Super Gene Hunting Ground

Yang Xiao followed Zhi Ruo and the others.

”Master Yang, we need to speed up, is that okay?”

”Miss Zhi Ruo, where are we going? Can you tell me our destination?”

”Desert Canyon.”

”Is it the same place where you were chased by killer bees last time?”

”Yes.”

”You want to be chased by killer bees again?”

”Hehe, now there only remains the Bee Queen and a dozen killer bees, it would be a waste not to take advantage of this opportunity.”

”The seven of you are fully capable of defeating the Bee Queen, why bother asking me to join?”

”Hehe, are you unwilling to team up with me, thinking only of sister Lan Xin in your heart, is that it?”

Yang Xiao was taken aback and laughed:

”Miss Zhi Ruo, don’t misunderstand, Miss Lan Xin and I are just ordinary friends.”

”Is that so?”

Zhi Ruo’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao quickly averted his eyes and said:

”Let’s get going. The canyon is fifty kilometers away from here; it’ll take half a day to go there and back. We might also encounter Mutant Monsters along the way.”

”Alright!”

After Zhi Ruo spoke, she said to her fellow apprentices:

”Let’s use the Emei Light Skill Swallow Water to speed to the Desert Canyon.”

After Zhi Ruo finished speaking, her figure flashed, similar to an agile swallow, flying through the air. Every forty or fifty meters, her tiptoes would touch the ground lightly, and her figure would continue to fly forward.

Yang Xiao watched in admiration; with such speed, he would definitely not be able to match it on foot. He immediately mounted his horse.

The Flame Horse neighed, turning into a red cloud, and chased after them.

Zhi Ruo and others, using the Emei Light Skill Swallow Water, flew for about ten kilometers before they gradually became exhausted and slowed down.

Zhi Ruo led the way and stopped; the other six apprentices also stopped ahead of her.

Yang Xiao’s Flame Horse had good stamina, ten kilometers was nothing and didn’t require a rest, but since Zhi Ruo and the others had stopped to rest, Yang Xiao also stopped.

”Master Yang, we’ll rest for a moment before continuing on our journey.”

After finishing speaking, Zhi Ruo took out a Small Blood Pill and popped it into her mouth, and the rest of the people also took out Small Blood Pills.

Everyone sat down, their eyes closed slightly. After about ten minutes, Zhi Ruo and the others stood up and said to Yang Xiao:

”Alright, let’s keep moving.”

Their figures flashed, continuing to fly forward.

Yang Xiao was startled, they’ve recovered so quickly?

Thus, Zhi Ruo and the others would stop to rest for about ten minutes after every ten kilometers, then continue on their journey.

The fifty-kilometer journey took about two hours to reach.

Along the way, they also encountered several Mutant Monsters, but they all swiftly passed by without initiating an attack, and the monsters gave up chasing after a while.

Zhi Ruo and others stopped in front of the entrance to a large canyon.

”Rest for ten minutes and stay vigilant.”

Yang Xiao, while riding on the Flame Horse and holding the Golden Eagle Bow, said:

”You rest, I will keep watch.”

Zhi Ruo nodded her head and immediately closed her eyes to recuperate.

Yang Xiao guessed that they were using some Breathing Regulation Technique from the Emei Sect to rapidly restore their strength, and with the miraculous effects of the Small Blood Pill, they could revive completely in about ten minutes.

Using this time, Yang Xiao observed the canyon from a distance.

This canyon was a Great Rift Valley that had split open suddenly on flat desert land, at least two kilometers wide, nearly a hundred meters deep, and so long one couldn’t see the end.

The rift, being located underneath the desert terrain, was relatively moist inside, making the valley green and lush with various unknown plants and shrubbery.

Yang Xiao felt that it was a miracle in the middle of the desert.

Standing at the entrance of the canyon, Yang Xiao could see some small animals moving about, and occasionally, some roars could be heard from within, making the entire Great Rift Valley seem somewhat eerie.

Zhi Ruo and her fellow disciples, after having adjusted their breaths, stood up.

Zhi Ruo drew out a blue longsword, and the other six girls also unsheathed their longswords.

”Once we’re in the canyon, everyone should be careful. The Hive of the killer bees is not far ahead; we need to kill those killer bees first.”

”Miss Zhi Ruo, may I ask you a question?”

Yang Xiao said.

”Young Master Yang, please speak.”

