C8 They Returned with Great Gains

Amid the howling wind, Zhang Lieh leapt once more.

The sequence of events played out again, yet this time, as Zhang Lieh burst out of the valley with several Bloodthirsty Ants in tow, his backpack was already brimming with over a hundred Blood Divine Whiskers.

Zhang Lieh had invested considerable effort in preparation for this venture. Now that he was here, he was intent on executing his plan to the fullest.

Given that the Blood Divine Whiskers were still undiscovered and the area was pristine, Zhang Lieh estimated that the Blood Crystal Valley contained at least ten thousand Blood Divine Whiskers.

At his current pace, he would need to glide a hundred times to collect a hundred whiskers. Taking into account the time needed for the ant nest to settle after the upheaval, Zhang Lieh allotted himself a week for the task.

If the process took too long, his small backpack—acquired with points—would prove insufficient.

It appeared that upon his return to base, he would have to make time to hunt for Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade at the Devil's Pool to avoid the excessive consumption of time and energy.

Zhang Lieh was resolute in his quest for the Blood Divine Whiskers, having devised numerous strategies for their acquisition.

Regrettably, plans often fall short of reality. His elaborate schemes were confronted with stark challenges.

On Zhang Lieh's tenth landing, a thunderous insect cry erupted from within the vast Blood Crystal Valley.

In an instant, a blood-red silhouette darted from the summit of Blood Crystal Mountain.

The creature was enormous, with pincers like cleavers, viciously sharp legs, wings marked with red patterns, and massive deep-red compound eyes.

"Super Bloodthirsty Ant!!"

Upon spotting the deep red, Zhang Lieh's expression darkened, and he immediately pushed his speed to the extreme, darting out of the valley like a fleeting gleam.

But the Super Bloodthirsty Ant was faster still!

A gust of wind heralded the arrival of a blood-red arrow of light, hurtling towards Zhang Lieh.

It was incredibly fast, breathtakingly so!

In fact, at the very moment the arrow was released, Zhang Lieh sensed the danger and instinctively made a slight sideward maneuver.

As he made his move, the glaze armor on his left arm shattered explosively, sending Zhang Lieh hurtling through the air. Luckily, his extensive combat experience kicked in. He instantly activated the Wave Treading Step mid-air, and with the help of the Wind Wolf Soul Jade, he managed to twist his body and land, immediately darting off as a streak of light, vanishing at the mouth of the valley.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The Super Bloodthirsty Ant scanned the area with its compound eyes, but upon finding its target gone, it seemed unconcerned. The insect's hum resonated once more as the swarm of Bloodthirsty Ants, which had surged out like a tide, retreated back to their nest.

Deep in the jungle, Zhang Lieh exhaled a long sigh of relief at the sounds of the insects and the receding tide. That was too close for comfort. He had only been collecting a Blood Divine Whisker, and yet the Super Bloodthirsty Ant had emerged from its nest.

The entire family was incredibly volatile.

As he observed his left arm rapidly crystallizing, Zhang Lieh felt a surge of fear mixed with a bitter laugh.

"Damn," he muttered, "a Blood God Arrow right out of the gate? That's hardly welcoming. Thank goodness for the Insect King Soul Jade, or I'd be a goner for sure."

While he criticized the creature's ruthlessness, Zhang Lieh simultaneously channeled his Gene Energy to purge the bizarre gene energy that had infiltrated his body like a toxin.

The Blood God Arrow was one of the Super Bloodthirsty Ant's attack techniques. Once struck, the victim's muscle tissue would quickly assimilate, eventually transforming into a blood crystal statue.

It took a full hour for Zhang Lieh to finally rid himself of the Blood God Arrow's lingering effects.

Truth be told, without the protection of the Glazed Armor from the Insect King Soul Jade and the muscular resistance provided by the Super Gene, he would have been petrified, dead beyond doubt.

The emergence of the Super Bloodthirsty Ant had disrupted Zhang Lieh's gathering mission. After evicting Zhang Lieh, the creature didn't return to its nest but instead stood atop the Blood Crystal Valley like a sentinel, compelling him to abandon his collection efforts for the time being.

However, giving up was merely a temporary measure. Once the creature returned to its nest, Zhang Lieh was intent on resuming his collection of the Blood Divine Whisker.

Fortune favors the bold, and the Blood Divine Whisker represented the second largest fortune in Zhang Lieh's plans. He was determined not to relinquish it easily.

Since he couldn't collect the Blood Divine Whisker for the time being, Zhang Lieh set his sights on the Devil's Swamp.

In the meantime, he managed to gather a few common secondary herbs and conveniently dispatched several basic gene creatures, significantly increasing his basic gene count.

The Devil's Swamp was an expansive marsh, somewhat resembling a meditation cushion.

The Great Belly Devil Frog, a basic gene creature, made its home there and was highly sought after by gene hunters.

Their Soul Jade was incredibly useful, and nearly everyone venturing into the Void Realm would make sure to carry several with them.

Upon nearing the Devil's Swamp, Zhang Lieh spotted a black Great Belly Devil Frog with just its head poking out of the murky waters.

Great Belly Devil Frogs were a common sight in the swamp, yet their Soul Jade was exceedingly rare for two reasons.

First, the chance of a basic gene Soul Jade forming was quite low, meaning they were not abundant.

Second, the geography of the Devil's Swamp was complex, housing not only Great Belly Devil Frogs but also Mutant Gene Creatures and even Super Gene Creatures.

