Chapter 630: Encircling the Big Guy
“If I had to choose again, I'd still make the decision to kidnap him.”
“If I could bring him back to Eruption Island, then everything I sacrificed would be worth it!”
“Too bad he caught the gods' attention. To be chosen by the divine, how immense must that favor be?!”
Da Dou still vividly recalled the scenes from the earth elemental tribe's stronghold, where the big guy had unleashed his formidable power.
Playing dumb to catch the wise?
Da Dou had once entertained that theory.
But he soon dismissed the notion.
He had confirmed the big guy wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, dull and simple-minded. Yet his background was undeniably complex!
“This little guy has been lurking in the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Ever since I snatched him away, he's been desperate to return.”
“Perhaps the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps isn't so simple either!”
Da Dou's thoughts raced. Because of Xiao Guai, he now regarded the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps with greater respect.
"What's that smell? So fragrant!" Hong Zhu, carrying a large bundle, entered the cave.
She reported to Da Dou the results of her outing: “Lord Da Dou, I've gathered the dwarf grass and sweet potatoes you requested.”
As she spoke, she opened the bundle.
While stir-frying rice, Da Dou glanced over and nodded approvingly. “Excellent. Most are silver level, with a few even reaching gold level.”
“Didn’t those earth elementals cause you trouble?”
Da Dou was somewhat surprised, not expecting Hong Zhu to exceed his assigned task.
Hong Zhu replied, “Maybe I just got lucky this time. I didn't encounter any decent earth elementals along the way.”
Da Dou continued, " Don't go out anymore."
“Intelligence indicates members of the Blood Light Punishment Institution have arrived nearby.”
“What?” Hong Zhu startled, then nodded quickly in agreement.
She had once fought side by side with Cang Xu on Two Eyes Island. This was a huge suspicion that had become a thorn in Hong Zhu's side. Back then, she had fled Two Eyes Island precisely because she feared she couldn't explain herself clearly.
Hong Zhu still retained her freedom.
Unlike Da Dou, she hadn't become the big guy's slave.
Yet after that battle, she hadn't severed ties with the big guy or Da Dou, she chose to remain attached to him.
“Compared to Da Dou, Lord Sleeping Man is the real powerhouse.”
“I'm a treasure hunter. Isn't he the greatest treasure I've ever encountered?”
The big guy in his Divine Descent state had left an indelible impression on Hong Zhu, sparking countless wonderful fantasies within her.
“My bloodline is what it is, my lifetime rank cap is silver level.”
“Lord Sleeping Man has earned the favor of the gods. If I can rely on him, as he keeps advancing, my life will improve alongside his!”
This was the world of the strong.
Facing the powerful, the weak develop a dependency, a natural survival strategy.
Da Dou finished stir-frying the rice and cast the battle skill [Food Compression], downgrading the gold level fluttering boat fried rice to silver level.
“Eat up. This is what suits you best.” Da Dou scooped the entire pot of fried rice into a giant bowl.
The big guy lifted the enormous bowl and buried his head in it, devouring the meal with relish.
Seeing this, Hong Zhu swallowed hard, filled with envy.
She knew her place: “This isn't something I'm worthy of enjoying.”
“A gold level magic dish compressed down to silver level, what extravagance.”
Hong Zhu had only heard of such things before, never witnessed them.
Lately, however, she'd seen it happen many times with her own eyes.
Da Dou did not disappoint the fishman youngster's expectations, diligently feeding the big guy lavishly at every meal.
He put away the iron wok and began carefully inspecting the ingredients Hong Zhu had brought.
“Not bad. These are all very fresh.”
“For the next meal, I can prepare a uniquely flavored dinner for Master.”
The words barely left his mouth when his expression changed drastically.
“Enemy attack!” he bellowed.
In an instant, he whipped his head around, spun on his heel, and dragged the big guy away.
“Food!” The big guy hadn't finished eating before Da Dou hauled him off.
He hadn't managed to grab the giant bowl. Seeing some fried rice left at the bottom, he instinctively reached out to scoop it up.
He grabbed nothing but air.
The big guy stretched his arms out, watching the fried rice fall to the ground with profound reluctance.
Almost the very next second.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the earth.
Dozens of massive conical spikes erupted from the ground, cave walls, and ceiling, violently piercing the open space. In an instant, they nearly blocked off an entire section of the cave.
Had Da Dou been a second later, she would have faced this terrifying assault.
Hong Zhu was utterly horrified.
When Da Dou turned to flee, she followed without hesitation.
Now standing beside him, she trembled with lingering fear. One second later, and she too would have been crushed to dust by those spikes.
“Who in the world is attacking us?!” Hong Zhu was utterly bewildered.
The next moment, the aura of earth elementals surged forth in succession.
One, two, three... over a dozen gold level auras surrounded the cave.
