236: The Key's Return Journey and the Hunt by the "Scavengers"

Clutching the crystal key that still retained some residual warmth, Wen Youyi and the other six quickly left the core control room, which had now fallen completely silent.

As they returned to the ancient hall above via the stone stair passage they had come from, they discovered that the tremors throughout the ruins had not ceased; instead, they were intensifying.

Rubble and dust kept falling from the dome, and the light on the walls was rapidly dimming.

"This place is going to collapse!" Wang Wu's expression changed.

"The energy core has been completely exhausted," Wen Youyi said in a low voice. "Taking the key triggered the final self-destruct or dormancy sequence. Move!"

The group did not dare to delay and sprinted along the central avenue toward the stone bridge.

Behind them, the roar of collapsing boulders was endless; the entire ruin was like a giant that had fulfilled its final wish, slowly sinking into an eternal dream.

When they rushed out of the hall and onto the central avenue, they discovered that the relatively thin mist that had previously shrouded the ruins was now churning violently, as if it had lost some kind of restraint and become more ferocious.

That unsettling psychic whispering also became clear once again.

"Oh no, the barrier effect of the ruins is weakening!" Mu Wanqing warned.

Sure enough, when they rushed to the edge of the stone bridge, they found that the originally solid invisible barrier at the bridgehead had become extremely thin, rippling like water!

On the other side of the barrier, the Corrupted Wolf King with a sarcoma on its forehead and its minions seemed to have sensed the change in the barrier as well, becoming even more restless and violent, constantly slamming their bodies against the crumbling barrier!

"The barrier won't last much longer! Cross the bridge, quickly!" Wen Youyi shouted.

The seven of them did not hesitate and rushed onto the stone bridge again! This time, they were eager to return and moved even faster than when they came!

Just as they reached the middle of the stone bridge—"Crack!" A sound like shattering glass rang out, and the invisible barrier at the bridgehead completely dissipated!

"ROAR!!!" The long-suppressed Corrupted Wolf King let out a heaven-shaking roar of release. Its massive body, like a cannonball fired from its chamber, carried an overwhelming Aura of filth as it rushed onto the stone bridge first, lunging straight at Wen Youyi at the end of the group!

The army of corruption behind it surged onto the bridge like a burst dam!

"Damn it! They just won't let go!" Zhao Iron Pillar cursed, but he didn't dare stop, only able to keep running while looking back to guard.

"Don't look back! Sprint with everything you've got!" Wen Youyi ordered, simultaneously waving his hand back, firing several condensed beams of Star Power at the closest Corrupted Wolf King in an attempt to slow it down.

The Wolf King angrily swiped its claws to disperse the beams, its speed only slightly hindered for a moment before it chased after them again, the distance between them constantly closing!

Seeing that the Wolf King's sharp claws were about to touch his back again, and Wen Youyi could even smell the nauseating stench, he suddenly raised the crystal key in his hand high!

"Hum—!" The key seemed to sense the extreme filth and threat, spontaneously erupting with dazzling starlight!

A pure, vast, and supremely majestic wave of Star Power rippled outward!

"Awoo—!" The Corrupted Wolf King, bearing the brunt of it, let out a howl of pain mixed with fear, as if burned by a hot branding iron. Its forward momentum stopped abruptly, and the wriggling sarcoma on its forehead twitched violently, its glow dimming significantly!

The army of corruption behind it also became restless as if they had met their nemesis, their charge slowing down! The crystal key had a natural, powerful suppression effect on these creatures corrupted by filthy energy!

"It works!" The group's spirits lifted, and they seized the opportunity to sprint with all their might, finally crossing the stone bridge and stepping onto the black rock zone on the other side once again.

The Corrupted Wolf King roared in frustration, but it seemed extremely wary of the starlight emitted by the key, lingering at the bridgehead and not daring to easily cross the line.

However, it did not give up. It commanded the army of corruption to move parallel to the exploration team along the opposite bank, separated by the rift, clearly intending to wait for the power fluctuations of the key to weaken before pursuing them again.

"Quick! Return the way we came! Rendezvous with the remaining team!" Wen Youyi did not dare to be slow; who knew how long the deterrence of this key would last.