Even gene hunters with a full complement of Mutant Genes would hesitate to hunt recklessly in the swamp.

Thus, to hunt the Great Belly Devil Frog in the swamp, one needed more than a high gene count; it took cleverness and strategy to lure the creatures out.

While this might pose a challenge to some, for the reborn Zhang Lieh, it was a minor issue he could easily address.

He had already devised a plan while collecting secondary herbs earlier.

Arriving near the Devil's Swamp, Zhang Lieh found a suitable spot, set up a bonfire, and began roasting the Single Eyed Brocade Chicken he had previously hunted.

The enticing aroma wafted through the air, stirring the Great Belly Devil Frogs in the swamp into a chorus of croaks, seemingly drawn by the scent.

Regrettably, after a cacophony of croaks at the pond's edge, the Great Belly Devil Frogs settled down as if they had resisted the temptation. Zhang Lieh wasn't disheartened; he had anticipated this and pulled a four-leaf clover-like plant from his backpack, pressing it against the roasted Single Eyed Brocade Chicken.

Named Water Frog Fragrance, this plant released a unique smoke when roasted that was irresistible to frog-type Gene Creatures. With a deft move from Zhang Lieh, the fragrance vanished, replaced by a visible faint blue smoke that rapidly spread.

As soon as the blue smoke wafted out, the Great Belly Devil Frogs leaped from the swamp without a moment's hesitation, drawn towards Zhang Lieh. These frogs were intimidating in size, standing half as tall as a person, though their bellies were of a normal size.

The leading Great Belly Devil Frog, upon spotting the source of the blue smoke, shot out its tongue to snatch the Single Eyed Brocade Chicken, completely disregarding Zhang Lieh's presence.

However, Zhang Lieh wasn't about to let them have their way. His Gale Sword whirled into action, and in the blink of an eye, every frog daring to lash out with its tongue was swiftly deprived of it.

Zhang Lieh then activated the Mutated Gale Wolf Soul Jade and surged forward with the Wave Treading Step.

Stacking Waves Three Palms!

With each palm strike, he unleashed a force akin to tumultuous waves, backed by an unceasing flow of Origin Power. The Great Belly Devil Frogs struck by his palms immediately collapsed, incapacitated.

The only significant threat posed by the Great Belly Devil Frogs was their long tongues and their gaping mouths, but against Zhang Lieh's vast genetic advantage, these were mere trifles he could easily dismiss.

Amidst the curling blue smoke, countless Great Belly Devil Frogs continued to pour in. In the midst of his Gale Sword dance, Zhang Lieh had already slain over a dozen, and after shattering numerous ordinary Soul Jades, he finally acquired his first Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade.

Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade: Equipment Type (Space Type)

Upon activating the Soul Jade, Zhang Lieh's hand now held a miniaturized Great Belly Devil Frog Pouch.

This pouch featured spatial folding capabilities. Though it appeared no larger than the size of a palm, its internal space was comparable to that of a van.

Yet, this capacity still fell short. After stuffing in about ten Great Belly Devil Frog corpses, it was nearly full.

And Zhang Lieh was clearly not content with just one.

He didn't come all this way to settle for a mere eight or ten standard pouches.

As blue smoke swirled, an increasing number of Great Belly Devil Frogs leaped from the swamp.

Zhang Lieh began his slaughter in earnest, and it was in this moment he realized his dire need for group combat genetic martial skills.

With his exceptional swordsmanship, he felled another dozen Great Belly Devil Frogs, each leaving behind its own Soul Jade.

But as Zhang Lieh was about to collect another Soul Jade, a mutated Great Belly Devil Frog, comparable in size to a human, emerged from the swamp.

He had long coveted a Soul Jade from a Mutated Level Great Belly Devil Frog, as it meant he could soon possess one.

It's worth noting that the space within a Mutated Great Belly Devil Frog Pouch was more than triple that of a regular one.

Securing a few of these would mean he'd no longer have to fret over storage issues during hunts in the Void Realm.

Unleashing his Soft Water Strength Transforming, he flung an ordinary Great Belly Devil Frog away from the campfire like a sandbag. Zhang Lieh then lifted his Wind Sword, executing the Wave Treading Step to surge forward.

As his Gene Origin Power burst forth, his Wind Sword glowed with a pale blue aura, and he swiftly closed the distance to the Mutated Great Belly Devil Frog.

With his full power unleashed, Zhang Lieh's speed was astonishing. The vision of the mutated frog was obstructed by the previously dispatched ordinary frogs, giving him an advantage.

By the time the creature regained sight of Zhang Lieh and sensed the impending threat, a light blue longsword had already thrust through its jaw and out the top of its head.

The Mutated Great Belly Devil Frog fell with a thunderous crash, unable to utter a single defiant croak.

A regular Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade was shattered, and as the soul essence dispersed, a new Soul Jade crystallized on the body of the Mutated Great Belly Devil Frog.

Zhang Lieh had secured the Mutant Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade!

With this significant Mutant Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jade in his possession, his Wind Sword's speed increased markedly.

Numerous Great Belly Devil Frogs leapt up only to fall forever at the edge of the deep bonfire.

Within roughly ten minutes, the blue smoke had completely cleared, and the Great Belly Devil Frogs emerging from the swamp's edge ceased their leaping.

Ultimately, in this brief ten-minute massacre, Zhang Lieh reaped thirteen regular Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jades and two Mutant Great Belly Devil Frog Soul Jades—a truly bountiful haul.