Chapter 266: Chapter 170: Beast Horde Evolution, Furnace Heart! _3
Occasionally opening its mouth, it grasped an irregular piece of broken crystal cluster and carried it to the center of the beast horde.
There, a “small” Rust Beast stood, its exterior forming a thick, solid shell of what looked like alloy, not the dirty rust color but rather a seemingly hard metal, its limbs evolved into power claws, not flesh and blood, as if transplanted with refined steel.
Qin Shi looked at the Boss Level Rust Beast, which was about the size of a wolfhound, with a pile of broken crystal clusters stacked in front of it like a small mountain.
Other Rust Beasts offered “tributes,” while it lowered its head to gnaw at them. As it consumed more, a mechanical roar suddenly emerged from within it.
It seemed to be undergoing some mutation, the Boss Level Rust Beast, with “rust” covering its chest constantly peeling away, revealing an iron heart.
This thing was mutating, gradually emitting a glowing radiance, like a raw jade having its skin polished away, revealing full flesh within and a captivating color.
“Evolution! This Rust Beast is evolving!”
Qin Shi sensed the energy surge in the dimension space, closing his eyes, he used Spiritual Vision to observe, countless Rust Beasts disappeared, transforming into clusters of blood-red light, converging into a long river.
And in the middle of the river, stood an extremely thick pillar of light.
“Rust Beasts are categorized into ‘Ordinary Level,’ ‘Elite Level,’ ‘Boss Level,’ and ‘Leader Level.’ The final ‘Leader Level’ roughly equates to Specialized Level in the Martial Arts Path!”
Recalling the handbook’s description, Qin Shi could not help but feel agitated, much like how advancing from Amateur Level to Specialized Level in the Martial Arts Path requires “hatching” the Life Seed into a crystal.
Rust Beasts also need to complete their metamorphosis, transforming their iron hearts into the “Heart of the Furnace.”
Thereby consuming more scarce metals, digesting faster, and even producing refined substances through the Heart of the Furnace.
Leader Level Rust Beasts can convert swallowed metallic elements into a plasma state, spewing high-temperature jets.
This terrifying strike would make even specialized levels retreat in fear; once grazed, the flesh would carbonize, unable to recover with vitality.
“Worth ten thousand points!”
The thought that flashed through Qin Shi’s mind was how to deal with this Rust Beast evolving into a Leader Level.
“If it completes its metamorphosis, a Specialized Level aberration would go far beyond the mid-level food chain! It will undoubtedly lead the beast horde in a major hunt…”
Through the detailed wording in the handbook, he roughly understood the habits of Rust Beasts, they often hunt in groups, turning their paths into scorched earth, and only after a major harvest would they wait a long interval before the next “foraging.”
“Protection of over a hundred beast hordes, plus the energy barrier of the evolution stage… Remote means are necessary!”
Qin Shi’s eyes brightened; he took out Wu Tao’s gift from his tactical backpack.
The undamaged Cang Lei Compound Bow!
“With Qi Locking combined with Spiritual Power aiming, I should not miss!”
Feeling quite anxious, Qin Shi first sought an escape route, pondering from which direction to flee if the beast horde was alerted and the evolving Rust Beast was not killed!
Taking several deep breaths, cranking the cultivation furnace to the extreme, muscles and bones locked tightly together, forming a unified whole, bursting with strong vigor.
He slowly looked at the small Rust Beast, readying to draw the bowstring.
A thunderous crash erupted!
A brawny man swung a giant hammer taller than himself, leaping out from above!
“Who is this top-laner, trying to steal my kill!”
Qin Shi’s action of drawing the bow halted, an incongruous thought suddenly escaping his mind.