Immediately after, silver level and bronze level earth elementals ceased hiding, surging from the ground to encircle the small mountain where Da Dou stood, leaving no escape.
Hong Zhu's face turned deathly pale.
“I was just picking some wild greens and sweet potatoes,” she murmured in disbelief. “Surely this isn't necessary?”
Da Dou's face turned ashen. “Could it be that the earth elemental tribe we defeated was special?”
The earth elemental army offered no answers, instead roaring as they charged from all directions.
Leading the assault were over a dozen gold level earth elementals.
“We're done for!” Hong Zhu plunged into utter despair at that moment.
“There's still a chance!” Da Dou growled, slamming his fist against his chest.
In the next instant, his fire-patterned tattoos surged, erupting into a blazing inferno.
The flames spread rapidly.
Divine script shimmered within the fire, coalescing into a brilliant, spherical crimson light barrier.
Da Dou gritted his teeth: “I never imagined the divine script formation I painstakingly set up here for safety would actually activate!”
Though lacking combat experience, Da Dou possessed one strength: he excelled at learning from failure.
After being defeated by Shuang Lian and nearly captured, he decisively changed his approach. He now used the Tunnel Staff whenever necessary, no longer hesitating as before.
Last time, while tending to the unconscious the big guy, he failed to detect the underground Earth Elemental Chieftain's ambush. The big guy was snatched away, forcing him to pay a devastating price afterward and nearly costing him his own life.
Thus, upon returning to the cave, he learned from his mistake. He expended considerable effort, arranging numerous fire divine scripts across this small hill.
It was precisely this tactic that allowed Da Dou to detect the enemy's surprise attack, thereby saving the big guy's life.
Now, Da Dou had activated all the divine scripts he had laid out, forming a spherical wall of fire.
The gold level earth elemental bodies charged toward the wall of fire but halted in their tracks.
They sensed a powerful threat emanating from this layer of flames.
These earth elementals were either clan chieftains or the foremost warriors within their tribes. As gold level beings, they naturally held significant status.
It was only through receiving the oracle of the Main Earth Elemental God that they had endured their differences, formed a coalition, and mobilized nearly all their forces to hunt down the big guy.
The hearts of gold level earth elementals were never tightly knit. They hesitated before the fire curtain.
Whoever broke through the fire curtain first would pay a heavy price.
This would undoubtedly forfeit the credit for slaying the big guy.
Without question, whoever personally killed the big guy would be the greatest hero of this operation, most likely to earn the favor of the Main Earth Elemental God!
The earth elementals wavered, while Da Dou raced against time.
He knew his fire barrier could withstand at most one or two opponents of the same level. Moreover, it required constant infusion of divine power to sustain.
With over a dozen gold level foes now present, successful defense was utterly impossible.
"We must leave this place! Everyone, get into my bag!" he shouted to Hong Zhu and the big guy.
Hong Zhu's eyes lit up. Recognizing this as the best strategy, she hurried toward Da Dou.
But Da Dou first grabbed the big guy by the neck and opened the packing bag at his waist.
The big guy crouched on the ground, hands clutching his head, trembling violently.
Terrified by the earth elemental army, he made no move to resist Da Dou.
But Da Dou failed.
He couldn't put the big guy in.
“Space is locked; I can't even open the bag!” Da Dou's face darkened.
Hong Zhu saw it and blurted out, "This must be some kind of spatial anchor spell effect. What do we do now?"
She was utterly tense, pinning her last hope on the two men before her.
Da Dou took a deep breath, half-kneeling on the ground. He quickly murmured a prayer before casting the Flame Flicker divine spell.
This spell allowed him to traverse space, crossing a certain distance.
With the aid of the Flame Totem on his body, though it was difficult, Da Dou succeeded.
He clutched Hong Zhu in one hand while gripping the big guy's throat with the other, expending several times his divine power to transform all three into flames.
“One, two, three, strike!” The gold level earth elementals coordinated their attack, shattering the wall of fire in an instant.
But all they saw was an empty clearing.
Outside the cave, the earth elemental army descended into chaos.
An earth elemental shouted, “They're here!”
The gold level earth elementals spun around and charged out of the cave.
On another mountain peak.
The imperial spy's mouth hung open in disbelief as he watched Da Dou lead the two others, weaving through the earth elemental army.
“Now, do you still think I was joking?” Tu Ji crossed his arms, observing coldly.
The imperial spy slowly shook his head, as if suddenly awakening, finally closing his gaping mouth.
Clasping his forehead, he cried out, "How is this possible? These earth elemental tribes have actually united to form a coalition force?"
“Why are they hunting down Hong Zhu and the others?”
This was precisely the question Tu Ji wanted to ask.
But now was clearly not the time for questions.
With the successive involvement of gold level earth elementals, Hong Zhu and her companions were already in grave peril.
“Hong Zhu... she can't be killed like this,” Tu Ji lamented inwardly.
She was his only lead at present.