Embark on the Road

by Tai Baiyang

  Hearing Zhang Mu’s reply, the mutated wolfdog immediately shook his head and stopped barking. Even if it managed to kill that mutated tiger, it was because the mutated tiger slacked off and underestimated it, hence resulting in the chance for it to deal a killing blow. Under normal circumstances, the chances of defeating each other in a confrontation would be equal. This time, it suffered due to the natural attributes of a wolfdog as well as the sneak attack, which left the mutated tiger in shock.

  Hence, forget about the ninety mutated tigers, it might not even be able to defeat the four that were imprisoned by Zhang Mu if the tigers attacked it together. Thus, the mutated wolfdog whimpered near Zhang Mu’s feet, appearing rather pitiful.

  On the other hand, Zhang Mu was looking interestingly at the mutated wolfdog cleaning the mutated tiger’s blood off its body. He never imagined that the mutated wolfdog would single-handedly kill a mutated tiger. Seems like it still has some ferocity, “Tsk tsk tsk, this time your performance was not bad. You will have some rewards when we go back.”

  The mutated wolfdog immediately lifted his head up upon hearing Zhang Mu’s compliment. It looked at Zhang Mu excitedly, shaking its tail.

  The fact that it was able to its use its earth-type energy to form a sharp spike to injure the mutated tiger must be because of the ten earth-type beast-cores that Zhang Mu gave it last time. Without these pure earth-type energies to refine its beast-core, the mutated wolfdog would not be confident to form a sharp spike that would be strong enough to withstand the claw by the mutated tiger.

  Before evolving, the spike of the mutated wolfdog would not be able to withstand the heavy blows of the mutated tiger and it would definitely shatter, leaving the mutated wolfdog vulnerable. Even if the mutated wolfdog withstood this blow, it may still lead to a fatal end. When faced with a life and death situation, even a rabbit would bite a person. What about a tiger? Zhang Mu shifted his gaze from the wolfdog that was rubbing his head against him and analysed the situation inside the cage through the Bloodvine Lotus.

  By now, the mutated tigers had almost stopped resisting. They kept cutting the vines that were grabbing their throats, only to have new vines growing out and continuing the task. They couldn’t move an inch.

  Zhang Mu felt that it was about time to end all this. He controlled the Bloodvine Lotus and dragged the four mutated tigers onto the inner walls of the cage made of vines. Short vines immediately grew out and pierced into their bodies. The truth was, the Bloodvine Lotus only had a limited amount of vines. Controlling the four mutated tigers and maintaining the structure of the cage had almost depleted all the resources it could use. Hence, it could only rely on shorter vines to cut through their bodies and suck their blood.

  The Bloodvine Lotus was like a bottomless pit, its vines ceaselessly piercing into their bodies one by one, sucking their blood. If anyone saw this scene, they would have goosebumps all over their body. The scene wasn’t gory, but the death was slow and painful.

  The mutated tigers were losing their vitality. Their feet had stopped moving, even starting to lose the strength to support themselves. Zhang Mu saw that they had no intention of putting up resistance and immediately withdrew the vines that were binding them, instead focusing on draining their blood.

  However, just as Zhang Mu changed his intention, the eyes of the four mutated tigers opened in sync. Zhang Mu got a bad feeling. Thats right, until now, the mutated tigers have not shown their true powers.

  Sure enough, the event took a turn for the worse. The mutated tigers took advantage of the looser vines and managed to create a small gap.

  But, this was enough!

  The four mutated tigers simultaneously spurted flames from their mouth. The flames engulfed the inner walls of the cage made by the Bloodvine Lotus. The defense of the Bloodvine lotus seemed to be breaking soon.

  Oh no! He got careless and didn’t realise that the mutated tigers were fire-types, which could subdue the Bloodvine Lotus. This is bad, Zhang Mu thought. Any one of the mutated tigers could bring out all the other mutated tigers in the village if their throat is fully opened.

  The mutated tigers watched as the vines which grabbed their throats burned. With almost half the vines burnt, they would be able to give a warning to their comrades soon. Their comrades would definitely avenge them by killing this treacherous man and dog.

