Chapter 836: Chapter 508: Testing the Waters (Part 2)
"Fire resistance, high-temperature tolerance, detoxification..."
Ji Xinghuo had some guesses and turned his head to look back in the direction of Peach Blossom Valley, his eyes scanning the area in between, searching for regions that matched the description.
"Found it."
The Macro Heavenly Eye rested more than two thousand kilometers directly south of the Sky Falling Cliff.
There lay a group of active volcanoes, with thick smoke billowing overhead, obscuring the sky, where seven people were lurking in a scorching mountain pass.
Leading them was Zhong Ming, along with Lu Yunhai, Zhao Cangming, Wu Qifeng, Chi Zhonglin, Jiangnan Caiyi, and Zhelige Tu. Each of them had a layer of disguise blending into the black mountain rocks, making them hard to spot.
"No wonder we couldn’t find them earlier."
Ji Xinghuo locked onto their location and directly transitioned via the Star Realm Jump, appearing high in the sky, still maintaining his invisibility.
Zhong Ming and his group didn’t notice the fluctuation from above.
They maintained a dispersed formation, cautiously advancing toward a massive active volcano ahead.
Ji Xinghuo observed the seven and immediately saw through their backgrounds.
"Second brother is already a Super Mutant, probably only advanced a few months ago, and the advancement of the Fiery Madman is complete."
"Compared to two years ago, his strength has increased by more than one level."
"He should be enough to enter the top 1000 of the Sky Ladder."
He continued to look at the others.
Chi Zhonglin and Jiangnan Caiyi were still Super Mutants, clearly having integrated one or two abilities; Lu Yunhai had evolved once and became an Advanced Mutant; although Wu Qifeng’s strength had improved, he hadn’t evolved and remained an Advanced Mutant;
What surprised Ji Xinghuo the most was that Zhao Manying’s younger brother, Zhao Cangming, had also ascended to a Super Mutant.
Moreover, it wasn’t just about rank; both his abilities and Star Power were very solid.
Zhao Cangming was no longer restless, appearing very calm.
"It seems that the painful lesson of being kidnapped really changed his mindset." Ji Xinghuo felt gratified, "This is a good thing! Cangming’s talent was already good, and with Manying’s care for her brother, as long as he stays grounded, his future will be promising."
He turned his gaze to the last person in the team.
Zhelige Tu, clad in heavy metal armor, moved with ease, but the Fierce Battle Bear that usually followed him was nowhere to be seen.
"First Dan of Legendary."
Ji Xinghuo nodded to himself.
Zhelige Tu was the oldest in the team, already 42 years old, and had previously ranked over a thousand on the Sky Ladder. His promotion to Legendary was not unexpected.
The strongest in the entire team was Zhelige Tu, but he hadn’t left nor assumed the role of captain, instead considering himself an ordinary teammate, following Zhong Ming’s orders, which was certainly unusual.
Mutants value strength above all else, and the strong are respected.
In almost all Hunting Teams and Adventure Teams, the strongest member serves as the leader, with rare exceptions.
Ji Xinghuo had guessed Zhelige Tu’s reasoning; he hadn’t left the team because of himself.
Zhelige Tu was a Battle Priest, strong in strength and defense, endowed with powerful healing abilities and able to bestow states to the team. With him in the team, he could provide security to his second brother and the entire team.
Back then, recruiting Zhelige Tu into the Hunting Team was because of his abilities, to protect his second brother.
Now it seemed, Zhelige Tu had excellently completed his mission.
Ji Xinghuo gazed ahead of the team.
On the 3000-meter high active volcano, a flock of "Dark Smog Jian" birds resided, numbering over a hundred.
The Dark Smog Jian was a type of bird monster, often nesting by the mouth of volcanoes, possessing fire element abilities, and having feathers and blood that were extremely poisonous; even a touch could kill an ordinary person, making them quite troublesome.
The leader of this flock was a Catastrophe Bright Level male bird, alongside four Superior females, leading over twenty Elite Level ones, the rest being ordinary Dark Smog Jians.
It was apparent that Zhong Ming and his team had targeted these creatures.
With the team’s strength, the chance of killing a Bright Level Dark Smog Jian wasn’t more than thirty percent, and there was a possibility of losing members.
"Second brother isn’t a rash person; he must have made comprehensive plans."
Initially, Ji Xinghuo didn’t want to intervene.
But seeing Zhong Ming and the others still climbing the volcano, scouting and setting up contingencies along the way, stopping now and then to hide and avoid being seen by the Dark Smog Jian, acting prudently, they wouldn’t actually start their operation for at least two or three days, which he couldn’t wait for.
So Ji Xinghuo descended while invisible and activated the Star Realm Jump when he was still over a hundred meters above Zhong Ming and the others.
The white light startled all seven.
"Xiao..."
Zhong Ming exclaimed aloud, but before the first syllable was fully out, the entire team was enveloped by the glow, and the scenery around them changed.
"Xin!"
As the sound fell, Zhong Ming and the others found themselves in a different location, not far away, still within the volcanic area, with the surroundings being elevated terrain. Upon closer inspection, they realized they were standing on the summit of a dormant dead volcano.
All were shocked and bewildered, with no clue as to what had happened.
"What’s going on?" Lu Yunhai looked tense.
He was no longer a novice Mutant who understood nothing. Having been in the Star Realm for two or three years, he knew this encounter was with an unbeatable formidable force.
"We’ve been transitioned!"
Chi Zhonglin said in a low voice, recalling the time they hunted the Toad Spirit when Sister Ren used the Jump Crystal to lead the whole team out of danger.
Zhelige Tu shouted angrily: "Who is it?"
Everyone was searching for the cause of this transition, faces unable to hide their astonishment.
"It’s me."
A voice echoed from above, and they abruptly looked up to see a figure descending slowly among them. Seeing the face, their expressions became quite intriguing.
"Third brother!"
"Xinghuo!"
Various different calls rang out.
But Zhong Ming didn’t immediately lower his guard, even though he recognized Ji Xinghuo’s voice the instant he heard it, he kept his distance and observed;