Yangos's curses were already at the tip of its tongue, but upon seeing who it was, it immediately flopped to the ground, muttering a string of low draconic words under its breathâno one knew what they meantâwhile its dragon eyes stared fixedly at the floor as if flowers were blooming there.
Yellow Ball sniffed, glanced helplessly at Ye Zhongming, then plopped down as well, instinctively panting with its tongue lolling out. In truth, it hadnât needed to cool itself like this for a long time.
The Cloud Peak members stared at the creature that had entered the arena, their faces twitching.
Was⊠this thing even a battle beast?
The one who had stepped in was the Undead Dragon-fish.
It was Red-Hairâs mount. Given Red-Hairâs unique status, everyone treated her as Cloud Peakâs one-of-a-kind existence, and the Undead Dragon-fish was viewed the same way. It and Red-Hair were more like companions, partners, comradesânot master and beast.
In fact, the Undead Dragon-fish wasnât a battle beast at all.
Yet when it strode into the energy arena, the arena sealed shut, clearly recognizing it as a battle beast.
Many people glanced at Red-Hair. Had the Wheel Space system acknowledged her as human?
At this moment, the Undead Dragon-fish didnât look much like an undead creature. It resembled more of a⊠tattered ragdoll.
Of course, this "ragdoll" was a bit too large.
Previously, the Undead Dragon-fishâs body had been slowly regrowing flesh, though it wasnât very noticeable. Now, its blackened bones were completely enveloped by newly grown flesh, and the White Cave Crystal responsible for this transformation had vanished without a trace.
However, since the Undead Dragon-fishâs evolution wasnât yet complete, it had been lazily trailing along with the group. Everyone assumed this process would last until the end of this special Wheel Space eventâor even longer.
But now, the Undead Dragon-fish had taken the initiative to enter the arena and was recognized as a valid combatant. The Cloud Peak members werenât sure whether this was good or bad.
Normally, the Undead Dragon-fish would have no trouble dealing with this giant centipede. Though the Mercury Centipede was an eight-level lifeform with incredible speed, the Undead Dragon-fish excelled in that area, too. As for its hard exoskeleton? Coincidentally, the Undead Dragon-fish had that covered as well. And poisons? Useless against undead.
In other words, the Undead Dragon-fish was the natural counter to the Mercury Centipede. Its participation was even more reliable than Yangos or Yellow Ball.
But now, things were uncertain. The big guy was mid-evolution, its body still patchy and regrowing flesh. What if it got injured? What if it lost its immunity to poison?
Forget about losing rewards if they were defeatedâwhat if it died here? That would be a tragic waste. The Undead Dragon-fish had first inherited the legacy of the Nine-Winged Crow, then obtained the White Cave Crystal. This evolution was essentially a step toward level nine.
This was a level-nine seed!
If something happened to it here, Cloud Peakâs loss would be immeasurable.
"Please choose whether to increase the reward."
The spaceâs prompt sounded. Naturally, Ye Zhongming declined, but Little Adam once again opted for the highest multiplier.
"Hell is the only place fit for you, child." The middle-aged man spoke calmly as Adamâs finger, following the Wheel Spaceâs instructions, pointed at his own team.
"Doesnât matter. You wonât live to see it." Adam retorted, selecting the middle-aged man first. Under his finger, a full-fledged evolver exploded into a mist of blood.
Then, amid the curses of his team, one evolver after another died at Adamâs command.
By the time the required number was met, the survivors in Adamâs team looked at him with pure hatred.
But Adam either didnât notice or simply didnât care. His attention was fixed on the Mercury Centipede, hoping his battle beast could turn the tide for Hidden Snakeâs Journey.
The battle began as the countdown ended. The Mercury Centipede moved first, transforming into a silver streak as it charged at the Undead Dragon-fish, whose every motion seemed sluggish in comparison.
Thud!
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Thud!
Thud!
The Mercury Centipedeâs razor-sharp legs and mandibles left countless wounds on the Undead Dragon-fishâs body in an instant. The newly grown flesh was torn open, but no blood or other fluids seeped out.
The Undead Dragon-fish still didnât counterattack. It merely turned its body slightly, as if adjusting casually under the onslaught.
The Cloud Peak members grew increasingly anxious.
Relative to the Undead Dragon-fishâs massive size, each wound from the centipede might seem insignificant. But the number of injuries skyrocketed in such a short time, and even minor damage could accumulate into something severe.
Why wasnât it fighting back?!
Every Cloud Peak member had the same question. The Undead Dragon-fishâs toxic mist or its own physical attacks were incredibly potent. In the confined space of the energy arena, these abilities should have been perfect. So why was it just letting itself be attacked?
Ye Zhongming looked at Red-Hair. Since the Undead Dragon-fish wasnât his battle beast, he couldnât establish a mental link with it. He wanted to see if Red-Hair had received any feedback from her partner.
But the slight frown on Red-Hairâs face told him that the Undead Dragon-fish hadnât communicated anything to her either.
The battleâno, the one-sided assaultâcontinued. In just over a minute, the Mercury Centipede had inflicted no fewer than a thousand wounds on the Undead Dragon-fish. The already ragged-looking creature became even more tattered, chunks of newly grown flesh littering the ground where theyâd been sliced off.
By the three-minute mark, the Mercury Centipede paused for the first time. Its mandibles still chewed on a piece of flesh torn from the Undead Dragon-fishâwho knew how much it had already devoured.
Its body now gleamed even brighter, its silver exoskeleton radiating an almost hypnotic luster. Every movement it made produced a crisp, metallic clinking sound, like fine metal striking metal.
Even the color of its magic crystal had shifted slightly.
"Hahaha! Whatâs the point of your big, dumb brute coming up here? To serve as food for my battle beast? And such nutritious food too! Lookâmy battle beast is evolving! Evolving!"
Little Adam, like a gambler who had lost all reason, screamed and laughed hysterically as the tide seemed to turn in his favor.
Ye Zhongming watched calmly, ignoring the boyâs taunts.
He noticed that despite taking heavy damage from not fighting back, the Undead Dragon-fish stood as steady as a boulder in the center of the arena.
The Mercury Centipede stared at its opponent with its compound eyes, then suddenly reared back and let out a piercing shriekâbefore spewing an unfathomable amount of black venom!
The energy arena was instantly filled with a nauseating stench.
Yet at that exact moment, Ye Zhongming caught somethingâ
A highly human-like smile flickered across the Undead Dragon-fishâs face.