  The mutated tigers actually had some intelligence. Their eyes filled with delight as though their plan had worked out, as though, in the end, Zhang Mu would still lose to them. Through the thin outer wall, the foremost tiger could see Zhang Mu. Their eyes met.

  Zhang Mu had no idea what to do now. The minute these mutated tigers roared, they could only run. The White Tiger gave him a very dangerous feeling. If there was a choice, he wouldn't want to confront the White Tiger that seemed close to evolving to the second rank.

  As he was thinking about this, Zhang Mu had already prepared to run. He was calculating how long the other mutated tigers would take to get here after hearing the roars of these trapped tigers, in order to decide if he could safely retrieve the beast-cores of these five mutated tigers. He was not prepared to leave empty-handed after using so much effort to fight the mutated tigers.

  However, the long awaited roars never came. He turned around in surprise, only to realise that the mutated tigers were in shock as well. The vines that were burnt had regrown back with new vines which constricted the throats of the mutated tigers even tighter.

  Zhang Mu eyes lit up as he realised what had happened.

  The Bloodvine Lotus had undergone a fiery baptism in the hands of Era merchant No. 35. Hence, the healing power it received from its mutation allowed it to gain a resistance to fire. The power of the mutated tigers was much weaker compared to the fiery hell of Era merchant No. 35.

  This meant that one of the few weaknesses of the Bloodvine Lotus - fire - was no longer relevant.

  Chapter 75: Great harvest?

  At this moment, Zhang Mu was filled with mixed emotions. He thought that the situation had spun out of control and that he would have to end this battle by running away defeated. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the power of the Bloodvine Lotus.

  Most of the mutated plants, including the Bloodvine Lotus, would have an innate fear towards fire. No matter what supplementary energies they possessed, their foundation was the earth-type energy. This led to a glaring constraint. Due to the mutual restriction within the five elements, mutated plants would be more or less be affected, mentally and/or physically, when they met with a fire-type energy opponent.

  But, this problem wasn’t as serious for the Bloodvine Lotus.

  If he knew that the mutated tigers were fire-types, Zhang Mu would’ve been extra careful when fighting them and would not give them any chance to use their energy. He would kill them with a single blow.

  However, Zhang Mu wasn’t aware. Hence, he chose the safer way. Instead of directly ordering the Bloodvine Lotus to use its hidden vines to penetrate the skulls of the mutated tigers and retrieve the beast-cores, he chose to imprison them and slowly suck their life out. The advantage of slowly weakening them was to reduce the energy of their thrashing, and reduce the chances that they would roar. Unfortunately, this gave the intelligent mutated tigers a chance to turn the tables around and to almost destroy Zhang Mu’s plan.

  Fortunately, the Bloodvine Lotus had already formed a resistance to flames which not only reduced the damage it took, but also caused the vines which were sent out to regenerate continuously even as they got burnt. Just like a rebirth in fire.

  After glancing at the bodies of the mutated tigers, Zhang Mu pulled out the claw of the Obsidian Beetle and accurately retrieved the five first-ranked high-quality beast-cores. Then, he signalled the mutated wolfdog to pull a mutated tiger corpse further backwards while he stored the rest of the bodies in his Merchant’s Ring.

  Now, what was left was to stealthily wait for the next batch of prey to fall into his trap.

  Zhang Mu ordere
d the mutated wolfdog to stay further away. He would handle the rest. The wolfdog had already accomplished its mission.

  The mutated wolfdog had already calmed down. Thinking back, if Zhang Mu didn’t help, it would have been shredded to pieces by the four mutated tigers. Consumed by its savagery, it never thought of releasing its bite to retreat.

  The mutated wolfdog didn’t want to continue this crazy act with Zhang Mu anymore. This time five mutated tigers had come. Next time, there may be even more. Who knows how many mutated tigers would be coming. Zhang Mu even went so far as to strip the skin and remove the bones from one of the mutated tiger’s corpse and blatantly left it in the middle of the pathway. The mutated wolfdog gave Zhang Mu a disgusted look as it left to hide far away.

