Pretending To Be A Boss

The crimson earth forest below, aptly called Asura Hell, is a test even for the Masked Chopper Hero in all his strength—how could he alone confront an apocalyptic-tier boss?

If it were merely an apocalyptic-tier creature, Li Zheng might actually have some anticipation, but an apocalyptic-tier boss leaves no room for hope at all.

This type of boss with wide-ranging destructive power is also what human forces least wish to encounter.

The Masked Chopper Hero, or rather Tang Xian, is ultimately just a mortal.

"I wonder how much longer that girl can hold on," Song Que said with concern, glancing at Tang Suoye floating in the air not far away, her right eye flickering with a blue glow.

The light was still dazzling, but Song Que was sure that it had dimmed a lot since the beginning.

If the disaster doesn't end soon, once the Blue-Eyed Witch's stamina runs out...

Song Que didn't dare to continue that thought.

But the situation continued to deteriorate, step by step growing more grim.

The always-stable rocky mountain began to tremble slightly.

Tang Suoye's breathing also started to become rapid.

Everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

Lin Jue and the Cyclops King came to the edge of the rocky mountain, looking down at the red earth forest that had turned into an abyss from thirteen hundred meters up.

"What a huge coffin; dying here wouldn't be a loss," Lin Jue said boldly.

The Cyclops King then raised his sniper rifle, peering into the distance through the scope.

"Old Lin, does it seem quieter now?"

"What do you mean, quieter?"

"Down there, the red earth forest seems to have gone silent?"

Hearing this, Lin Jue snatched the sniper rifle from the Cyclops King, pressing his eye against the scope.

All he saw was pitch darkness.

But indeed there were no signs of further collapse.

"Damn. Don't mess with me, did that masked guy actually take down the apocalyptic-tier boss?"

Lin Jue was astounded by the scenes of calmness that shouldn't be within his sights.

The Cyclops King then ran to inform Li Zheng and Song Que of the news.

Soon, Qin Qian, Akasi, Gu Luo, and others also realized that the collapsing red earth forest had quieted down.

Li Zheng looked at Song Que and said,

"That girl can't last much longer. Now, do we keep her holding on, or do we take everyone down? You decide."

Song Que did not shirk the responsibility, nor did he hesitate.

"Land."

Song Que looked at Akasi, who nodded in agreement.

Some admired the man's decisiveness and courage.

Afterward, Tang Suoye received a prompt from Akasi.

She had been suspending this gigantic rock in the air for too long, her power nearly depleted.

...

...

The huge rock slowly descended.

As people moved closer to the disaster zone during the descent, they felt anew the terror of the apocalyptic-tier boss creature.

The red earth forest was gone.

Instead of calling it a forest, it would be more fitting to call this place a red earth canyon.

Or a red earth abyss. The air was filled with the foul stench of various creatures that had perished.

All that could be heard was the howling wind.

Only at about four hundred meters above ground could one occasionally hear the cries of a few Golden Fierce Birds.

Their calls were mournful.

This battle had no victor; these creatures that had hoped to evolve by relying on the Zudun Sacred Tree had also become funeral offerings in the wake of the tree's rage.

When the rocky mountain finally touched the ground, Akasi's figure flashed, catching Tang Suoye as she fell from the sky.

Tang Suoye couldn't speak, her lips slightly moving with a smile.

Then she passed out, falling into a deep sleep in Akasi's arms.

Akasi immediately left with Tang Suoye in tow.

It was safe here; Li Zheng no longer needed his protection.

If he stayed here any longer with Tang Suoye, it would cause some trouble.

Without a word, Akasi disappeared into the night, bearing Tang Suoye with him in just a few leaps and bounds.

Li Zheng didn't say anything. Having Akasi and Tang Suoye stick around indeed wouldn't be easy to explain. Song Que was smart, and even though they were allies, some secrets could only remain known to oneself.

He just gazed upon the devastation before him, and the tranquility permeated with the scent of death, involuntarily stepping back.

The Blue-Eyed Little Witch was Tang Suoye. Although Tang Suoye wore big glasses and her flowing hair sometimes covered her face in the wind, Li Zheng still recognized her at first glance.

This confirmation made Li Zheng believe that Tang Xian was indeed the Masked Chopper Hero.

Occasionally, at the pitch-black bottom of the canyon, animals could be seen frantically fleeing in panic.

