Chapter 1284-1285

Chapter 1284 – Thornweed and Mouse Demon

Yuan also noticed Zhao Hai, but he didn't say anything. Yuan had received newcomers from the Machine Field before. All of these newcomers were arrogant when they first came here. But when they left, this arrogance was gone. Yuan also wanted Zhao Hai to learn a lesson.

Zhao Hai didn't mind the gazes either. In fact, he wasn't really that worried about this mission. In the last three days, his silver needles had already mapped the surrounding area as well as a large part of the core battlefield. It was basically impossible for other people to attack them without Zhao Hai's notice.

At this time, Zhao Hai wouldn't say anything. He continued to follow behind Yuan as they flew forward. He also had Cai'er pay attention to their surroundings.

In fact Zhao Hai wasn't only paying attention to their surroundings, he was also scanning for things that he could get. He would find time in the future to procure them.

He had just arrived in the Six Realms Battlefield, so he can't be too rampant. So even if he knew where good things were, he would have to wait some time so that he wouldn't attract attention.

Yuan led the team forward nonstop. After flying for three hours, Yuan waved his hand to make everyone halt. Zhao Hai discovered that they had arrived in a patch of thornweed.

Thornweed was a very famous medicinal herb in the Six Realms Battlefield. Thornweed was an indispensable herb that was used for medicines that refine the body. And the older the herb was, the more valuable it is.

Thornweed doesn't grow in the Machine Field. These herbs mostly grow on the Demon Realm's territory. Nobody knows if this was intentional since the Demon Realm gives priority to refining the body. However, this thornweed was quite common in the Six Realms Battlefield.

As soon as Yuan stopped, he pointed towards the thornweed and said, "This is a patch of thornweed. This patch is also one of the Machine Fields more important sources of this herb. We come here once in a few days to check it out. Sometimes we would use magic water to make them grow. If people from the other realms try to steal these herbs, there will inevitably be a fierce battle."

Just as Yuan was done speaking, Zhao Hai's expression changed. Yuan noticed this change and said, "Little Hai? Do you have anything to say?"

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Captain, I just found a group of Demons. They are picking thornweed."

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Yuan couldn't help but stare. Then the color of his face changed. He confirmed, "Are you telling the truth? You should know that we have small-scale radars built."

Zhao Hai smiled bitterly and said, "I can't be wrong. Those who came here are earth-dwelling Demons. My feelings can't be incorrect."

When Yuan saw that Zhao Hai wasn't lying, his expression finally turned serious. He immediately said, "Point the direction. Everyone, follow Little Hai."

Zhao Hai quickly pointed towards the direction of the Demons and then flew towards it. Yuan and the others immediately followed behind him.

Yuan followed behind with a very serious expression. This wasn't his first meeting with the Demon Race. But among the Demons, these earth-dwelling Demons were the most repugnant race there is. These Demons had inborn abilities to stealthily move underground. Although the Machine Field's sensors were sensitive and could even detect most earthwalking techniques, these earth-dwelling Demons could actually hide from these sensors. Because of this, these earth-dwelling Demons could go into the Machine Field's territory to steal any herbs they want – and the Machine Field couldn't do anything about it.

Although it was called thornweed, it was actually a short vine. But it was a short plant nonetheless. A 100-year old thornweed was only a bit more than a meter high, with younger thornweeds being much shorter. It was precisely because of this that the thornweed was a rare herb in the Machine Field.

And even if the Machine Field installed sensors in the area, they actually weren't that useful. This was because people from the other realms would destroy these sensors from time to time. And installing them again would take some effort.

In fact, the other realms also do this, not just the Machine Field. They would install their own sensors in their areas, particularly in places where they can harvest special products. However, installing these sensors was a constant struggle. A sensor might be built in one place, but another sensor would be destroyed in another.

Zhao Hai led the team towards the place where the Demons were currently lurking. The Demons might have discovered Zhao Hai and the others since they weren't moving anymore. However, the patch of thornweed that they were in had already been harvested.

The age of these thornweeds wasn't small, with the youngest one being ten years old. Although this age was usable, the people of the Machine Field required older thornweeds. Because of this, this patch of thornweeds had herbs that were almost 50 years old.

