Fang Senyan finally broke through to the edge of the Ice Barrier. Ronnie, naturally, was no longer waiting inside to be killed. With a powerful surge, he burst through, shattering the Ice Barrier into millions of glittering shards that scattered and rained down.

Before Ronnie could even manage to run, Fang Senyan had clamped down on his arms, gripping him as if bound by steel clamps.

It was only then that Ronnie noticed the pair of extraordinarily precise mechanical gloves that had somehow appeared on Fang Senyan’s hands. Every component on the gloves seemed to be spinning rapidly in reverse, emitting a deep green luminescence, and, quite incongruously, spitting out black smoke like the smokestack of a steam locomotive.

Ronnie was then flung out as if carried on clouds and mist, tumbling through the air in a series of somersaults. As soon as Fang Senyan released him, the dark gold ring on his finger flashed with blinding light, and he too shot away like a magnificent streak of golden light across the sky.

Victorious Entanglement!! Transmission!

Fang Senyan executed this entire sequence flawlessly, so much so that when he flew out, the ferocious beasts had yet to stir from their stupor.

Ronnie landed, only for Fang Senyan to follow closely behind, landing right beside him with a splash that sent mud and water flying. Ronnie’s eyes went wide, as if he had seen a ghost. Fang Senyan delivered a fierce kick to his rear and roared, “What are you standing around for? Run!”

The two immediately began a frantic escape. It was fortunate that the attack radius of the Legendary Ferocious Beasts was limited to only twenty meters. They were barely outside the range, while beyond a hundred meters, the enraged swarm of common Berserk Beasts was thundering towards them. A delay of merely a few seconds would have meant being utterly submerged in a tide of beasts.

In the swampy terrain, even running at full capacity, Fang Senyan was still fractionally slower than the Legendary Ferocious Beasts. Thus, he once again felt the agonizing sensation of being chased hard at his heels. What made it worse was that he dared not fight back, forced only to grit his teeth and endure.

Just then, a low-probability event occurred. One Legendary Ferocious Beast, pressing the pursuit relentlessly, suddenly caught up. It aimed directly at Fang Senyan and unleashed a Disintegration Ray. A searing burn mark instantly seared itself onto Fang Senyan’s right arm, accompanied by the pungent scent of singed flesh. This in itself wasn't catastrophic, but—but!!!

The combat log transmitted a harsh, undeniable reality: “You have been struck by the Disintegration Ray attack from a Legendary Creature, the Ferocious Beast.” “You have sustained 206 points of actual damage.” “The Petrification ability attached to the Disintegration Ray has activated. Initiating Stamina Check… Petrification ability passed the check. You will enter a state of Petrification for 25 seconds. During this period, your movement speed and attack speed will be reduced by 90%, and your defense increased by 50%.” “……” “Damn it!” Fang Senyan’s heart plunged into a deep abyss. “How can I be this unlucky?!!!”

Simultaneously, a pale, ash-white layer, resembling rock, materialized across Fang Senyan’s skin, lending his movements the stiff gait of a zombie. His speed plummeted instantly.

He roared aloud, straining with immense force. Cracks, like dry riverbeds, immediately appeared across the petrifying surface of his skin, and blood began to well up joyously from the fissures. Several Legendary Ferocious Beasts surged forward, their tentacle-compound eyes whipping wildly as they launched furious assaults.

Ronnie looked back, hesitated for a moment, then immediately turned to pull Fang Senyan along.

Fang Senyan, however, signaled for him to go on ahead, not to worry about him.

By the time Fang Senyan recovered from the petrification, he was covered in wounds. Not only had the Legendary Ferocious Beasts closed the distance to within two or three meters, their unique, foul stench was clearly detectable, but the main horde behind them had also closed to within fifty meters.

Fang Senyan took a deep breath, suddenly closed his eyes, and raised both hands high. A weapon radiating an incredibly intense dark gold light materialized in his grasp: a silver-white, double-barreled blunderbuss.

This blunderbuss possessed an air of sheer fearlessness, resembling the giant scales carved at the entrance of an ancient Greek courthouse, or the three great executioner’s blades in Bao Zheng’s Yamen—a supreme majesty capable of judging sin and determining life or death!

Judgement!!! A powerful weapon commanded by ambition!

“I accuse! These disgusting creatures before me are heretics!” Fang Senyan’s voice boomed as if descending from the heavens, washing over the land. Though it was night, a bizarre void suddenly appeared nearly a hundred meters above, through which blinding sunlight streamed down, illuminating the dozen or so Legendary Ferocious Beasts. Instantly, wisps of unnatural black smoke began to rise from their bodies.

