At the Class Hunter Society branch base, Base Commander Bafentang strode out from the compound and frowned at the sudden appearance of the skeleton soldiers.
These skeletons did not look like ordinary Original Inhabitants; after all, they dropped nothing upon death. After watching them for a moment, it realized they were mere cannon fodder, and the true enemy was likely waiting behind them.
"Elbow Bear, fall back!" Bafentang shouted immediately to the massive black bear in the distance.
However, the giant black bear had clearly entered a blood frenzy, and its intellect was not high enough to ponder such complicated matters. It continued its wild rampage, crushing several skeleton soldiers to pieces with a single swipe of its paw.
Left with no alternative, Bafentang pulled out an eyeball and crushed it.
This eyeball was called the Barrier Prison Eye. The moment it burst, it formed a colossal barrier. Since the enemy had already pressed right to their doorstep, there was nothing left to do but make a desperate last stand.
Up on the mountain, Yu Xian and the others watched as a beam of golden light shot from Bafentang's hand into the sky. Spreading outward from a single point overhead, a hemispherical dome swiftly descended, sealing off everything for hundreds of li around.
"Let's move," Yu Xian said to the others, locking onto Bafentang.
A Chaos Missile condensed in his hand, and he fired it straight at Bafentang down in the valley.
Now that the Base Commander had revealed itself, the only thing left was to take the monster down.
"Charge!" Ximen Wangcai barked to the other members.
The members of the Sparkle Troupe, who had already been itching for a fight, surged down the mountain. In an instant, battle cries resounded from all directions.
Down in the valley, Bafentang sensed the danger. It drew a mantis scythe and slashed outward, cleaving Yu Xian's Chaos Missile cleanly in two. Looking up toward the source of the projectile, its gaze locked directly with Yu Xian's.
"Class users!" Bafentang spat through clenched teeth.
Wings flared from its back as it launched toward Yu Xian. Gripping a mantis scythe in each hand, it slashed twice through the air at him from a distance.
Bolaiye moved to shield Yu Xian. The muscles in its right arm bulged as it swept its claw toward Bafentang. Its Blood Shadow Soul-Reaving Claws collided midair with Bafentang's blade energy, detonating with a deafening boom.
Below, numerous class users and monsters were caught in the shockwave of the collision. Realizing how deadly the clash overhead was, both sides hurriedly shifted their battleground, clearing the surrounding area.
"Leave the Base Commander to me. Go find the Battle Commander and don't let it interfere here," Yu Xian told Ximen Wangcai and the others.
Cheng Jian nodded. "Got it. Be careful, Troupe Leader—don't flip your boat."
"I wouldn't capsize even if you did. It's just a mere boss monster," Yu Xian retorted in exasperation.
Ximen Wangcai would have preferred to stay by Yu Xian's side, but since the order had been given, disobeying would be worse, so he dutifully complied.
Once Ximen Wangcai and the others departed, Yu Xian took a step back. A treant slowly coiled around him, protecting him like a suit of armor.
This was the summoned beast he had finally acquired after repeatedly using his summon following his Enhancement +1.
[Great Tree King]
[Level: 40]
[Skills:]
[Symbiotic Vines: The Great Tree King can manipulate the symbiotic vines on its body to attack targets, and can even drain their bodily fluids.]
[Tree King Leaf Blade Slash: The Great Tree King can manipulate the leaves on its body to fire at targets, dealing massive slashing damage.]
[Deeply Rooted: Once rooted into the earth, the Great Tree King's recovery increases by 200% and defense increases by 200%, granting immunity to knockback, launch, and similar effects.]
[Sweet Dew from Heaven: Shaking its branches, the Great Tree King brings down healing sweet dew to restore allies' injuries and stamina.]
[Tree King Hollow: The Great Tree King can manipulate its body to form a hollow space for storing objects.]
[Remarks: The King of Treants. Legend holds that it can evolve into a World Treant.]
Evidently, the Great Tree King excelled in both offense and defense.
Initially, Yu Xian had intended to keep Bolaiye as a bodyguard to ensure his safety. The trouble was that Bolaiye was fundamentally an offensive summoned beast that relied on nimble movement, making it poorly suited for guard duty.
The Great Tree King filled that gap nicely. Now, Bolaiye and Xielina served as his attacking summons, while the Great Tree King acted as his personal bodyguard.
If things truly went south, he could even duck inside the Great Tree King's Tree King Hollow. Given the Great Tree King's vitality, any enemy trying to kill it before reaching him would find the task monumentally difficult.
Just then, Bafentang closed in and slammed straight into Bolaiye.
Bolaiye was far larger than Bafentang, yet the impact sent Bolaiye skidding backward dozens of meters, two fresh slash marks carved into its arms.
Bafentang, by contrast, remained completely unshaken and landed lightly on the ground.
Its speed was terrifying; the very second its feet touched the earth, it lashed out with another slash aimed at Xielina.
Every skeleton soldier in the valley was Xielina's summon. If she fell, the entire army of skeletons would automatically collapse. Bafentang had already made that calculation while swooping in: killing Yu Xian was the priority, but failing that, eliminating Xielina came next.
However, Yu Xian had already raised Xielina to Level 40. Facing Bafentang's strike, she ducked low, easily avoiding the blow, and drew her bow straight from her crouch to loose an arrow right at Bafentang.
Bafentang was an insectoid monster, likely related to mantises. It was not particularly tall, and could even be described as somewhat slender.
Its entire frame was encased in an exoskeleton, granting formidable defense, yet it still instinctively chose to dodge Xielina's arrow.
After ducking the shot, it suddenly sensed an enormous threat erupting from its right flank and hurled itself backward in a frenzy. A white orb of light shot right past its face and slammed into a tree on its left, causing the entire trunk to vanish instantly.
Little Nora let out a sigh of disappointment at the sight. If that Sustenance Star Pellet had landed, Bafentang would already be meeting the God of Cookery.
Unfortunately, Bafentang's reflexes were simply too sharp.
Yet Little Nora was not fighting alone. Even as it attacked, Bolaiye struck as well. Bafentang had just barely dodged the Sustenance Star Pellet when it saw Bolaiye hook its index finger like a talon, unleashing a crimson slash of blood-light toward it.
Bolaiye - Finger Blade Slash!
This was Bolaiye's ultimate finishing move.
With no time left to dodge, Bafentang gritted its teeth and swung both mantis scythes against the crimson arc. The tips of its blades collided with the blood-light, and the immense kinetic force immediately shoved it backward.
A perfect opening!
Chaos Missile!
Seeing the opportunity, Yu Xian instantly fired off another missile at Bafentang.
At the same time, the Great Tree King shielding Yu Xian unleashed Tree King Leaf Blade Slash. Its branches shook violently, sending countless razor leaves whistling toward Bafentang from every direction.
Little Nora seized the moment to spit out another orb of light.
In that split second, Bafentang caught the unmistakable stench of death, feeling as if the Grim Reaper were closing in stride for stride.
Red Mantis Mode!
Red radiance flared in Bafentang's eyes. An instant later, it braced against the Bolaiye - Finger Blade Slash, its wings beating in a sudden, violent blur. In the blink of an eye, it vaulted high into the sky, evading every incoming attack.
Simultaneously, a terrifying aura erupted from its body, cloaking it from head to toe like roaring flames.
Chapter 464