The beast legion continued to attack. The python crocodile, annoyed by this haphazard assault, abandoned Dinora and the magic race warrior, focusing entirely on dealing with these reckless creatures. It tried to encircle and slowly slaughter the creatures, but the Druid mage's natural magic caused their entwining weeds to halt its steps, and the beasts all escaped like a flash.
Seething with anger, the python crocodile let out a furious roar and shifted its massive body, and then it charged forward, leaving a deep trench in the earth that was half a meter deep and over four hundred meters long! It then leaped into the air and spewed a ball of grey flames.
"Boom!" A great fire broke out on the wasteland. The flames didn't seem to emit heat, but they even set the soil alight! Grania was shocked, "Soulfire! This magical beast actually has an undead attribute?" She hadn't finished when the python crocodile suddenly shook its body vigorously, slamming its head into the earth, causing a pillar of earth to rise up. Ge Zheng and Grania were lifted higher with it, and a mud pillar grew on the ground.
Grania was astonished, "Its fundamental attribute is earth, a dual-attribute magical beast!" Ge Zheng was amazed, "How is this possible?". Grania explained, "It is highly likely that this magical beast consumed a powerful undead magical beast, gaining a second attribute."
Ge Zheng and Grania had been raised to the same height as the python crocodile's head, and they could clearly see the fierce glints in its small eyes.
On the ground, wide cracks appeared, swallowing the falling magical beasts. The battle spirit mage was not afraid of this magic, but many magical beasts were devoured by the earth, leaving the final undead mage with much fewer materials to work with. Although the beasts had died, the undead mage found a use for them.
"Roar!" The python crocodile let out a loud roar, causing a fierce wind to blow. Weak Grania involuntarily took a step back, with two battle spirit archers stepping forward to shield her. However, as battle spirits had no actual form, the strong wind easily passed through them.
Although Ge Zheng wasn't the kind of "responsible man" who always put "men should shield women from wind and rain" into practice, he definitely would have done so now.
Grania, supporting eight battle spirits on her own, had exhausted all her strength. Not all women standing behind men would have their heartstrings moved by a "tall" figure at this time, as there was usually no time to be moved at such moments.
Grania shouted, "I'll use magic to send you up. Its eyes are its weak spot." Ge Zheng waved her off, "No need, I have my own way." Ge Zheng flipped his wrist and drew a dagger from somewhere.
Holding the dagger in front of his chest, Ge Zhong protected Grania. At the same time, he focused his mind to retract the matrix shield, keeping it within the bracelet without any defensive need.
The python crocodile's two small eyes revealed a mocking expression. In its view, Ge Zheng's actions were truly presumptuous. The strong earthen magic had already made the creatures below busy, and the python crocodile felt it had time to play with this little one.
It opened its blood-red mouth and lunged at them. Ge Zheng made a strong block with the dagger which met one of its teeth. The python crocodile's mouth was fifteen meters long, with a multitude of small teeth like a meat grinder. Each tooth was longer than the dagger in Ge Zheng's hand.
"Clang!" Ge Zheng was shaken and had to repeatedly retreat. With every step back, Grania also had to follow him, and after three times, she found herself standing on the edge of a cliff.
The python crocodile flashed a mocking expression. It decided to deliver the final blow to this little boy and end this game.
The python crocodile thought that with a light nudge, the two little ones would fall from the pillar and shatter. It closed its mouth and charged, intending to ram the duo at the pillar. Ge Zheng pulled Grania out of the way just in time.
The python crocodile was furious that its surefire strike had been evaded. Without any hesitation, it thrashed its head and abruptly lunged towards Ge Zheng's side. Ge Zheng made a strong teeth block with the dagger, but it was knocked out of his hand, causing him to sit down on the ground.
The python crocodile was delighted to see its prey taken aback, wanting to give them a suffocating feeling as death approached. It looked forward to seeing pure despair in the eyes of the two little ones.
Rubbing his hand, Ge Zheng conceded that this massive creature's strength was truly impressive. The python crocodile's head was only three to five meters away, slowly drawing closer. Grania couldn't help but grab onto Ge Zheng's arm. He patted her hand and comforted her, saying, "At such close range, this guy's eyes aren't small."
Indeed, the two eyeballs were about half the height of a person, with cruel glints shining through their gray pupils.
Finding it somewhat strange, the python crocodile realized that its prey didn't display the same desperation and panic as those it had previously killed. At least not that reckless little boy.
