Chapter 76: Super Flame Madness

On the first day, Ji Xinghuo and his team covered over three hundred kilometers.

It was only after nightfall that Ren Mian chose a concealed spot to set up camp.

To the east of Yanhuang City, this area wasn’t the main battlefield between Earth and the North Luo Master Clan, nor was it within the stretch of either side’s defenses. Hence, the likelihood of encountering enemies was lower.

As per routine, Ren Mian would take the first half of the nightwatch, followed by Ji Xinghuo.

But now they had an additional watchman, Qinghong, whose keen sense of smell made it an excellent scout.

As soon as day broke, the team continued their journey.

The whole team traveled light.

The provisions that used to be carried by Chi Zhonglin were now stored in Qinghong’s dimensional stomach. Ji Xinghuo had tested it; a level one dimensional stomach had about 1.8 cubic meters of space, more than enough for the entire team’s necessities.

Without the baggage slowing them down, the team moved much faster.

By midday, they had progressed another hundred plus kilometers and encountered three North Luo Master Clan patrols, each with more than ten members.

Ren Mian didn’t want trouble, so gave orders to avoid engagement.

Noon arrived.

Climbing a ridge, they saw a broad lake nestled among the mountains. The view was open, and from afar one could spot a city on an island within the lake.

Ji Xinghuo gazed at the city on the island, intuition telling him it was extremely dangerous.

“That’s a Grandun city,” said Ren Mian after a glance.

“No wonder…”

Recognition dawned on Ji Xinghuo’s face. The Grandun tribe loved water; their cities were built beside or even on it. In the past few days, Ren Mian had insisted on avoiding water bodies precisely to bypass Grandun cities and avoid conflict.

“What a pity it’s such a beautiful place but occupied by enemies,” Chi Zhonglin remarked, looking at the lake.

Ji Xinghuo couldn’t help but laugh.

Before the Star Gate opened, over a million square kilometers belonged to the North Luo Master Clan; Earthlings were the newcomers.

Despite this, the North Luo Master Clan’s territory was still much larger than that of the humans.

It was estimated to be over four million square kilometers.

Ren Mian wiped the sweat from her forehead, explaining that they were entering “Mingyue,” the second hottest month of the year. Even with non-human resilience, it was unbearably hot, requiring frequent hydration.

She sat down under a tree. “Let’s rest a bit. We’ll circle around the lake this afternoon.”

Ji Xinghuo gestured for Qinghong to hand out water bottles to everyone.

Chi Zhonglin eyed Qinghong enviously. “Just this dimensional stomach ability makes your Qinghong extraordinarily valuable, saving me so much effort,” he said, now free of the backpack and only carrying his weapons.

Qinghong, understanding, proudly raised its head.

Ji Xinghuo stroked its head and slowly tore apart a roasted pigeon he had prepared before the trip, feeding it to Qinghong.

Once Qinghong finished eating, the team rested and then continued on.

It took the entire afternoon for Ji Xinghuo and his three companions to detour around the large lake, covering a few tens of extra kilometers. They also encountered several more North Luo Master Clan patrols and avoided them in advance.

By nightfall, they were over forty kilometers away from the lakeside city, gradually feeling safer.

Without the direct heat of the sun, the air felt cooler.

Everyone’s steps became lighter.

Their hunting destination lay deep within North Luo Master Clan territories, almost four thousand kilometers away; much of their time was spent traveling.

Suddenly, the whole team stopped and turned towards a sound on the right.

“What’s that noise?” Chi Zhonglin listened intently. “It sounds like people talking. Is it New Roman?”

“Not just sounds like—it is human speech,” confirmed Ren Mian.

Ji Xinghuo was surprised. They were over five hundred kilometers deep into North Luo Master Clan territory and yet they encountered Earthlings!

“Could it be a trap?” he wondered.

The sound came from far beyond the range of their magnetic field sensors, and their view was blocked by the forests.

“The probability is low,” Ren Mian, having the best hearing in the team, listened again for a few seconds, her expression changing slightly. “They’re fighting and it seems dire. Let’s move closer, but stay alert for any deceit, and retreat immediately if it’s a trap.”

The team immediately turned and headed towards the source of the sounds.

As they got closer, the sounds grew louder.

Besides voices, there was a mix of roars and the clanging of metal weapons, sounding very intense.

“Stone Lizard people,” noted Ren Mian.

Minutes later.

As Ji Xinghuo and his team rounded a hillside, they saw the scene in the valley below and their expressions changed instantly.

It was a rift, like many found in the Thousand Peaks Abyssal Forest, bottomless. From it, scores of large alien warriors surged out.

They resembled upright-running giant lizards, standing over two meters tall with dusky, rock-like skin. They were powerful, with legs firmly rooted to the ground and arms as dexterous as hands, gripping various weapons and clad in armor, massive tails swaying behind them.

“Stone Lizard people!”

Ji Xinghuo was not unfamiliar with this species.

Stone Lizard people formed the most populous tribe within the North Luo Master Clan and were also the lowest in status.

Their home planet was a satellite of “Grandun,” characterized by constant low temperatures and harsh conditions that shaped the Stone Lizards’ cold-blooded nature and tough bodies.

