Devour: Transcending time to become Hong, I am invincible in the starry sky.

Chapter 97: The Rampaging Iron Rhinoceros Herd

Dragon Lock Mountain Range, by Demon Moon Lake.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning occasionally ripped through the clouds, briefly illuminating the earth before plunging back into darkness.

Luo Feng hovered behind a huge dark red rock, his mental energy spreading out in all directions.

After confirming that there was no sign of other human teams, Luo Feng withdrew his mental energy and turned to Hong, who was also lying behind a rock.

"Brother, the area is safe for now."

Hong nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on the shimmering Yaoyue Lake two kilometers away.

On the lakeshore, hundreds of enormous iron rhinoceroses with single horns leisurely drank water. Their bodies were covered in thick, dark blue-green scales that reflected a cold, metallic luster in the occasional flashes of lightning that pierced the sky. A cold glint would occasionally flash from the thick, curved horn on their foreheads; the pressure of their ninth-tier, celestial-level power made the surrounding air feel thick and viscous.

Hong rapidly calculated wind speed, distance, and attack angle in his mind, then turned around to look at Thor, Taino, and Fuxi lying behind him.

"There are too many of these iron rhinoceroses. If we are surrounded, we won't even have a chance to escape. We can't afford to start a direct confrontation."

Hong's voice was very low.

"Fuxi, Tainuo, you two stay on guard around the perimeter and watch out for any groups of martial artists that might approach from other directions. Notify us immediately if there's any disturbance."

"Yes, Master."

Fuxi and Tainuo responded in unison, and then silently crept towards the piles of rocks on both sides.

Hong's gaze shifted to Thor and Luo Feng.

"Second brother, third brother, you two come with me. Our target is the lone iron rhinoceros that has broken away from the main herd on the far left edge of the lake."

Thor grinned silently, licked his slightly chapped lips, gripped his sword tightly, and looked on with excitement.

"Don't worry, Brother Hong, leave it to me. I guarantee it'll be done cleanly and efficiently."

Hong glared at him, warning him with his eyes to rein in his fighting spirit.

"Don't be careless. This is a genuine ninth-tier Heng-level ferocious beast. Its physical defense is even stronger than the simulated opponents we encountered in the virtual universe's killing field. Our actions must be discreet. Remember, act quickly, grab the goods and leave; don't delay."

Thor and Luo Feng both nodded in unison, their expressions turning solemn.

Using the huge rock as cover, the three of them stealthily made their way toward the lone one-horned iron rhinoceros.

Sneaking to within fifty meters of the lone iron rhinoceros, the three stopped behind a rock shaped like a tiger. The beast was lowering its head, intently gnawing on a lichen on the ground that emitted a faint glow, using its long, barbed tongue.

Hong made a slight gesture towards Thor.

The next second, Thor leaped out from behind the rock, his figure transforming into a bolt of lightning in mid-air, letting out a roar.

"Lie down now."

He gripped his battle sword tightly with both hands, pushing the genetic energy within his body to its limit, and with his nascent understanding of the lightning law, he slashed fiercely at the iron rhinoceros's thick neck.

"clang."

With a deafening metallic clang, sparks flew. Thor's powerful strike landed on the iron rhinoceros's thick scales, leaving only a white mark less than half a foot deep. The recoil traveled up the hilt of the blade, sending a shiver down his spine.

"roar."

The Iron Rhinoceros, in pain, suddenly turned its head and thrust its horn fiercely towards Thor's position.

Just then, Luo Feng's mental attack struck. The invisible mental force bombarded the Iron Rhino's mind, causing its massive body to stiffen.

Hong's figure blended into the surrounding shadows, and the black spear in his hand thrust out silently.

The Blood Blossom Secret Technique unleashes a power boost of thirty-five times.

Instead of directly colliding with the scales, the spear tip, at a tricky angle, followed the white mark left by Thor's slash, tracing along the tiny growth gaps between the scales, and pierced into the iron rhinoceros's thick carotid artery. The shockwave contained within the spear tip erupted, shattering its life core into fragments.

"boom."

The ninth-tier, eternal star-level ferocious beast collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless.

Luo Feng immediately stepped forward, and with a swift stroke, he severed the iron rhinoceros horn from its head, then casually tossed it into his spatial ring.

Luo Feng couldn't help but lower his voice and exclaim in admiration.

"Brother, your technique for generating power is absolutely amazing."

Thor rubbed his still throbbing wrist and complained softly.

"This beast's hide is really thick; it's really hard to cut."

