Chapter 55

Xueman was held in the hero's arms, the embrace a bit rough, with one palm placed where it shouldn't be.

The hero couldn't help but think to himself, "This waist is really elastic."

The hero suddenly noticed that the girl's body temperature had become a bit feverish, her cheeks flushed. Then he saw her staring at him with a mix of shame and anger. If it weren't for the fear of revealing their whereabouts, Xueman would have already slapped him.

The hero could swear to the heavens that he didn't do it on purpose.

Seeing the girl's gaze that seemed ready to devour him, the hero smiled without saying a word, but his silly grin exuded a hint of thuggishness. Xueman's expression was a bit dazed; she couldn't figure out what kind of person this guy was—rude? Savage? Rugged? Thug?

In the end, she summed it up in one word: thug!

Just as the two young people were locked in a deep gaze, the Earth Spider took out another blue card and coldly said, "Don't think that just because you're invisible, I can't find you. I've killed quite a few ability users with invisibility patterns on my card. If you come out obediently and tell me what I want to know, I'll give you a quick death. Otherwise, if you don't come out by the count of three, I'll make you wish you were dead."

The chilling voice echoed in the dark forest. The Earth Spider's murderous aura, like a sea of blood, made the insects within a few miles stop chirping, and the night wind felt particularly bone-chilling.

The hero and Old Turtle exchanged a glance, both knowing it was time to fight. Just as the Earth Spider counted to one, a drum-like heartbeat resonated in the air, and the pure yang inner breath surged into his heart like a flood.

With the soul pattern instantly activated, the hero's body grew larger, and Xueman in his arms became like a small kitten in a giant's embrace.

As the hero and Old Turtle burst into action, the Earth Spider also moved, waiting for the prey to break out.

But he underestimated the hero's strength. Countless vines shot up from the ground. This sudden eruption of vines slightly impeded the Earth Spider's movements, but only slightly.

"Just as I thought!" The Earth Spider lightly shouted, throwing the card into the air. With a flash of pattern light, countless lightning bolts rained down, turning the area into a thunderstorm.

Such a wide-ranging attack left Old Turtle with no place to hide.

Just as the lightning was about to turn the area into rubble, Old Turtle gritted his teeth and roared, "I'll fight you to the death!"

The thunderstorm contained a will of destruction, and under its fury, the area was blasted into a nearly hundred-meter deep pit. This was already the Earth Spider showing mercy, aiming to severely injure the hero without killing him.

But after the thunderstorm, there was no sign of the hero or the others, only the Earth Spider and the black spider remained.

"Where are they?"

The Earth Spider's gaze swept the surroundings, finding no clues. He couldn't help but wonder, "Did they vanish into thin air?"

The air seemed to have a hint of blood, and after sniffing it, the Earth Spider chuckled and took out another card. After activating it, he greedily inhaled the air with a slight blood scent, and the card broke through the air with a flash of pattern light.

Without a word, the Earth Spider took the black spider and followed the trail.

A few miles away, the hero and the others were fleeing for their lives.

At the moment the thunderstorm descended, Old Turtle communicated with the earth for protection, using up 90% of his inner breath to perform a technique that shortened the distance, covering several miles in a single step.

In just a few miles, the Earth Spider caught up with the hero in half a minute.

Dozens of meters away, the hero was carrying Xueman and running for their lives. To protect her, the hero used his body as a shield, and his clothes were shredded by the lightning.

Seeing the prey with no place to run, the Earth Spider became excited. The pattern on his card glowed again, and a spiral wind blade flew toward the hero.

Just the Earth Spider's killing intent made the hero feel like he was stuck in quicksand—this was the absolute gap in power! No matter how talented one is, a single misstep could still turn them into fertilizer.

The powerful spiral suction almost pulled the giant hero up, which would have turned him into minced meat.

Old Turtle fought with all his might again. Who made him take on such a torturous mission from his mother? He roared to the sky, and the patterns on his shell glowed with ten thousand rays of light, which sank into the ground.

This was his ultimate move: Blood Sacrifice.

After sacrificing 80% of his essence blood, a vast and profound earth power surged into the sky, forming a protective shield as strong as diamond: the Earth Guardian Shield.

The pattern on his shell was a natural pattern in the shape of a pheasant. Its only use was to communicate with the earth.

The spiral wind blade hit the Earth Guardian Shield, cutting out countless sparks but not a single scratch.

The Earth Spider finally arrived, riding a card that allowed him to fly over the Earth Guardian Shield. He looked down with a playful expression, intrigued by Old Turtle: "What an interesting exotic pet. If I can tame you, I'll keep you as a plaything."

Thinking this, the spiral wind blade returned to the Earth Spider's hand, turning back into a card. He chuckled coldly, "Listen, kid, if you can make your turtle submit to me, I'll leave you a whole body."

The hero was hugging Old Turtle, who had sacrificed 80% of his essence blood to save his life. Old Turtle's vital energy was severely damaged, and a Vitality Pill could only temporarily keep him alive.

Old Turtle, in a daze, muttered, "I lost, I lost. This damn mission cost me 80% of my essence blood. You need to refine a hundred batches of Vitality Pills to replenish my blood, a hundred batches."

"Even a hundred batches, if I can escape this, I'll refine free pills for you for life," the hero said, looking at the nearly lifeless Old Turtle with pain.

Old Turtle cunningly murmured, "I'll remember that. If you don't keep your word, you're a turtle's son."

After saying that, Old Turtle fainted.

The hero ignored the bastard above and placed his left hand on Old Turtle's shell. The pattern on his glove glowed, and the power of the Vitality Pill was continuously infused into Old Turtle's body. This method of drug delivery was more effective than direct absorption.

In addition to the Vitality Pill, the hero also used the two Life Essence Pills he had refined for Old Turtle.

"Are you a Life Master?" Xueman looked at the hero in confusion. This guy was not only big in build but also seemed more like a Destruction Master in personality. And when the hero activated his soul pattern, the violent aura was not something a Life Master could possess.

Could he be a legendary Druid?

The hero had no time to answer the girl's question. "Girl, hide well. I'm going to fight with all my might."

As he spoke, the hero's soul pattern glowed intensely, and countless vines spread from his body, forming a protective layer around him.

The power of the soul pattern was fully unleashed, without any reservation. The hero's body began to mutate, transforming into a vine-covered, bear-like figure.

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