167: Chapter 167 Destiny Revealed

Qin Ce's voice was like a rope, pulling back those who were on the verge of falling apart.

Jiang Mo was the first to react; he turned and repeated the order to the people behind him, his voice hoarse but firm.

Lei Gang was the second. He patted the shoulder of his Black Iron War Ape, and the War Ape let out a low growl, taking a step forward.

The newcomers scrambled to adjust their positions, driving the young beasts toward the center and pulling the adult beasts to the outside.

The formation was adjusted within seconds; although it was crooked, it did not scatter.

And while they were adjusting their formation, Qin Ce had already moved.

Through the mental link, he gave Tianlu an order.

There was no hesitation, no probing; it was a direct, unquestionable command.

Tianlu crouched at Qin Ce's feet, and a nine-colored radiance flashed across its antlers.

Three clouds of vapor rose from its body, condensing into three runes in the air.

The runes were silver-white, with faint nine-colored halos around their edges, drifting out lightly like three leaves caught in the wind.

The speed was not fast; one could even say it was very slow.

Slow to the point that the three Earth Lizards had already charged to within twenty meters of the front of the team, slow to the point that someone in the team had already started screaming, slow to the point that the scouts on the distant hillside had covered their eyes.

Then, the runes landed on the Earth Lizards.

The three Earth Lizards froze simultaneously.

Their bodies maintained their charging posture, front claws suspended in mid-air, mouths agape, revealing their scorched yellow teeth and dark red tongues. But all movement had stopped.

It was as if a pause button had been pressed, as if they had been frozen in ice, as if someone had drained all the strength from their bodies. They fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Motionless.

The scout on the hillside nearly dropped his binoculars.

"What is that?"

"A light-element control rune? No, that's not right, light-element runes aren't this color. What breed is that little lion?"

"Never seen it before. Antlers, scales, bells... That's not a lion, is it a Qilin?"

"Whatever it is, did you see that? Those three black iron rank mutated Earth Lizards were frozen by a beast cub that's only a month old!"

No one could answer.

Because they didn't know the answer either.

Beside the off-road vehicle, the people from those families were also stunned.

They had seen many Pet Beasts, from Black Iron to Gold, from common to mutated, but they had never seen a Pet Beast like this—not high in rank, but with a ridiculously strong talent.

That little lion's potential should at least be Star-Glow Rank, or even higher.

But how could someone like this end up in the Wuji Army?

How could such a Pet Beast appear in the hands of an ordinary squad leader?

And while they were stunned, the Seventh Squad's ranged attacks had already landed.

Lei Gang's Black Iron War Ape was the first to strike.

It crouched in the front row of the team, clasped its hands together, and slammed them violently into the ground.

A visible shockwave exploded along the ground, kicking up rubble and dust, pushing toward the three frozen Earth Lizards like a wall.

The shockwave hit the Earth Lizards, flipping them over several times, and fine cracks appeared on their scales.

Sun Lie's Ice-Armored Blazing Rhino followed immediately.

Its scales changed from dark red to bright red, like a piece of iron burned through.

It opened its mouth, and a dark red fireball erupted from it, trailing a long tail of flame, accurately striking the head of one of the Earth Lizards.

The fireball exploded; the Earth Lizard's head jerked back violently, a puff of black smoke spewed from its mouth, and a burnt, foul smell filled the air.

Then came the attacks from the others.

Wind Blades, fireballs, ice spikes, rock spikes, lightning—various skills poured down on the three Earth Lizards like a rainstorm.

The newcomers were inaccurate; some missed, some hit the hardest part of the Earth Lizard's back armor, leaving only a shallow white mark.

The veterans were steady; every strike landed on a vital point—eyes, throat, abdomen, joints.

The three Earth Lizards had not moved a single inch from start to finish.

It wasn't that they didn't want to move; it was that they couldn't.

Tianlu's Lumeng rune was like three nails, pinning them firmly to the ground.

Ten seconds.

Three rounds of attacks.

Over a hundred skills.

Three mutated Red-Scaled Earth Lizards with Black Iron Peak combat power,

unable to fight back, unable to dodge, unable to defend, were beaten into sieves alive.

When the last attack landed, the bodies of the three Earth Lizards twitched simultaneously, then went completely still.

Fresh blood seeped out from the gaps in their scales, staining the ground beneath them dark red.

Someone in the team let out a long breath, like a drowning person finally surfacing.

Some sat slumped on the ground, trembling all over.

Some were hugging their Pet Beasts, shoulders heaving, not knowing whether they were crying or laughing.

But they did not retreat. Not a single step.

Jiang Mo stood in the middle of the team, looking at the three Earth Lizard corpses, then at Qin Ce's back.

His hands were still shaking, but the corners of his mouth were curling upward.

Lei Gang crouched on the ground, patting the head of his Black Iron War Ape. The War Ape looked back at him, letting out a low, rumbling sound in its throat, as if to say, "What is there to be afraid of?"

The newcomers were hugging their Pet Beasts; some were crying, some were laughing, some were pale, some were stomping their feet in excitement.

But everyone was still there. No one had fallen, no one had run, no one had died.

"I hit it! I hit it! My Pet Beast hit it on the first shot!"

"Me too! I fired three shots, all hits!"

"Those Earth Lizards couldn't even move; they just stood there and let us hit them. This is easier than training!"

On the hillside, the scouts looked at each other.

Beside the off-road vehicle, the family members were silent.

No one expected the Seventh Squad to survive the first wave.

It wasn't luck; that control skill was just too strong.

Ten seconds of hard control was enough for a well-trained team to unleash three rounds of concentrated fire.

Ten seconds, over a hundred skills, enough to turn any beast of the same rank into a sieve.

"That little lion... what exactly is its background?"

"I don't know. But that control skill, I've never seen it before. It's not just ordinary immobilization; it even sealed their energy circulation. Look at those Earth Lizards when they fell—all the flames on their bodies were extinguished."

"If he can keep controlling them, this battle might be winnable."

"Keep controlling them? You're dreaming. A control skill of that level must have a huge cost. A cub that's only a month old—it's good if it can control them three times. What happens after the third time? Waiting to die?"

Just as the words left his mouth, a low, angry beast roar came from the distance.

It wasn't the hissing sound of ordinary Earth Lizards, but a true roar, squeezed from the depths of the throat, carrying immense pressure.

Everyone looked up simultaneously toward the small hill.

An Earth Lizard leader had stood up.

Its size was a full two sizes larger than the other Earth Lizards, and its scales were not dark red, but a deep red nearing black, like congealed blood.

Its eyes were not blood-red, but dark gold, with pupils slit into a single line, coldly scanning the area below.

There were no flames on its body, but the surrounding air was twisting—not from burning, but from pure pressure emanating from its rank.

Bronze Peak.

No, a notch higher than Bronze Peak.

It was a mutated Bronze Peak; its true combat power might have already touched the threshold of Silver.

The leader let out a short roar.

It wasn't anger; it was a command.

Over a hundred Red-Scaled Earth Lizards moved simultaneously.

Not the tentative charge from before, but a real, all-out attack.

From all directions—from the mountain, from below the mountain, from behind the rocks, from beneath the ground.

Black Iron High-grade, Black Iron Peak, bronze low-grade, mid-grade bronze—beasts of various ranks mixed together, surging like a tide.

There was no fear in their eyes, no hesitation, only a suppressed, impending madness ready to erupt.