Just as the three had succeeded and were preparing to quickly retreat according to plan to find their next target, a strange distortion suddenly appeared in the void deep within the peaceful Iron Rhinoceros herd in the distance.

An illusory image of an old man, composed of silver specks of light, coalesced and took shape in mid-air.

The silver-haired old man hovered in mid-air, his face withered and cold. His pure silver eyes, devoid of pupils, coldly stared in the direction where Hong and the others were.

"Think you can just take my things so easily? What a bunch of naive outsiders."

A cruel smile crept across the old man's lips. His withered finger, across a great distance, gently touched the herd of iron rhinoceroses on the lakeshore.

A wisp of silver energy instantly entered the body of the largest and strongest leader among the iron rhinoceroses.

As Hong called for Lei Shen and Luo Feng to prepare for retreat, an unexpected change occurred.

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently without warning, and the waters of Demon Moon Lake were also stirred up by this violent tremor, creating waves.

Hong's heart pounded wildly. He turned his head sharply and looked in the direction of Demon Moon Lake.

The herd of one-horned rhinoceroses, who had been quietly drinking water, suddenly raised their massive heads in unison.

Their eyes turned a scarlet red.

Immediately afterward, the massive leader roared to the sky. Led by it, the remaining hundreds of one-horned iron rhinoceroses formed a torrent, ignoring the other disturbed creatures on the lakeshore, and charged straight towards the location of Hong and his five-person team.

Rumble...

Huge rocks weighing hundreds of tons along the way were easily pulverized by their terrifying impact.

Luo Feng's mental power immediately sensed the terrifying charging formation, and he shouted loudly.

"How is that possible?"

"The one we killed was a lone one on the edge and didn't send out a distress signal, so why did the whole pack of beasts riot and lock onto our location?"

Hong's sharp gaze pierced through the swirling dust, and he keenly spotted the eerie silver light rapidly dissipating above the rhinoceros herd.

This is not a spontaneous revenge by the ferocious beasts, but rather something is secretly manipulating them.

"Never mind that, run!"

Hong had no time to explain. Without hesitation, he let out a sharp shout. The genetic energy within his body surged wildly, unleashing a powerful field of light that enveloped the weaker Taino, pulling him away at top speed.

Thor, Luo Feng, and Fu Xi also unleashed their full speed, clinging tightly to Hong's sides, and fleeing frantically in the direction they had come from without looking back.

Behind them, the earth-shaking roar grew closer and closer.

The wind howled in their ears, and countless hard pebbles were whipped up, stinging their faces. Under the pressure of 3,900 times the normal gravity, Hong's team pushed their speed to the limit. Behind them, a beast tide of hundreds of ninth-tier, Hengxing-level unicorn iron rhinoceroses surged forward, the dust they kicked up nearly obscuring half the sky.

Just as the group of five were fleeing for their lives, ten streaks of light were rapidly approaching them from the sky directly in front of them.

It was the same group of warriors who mocked them as trash at the entrance when they first entered the Thunder World.

The green-skinned psychic captain with pointed ears spotted Hong and the others running frantically on the ground from a great distance.

"Hey, aren't these the same few poor losers from earlier?"

The green-skinned captain hovered leisurely in mid-air, toying with the telekinetic weapon, the flying wheel, in his hand with a mocking expression.

"Running in such a hurry? Brothers, stop them!"

His men behind him immediately burst into laughter, drawing their weapons and preparing to easily annihilate the seemingly frail squad.

However, no sooner had the green-skinned captain finished speaking than the ground beneath his feet began to shake violently, the roar even drowning out the thunder in the sky.

He looked up in confusion, peering over Hong Xiaodui's head, and gazed behind him.

The next second, the mocking expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by terror.

That was a mass charge launched by ninth-tier ferocious beasts of the Hengxing level. With such a formation, let alone their ten-person team, even a cosmic-level powerhouse would probably have to temporarily retreat.

"This is unbelievable. What kind of monster have you damned bastards messed with?"

The green-skinned captain started cursing, his voice distorted.

"Withdraw. Withdraw now!"

These martial artists, who were just moments ago so arrogant, no longer cared about robbing anyone. They used every ounce of strength they had to turn and run, their speed even faster than Hong and his group.

As Thor raced through the gravitational pull, he watched the equally disheveled green-skinned squad fleeing ahead and couldn't help but burst into gloating laughter.

"Hey! Gentlemen in front, aren't you trying to rob me? Don't run away!"

Hong had no intention of joking. He listened to the approaching roar behind him and shouted in a deep voice.

"There's something wrong with these iron rhinoceroses. They won't stop until they've killed us all."