Chapter 907: Burgeoning Killing Intent

Frightening shockwaves of energy radiated through the battlefield as Sun Xiaowu punched a humanoid bug, sending it flying like a bullet. Its trajectory caused it to smash into a few of its kind, but its momentum didn't seem to dissipate.

"[Dance of the Incandescent Wyrm]!" Li Feng summoned dozens of serpents, flaring with blinding light. They criss-crossed in mid-air and attacked the humanoid bugs.

The golden and silver hunters strode onto the battlefield, their backs to each other.

Hong Xi shouted to the disciples of the Zenith Dojo, "Form five-man parties! Seniors, guide your juniors! Quick, the enemies aren't going to wait for us!"

The hunters of the Zenith Dojo immediately moved into action. The more experienced hunters, who had participated in large-scale battles in the second and third realms, quickly helped guide the junior hunters into appropriate formations.

Yang Ze transformed the water-attuned genetic energy expelled from the dragonwhale into a mist that covered the entire battlefield. Hordes of sharks condensed in the air, biting at the humanoid bugs.

However, the humanoid bugs were far stronger than any of the bugs that came before them, and they were able to destroy each shark with just a single punch.

Yang Ze continued manifesting them out of the mist. Though the bugs were able to destroy them quickly, it cost him barely any energy to replenish their numbers.

The experienced hunters of the Zenith Dojo knew how to fight efficiently. Although they might not be a match for the bugs in a one-on-one battle, they were easily able to suppress a bug with five or six hunters working in tandem.

Hong Xi and Hong Xiao's presence supported the entire battlefield. They activated [Eclipse] at full strength, sapping away the humanoid bugs' reserves of energy.

With a feathered fan in her left hand and a longsword in her right, with white moonlight by her feet and black sunlight by her back, Hong Xi manifested [Syzygy]. Wind howled. The sword in her right hand gleamed like the radiant moon. As she waved her fan, she summoned a twister in the air. Her sword traced a brilliant arc, launching crescent blades at her foes.

Strengthened by his sister, Hong Xiao launched a devastating blow that swept away a whole swathe of humanoid bugs. "[Heaven-Splitting Blade]!"

Wind and storm wrapped around Jun Jiuxiao, condensing on his blade. The silvery-white blade glowed resplendently. It tore apart the heavens, cutting apart even space itself and leaving a thin line of void behind. More and more humanoid bugs died.

"[Darkbane Claws]!" Black smoke surrounded Ye Xianchen, covering up the battlefield like Yang Ze's white mist. Black claws spawned from the smoke, tearing apart one bug after another.

Motes of vitality surrounded Zhou Ying. As she stretched out a palm, a clean breeze swept over the battlefield, and a wave of vitality surged toward the wounded. Their wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye, raising the hunters' morale and steadily providing support to the disciples of the Zenith Dojo.

With Zhou Ying present, the disciples didn't have to worry too much about getting injured. As long as they didn't perish from their wounds, Zhou Ying would be able to heal them quickly.

Zhang Lie nodded from his vantage point at the head of the shuttle, satisfied by what he saw.

The reason he hadn't struck was because he didn't want the disciples of the Zenith Dojo to become flowers carefully cultivated in a greenhouse, always shielded by stronger hunters from the front. Their trip to Mars was meant as a learning experience and a trial for the disciples involved.

The hunters of the Zenith Dojo responded effectively and efficiently, and it was clear that their training had paid off. Even so, Zhang Lie frowned as he looked toward the bug nest, where six humanoids had just appeared.

These humanoids were even larger than the ones already present on the battlefield. They were three meters tall, and the muscles on their bodies went even beyond what a bodybuilder could handle.

"Mutated bugs?"

As Zhou Yinh had hypothesized, the bugs had already undergone a rapid evolution to counter the threat known as the Zenith Dojo. These mutated bugs were at least half a star stronger than their ordinary counterparts.

"Seven-star bugs, then..." Zhang Lie murmured to himself.

Even with the appearance of these bugs, Zhang Lie didn't intend to step in. They were strong opponents, but he trusted in the strength of Team Zenith.

The mutated bugs moved with a speed that belay their size. They vanished from sight; in the blink of an eye, they appeared before the members of Team Zenith. It was only expected that the members of Team Zenith would be their targets—they were the ones who were most flagrantly destroying the balance of the battlefield.

One appeared before Fang Yi, punching forward with a fist. Fang Yi blocked with his spear, but the humanoid bug was so strong that Fang Yi was pushed back, his feet forming long furrows in the ground.

The humanoid bug drew closer and punched forward once more.

Fang Yi launched his spear, crackling with wind and lightning, with incredible force. It sent wind howling and lightning flashing through the sky. He thrust his spear forward, so quickly it left dozens of afterimages in all directions.

Astoundingly, the mutated bug managed to catch the tip of Fang Yi's spear with its bare hands, forcibly stopping the attack.

Although the bug was only gripping the spearhead with one palm, Fang Yi felt as though he were trying to crack a diamond with his spear. It was completely stuck in place; he couldn't move it at all.

"[Heaven's Judgment]!" As he infused genetic energy into his spear, wind and storm began to wrap around it. The combination of the elements generated a frightening force that seemed to be able to penetrate space, allowing Fang Yi to forcibly free his spear from the humanoid bug's grip.

The humanoid bug whirled around and sent its arm flying horizontally in an arc around itself.

"[Floating Clouds]!" Fang Yi drew back with his movement technique, turning illusory for a mere moment.

"[Heaven's Judgment]! [Tiger's Howl, Dragon's Bellow]!" A dragon's roar resounded through the air like peals of thunder. Wind and storm combined and crackled at the tip of Fang Yi's spear, and a howling gale manifested around him.

Fang Yi leveled his spear. Wind and lightning surged forth.

The mutated bug held its palms up. The next moment, Fang Yi was shocked stiff.

Even Zhang Lie, watching the battle play out from his vantage point, was so surprised that he turned pale.

The mutated bugs had activated some form of genetic energy, a sticky, ink-green fluid that looked somehow wrong, a disgrace to physical reality.

.

The killing intent in Zhang Lie's gaze deepened.

Fang Yi's spear, imbued with the power of wind and storm, clashed against the mutated bugs' palms brimming with genetic energy. The resulting explosion blew apart the disciples and bugs in the vicinity, leaving just a single hunter and bug clashing against one another.

The spear didn't pierce through the palms, but neither did the palms manage to quell the wind and storm powering the spear. The two combatants drew apart.

"[Floating Clouds]!" The wind and lightning formed a loop around Fang Yi's body, then pushed Fang Yi back as though it were a rocket thruster.