Thornweeds have a main root that would slowly spread around. As long as this main root survived, then the thornweed would continually grow. Because of this, people would just harvest the thornweeds in the core battlefield without destroying their main roots. And this was especially true with older thornweds. But if these main roots were destroyed, then the thornweeds in the core battlefield would become fewer and fewer and before long nobody would be able to obtain them.

The reason why the Machine Field hated earth-dwelling Demons was because these Demons could easily destroy thornweed patches. And once they destroy the main root, then that thornweed patch is finished.

Seeing their thornweed patch being harvested, Yuan's expression couldn't help but tighten. However, the Demons had already hid underground. And if they attack these Demons, then they might damage the thornweed patch even more. This wasn't something that Yuan wanted to see. He couldn't help but feel helpless, he couldn't do anything at all.

Although the patch looked destroyed, there were still some roots that managed to survive. The Demons deliberately did this to make Yuan anxious about harming the rest of the roots. They were making Yuan angry.

Seeing this situation, Yuan couldn't help but be incensed. He began to think about destroying this patch himself other than making the Demons benefit.

When Zhao Hai saw Yuan's expression, he guessed what he was about to do. He immediately blocked Yuan and said, "Captain, wait a moment." Then Zhao Hai waved his hand as a yellow ball of light appeared. Then he threw the ball of light towards the thornweed. Then the light went underground.

Although this was Zhao Hai's first time in the Six Realms Battlefield, he wasn't completely clueless about the resources present here. This was because they were given additional information in their computers about the Six Realms Battlefield. And because of this, Zhao Hai had some understanding regarding the thornweed plant.

This was also the reason why Zhao Hai stopped Yuan. He knew that if Yuan attacked, then the thornweeds would certainly be finished.

When Yuan saw Zhao Hai's action, he couldn't help but stare. Then he looked at Zhao Hai in confusion and asked, "Little Hai, what are you doing? We can't have these bastards pick the thornweed."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Captain, rest assured. Not only can these fellows not get their hands on the thornweed, they will also leave their lives here. Just watch."

Yuan nodded and said, "If it's possible, don't destroy the root. Otherwise, this patch will be wasted."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure to save the thornweed. Actually, it seems like the main root managed to survive. I've already made sure to protect it."

After he said that, Zhao Hai pointed towards a place where the thornweed looked the most healthy. This was where the thornweed's main root was. However, its surroundings were kept in good condition. These Demons knew how important a thornweed's main root was, so they also knew not to destroy it. Otherwise, the Machine Field would go all out in pursuing them.

The earthen yellow light wasn't actually offensive magic but instead it was a defensive spell. Its main function was to protect the main root from being destroyed. At the same time, Zhao Hai put some Undead underground to hunt down and kill the Demons. With the Space's monitor present, it was impossible for these Demons to escape. The only thing they could do was to desperately fight the Undead. But no matter what they do, they wouldn't be able to do anything to the thornweed main root.

The others looked at Zhao Hai. Actually, there were two Earth Mages among them. However, these Mages couldn't do anything about the present situation. Earth Magic doesn't have a lot of magic that could attack underground targets. Moreover, Earth Magic was mainly composed of wide-scale magic. It was impossible for them to make an attack lest they place the thronweed in danger. Therefore, like Yuan, they could only watch.

The group paid attention to the thornweed patch, waiting for results. The region was actually very calm. There were no vibrations detected from underground. However, this peace made those present relaxed as well as disappointed.

They were disappointed because they couldn't see what was happening but they were happy that the thornweed wasn't destroyed. And at this moment, the safety of the thornweed was their utmost concern.

Before long, not far away from the thornweed patch, a lump of earth emerged before the corpse of a mouse emerged from a hole.

This mouse had white fur and was five meters tall, not including its tail. If one included its tail, then the mouse would be ten meters long. It had hook-like claws and two sharp incisors. Its tail was like a steel whip. One could see how powerful this mouse was.