It was angry. It was the king of the monsters in this wilderness, and its royal authority could not be ignored! Just when the monstrous crocodile's eyes were brimming with anger, Ge Zheng suddenly smiled at it. This smile, like an icy river thawing, a spring breeze blowing over the land. Ge Zheng said, "Big guy, I have put a lot of effort into displaying a performance that is absolutely ahead of its time in this world, just to deceive you into coming here. Don't run away..."
"What?" Gronia was stunned, she didn't understand, and surely the king of the monsters in the wilderness didn't either. As it was caught off guard, Ge Zheng made his move!
The king's power and speed surpassed Ge Zheng's by far; in terms of speed, Ge Zheng was no match for the monstrous crocodile. Therefore, Ge Zheng needed an opportunity, a chance to get close to the crucial point at short range. He had been deliberately giving the impression of being weak, all in order to seize this opportunity. His efforts were not in vain, as the chance was now before him!
Ge Zheng's speed was indeed far inferior to the monstrous crocodile's. However, the distance between him and the crocodile was only three meters. In such a short distance, Ge Zheng's speed suddenly reached its peak. He even used his not so proficient wind magic to boost his speed further. The monstrous crocodile was momentarily stunned, and in that blink of an eye, a cross-shaped flame reflected in its left eye's pupil!
Ge Zheng, nearly recklessly, opened his arms and lunged at the crocodile's eye, tightly gripping the layers of scales outside of its eyelids. This was the first time the divine punishment had been unleashed, and the flames of the punishment surged into the crocodile's eyes.
If the distance was too far, the alchemical attack would be ineffective. Although the alchemical attack was sharp, it was impossible to kill the monstrous crocodile in one blow like a human. Ge Zheng went for it, relentlessly penetrating the monstrous crocodile's head again and again with the divine punishment, melting not only its eyes but also its flesh, its bones, and finally aiming for the crocodile's brain.
The enormous body of the crocodile, its head alone being over twenty meters, was beyond the reach of Ge Zheng's alchemical attack. Sensing that the divine punishment was about to lose its effectiveness, the crocodile continued to wriggle and thrash about. Regardless, Ge Zheng pressed on, disregarding the putrid smell, and squeezed into the crocodile's nostrils.
But in doing so, he ended up saving himself. The divine punishment melted the crocodile's eyes, causing the beast immense pain. As it flailed about, the ground was already in a sorry state due to its earth magic. With its frenzied movements, the ground was left even more rough and uneven. Just when Ge Zheng burrowed in, the crocodile suddenly leaped high into the air, and then plunged back down!
It buried its head deep into the mud, plunging in for over ten meters. If Ge Zheng had still been outside its body, he would have had only one breath left. Luckily he had burrowed in, overcoming the foul and dirty path, and forced his way through the flesh with the divine punishment.
Covered in the crocodile's blood and flesh, the stench had become so unbearable in his nostrils. The hole opened by the divine punishment was not spacious, and Ge Zheng could only crawl. Even so, it was an extremely jarring experience. The colossal beast knew nothing of how it was being agitated. As Ge Zheng crawled inside, he thought to himself, imagine having a wound poked, only to then have an ant crawl inside - what a painful sensation that would be!
Dinora and Gronia had long retreated to the side. Gronia withdrew her war spirit, and the two girls looked on in astonishment at the monstrous beast that seemed to be torturing itself madly. Whether it was using its head to dig into the ground, or rolling its body around like a rolling pin, the scene was mind-boggling. Solgweid hadn't a clue where he had reappeared from, "That was close...," he said.
The two girls gave him a disapproving look. Dinora had never understood the meaning of restraint, and angrily asked, "Where did you go just now?" Solgweid chuckled, showing no sign of guilt, "I stayed behind, and since I was in the way, I found a place where I wasn't a nuisance and stored myself there."
The wise dragon murmured to himself: What on earth is Ge Zheng up to? In such a dangerous situation, why hasn't he summoned the divine dragon? Could it be that he has such confidence in himself that he can handle such a monstrous beast with his own strength?
Having hidden and watched the fight, Solgweid herself admitted that even if it was him facing such a super monster with two attributes, even if he could win, it would be a narrow victory. Yet Ge Zheng steadfastly refused to summon the divine dragon. This made Solgweid even more cautious: Ge Zheng was unfathomable, and combined with the object of his affections, it was almost unbeatable! Suddenly, Solgweid realized that his love pursuit this time was actually a very dangerous adventure!