But the hunters had forgotten their initial intention to hunt.

It was only a long while later that the howling wind through the valley began to disperse the smell of blood.

Li Zheng and the others finally came to their senses.

The battle of the night had finally ended.

Among the humans there were no victors, and the Red Soil Forest could no longer continue its hunt, making the continuation of this grand hunting event unnecessary.

Each person's face was etched with a hint of bewilderment.

Ye Feng of Gu Luo's team opened his eyes; he was utterly exhausted and weakened.

Even just observing from afar with his extreme vision had taken a considerable toll on his strength.

After looking for a long time, Ye Feng finally spoke slowly,

"The calamity-level boss entity, the Zudun Sacred Tree, is dead. The silhouettes of the Zudun Giants are moving westward. It looks like they want to leave this land."

Song Que and Li Zheng were shocked.

Even though they had speculated a possibility when they learned that the chaos of the Red Soil Forest had ended, the confirmation still left them stunned.

"The calamity-level boss is dead?" Li Zheng asked incredulously again.

"It should be dead. The surviving beasts are also leaving with the Zudun Giants. The only ones left in this valley are the wounded and the disabled." Ye Feng closed his eyes.

Li Zheng felt his whole body stiffen.

Tang Xian had defeated a calamity-level boss creature all by himself?

Li Zheng didn't know the actual process, but even just the outcome was enough to instill fear.

He and Song Que exchanged glances, both thinking about the same thing.

Crystals.

Both of them tacitly chose not to speak.

"What do we do now?" Gu Luo asked.

"You head south to the frontier, and return through the transfer station," Song Que said.

"And you?"

"I and my team will stay here, wait for everyone to wake up, then leave. Some of them are already awake, and I expect that by morning, everyone will be."

Li Zheng nodded and said,

"I don't want to leave you here without regard for loyalty, but the matter of the mines must be explained by someone with authority."

Gu Luo looked at the valley floor covered with animal corpses and said,

"All these are Soul Crystals, Soul Crystals scattered all over the ground, elite, perfect grade, and many boss-type creatures. What's the deal? Shall we divide them up?"

Song Que and Li Zheng were stunned; indeed, this was a big problem.

The disaster in the Red Soil Forest had caused a great number of creatures to fall and die. Though the sum of these creatures' Soul Crystals wouldn't match that of the calamity-level boss's, it was still an unimaginable fortune.

Everyone fell silent.

It was then that Li Zheng showed his mettle.

"These Soul Crystals will belong to the Song Family."

Gu Luo didn't speak, his expression inscrutable.

Song Que was also taken aback. He didn't expect Li Zheng to say that.

Li Zheng continued,

"Without Song Que and Gu Luo's efforts to turn the tide, the hunters might have gone mad and started fighting with the beasts, and even without today's disaster, we all would have been in a tough spot."

"But Gu Luo, you can't handle so many mines. Giving these mines to the Song Family is beneficial for all strongholds."

"However, I won't let you suffer a loss; you will always be friends of the Li family. Whoever offends you is opposing us."

Song Que said,

"My Song Family feels the same. I have always gotten along with Brother Gu, and if one day you no longer wish to be a hunter, you will always have a place in my Song Family."

Gu Luo laughed boldly,

"The heirs of two of the top three families are indeed extraordinary people. I'm not at a loss today, having made friends with two so powerful."

Thus, ownership of the vast quantity of Soul Crystals was decided.

Song Que and Gu Luo's teams stayed behind, while Qin Qian and Li Zheng hurried to the frontier to return to the Pyramid and relay the events that transpired in the Red Soil Forest to the organizers of the hunting festival.

This much-anticipated hunting festival was forced to an early end due to the emergence of a calamity-level boss creature.

...

...

Li Zheng's pace was swift.

Having confirmed that Tang Xian had killed the calamity-level boss creature, and that Tang Xian was the Masked Chopper Hero—

Li Zheng had no mind to care about anything else.

The most important thing now was to find Tang Xian.

That was precisely why he had so decisively given all the Soul Crystals to the Song Family.

After all, Song Que was not his brother-in-law; why would he be so generous? It was merely because there were greater interests at play.

He was all too aware of the significance, at this critical juncture, of a calamity-level boss creature's crystal. It was of immense importance to the Li family and to the world at large.

Li Zheng felt an urgency even greater than his sister Li Xiaoyu to see Tang Xian.