The group traveled quickly along their original path, moving through the sparse strange rocks and the black rocky terrain. With the protection of the starlight emitted by the key, the scattered corrupted creatures retreated one after another, making their journey much smoother than when they had come.

However, just as they were about to rush out of the black rocky terrain and return to the edge of the twisted forest, already able to see the defensive positions established by the remaining team relying on giant rocks in the distance, a new crisis arose!

In the sky, the gray-purple mist was forcibly pushed aside by a powerful force! Three figures emitting cold silver light, like reapers, descended slowly in a triangular formation, blocking their path!

It was those three "Scavengers"! Somehow, they had achieved a Breakthrough through the outer mist and found this place!

Their cold electronic eyes instantly locked onto the crystal key held in Wen Youyi's hand, which was emitting strong fluctuations of Star Power!

[High-priority target detected: Unknown rule creation, energy level exceeds critical threshold. Executing highest directive: Capture or destroy.]

A emotionless, synthesized electronic voice spoke from the mouths of all three "Scavengers" simultaneously. Their arms transformed, condensing even more dangerous energy weapons. A powerful energy force field instantly enveloped the area, and even the starlight emitted by the key seemed to be suppressed for a moment!

With "Scavengers" blocking the path ahead and the army of corruption eyeing them covetously from behind! A true desperate situation!

Wen Youyi's expression was grave to the extreme. He had no doubt that these three metal hulks were definitely ten times more troublesome than that Corrupted Wolf King! They represented the most direct military force of the "Creation Heavenly Court," cold machines that existed to eliminate all "BUGS"!

"Boss, what do we do?" Zhao Iron Pillar gripped his heavy sword tightly, veins throbbing on his forehead. Facing the "Scavengers," he felt unprecedented pressure.

Wen Youyi took a deep breath, his brain operating at an unprecedented speed. Fight head-on? There was absolutely no chance of winning! Flee? Where to flee? Retreat to the ruins? The ruins were collapsing, and since the key had already been obtained, retreating was meaningless.

His gaze swept past the "Scavengers" standing in battle formation, then glanced at the restless Corrupted Wolf King on the other side of the rift behind them. An extremely risky, one could even say insane, idea flashed through his mind like lightning!

Drive the tiger to devour the wolf! No, it was... Lure the wolf to fight the puppet!

He suddenly feinted with the crystal key in his hand toward the direction of the Corrupted Wolf King, making a fake motion of throwing it with all his might, while simultaneously using his Star Power to instantly amplify and precisely "splash" the pure fluctuations of the key—which corrupted creatures extremely loathed yet craved—onto the three "Scavengers"!

It was as if he were saying: "Look! They also have the power you hate the most and want the most!"

Sure enough! "ROAR!!!" Although the Corrupted Wolf King on the opposite bank did not have high intelligence, it was instinctively extremely sensitive to that pure Star Power, especially when this power appeared on the "Scavengers" it considered mortal enemies (it was successfully deceived by Wen Youyi's misdirection), and its rage instantly reached its peak!

It believed that the "Scavengers" had stolen or, rather, defiled the "sacred object" it craved!

And the scanning Systems of the three "Scavengers" immediately captured the lock-on from the Corrupted Wolf King, which was filled with extreme malice and filthy energy! In their judgment, such a high-concentration corruption aggregate was also an "anomaly" that must be eliminated!

"Awoo—!" "Executing elimination!" Almost simultaneously, the Corrupted Wolf King let out a roar that tore through the sky, the sarcoma on its forehead erupting with unprecedented dark red light. It kicked its hind legs violently, its massive body leaping across the tens-of-meters-wide rift as if committing suicide, carrying the Aura of mutual destruction as it lunged at the nearest "Scavenger"!

The three "Scavengers" did not hesitate either, shifting their energy weapons, and scorching beams instantly shot toward the Corrupted Wolf King in the air and the elite corrupted beasts attempting to jump behind it!

A great battle instantly erupted before Wen Youyi and his group!

"Now! Go around! Run!" Wen Youyi growled, seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, leading his team from the edge of the battlefield like agile fish, desperately sprinting toward the defensive positions of the remaining team!

Behind them were the cold energy explosions of the "Scavengers" and the frantic roars and crashes of the Corrupted Wolf King! When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits!

(End of Chapter)