Dinora gave him a strange look, "What are you trembling for?" "N-Nothing..." Upon leaving the forest, this proud and wise dragon felt a lack of confidence for the first time.
After crawling inside the crocodile's body for some time, Ge Zheng was convinced he had "taken the wrong path". He was furious and recalled his master's "Dragon Guidance" spell. His master had said it was very useful, but unfortunately, he had been lazy...
The divine punishment made its way forward and unexpectedly brushed past the monster's brain. So Ge Zheng had to crawl for a long way in this environment! If it wasn't for having achieved some success in cultivating his internal energy, just this little bit of crawling alone would have suffocated him.
Fortunately, as they delved deeper, the giant's body gradually calmed down and stopped jerking about - its injuries were deep and it couldn't move anymore.
Encountering some obstacles, Ge Zheng's mind stirred, and he retrieved the divine punishment, continuing to crawl forward. A flickering flame was the best choice for lighting, and so he released a small fire using simple fire magic.
The flame roasted the beast meat on top of his head, emitting a sizzling sound. In the firelight, Ge Zheng saw something like a chrysalis. He found it rather strange - could it be a monster's egg? Using a detection spell, the result confirmed: "Chitin."
Ge Zheng was overjoyed: He had read about chitin in a book, and after comparing and studying it, he believed that the chitin in this world was likely the "core fetus" of the alien beasts on Earth. Inside the body of an alien beast, a core fetus contained an inner elixir. Any spirit creature that could form a core fetus would have an excellent inner elixir, making it a peerless treasure for refining magical flying swords!
The function of the core fetus was similar to that of the chitin - a powerful magic beast's magic core reached level thirteen to form a chitin outside the core. Since chitin had no level, Ge Zheng could also appraise it.
Without hesitation, he used a knife to cut out the infant-sized chitin. As he did so, a strong aura of death poured out of the crack, making Ge Zheng feel dizzy: It turned out to be a necromancy-based magic core.
He stuffed the magic core along with the chitin into his storage space, feeling that the monster seemed to have died, and was about to leave. Suddenly, he remembered that this creature was of dual properties... He released the divine punishment and continued to look!
This time, he didn't have to spend much time. He found another chitin near the necromancy-based chitin. It was even larger than the necromancy-based chitin, and Ge Zheng stored it away without hesitation.
He didn't want to go back the way he came. Using the divine punishment to go directly upwards, he opened up a shortcut and crawled out of the monster's body through the space between two scales.
Watching the previously lively crocodile gradually become silent, Solgweid's heart also sank along with it. As Ge Zheng leaped out of the beast's body, the two girls cheered, and Solgweid was certain that Ge Zheng's strength was probably not inferior to his. He revealed a smile that was even uglier than crying, and followed the two girls' joyful cheers, lunging towards Ge Zheng with claws outstretched.
Three thousand knights rode over, and Miss Feifei was finally at ease. After everything had calmed down, she immediately brought people to see. When the colossal body of the monster appeared before everyone, the gaze they directed towards the four of them changed, and the admiration for the hero turned into fervent affection. Dinora and Gronia felt somewhat awkward and pushed Ge Zheng forward, "It's all thanks to the Master." Solgweid, basking in these admiring glances, didn't feel embarrassed at all. A dragon, by nature, was meant to be revered. The reason for the existence of a wise dragon was to provide people with an object of worship.
This little incident along the way led to two results: first, the formation of the caravan was delayed. They had set out early, so even if they were delayed by a month, they would still be in time. Second, Solgweid was starved for three days by Gronia and Dinora for their joint punishment.
Dragons could not endure being oppressed, especially by women. However, Solgweid was just too wise, and was willing to sacrifice a lot for love. Still, the smell of meat filled the entire camp, and Solgweid's stomach growled, making him very uncomfortable.
Yes, the smell of meat.
In the Star Refining World, there was an ancient rumor: Eating the meat of a powerful magic beast would help warriors become stronger.
In the earliest days, when warriors killed powerful magic beasts, they would tear off a bloody piece of flesh and eat it raw with the fur and skin. Later on, everyone civilized up and started eating cooked meat.
The crocodile's blood smelled foul, but that didn't deter honest Dunk. There were quite a few plants growing on the wilderness that could be used for seasoning. The warriors worked together to dig a well, and Dunk used water soaked with a kind of plant to wash the beast meat, then added other seasonings and barbecued it. Surprisingly, it was delicious!
