Chapter 205: Flesh-and-Blood Grinder
During the two days of rest and recuperation, aside from going into the wilderness near the outpost to capture low-tier Ferocious Beasts to feed the Ironthread Snake swarm, Zhou Ming focused most of his energy on the materials obtained from the Earth-Walking Dragon.
Although he lacked professional instruments for proper research, through Spiritual Power and certain transcendent methods, he still gained some insights into materials such as Dragon Blood.
Compared to the genetic bloodlines of other Ferocious Beasts, the bloodline of dragon-type Ferocious Beasts possessed far stronger corrosiveness, capable of actively altering the genetic bloodlines of other lifeforms to a certain extent.
If materials such as Dragon Blood were sufficient, Zhou Ming could have transformed his snake swarm into existences similar to Flood Dragons or serpent-drakes.
However, Zhou Ming had no intention of doing so.
This was because he discovered that although the Earth-Walking Dragon’s bloodline contained True Dragon Bloodline, granting strength far surpassing Ferocious Beasts of the same tier,
that same bloodline had become abnormally stable—using the word “solidified” to describe it would not be an exaggeration.
That was to say, Ferocious Beasts that integrated True Dragon Bloodline possessed an extremely high lower limit and strength exceeding peers of the same rank, but they were easily locked in place, with their potential for further advancement completely cut off.
Zhou Ming even speculated that sub-dragon Ferocious Beasts might have absolutely no ability to resist when facing a true giant dragon.
After some simple research, Zhou Ming arrived at a conclusion.
The corrosive nature of the giant dragon bloodline allowed giant dragons—whose fertility rate was extremely low—to ensure the continuation of their bloodline through bloodline erosion, resulting in the emergence of various sub-dragon Ferocious Beasts.
At the same time, the giant dragon bloodline completely solidified the genetic bloodlines of sub-dragon Ferocious Beasts, making it extremely difficult for them to evolve into true giant dragons, while also subjecting them to bloodline suppression from giant dragons.
Of course, this did not mean that Dragon Blood, Dragon Meat, or Dragon Heart had no value. The energy essence contained within them could be used whether for potion refinement or for enhancing the strength of Ferocious Beasts.
However, under current conditions, extracting that energy essence was still impossible.
Only then did Zhou Ming understand why Fire Fox and the others had shown little interest in the flesh and blood of the Earth-Walking Dragon—this was the advantage brought by systematic Beast Taming education.
Some knowledge did not require personal exploration and could instead be obtained through the research of predecessors.
That said, knowledge gained through personal research still carried certain advantages compared to directly learning the achievements of others.
After sensing the terrifying corrosiveness of the giant dragon bloodline, Zhou Ming became extremely interested in this characteristic.
If the Ironthread Snake bloodline possessed such a trait, then integrating the bloodlines of other snake-type Ferocious Beasts would become much easier.
Using the Ironthread Snake to steal the bloodline of the entire snake race, thereby allowing himself to obtain unimaginable power.
Unfortunately, with Zhou Ming’s current knowledge reserves, as well as the lack of necessary research resources and instruments, he was temporarily unable to begin research in this direction.
Fortunately, the invasion of the Giant Race gave him an opportunity to earn merits, allowing him to exchange them for the resources he needed.
The brief two days of rest allowed Zhou Ming to continuously gain new knowledge from Werejackals and the Earth-Walking Dragon, supplementing himself.
He might even be able to obtain the resources he required through this Alliance Conscription. Instead, Zhou Ming found himself increasingly looking forward to what benefits this conscription would bring him.
The two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the members of the clearing squad began to regroup, heading toward the Panlong Mountain Range under Yan Hong’s leadership.
However, this time, Zhou Ming noticed that there were squads composed entirely of military Beast Tamers also entering the Panlong Mountain Range.
Judging from the situation, after the Giant Race deployed the No-Fly Domain, the possibility of using technological weapons to eliminate Foreign Races on a large scale was gone, forcing the Alliance military to immediately adjust its strategy.