Then, Fang Senyan aimed the dark, gaping muzzles of the guns at the Legendary Ferocious Beasts before him and pulled the triggers with force!

Amidst the thunderous roar of the shots, a cascade of light surged and splashed wildly forward like a waterfall!

“Passive Ability: Weapon Master II triggered. As your target is a Legendary Creature, you gain an additional 40% damage bonus.” “Passive Ability: Heretic’s Demise effect triggered! 50% of the damage dealt by this strike will be converted into healing, and it is guaranteed to hit the enemy, stunning them for five seconds.” “Flintlock Weapon Passive Effect: Charged Attack II triggered! The damage dealt by this strike will be increased by an additional 100%!” “Divine Attack Special Effect triggered: You will inflict 150% extra damage upon evil-aligned heretics.” “Redeem your sins with blood and screams! Amen!” “………….”

The damage inflicted by this single shot completely surpassed Fang Senyan’s wildest expectations! It was like a torrent of light bursting a dam, instantly overwhelming the enemies before him. When they managed to endure it, their bodies were mangled as if they had just been dredged from a vat of sulfuric acid, utterly pathetic! Deep green bodily fluids sprayed out, and several Legendary Ferocious Beasts had their tentacle-compound eyes severed, emitting wretched and agonizing, strange cries.

This single shot covered a fan-shaped area, engulfing all the beasts, which meant Fang Senyan had bought himself a precious five seconds! Furthermore, the pain and wails of the Legendary Ferocious Beasts sublimated into specks of light, which were then absorbed by Ambition and fed back to Fang Senyan. His health, which had been below 25%, instantly recovered to around 55%.

Because Judgement was a weapon capable of two rapid-fire shots, Fang Senyan could immediately follow up with another. However, after considering it, even a second shot—lacking the Charged Attack II bonus from the Flintlock Weapon passive—would not be enough to eliminate the entire group. More importantly, even if he did kill them, these monsters wouldn't drop necessary keys, and did he have time to meticulously sort through the loot? Therefore, Fang Senyan instantly spun around and fled.

For an ordinary person, covering twenty meters in five seconds wouldn't be overly difficult. How much more so for a powerful Contractor like Fang Senyan tearing through the terrain? Even struggling through the swamp, he sprinted over forty meters away. At this distance, Fang Senyan was essentially safe.

At this moment, Ramtas rushed over to meet his master. Fang Senyan showed no relief at escaping disaster; instead, his brow was deeply furrowed.

Suddenly, he lunged forward, crossing his arms over his chest!

Immediately afterward, mud and water erupted violently from the swamp to his right as a massive black silhouette—the creature that had hunted Hedicur previously—burst forth, enveloped in mud and water. This time, Fang Senyan was close enough to clearly see that the silhouette’s body was covered in jagged black carapace, possessing ferocious claws, feet, and a long, bony chain-like tail whipping through the air. If one had to describe it, it looked precisely like a demon from the depths of hell, resurrected only with its skeleton after its flesh turned to ash, radiating a manic and potent pressure!

As the shadow lunged, it thrust out two massive, bone-like forelimbs, attempting to seize Fang Senyan in a fierce embrace. The black talons on its forelimbs were as sharp as razor blades!

Fang Senyan’s leap was clearly outside the monster’s plan. As he braced himself with crossed arms, the shadow’s enveloping grab missed. The sharp, razor-like claws scraped across the hardened metal surface of his Planet-Tier high-energy mechanical gauntlets, producing a horrible grating sound that almost forced him to cover his ears, scraping off streaks of fire, but he managed to fend it off.

Using the momentum of the enemy's attack, Fang Senyan flipped in mid-air and crashed heavily into the muddy water. Bitter swamp water splashed into his mouth, carrying an indescribable foul taste. He continued his high-speed escape; the mud he kicked up with his legs flew five or six meters high, testifying to the incredible speed of his flight.

Aldaris, watching from a distance, started to move in to assist, but Fang Senyan stopped him. He could sense two more similar, powerful, evil presences moving rapidly underground. The subterranean earth here had been hollowed out by the Ferocious Beasts possessing Earth Manipulation abilities, creating a labyrinth of interconnected tunnels reinforced by their powers. If Aldaris came over, he would struggle to deal with such mysterious and potent enemies and might very well end up like Hedicuri.

Well, having reached this point, many film aficionados should have guessed the creature behind the Ferocious Beasts. Hmm... but I suspect that most people will still guess wrong! Haha. If you dare, go to the review section and post your proof! Participation earns merit points.