was too strong. The protective barrier sustained itself for half a second before cracks appeared, and the ice pillars had already been shattered to pieces!

"Copper Wall and Iron Bastion!"

At this moment, Wu Dance also rushed over, releasing the metal element to form a bronze-colored giant wall!

"Boom—"

The bombardment lasted for several seconds, and the copper wall and iron bastion trembled slightly, kicking up a thick cloud of dust around them.

"Did... did they block it?" Dongjun covered his mouth, waving away the swirling dust.

"It seems so..." Ling Buyu paused. The dust in front of them was too dense, making it impossible to see the situation nearby at all.

"Where is Shiyan? Why didn't she come over?" Mo Xing turned his head to look at Wu Dance beside him, noticing that Shiyan hadn't tagged along.

"Unclear..." Wu Dance hesitated for a moment. "Could she have gone to draw away that pack of wild dogs?"