The current Panlong Mountain Range could be said to have truly become a flesh-and-blood grinder.
The Foreign Races dared not leave the Panlong Mountain Range lightly, while the Alliance did not want them to take root within Alliance-controlled territory, leaving no choice but to actively send personnel into the mountain range.
With high-end forces mutually restraining one another, the lower-tier forces could only slaughter each other relentlessly, eliminating the opponent’s active forces to force them into making changes.
Upon entering the Panlong Mountain Range for the second time, Zhou Ming and the others found that their clearing operation did not go smoothly.
Originally, they had planned to once again rely on Zhou Ming’s snake venom to eliminate Werejackal Warriors capable of forming battle formations, thereby leaving the Werejackal Warriors without support.
However, not long after Zhou Ming released the snake venom—before its effects even manifested—the Werejackal camp immediately reacted.
Facing Werejackals who had already been alerted, Zhou Ming and the others did not choose to confront them head-on, instead opting to retreat immediately.
“Now what do we do? The Werejackals are already on guard against Ten Thousand Snakes’ methods.”
In a mountain hollow dense with vegetation, Yan Hong and the others were discussing how to hunt the Werejackals.
Faced with Fang’s question, the group failed to come up with a better solution for a time.
After a brief moment, Yan Hong was the one who took the initiative to speak—after all, he had experience fighting Foreign Races.
“At present, there are only three methods.”
“First, search for Foreign Races we can handle. That will take more time and requires going deeper into the Panlong Mountain Range.”
“Second, find other clearing squads to cooperate with, but how to distribute the spoils would become a problem.”
“Third, lure the enemy out. Control our Beasts to pretend to be wild Ferocious Beasts fighting each other, drawing out some Werejackal Warriors. Then we kill them at top speed and retreat—but this method probably won’t work many times.”
Faced with Yan Hong’s plan, everyone ultimately chose the lure-the-enemy-out approach.
However, during the subsequent search for a target, they discovered that the Foreign Races were also taking action.
Aside from the massive number of Werejackals constructing camps at key locations, the Centaur and Harpy races had already dispatched patrol squads within the Panlong Mountain Range.
There were even hunting squads led by Giants actively searching for Alliance clearing squads.
Under these circumstances, the group decided to strike at Foreign Race patrol squads.
After all, the enemy’s means of detecting snake venom could not possibly be maintained at all times like the Werejackal camps.
In a narrow valley, Zhou Ming and the others concealed themselves, watching the Foreign Race patrol approaching from afar.
Three Centaur Warriors, two high-tier Harpies, and a hundred clan members under their command.
“Ten Thousand Snakes, move.”
Yan Hong issued the order, and Zhou Ming immediately stood at the other end of the valley, beginning to release the snake venom stored in his gall bladder.
This time, before the Foreign Race patrol squad could even begin showing symptoms, Yan Hong led the others in launching a surprise attack in advance.
The Harpies were restrained by Wind Eagle, with Fire Fox assisting Wind Eagle, while the remaining three dealt with the Centaur Warriors and ordinary Foreign Races.
“Boom…” An explosion rang out.
A scorching fireball landed among the Centaur Warriors, and Zhou Ming and the others took advantage of the chaos to begin their assault.
The Centaur Warriors and high-tier Harpies began to counterattack, while the remaining Centaur soldiers started forming a battle formation, and low-tier Harpies provided long-range support with poison-coated arrows.
Neither side held back in the slightest, and in an instant, the stench of blood began to permeate the valley.
The Centaur soldiers who had originally intended to form a battle formation suddenly felt weakness throughout their bodies, and their breathing became labored.
The unified battle formation was forcibly dissolved.
Seeing Zhou Ming’s snake venom take effect, Yan Hong and the others immediately unleashed their full strength, beginning to slaughter at maximum speed.