  Zhang Mu was confident in the arrogance of the mutated tigers and the white tiger. They would never believe that their comrades met with danger, and would come out in search for them just because they have been out for too long. Also, the search party would not have a lot of tigers. At most, there would be five of them, the same number as before. Zhang Mu understood how they felt - these mutated animals had evolved from naturally ferocious animals. Evolution would amplify their emotions, including their arrogance.

  As Zhang Mu used a few bushes as cover as he controlled the Bloodvine Lotus to penetrate the earth and lay in wait beneath the body of the mutilated mutated tiger. In the village, some of the mutated tigers paced around anxiously. They wondered why their comrades took so long to kill a weak-looking wolfdog. Did they sneak off to play? Isn’t that just provoking their boss?

  Those that had blood ties or were closed with the five mutated tigers kept walking in circles, often glancing towards the entrance of the village.

  Another five minutes passed. They couldn’t sit still any longer. Those five friends must have either met with some danger or got playful and stayed outside. If it was the latter, they would be punished by their boss. Although the White Tiger looked elegant, those that had been brought up by it knew how brutal it can get.

  Thus, they stood up once again and growled a few times at the White Tiger. It looked as though they were asking for permission to bring the five mutated tigers back. If they settled this themselves, the punishment would be much smaller.

  The White Tiger calmly sat on the most comfortable animal skin and glanced towards the mutated tigers that stood up. It, of course, knew what its subordinates were thinking. However, it was in a good mood today. It didn’t think that there would be any problems happening to those who chased the timid wolfdog. It had huge confidence in its species. In the bloody massacre in the zoo of Luoyang City, there were no other species of mutated animals which dared to go against it. Hence, the White Tiger never feared anything. Due to the natural advantage of their species and under the influence of evolution, it self-proclaimed itself as the King of Flame.

  Thinking about this, it gave a low roar and turned his head, no longer looking at his subordinates. Those mutated tigers that wished to search for their friends and families immediately leapt off as they heaved a sigh of relief.

  Their eyes were filled with anxiety. The other mutated tigers who didn’t have any relationship with the first batch of tigers gloated over their misfortune. They had seen how the tigers that defied the White Tiger were punished. What the White Tiger wanted was complete submission. Anyone that went against him, even if they are from the same species, would die a terrible death.

  Zhang Mu waited for fifteen minutes before he saw what he waited for. The big bodies of five mutated tigers appeared in his view, coming in afar with an overbearing aura.

  So really five of them came? They are still as proud as before. Unfortunately, the truth is the scenario that none of you pictured.

  As expected, the mutated tigers saw the corpse of their friend left in plain sight and the feelings of disbelief and anger consumed them. In an instant, they rushed to the corpse and held the head which could no longer move.

  Good chance to catch them all at one go!

  Just at this moment, when Zhang Mu was about to act, an incident happened. One of the mutated tigers suddenly gave a loud and sad roar, as though the corpse on the ground belonged to one of its family members.

  This is bad!

  Zhang Mu initially thought that he could carry out the same plan again, but he didn’t foresee that those comrades who came over to search would consist of a family member. The strong emotions it felt caused it to give a loud roar.

  Such a piercing and resounding roar. Zhang Mu was certain that the sound reached the village.

  Zhang Mu squinted his eyes. There is no time to hesitate. He needs to act now and end this fast.

  Even though he had asked the mutated wolfdog to drag the battleground further away, the roar could easily be heard by the other mutated tigers.

  Chapter 76: Dine ‘n’ Dash

  Just like the previous time, numerous vines rapidly formed a cage big enough to enclose the five mutated tigers, shutting them in as they were caught up in their emotions. This time, Zhang Mu didn’t play it safe and acted without delay. Five thick vines decisively and viciously struck at the vital points of the five mutated tigers under his control, not showing any mercy.

  The mutated tiger which was grieving the most was the first to react to the shock given by the Bloodvine Lotus. It immediately realised that this person was the one behind its family member’s death.