”How did you discover this canyon? Logically speaking, you shouldn’t venture into a canyon 50 kilometers away to hunt. There are Mutant Monsters everywhere along the way. Why make things hard for yourself by seeking things far away?”

Zhi Ruo replied with a smile:

”What do you mean by that, Young Master Yang?”

”My meaning is simple. For Miss Zhi Ruo to take such a risk and travel this far, it definitely can’t just be for some killer bees. That must be just an excuse. Tell me the truth, or I’ll turn around and go back right now.”

Yang Xiao stood his ground very firmly.

Zhi Ruo looked at Yang Xiao with a charming smile and said:

”Young Master Yang truly is intelligent and not easily fooled. We also stumbled upon this canyon by chance when we were chasing a Unicorn once and it led us here.”

”And then?”

”After the Unicorn ran into the canyon, it disappeared. But unexpectedly, we discovered a world like a hidden paradise within this desert, inhabited by a large variety of Mutant Monsters. Moreover, there are many small-sized monsters with Enhanced Gene Level here. Compared to the giant monsters outside, they are easier to kill, but the Genetic Balls and equipment they drop are not less valuable.”

”So, you want to concentrate on treasure hunting here, but you didn’t expect to be chased by a swarm of killer bees.”

Recalling the previous encounter with the killer bees, Yang Xiao also felt a lingering fear. However, after killing those bees, the loot they dropped was indeed substantial, amounting to more than 100,000 Crystal Coins.

”Yes, I think this is an ideal place for quickly gathering Genetic Balls. Young Master Yang, you have impressive skills. You need the corpses of the monsters, right? We can give you all of them and also part with some Genetic Balls for you.”

Yang Xiao smiled and said:

”You’re afraid of running into powerful monsters like the last time, and that’s why you want me to come and hold the line, right?”

Zhi Ruo replied with a smile:

”If you weren’t capable, why would I have called you over here? I wouldn’t need to travel so far just for a stroll and a chat.”

”Alright, let’s go in then. But remember, don’t get greedy. Make sure we have enough time to get back. If we go back too late and run into a Sand Demon, we’ll be done for.”

”Okay.”

Zhi Ruo immediately led the way with her fellow sisters, carefully stepping into the Great Rift Valley, while Yang Xiao rode his horse, his Golden Eagle Bow bent with an arrow ready to launch at any time.

Just as they walked a few dozen meters in, there was a rustling in the nearby bushes, and a dog-sized golden rabbit ran out.

With a ”whoosh,” Yang Xiao fired an Ice Element Magic Arrow.

The golden rabbit leaped high into the air, about five or six meters high, dodging Yang Xiao’s arrow effortlessly.

With a loud bang, the Ice Element Magic Arrow split into ten, all exploding and leaving behind a white fog of ice, but the golden rabbit had already run forward.

Zhi Ruo performed an Emei Light Skill Swallow Water, her figure flashed, and she quickly chased after it. Holding her blue longsword, she aimed at the golden rabbit from about 2 meters away; a three-meter-long Sword Qi burst forth from her blade,

Hiss!

The golden rabbit was sliced in two at the waist.

Five Genetic Balls and a set of Rabbit Fur Armor fell to the ground.

Yang Xiao was somewhat surprised by Zhi Ruo’s skills and swordsmanship, and said:

”Miss Zhi Ruo, that was impressive. I’m ashamed I don’t measure up. It seems you didn’t need my help at all.”

Zhi Ruo responded with a smile:

”Actually, each of us has our strengths and weaknesses. In close combat, I can use Emei Sect’s Qinggong and swordsmanship to deal with most monsters, but against those that can unleash powerful, devastating attacks, my martial arts are not strong enough to withstand them. That’s when your Soul Skill can come into play.”

Yang Xiao found what Zhi Ruo said to be very true.

Soul Skills might be powerful, but they can only be used a limited number of times in quick succession and have a slow reaction time.

Especially in close quarter combat, it’s often not possible to use Soul Skills, and one can only rely on attributes like Strength and Agility found in the Genetic Attribute for simple hand-to-hand combat.

The Ancient Martial Arts that Zhi Ruo and her sisters practiced gave them a certain advantage in hand-to-hand combat.

”Let’s be cautious, everyone. The Hive is up ahead on the cliff wall, and the Bee Queen is likely nearby.”

With her longsword in hand, Zhi Ruo slowly walked towards a huge Hive some hundreds of meters away.

(End of the fourth installment, to be continued tomorrow.)