Stone Lizards weren’t comfortable in bright environments; after moving to the Star Realm, they built their cities in the valleys of the Thousand Peaks Abyssal Forest, emerging only during starry and dark nights to hunt for food.

At this moment, a group of Stone Lizard warriors was chasing a human.

His body was ablaze, wielding a massive broadsword nearly as tall as him, with a blade wider than a palm. Every swing emitted intense flames, with none of the approaching Stone Lizards able to withstand a single strike—not being cut in half meant losing their heads instead.

“Flame Madness!” 

Chi Zhonglin whispered.

His face showed surprise. “This Flame Madness is a superhuman, highly advanced in martial arts, nearly a master. His overall strength is formidable, probably a character from the ladder rankings.”

“Merely the last of his strength,” Ren Mian observed the roaring Flame Madness fighting fiercely and shook her head. “He’s in a burning state, unable to sustain the star power much longer. If he can’t escape soon, his demise is imminent.”

Stone Lizard people were a fearless, cold-blooded species. Most weren’t very strong, fighting instinctively with brute physical strength.

But they didn’t hesitate to sacrifice their lives just to kill an enemy.

Especially since there were also masters among the Stone Lizards!

Flame Madness fought and retreated, slaying any approaching enemy with a slash before running towards safety. But then, a particularly muscular Stone Lizard archer shot an arrow forcing him to turn back to block, slowing his pace while other Stone Lizard warriors closed in.

Ji Xinghuo scrutinized the Stone Lizard archer. The opponent used a longbow, over two meters tall, made of unidentifiable material.

Just from the sound of the bowstring’s vibration, it was clear that this massive longbow had a draw weight of at least 300 kilograms, making the arrows shot extraordinarily powerful.

As Flame Madness got surrounded, the Stone Lizard archer took the opportunity to shoot him with a cold arrow.

Flame Madness had to keep the archer in check at all times, many injuries on his body caused by arrows, swearing continuously in the language of the New Roman Empire, which Ji Xinghuo couldn’t understand.

Soon, the fiery aura around him began to wane.

“Sister, should we save him?” Jiangnan Caiyi couldn’t help but ask.

Ren Mian did not respond immediately.

Chi Zhonglin said, “This rift is just one of the Stone Lizards’ outposts, not very populous. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to escape; he’d be dead by now.”

“I know.”

Ren Mian looked at her three teammates and finally nodded. “We’re all Earthlings, and the New Romans are our allies. Let’s save him.”

Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo spoke, “Sister Ren, I’ll go alone.”

The others looked at him, puzzled.

“If I eliminate that Stone Lizard archer, he can escape on his own,” Ji Xinghuo pointed towards the archer positioned behind the Stone Lizards, estimating it to be a third-tier archer. An unexpected attack could at least grievously injure, if not kill, the archer.

This would also prevent the entire team from being exposed, not causing any trouble for Sister Ren’s hunting plans.

“Then be careful,” Ren Mian agreed.

Ji Xinghuo immediately switched to stealth mode, sprinting downhill from the hillside. He quickly reached a high point on the side of the valley, overlooking the entire situation below, about two hundred meters away.

Seeing that Flame Madness could still hold on, he approached the mouth of the rift slightly.

Here, the Stone Lizards emerging from the rift were within his shooting range, allowing him to intercept those pursuing Flame Madness.

From his vantage point, Ji Xinghuo raised his Dragon Falcon Bow, drawing an electrical capacitor arrow.

His right pupil lit up with a faint light ring.

Myriad Stars Sennin activated!

Streams of electricity surfaced on his skin, gathering in his hand, charging the bow’s capacitor arrow, growing brighter, nearing overload.

Multiple images flickered in Ji Xinghuo’s eyes. When they finally paused, he released the arrow.

Just at this moment.

The Stone Lizard archer was also aiming at Flame Madness.

As the capacitor arrow cut through Ji Xinghuo’s stealth silhouette, a burst of electrical light exploded mid-air. The Stone Lizard archer, sensing immense danger, rolled on the spot while a thick layer of rock armor coalesced around him.

Crack!

A thunderous boom echoed.

The capacitor arrow struck the Stone Lizard archer, penetrating the rock armor. The arrow’s tip punctured through a gap in a scale into his neck, only half the arrow shaft remaining visible.

The Stone Lizard archer let out a painful roar as high-voltage electric current from the arrow caused his body to convulse, incapacitating him.

Ji Xinghuo shot another arrow, precisely hitting the Stone Lizard archer’s eye, ending his agony.

Spiritual Energy +21

Only then did the surrounding Stone Lizards realize their leader was dead.

The New Roman Flame Madness, face alight with joy, roared as he slashed down several approaching Stone Lizard warriors. As they hesitated to close in, he turned and ran.

The burst of speed in his burning state was incredibly fast. With no Stone Lizard archer to obstruct him, the warrior lizards struggled to keep up and he quickly escaped the valley.

Ji Xinghuo had managed to save the individual but did not stop there.

To him, these Stone Lizard warriors in the valley were not just enemies but sources of spiritual energy waiting to be harvested.

He watched a large group of Stone Lizard warriors clamber up the side walls of the rift, a smile spreading across his face.

Then, arrow after arrow swiftly took flight!