This was a Demon Mouse. These Demon Mice were innately skilled in traversing the earth. However, the strength of these Mice wasn't good, otherwise they wouldn't have been killed so soon.

Zhao Hai didn't care as he waved his hand, causing black gas to cover the mouse. When the black gas vanished, the mouse had already vanished and was replaced by an undead. Then it returned underground to join in on the hunt.

There were more than one Demon Mouse who came to harvest the Machine Field's thornweed patch. In total, there were five of them. One Mouse was at the Core Formation stage while the other four were at Foundation Establishment.

Just as the Foundation Establishment Demon mouse was killed, it immediately hunted its own kin. When the other Mice saw this, they couldn't help but panic. They already had their hands full in dealing with the Undead. The Undead that were assaulting them were a variety of ground-dwelling beasts.

Although earthwalking was an innate ability of the Demon Mouse, this didn't mean that they were the only ones who have it. These Undead Beast also possess the ability to move underground, albeit their skills couldn't match the Demon Mice.

However, the Undead alleviated this weakness by using their numbers. There were only five Demon Mice while the Undead were uncountable.

After the Mice discovered that they were surrounded, they began to think about destroying the main root of the thornweed patch. However, they couldn't do anything to it since it was being protected by a spell.

The four Foundation Establishment Mice were killed one after another. At this point, only the Core Formation Mouse was left. However, it was clear that it wouldn't last long. When it felt that it was in a precarious position, the Demon Mouse began drilling upwards towards the surface.

As Yuan was looking at the ground, a white shadow suddenly flew out. Yuan didn't immediately move since he wanted to see what this thing was.

Before long, the white shadow stopped. It was a thin Old Mouse that was wearing white robes. It's eyes were black, but it gave off a sinister light.

The Old Mouse actually looked distressed. He looked at Yuan and gnashed its teeth as it said, "Yuan, we're just snatching your thornweed. Why are you being so ruthless? You even killed four of my sons. What can you say about this?"

Upon hearing the Old Mouse, Zhao Hai couldn't help but stare. He hadn't seen someone as shameless as this. The Mice were the ones who were stealing, but now it was Yuan who needed to explain?

Yuan didn't hesitate as he laughed and said, "Hao Donglai, it turns out to be you. So what? The last time, you bullied us heavily. Did you really think that we are that easy to bully? What else could I do since you decided to steal our thornweed? Not to say about your four sons, even if forty of them came, we will still kill them. And since you came today, then don't even think about leaving."

When he saw that Yuan was serious, a hint of fear flashed before Hao Donglai's eyes. However, he quickly responded, "Yuan, if you kill me, the Old Ancestor will certainly not let you off. Do you think you alone can deal with the Old Ancestor's anger? If you let me go, then I'll forget today's matter. This will save you from being troubled by the Old Ancestor. What do you think?"

Chapter 1285 – One Should Return As Good As One Receives

Hao Donglai was admitting defeat, yet he was also issuing a threat. When he heard Hao Donglai, Yuan laughed and said, "Hao Donglai, you're too naive. Who do you think this Yuan is? Now that you fell into my hands, you want me to let you go? Why don't you just tell me to kill myself?"

As soon as Hao Donglai heard this, his expression finally changed. He knew that Yuan wouldn't let him go. So his face turned resolute as he said, "Yuan, don't go too far. If I go all out, then I can take your teammates with me. I don't believe that your subordinates aren't afraid of death!"

Just as Hao Dongali said this, a loud laughter was heard. However, this laughter didn't come from Yuan. Hao Donglai turned his head towards the group of newcomers. Yuan and the others were also stunned. Then they turned to see that Xiong Li and the others were laughing.

Zhao Hai also chuckled at the side. Naturally, he knew what Xiong Li and the others were laughing at. On the other hand, Yuan and the others had yet to know about Zhao Hai. The other members of Yuan's camp were somewhat anxious. They knew that even if they weren't weak, they were still much weaker compared to the Old Mouse.

Yuan looked at Xiong Li and the others who were laughing, then he knit his brows and said, "Xiong Li, why are you laughing?"

