Seeing these things clearly, everyone trembled inwardly, and Qin Shou's expression changed drastically.
"Zombies!"
Not Lions, but Zombies!
The figures before them, with gaunt faces, hunched bodies, and flesh and veins exposed entirely, resembled zombies straight out of a horror movie.
Zombies over a hundred years old—comparable even to the undead.
Such a thought suddenly flashed through Qin Shou's mind.
Then, one after another, zombies burst out from the bushes—roughly tens of them—all looking like ravenous demons charging at the group.
Based on their speed, they were no weaker than Newborn Seven Stars cultivators, and their strength might even match that of Dangerous Seven Stars.
"Swish, swish!!"
Around Qin Shou, Lin Xiaomei's Star Power surged, and three blazing Flame Fox Tails stood high behind her, forming a terrifying ring of fire that encircled and protected the group.
Above the ring of fire, the Space Gate opened wide, and the greedy snake roared out, lunging toward the group of zombies in a single leap.
"Roar!"
With a swing of its Divine Dragon Tail, an overwhelming force swept several zombies flying dozens of meters, sending them crashing back into the bushes.
Qin Shou's nerves eased a little at the sight.
Though the number of zombies was considerable, their strength paled compared to the greedy snake, so they should be easy to handle.
As this thought crossed his mind, he noticed a zombie that had, by sheer luck, bypassed the greedy snake's defenses. Its grotesque appearance struck fear into their hearts as it pounced directly onto the ring of fire.
"Roar!!"
The zombie let out a ghastly howl but was quickly engulfed in flames, writhing on the ground as a fiery figure.
The group initially thought the zombie would soon be consumed by the flames and turned to ash.
But then, the unthinkable happened.
That zombie, howling relentlessly, suddenly let out a bestial roar in the flames and seemed to react to some kind of stimulus. Its body abruptly swelled, growing several times its size.
"Boom!!"
In the next moment, an intense explosion of flames erupted, sending waves of heat crashing through the area.
"Huff…"
The group summoned their Star Power to shield themselves as the heatwave subsided. As they steadied their gaze, their faces turned pale.
The zombie now had a vicious visage. It stood at a towering three zhang (approximately 9 meters), muscles bulging, exposed flesh emitting searing flames intermittently.
"This…" The group was stunned.
Long Xia's eyes widened, and he gulped nervously.
"Lin Xiaomei, are you… were you planted here as a spy by the enemy?"
Lin Xiaomei's face darkened, not bothering to answer Long Xia's nonsense.
Qin Shou stared at the Flame Monster, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Its strength has risen—from Dangerous Seven Stars directly to Dangerous Nine Stars!"
"Roar!!"
The Flame Monster howled to the sky, drawing the attention of the greedy snake, which was still fending off zombies nearby.
"Buzz…"
A grim light flickered in the greedy snake's eyes as flames began to coalesce in its maw.
Qin Shou reacted quickly, stopping the creature with a shout.
"Are you kidding me? This thing goes berserk with just a spark, and you want to spit fire on it?!"
"Roar!"
The greedy snake extinguished the flames in its mouth but watched as the Flame Monster pounded the ground with fury, unleashing a torrent of destructive Flame Dragons that engulfed every zombie around it.
"No good!"
Qin Shou's heart sank, but before he could intervene, all the zombies had transformed amidst the flames.
"Roar!!"
Within the inferno, dozens of zombies let out bellowing howls as their forms grotesquely mutated, their strength surging as they were consumed by fire. Every single one transformed into a Dangerous Nine Stars-level Flame Monster.
Tens of them—each as powerful as a Dangerous Nine Stars Flame Monster!
Long Xia moved beside Qin Shou, his expression serious as he suggested, "Why don't we just take our chances against the Black Bee Beast instead?"
Hong Cong and Ye Ning both nodded. "We think that's a solid plan too."
Lin Xiaomei clenched her silver teeth, her gaze falling on Qin Shou.
