Chapter 1299: A Lifeform Stampede

Flamin tossed a Restorative #3 at Black Armor. "Quick, use it!"

Zhang Lie didn't stop Black Armor.

After using Restorative #3, Black Armor's wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. Black Armor roared and charged at Zhang Lie past the barrier of black, corrosive fog.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

As Zhang Lie pointed a finger, black genetic energy transformed into a demonic serpent, snaking its way through the narrow tunnel and piercing Black Armor's chest instantly. Black Armor glanced down at his chest and stilled.

A hole was visible through his body, and he could see behind him by looking into it. Black Armor fell to the ground in shock and disbelief.

Zhang Lie blew at his fingers and sighed. "Far too weak..."

Flamin cried out, "What in the world are you?!"

Wasn't he supposed to be a newbie? Even a hunter with maxed peak gene fragments couldn't do what he had done!

Flamin cursed himself for listening to the Jadeite hunter and being consumed by his greed. It was apparent that this would be no easy opponent to take down.

As Zhang Lie walked ever closer, Flamin shouted shrilly, "Don't come over here!"

A sound like rumbling thunder echoed throughout the underground space, like that which would precede an earthquake or exploding volcano. The world shook.

Zhang Lie frowned. "What's going on?"

Just then, he could hear genetic hunters shouting, "A stampede, a stampede! Lifeforms from two hunting grounds are stampeding!"

"Where's Flamin? He has to muster a defense!"

Flamin's face paled. "A stampede..."

The hunting grounds of the fourth realm weren't artificial; instead, they were simply where a certain group of lifeforms tended to roam. Every so often, the lifeforms would stampede.

Genetic hunters were responsible for deflecting or turning back these stampedes, so each gathering point had its own leader and scouts.

Flamin laughed. "It looks like even the world is on my side! I'm the only one who can stop the stampede now. Without me, everyone will die."

There were many possible reasons for such stampedes. Perhaps a new king had been born among the population, or perhaps the population had grown too large to support. If the stampede managed to secure a larger patch of territory, the lifeforms would expand; otherwise, they would lose enough of their population to be sustainable again. Another possible reason was a large-scale migration.

It was possible that a strong member of the species had been born to a neighboring population, causing other species nearby to flee.

"Nonsense!"

Zhang Lie waved a hand, causing a bundle of black smoke to encircle Flamin like a poisonous serpent.

Flamin rolled on the ground, screaming. "What are you doing? Are you trying to destroy the gathering point and drag everyone down with you?!"

As Flamin screamed, flesh sloughed off his body.

Zhang Lie smirked. "Do you think I'd let you go and give you another chance to annoy me?"

The corrosion was so severe that pale bone could be seen on Flamin's body.

"You don't know just how frightening such beast stampedes are. Without me, everyone will die. Only I can organize a resistance in such a short period of time!"

Zhang Lie could sense a huge number of lifeforms approaching from all directions. They were mostly regular-grade lifeforms, with a few mutated-grade ones in the mix. He smirked. "It's been a while since I saw such a stampede. I wonder if I can stop it with my current strength?"

Flamin screamed, "You're far less dangerous than a beast stampede! You don't know just how insignificant an individual hunter is against their combined might—only by working together can we quell them!"

A single lifeform might not be particularly strong, but when they banded together, their combined strength was more than sufficient to fatigue even the strongest hunter.

Flamin shouted, "I know that you're very strong, but even your strength won't do anything against an endless stampede! You won't make a difference."

Half of Flamin's body had been corroded away by Zhang Lie's genetic energy, but his constitution and will to live forced him to keep speaking.

Flamin cried out, "If you save me, I'll let you go, and I swear I won't cause trouble for you in the future!"

The corrosion had consumed his body, leaving him only with a head.

Flamin immediately corrected himself. "I apologize. You killed my strongest hunter, and I'll need a replacement. You're very strong, and I won't be able to control you—instead, I'm willing to cede control over half the gathering point to you. We can defend against the stampede together."

Zhang Lie raised a foot. "Goodbye."

As his foot slowly descended, Flamin cried out, "I'll give you everything, the gathering point, all my possessions! I'll even be your dog!"

With a squelch like that of an exploding watermelon, Flamin's head was crushed.

Flamin's lackeys themselves were writhing and squirming like worms as the black, corrosive genetic energy consumed them.

The Jadeite hunter was among their number. He begged, "Please, let me go! I'll hand everything over. I don't even want the potions anymore—I'll return them all! Won't you spare me this once?"

"Let them accompany you to your death."

Zhang Lie jumped back as the ground underneath him tremored. A huge earth dragon emerged, sweeping all the hunters up with its mouthpiece.

The earth dragon looked very much like a centipede, or an armored snake. Its black scales were dotted with red, and its head was sharp and spiky. Its head unfolded like a flower, revealing row after row of sharp teeth, sticky saliva, and a long, flexible tongue.

The lifeform was shocked that Zhang Lie had avoided its sneak attack. It was just about to pounce forward when Zhang Lie struck first.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!"

Zhang Lie punched forward, and the black serpent behind him shot forth.

The serpent corroded the lifeform's flesh, but Zhang Lie didn't hear the will of the fourth realm's announcement. It was evident that the earth dragon hadn't yet died; the lower half of its body was quivering madly, shocked and terrified by Zhang Lie's strength. It was about to burrow deep into the earth and escape when Zhang Lie punched forward and sent a blood dragon out at it.