Xiong Li suppressed his laughter before he said, "Captain, I heard that the eyes of a mouse is small, but I believe it now. The Old Rat really wants to go all out against us? Hahaha. It's so funny. We can't count how many people like him Little Hai killed. And he wants to go all out as a threat? What a joke."[1]

Yuan couldn't help but look at Zhao Hai when he heard Xiong Li. Although they knew some things about the Six Realms Beginner Competition, the information available to them were basic. They didn't have any good understanding about Zhao Hai's strength. The only thing Yuan knew was that Zhao Hai was blatantly challenging the folks from the Cultivation Realm. And since Yuan had some enmity against the Cultivation Realm, he was glad to accept Zhao Hai. He really wasn't aware of how strong Zhao Hai was.

Zhao Hai smiled towards Hao Donglai before saying, "I've been wanting to fight the Demon Race in the Six Realms Beginner Competition. But unfortunately, all the Demons have been eliminated by the Cultivators before I get the opportunity. Captain, I want to use this chance to try."

When Yuan saw Zhao Hai's confidence, he nodded and said, "Alright, but don't destroy the thornweed."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Dealing with the old mouse isn't too difficult. Don't worry about it Captain."

Hao Donglai was already incensed about his current state, so when he heard Zhao Hai he coldly snorted and said, "Kid, since you want to be crippled, then let me show you how fierce I can be." Then he gave a roar as a 50 meter tall mouse appeared in front of Zhao Hai. Then the mouse waved its claws and sent two claw attacks towards Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and then released two magic formations to block the two attacks. Then he looked at Hao Donglai's real body and said, "It's really a mouse spirit. Interesting. However, I hate mice." Then he waved his hand and released a 1000-layer formation to attack Hao Donglai.

Hao Donglai saw this attack and immediately issued a high-pitched scream. Then a ball of sand flew out of his mouth and directly hit Zhao Hai's formation, crushing it completely.

When Zhao Hai saw this, his expression changed. Then he smiled and said, "Very interesting. He's much better compared to those other trash."

This ball of sand was an ability of the Mouse Race. However, only variant members of the Mouse Race like Hao Donglai can use it.

The sand that Hao Donglai spat out wasn't ordinary sand, but instead poisoned sand. It's offensive strength was very powerful. After crushing Zhao Hai's formation, the sands proceeded to attack Zhao Hai. Zhao Hai immediately released another 1000-layer formation to block it.

Hao Donglai didn't hold back as he threw himself towards Zhao Hai. Upon seeing the situation, Yuan's expression couldn't help but change. He wanted to go forward to help but instead he was blocked by Xiong Li.

Yuan looked at Xiong Li and said, "Why are you blocking me? Little Hai is a Mage. He's finished if Hao Dongali gets in close range."

Xiong Li smiled faintly and said, "Little Hai is just playing around. With that Mouse's strength, how could he get close to Little Hai? Little Hai is both a Mage and a Warrior. Captain doesn't need to worry. If Zhao Hai wanted to deal with him then he would've already done it. I think Little Hai just wanted to experience the Demon Realm's methods."

Yuan stared. He had yet to see why Xiong Li and the others were so confident in Zhao Hai. He turned to look at Lu Dingtian and the others and saw that they had the same expression. It seems like they agree to Xiong Li's words.

This made Yuan more curious about Zhao Hai's strength. He felt that Xiong Li and the others' confidence in Zhao Hai was too strange.

At this moment, Zhao Hai had already exchanged a few moves with Hao Donglai. Although Hao Donglai wanted to approach Zhao Hai, Zhao Hai didn't give him the opportunity to get close. Zhao Hai's 1000-layer formations weren't easy to deal with. Because of this, Hao Donglai had yet to get in close-combat with Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai noticed that Hao Donglai was beginning to repeat his methods, so he knew that it was time to stop playing around. He waved his hand to release another 1000-layer formation, then he punched out immediately after.

The magic formation was a cover for Hao Donglai to focus on. The true killer strike was the fist.

And sure enough, Hao Donglai was attracted by Zhao Hai's magic formation. He thought that Zhao Hai was a pure Mage so he moved his body and evaded Zhao Hai's magic formation. But suddenly, he felt a fist-shaped energy coming towards him. The fist was so powerful that Hao Donglai already felt it before it reached him.