In the sky above, the greedy snake let out a low rumbling growl, unwilling to act rashly.
"Thud, thud, thud…"
The ground trembled gently as dozens of monsters crept closer, their searing flames scorching the earth into charred blackness with every step.
"Roar!!"
The monsters roared furiously, spewing wild Flame Dragons from their mouths—all hurtling toward the group in an overwhelming wave.
"This is bad—get behind me!"
Narrowing his eyes, Qin Shou charged forward to meet the incoming Flame Dragons head-on.
Long Xia and Lin Xiaomei gasped, stunned, barely having time to react as the barrage of Flame Dragons engulfed Qin Shou's form in an all-consuming sea of fire.
"Lao Qin!"
"Qin Shou!"
The two shouted in panic, their faces ashen as if their hearts had stopped beating, their minds blank with terror.
The Flame Dragons swallowed Qin Shou before hurtling toward Lin Xiaomei and the others.
Hong Cong and Ye Ning's eyes widened in horror. Faced with this unrelenting inferno, despair settled over them.
"Roar!!"
Just as the Flame Dragons were about to engulf the group, an ear-splitting wolf howl suddenly pierced through the chaos.
The group snapped back to their senses, their eyes now fixed on the raging fire. Within the blaze, a dazzling blue radiance erupted without warning.
"Boom!!!"
In an instant, the radiance exploded outward, dispersing a refreshing chill that enveloped the group.
The raging fire was forcibly split in two by a surge of freezing blue Extreme Cold Energy.
Looking ahead, the group saw a nine-meter tall Steel Wolf exhaling Extreme Cold Energy, standing firm at the dividing line between the flames and the frost, steadfastly opposing the Flame Dragons.
"It's the Beast-shaped Mecha that saved us last time!" Long Xia exclaimed in surprise.
Lin Xiaomei's face lit up with recognition. "That's right, it's exactly the same as last time. But Qin Shou… if that's the case…"
Halfway through her sentence, an epiphany struck her, and her face shifted with shock.
"Could it be… the owner of this Beast-shaped Mecha is Qin Shou himself?!"
The possibility made Lin Xiaomei increasingly convinced of Qin Shou's enigmatic nature.
Long Xia's expression also shifted, a knowing smile gradually emerging.
I knew it. With Lao Qin's "low-profile" personality, whenever real danger comes, he's the first to disappear—how could he possibly sacrifice himself by charging ahead?
So, he secretly whipped up this Beast-shaped Mecha somewhere.
"Roar!!"
While Long Xia was still in thought, the greedy snake suddenly dove from the sky, grabbing the four of them with its dragon claws. It soared upward, pulling them away from the blazing battlefield.
From high above, the four looked down at the fiery battleground and noticed that the "Wolf-shaped Mecha" from earlier was stepping back slightly, clearly struggling to hold on.
But at some point, a slightly smaller Steel Wolf had silently infiltrated the rear of the Flame Monsters.
Long Xia gasped as he caught sight of this familiar scene. "So that's Lao Qin's real mecha!"
Just as he spoke, the smaller Steel Wolf unleashed a powerful torrent of Extreme Cold Energy from its maw.
"Boom!!"
The Extreme Cold Energy Cannon exploded in the midst of the monsters without any resistance, spreading unchecked.
"Bang, bang!!"
The terrifying chill swept outward, forming layers of white frost that enveloped the monsters' bodies.
The icy chill dampened the flames emanating from the monsters, dimming their radiance. The fire they spewed halted abruptly.
"Roar!!"
In the next moment, dozens of monsters struck the ground with brute force, shattering the ice layers as they bellowed in rage, lunging toward the Steel Garuru Qin Shou had merged into.
Qin Shou remained utterly unfazed, his Steel Wings igniting behind him. With a light leap, he effortlessly took to the air.
The Steel Garuru followed swiftly, ascending beside him.
Having just unleashed a massive surge of Extreme Cold Energy, the machine's power reserves were nearly depleted, and the light in its eyes dimmed slightly.