However, the smell of meat filled the camp, and Ge Zheng alone couldn't eat. His memories of being inside the monster's body were vivid, and he just couldn't bring himself to eat its flesh.
Although he didn't eat, he still had to handle the cutting. Even Dinora couldn't cut open the monster's scales; only Ge Zheng's alchemy method could cut the meat.
The scales were undoubtedly excellent alchemical materials, and Ge Zheng wouldn't leave any for others, so he took all of it for himself. The crocodile's spinal bone was also a good material that couldn't be wasted. There was also an eye...
Ge Zheng was very busy recently because all of his storage spaces were full. In order to fit all of the materials, he had to make new storage spaces every day. In the Star Refining World, storage rings were easily recognizable at a glance. If it wasn't worn on the finger, it could be easily stolen, so Ge Zheng simply refined the "Dragon Guidance" spell of the Ge family, which was just a string of copper coins. It didn't attract attention, and looked trendy when worn around the wrist! The copper coins in the Star Refining World had no holes in them.
Although the camp was filled with the smell of meat, the campsite was some sixty meters away from the crocodile's carcass. After all, the crocodile's flesh and blood smelled foul, and everyone covered their noses as they passed by.
Honest Dunk had become extremely popular in the camp. When the three thousand knights saw him, they all called him "Mr. Dunk" with respect. The villagers of Roland's village were exhausted over the past few days, but it was the happiest time of Honest Dunk's life. A knight in the village was considered a noble, and three thousand knights treating him with great respect made Honest Dunk feel like he had made the right choice.
Ge Zheng controlled the alchemical attack's flames and slowly peeled the crocodile's skin without damaging the scales. This was also quite a technical task.
More than ten days had passed, and although the crocodile's body was massive, with three thousand people eating every day, it was almost gone, and only the skull remained today.
It was fortunate that the wilderness had good ventilation, and the accompanying mages used freezing magic, allowing the crocodile carcass to keep for so long.
Ge Zheng opened the skin and left the rest to others. He returned to his tent and took out two magic cores, lost in thought.
"Master, may I come in?" Gronia was at the entrance of the tent. Ge Zheng got up and lifted the tent flap, "Please come in, Your Excellency Enchanter."
Gronia saw the two magic cores on the table. Although they had been treated with magic so that the magical power of the cores did not leak out, she could still tell from such a close distance, "This is a monster’s Earth and Necromancy core?" Ge Zheng nodded, "Correct."
Gronia carefully sat down and looked at the two magic cores on the table. The two magic cores were almost the same size, and the Earth core formed a hexahedral shape, with blunt angles and a sleek planar surface. From any direction, colorful yellow phantom images could be seen. The Necromancy core was elliptical, with a hint of mystery in the grey, making it impossible to understand at a glance.
"These two magic cores are probably at level thirteen!" Gronia couldn't help but exclaim. Ge Zheng, too, couldn't tell, as level thirteen was beyond his capacity to appraise.
Ge Zheng used his finger to point under the magic core of the undead, "You try." Grenia's heart moved, and she asked, "Can I?" Ge Zheng smiled, "You also deserve credit for killing this demon beast, why not?" Grenia focused her gaze on the magic core and took a deep breath, then picked up the magic core.
Ge Zheng seemed to hear a song of praise behind Grenia, the gray water flowed up and down, and the war spirits comfortably stretched their bodies. In an instant, the gray light mist filled the tent, and the elves of the Temple of the Dark Gods danced joyfully, and the song of praise drifted and soared.
"Ah!" Grenia exclaimed in surprise, "Such powerful undead power!" Ge Zheng added, "Not only powerful, but also very pure. I don't know what method this manticore used, to make the power of the undead so pure!"
Ge Zheng took the magic core from Grenia's hand, and as soon as the magic core left Grenia's hand, the entire tent immediately returned to calm.
Grenia did not understand what Ge Zheng meant by telling her these things. She was full of anticipation but restrained herself, sitting calmly in her seat.
"Earlier, you gave me a commission to help you refine an equipment, but I lacked the soul fire of the bone spirit. Now there is a better substitute…" Ge Zheng said, holding the magic core. Upon hearing this, Grenia immediately put her hands on her knees and said earnestly, "If the master is willing to use this magic core to refine equipment for me, I am willing to pay the master an additional thirty thousand gold coins in my personal name!"