Hao Donglai's white fur stood up as he screamed. Then a large phantom Mouse appeared outside his body. This was a type of defensive measure of the Demon Race, known as the Dharma Protector.

Dharma Protector was quite a famous defensive measure of the Demon Race. However, along with its powerful might, the technique also consumed a lot of energy. Using the Dharma Protector once will consume a fourth of the Demon's energy. But this technique was indeed very powerful.

Zhao Hai's fist connected just as Hao Donglai's Dharma Protector appeared. A bang was heard before the Dharma Protector was destroyed. Then the fist hit Hao Donglai's body and threw him up into the air. The old Mouse spit mouthfuls of blood which carried parts of his innards.

But since the bodies of the Demon Race were tenacious, this damage didn't kill Hao Dongai. In fact, he used the force of the fist to launch himself as far as possible.

But how could Zhao Hai allow this to happen? When he saw that Hao Donglai was running, he vanished in place and appeared in front of the Mouse Demon. Upon seeing Zhao Hai appearing in front of him, Hao Donglai's heart couldn't help but tighten. He was now half-dead and he didn't have any more strength to fight back. Moreover, Zhao Hai appeared very close to him, making escape close to impossible. Zhao Hai pointed and a bloody hole appeared in Hao Donglai's forehead. Then the light slowly vanished from the Mouse Demon's eyes before he finally died.

When Hao Donglai died, Zhao Hai immediately waved his hand and turned him into an Undead. Then he sent the Mouse Demon to the Space before flying back to where Yuan and the others were.

Yuan and the others were left dull standing in place. It was as if they had been petrified by a spell. It needed to be said that Hao Donglai had a minor reputation in the Six Realms Battlefield. He was given the nickname 'Poisonous Sand Rat'. Yuan and Hao Donglai had also fought before. But at that time, Yuan was at a disadvantage. During that battle, Yaun had 20 people while Hao Donglai had 20 people as well. In the end, Yuan lost the battle and was forced to retreat to the Lock Mountain Range. Yuan lost quite a lot of people at that time. So naturally, Yuan knew how strong Hao Donglai was.

But now, this Hao Donglai actually fell after exchanging a few moves with Zhao Hai. Also, from what Yuan had seen, it seems like Zhao Hai was done playing around. Just as Xiong Li said, Zhao Hai wanted to see the methods of the Demon Race. And once he saw everything he wanted to see, Zhao Hai proceeded to go for the kill.

Yuan was shocked by the fighting strength that Zhao Hai displayed. One must know that Core Formation Demons were very strong. Even Yuan wasn't certain that he would win one-on-one. But Zhao Hai just used a couple of moves to kill his opponent. Wasn't he too strong?

When he saw Zhao Hai approaching the team, Yuan finally recovered. Then his eyes shone brightly as he laughed and said, "Good job, Little Hai. Great job. That was satisfying to see. I didn't expect you to be that strong. Hahaha. Good, good. With your strength, you can go anywhere you want in the Six Realms Battlefield."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Captain is praising me too much. Right, Captain, where do we go next?"

Yuan turned towards the thornweed patch and then sneered before he said, "Since things became like this, then let's be impolite and go to the Demon Realm's territory. Those Demons always run to the Machine Field to bully us. I think it's time for us to return the favor." Then after he said that, he flew towards a direction in the core battlefield.

Zhao Hai and the others weren't very familiar with the places in the Six Realms Battlefield, so they just followed behind Yuan. But at this time, Zhao Hai noticed that the others from the team had changed their attitude towards him.

Battles in the Six Realms Battlefield happen every day. In this place, strength defines the chances of your survival as well as your contributions. The stronger you are, the more contributions you can gain. Therefore, everyone in the Six Realms Battlefield respected the strong. And the strength that Zhao Hai displayed was enough for these people to give him respect. While everyone was being polite to Zhao Hai, they were also secretly happy. After all, with a powerful teammate like him around, their safety was more assured.

1. Small eyes = shortsighted