  Intuitively, the mutated tiger used all his energy and spurted flames in the direction which emitted danger. The flame lit up the dark corners of the cage. To save time, Zhang Mu controlled the vines and faced the huge pillar of flames head-on.

  Unavoidably, the outer layers of the vine were damaged the instant they came into contact with the flame. However, Zhang Mu didn’t care about this small injury and continued to charge forward at all costs.

  At the same time, Zhang Mu continuously fed crystals into the main body of the Bloodvine Lotus on his left arm. He had a reserve of nearly ten thousand crystals. The use of a few would do no harm.

  Under the Zhang Mu’s control, the vines of the Bloodvine Lotus continued vigorously striking with more and more energy even after part of it was burnt. The crystals fed by Zhang Mu converted to a steady stream of energy, pushing it forward.

  The mutated tiger’s eyes were filled with disbelief and anger. After the Bloodvine Lotus broke through the flame breath, the emotions changed to fear and enlightenment. It finally understood how its family member died in the hands of Zhang Mu.

  The vine, using the half which was left unburnt and strengthened by the power of the crystals, followed the path of the flame and pierced through the mouth of the mutated tiger, cutting through its head. The rest of the mutated tigers met with normal vines. However, under the fierce attack by Zhang Mu, they too died a horrible death.

  While this only took a breath to describe, it took long enough for the other tigers to rush down the mountain and form a circle around Zhang Mu.

  As many as ten mutated tigers surrounded him. They had rushed over under the orders of the White Tiger after hearing the sad and angry roar of its comrade.

  Only ten mutated tigers to settle the danger? Are they still so confident? Do they really think that their species is invincible?

  Zhang Mu’s eyes filled with disdain as he watched the mutated tigers closing in on him. He didn’t feel any fear. Instead, he scoffed at them.

  Too much confidence in their power. Too much confidence in their intelligence. Too much confidence in thinking they can imitate us, humans.

  This was all the opinions that Zhang Mu had of the White Tiger commander.

  The ten mutated tigers didn’t imagine this would happen too. They thought that their comrades might have met some other strong animals, but with their combined strengths and numbers, they could easily defeat them. Also, the sound wasn’t far away, those mutated tigers that just went out would definitely last until they arrived.

  Therefore they just needed to work together and they ca
n defeat the other party.

  However, when they arrived, they were in shock. The enemy was just a weak-looking human and a weird-looking plant which had twirled into a ball. But after hearing muffled grunts, they recognised that their comrades were trapped inside the cage made by the plant. Hence, the ten mutated tigers gave a low roar and lowered their body, preparing to pounce on Zhang Mu.

  Despite all this, Zhang Mu still calmly stared at the mutated tigers prowling closer and closer. He was waiting.

  Suddenly, Zhang Mu’s face lit up. He had a satisfied look. The mutated tigers didn’t know how powerful Zhang Mu was, but after hearing their comrades' dying roar inside the cage, their fur stood up. The roar was filled with regrets.

  The mutated tigers felt the presence of their comrades within the cage. Their innate abilities were awakened and they threw caution to the wind, even forgetting about the doubt they had about Zhang Mu as he stood there alone yet full of confidence.

  “Hehe, have you all finally decided to act? Too bad, you are all one step too late.”

  “You are the King of all animals, why were you all cowed by me so easily?”

  Actually, the mutated tigers couldn’t be blamed for being scared. After rebirthing, Zhang Mu’s aura had changed. He had brought over a part of him from the future and it was showing in him now. The presence of the Bloodvine Lotus also complemented his powerful aura. Most importantly, it was the confidence Zhang Mu displayed, the confidence that he could win over anyone or any animals.

  Hence, even though the ten tigers were only five metres away from him, he continued to stare at the biggest mutated tiger right in from of him. This mutated tiger had an exceptionally strong tail that was twice as big as a normal mutated tiger. On the tail, there were sharp thorns with a metallic sheen.

  That caught Zhang Mu’s interest. He didn’t know that he could already see mutated animals possessing a second energy. It has been a while. Although in the future there were many cases of such evolution appearing in mutated animals, they were only first rank now!