The Fighting Beetle was constantly being defeated by the Power Grass.
But in the Eastern Continent, they were rampant and domineering, even the local leader, the Fire Chicken, found it difficult to deal with them, and large areas of forest were occupied by the Fighting Beetle.
Lu Yao looked down at the Eastern Continent and observed the battle between the Fighting Beetle and the Fire Chicken, understanding the reasons behind it.
The flames of the Fire Chicken would cause forced blood loss damage to the beetles, but in close combat, the Fighting Beetle had the absolute upper hand. As a melee type, the Fighting Beetle had always relied on its body armor and strength to survive, and the fire elemental creatures like the Fire Chicken dared not get too close.
In addition, the Fighting Beetle could also fly, so when the Fire Chicken created flames, the Fighting Beetle would take off and land in other safe areas, not facing much threat.
The real victims were the innocent bystanders around, who were inexplicably chased by the fire, and animals like field mice and monkeys had their homes accidentally burned down.
After the fire, it would take a while for the grasslands and trees to grow back.
The arrival of the Fighting Beetle also brought changes to the external ecology of the Eastern Continent.
The most obvious change was in the pixelated people.
They had always avoided the Fire Chicken, being very cautious in areas where these irritable creatures appeared. However, with the appearance of the Fighting Beetle, they learned to bypass the beetle’s territory.
Although the Fighting Beetle was also irritable, as long as they were given food, they didn’t mind. Unlike the Fire Chicken, which would chase and breathe fire at the slightest provocation.
Lu Yao focused on two pixelated people on the grassland.
Among the two pixelated people, one wearing a wide-brimmed hat and carrying a bundle was “Hunt Rain,” who had been stolen from by the Snowman. The other, an old man without a shirt and a circle of garlic around his neck, was the Elder Salt Long of the Kuxiu Clan, who hadn’t been seen for a while.
The old and the young didn’t seem to know how they ended up together.
Lu Yao continued to observe.
A dialogue box popped up over Hunt Rain’s head: “You still have injuries on your body. It’s very dangerous to stay here. The monsters here are increasing. Don’t go any further. I’ll take you to the boat.”
Salt Long said, “Life and death are both part of cultivation. Thank you for your kindness and for treating my injuries. Go quickly, this is already the gathering place for monsters.”
Hunt Rain was puzzled, “Why do you have to fight the monsters here?”
“Faced with transcendent creatures, humans cannot always hide under the protection of the gods. As a servant and follower of God Yao, I will take this first step.”
“…”
Hunt Rain turned and left.
Lu Yao noticed that she was just hiding in the distance, seemingly worried.
Salt Long had a symbol of a ghost above his head, indicating that he was close to death.
The old man silently walked towards the depths of the land, not far from the territory of the Fighting Beetle.
As soon as the intruder was discovered, a sturdy level 10 Fighting Beetle charged towards Salt Long.
Salt Long’s level had already reached Lv15, making him the top of the Kuxiu human race. However, he was not a combat type, with an attack power of only 2 points, but a high defense of 7 points.
The old man engaged in a direct physical fight with the beetle, entering into a battle.
Lu Yao entered the battle interface.
Facing the beetle’s mandibles, Salt Long grabbed them with both hands, exerting force against each other.
Contrary to Lu Yao’s expectations, Salt Long’s fighting style was very rough and tough. He directly confronted the beetle, which excelled in strength, using wrestling and boxing techniques.
Although the beetle’s attacks couldn’t break through Salt Long’s defense, Salt Long’s attacks were equally ineffective. Only occasionally landing a lucky critical hit would result in a forced deduction of -1 health points for each other.
The confrontation between the two sides became a pure test of willpower and determination.
Neither the human nor the insect gave in, venting their anger and continuously consuming each other’s stamina and health.
In the end, Salt Long had consumed more than half of his health, but managed to kill the Fighting Beetle with his fists.
The old man was panting, with a weak expression on his head.
A new enemy had silently approached.
A white Flame Bird descended from the sky. It flapped its wings, igniting the flames on the grass, trapping the old man and the beetle’s body inside.
The flames spread across the grassland, causing Hunt Rain to panic and take refuge on a stone mortar.
The level 16 Flame Bird hovered in the air, watching as the human and insect corpses on the ground were slowly engulfed by the fire.
Salt Long seemed too tired, sitting next to the beetle’s body without moving, even as the flames engulfed him.
Seeing this, the Flame Bird descended lightly and began to devour the beetle’s body.
As soon as it landed, a “Battle in Progress” message appeared above its head.
In the battle scene, the Flame Bird, engulfed in flames, was grabbed by the wings by Salt Long, and the two rolled into a ball of fire on the ground.
The health points of both sides continued to decrease.
–
2-
1-
3-
1
…
A series of damage values crazily jumped above Salt Long and the Flame Bird’s heads.
This life-and-death struggle was even more brutal than the previous one.
The Flame Bird died, and Salt Long’s health was less than 30 points, still decreasing due to the burning flames, and the battle data panel was halved due to “Weakness.”
The old man, smoking, stood up weakly. “This is my prey.”
Hunt Rain ran over to treat his wounds.
“No need.”
A dialogue box appeared above Salt Long’s head: “Please go back and tell everyone that human potential is no less than theirs. Don’t be lazy, practice diligently…”
In the distance, more Flame Birds were rushing over.
A exclamation mark appeared above Hunt Rain’s head, showing a fearful expression.
“Damn it! Can’t escape! These despicable arsonists! I haven’t even collected my beehive, and the honey wine hasn’t been brewed…”
The sea of fire was surging from all directions, about to engulf the two pixelated people.
Lu Yao clicked the mouse.The miracle [Rainfall] descended, instantly extinguishing all the flames.
At the same time, Isabella, riding her magic staff, appeared with a holy sword materializing in her hand, and she looked towards the flock of birds: “Back off.”
As soon as the Apostle appeared, the birds scattered in all directions without looking back.
After completing all this, Isabella quietly left.
A big smiling face appeared above Hunter Rain’s head: “Saved!”
“It’s Miss Isabella, to actually witness the Apostle’s descent with my own eyes! You are a person blessed by the divine.”
Salt Long, however, was kneeling on the ground, his forehead touching the earth: “God Yao, I thank you for your mercy and compassion… allowing me to comprehend the holy stigmata at the end of my life…”
Lu Yao thought there was no need for politeness.
Luck is the reward for the brave.
A new prompt popped up in the Simulator.
——Great deity, a believer has performed a feat far beyond his peers, do you wish to transform him into a hero?
【Yes】【No】.
Old Salt Long was glowing faintly.
This time, Lu Yao promptly clicked 【Yes】.
After Old Salt Long became a hero, the ghost symbol above his head disappeared without a trace, and the 【Weakness】 status was also erased.
The man seemed to have grown younger!
Salt Long prayed silently: “Supreme deity, I swear that for the rest of my life I will continue the journey of cultivation, never retreating or stopping. With my fists and the holy stigmata, I will challenge all the Transcendent monsters of this world one by one, spreading Your faith and glory, to prove the path of humanity.”
Lu Yao frowned; something was off with Salt Long.
In the past, he was a solid scholarly type of ascetic, focused on pilgrimages and enlightenment, but now he had become a fist-fighting monk?