Chapter 234: All Slain
After a Beast Tamer advanced to the Professional Rank and began to wield transcendent power, ordinary abilities such as dim vision had already become an innate talent of a Professional Beast Tamer.
Night could no longer obscure the eyes of a Professional Beast Tamer.
As the dust and smoke stirred up by the explosion gradually dissipated, everyone could clearly see, upon the ravaged ground filled with craters and trenches, a spherical object gleaming with a metallic sheen standing firmly at the center of the blast.
“Your attacks were still too weak.”
A mocking remark—or rather, a blunt statement—broke the stillness before them.
As the calm voice sounded beside their ears, Zhou Ming’s figure slowly emerged from within the spherical object.
What they had seen earlier as a spherical object was in fact his snake tail extending more than ten meters from below his waist, wrapping around himself like amber to protect his body from harm.
As the tail covered in dark-gold snake scales began to wriggle, it gradually returned to its previous two-meter length.
“How is that possible? He’s completely unharmed?”
A voice filled with terror rang out, as if unable to accept the reality before their eyes.
Hearing this, Zhou Ming merely revealed a faint smile and did not explain the reason.
They could not comprehend how arduous it was to carve out an entirely new profession system, nor could they understand the benefits of creating a system perfectly suited to oneself.
The core abilities of the Ruler profession Zhou Ming established were the snake swarm composed of Ironthread Snakes and the bloodlines he had seized.
As for the techniques that brought these two core abilities into full play, he had already constructed them before advancing to Ruler.
They were the Blood Descendant Secret Technique that formed the Snake Swarm Will, and the Gathering Sand Secret Technique that gathered the power of the snake swarm.
The former could mobilize the snake swarm to cooperate with his bloodline power, manifesting nearly tangible Serpent Shadow Projections for offense or defense, thereby deriving spells exclusive to him.
The latter could make use of the Serpentfolk Form to greatly amplify a specific innate ability of the Ironthread Snake within a short period, thus enhancing himself and increasing his combat strength.
The spells derived from the Blood Descendant Secret Technique included Phantom Snake Hands, Snake Tide Poison Miasma, and Serpent Shadow Projections.
The method Zhou Ming had just used was a derived spell of the Gathering Sand Secret Technique—Snake Scale Protection.
This was a defensive spell he obtained after studying the structure of Silver Scale’s and Iron Block’s snake scales, and drawing inspiration from the Crimson Crystal Barrier spell he had acquired from Qi Shouwu.
Through the power of the snake swarm, he greatly enhanced the strength of the scales on his tail, then reinforced their internal structure with bloodline power, and finally wrapped his entire body with his snake tail to withstand attacks.
However, this defensive spell had a rather obvious flaw: it possessed no capability for defensive counterattacks, and during its activation, the caster could not move freely.
The reason was simple. When Zhou Ming transformed into his Serpentfolk Form, the most resilient scales on his body grew upon his tail.
Although the scales on his upper body could be strengthened through spells, the defensive effect they provided was ultimately incomparable to those on the snake tail.
That said, how this spell was used could be flexibly determined according to the actual battle situation.
For example, if facing only conventional attacks, there was no need to wrap the entire body tightly with the snake tail.
After all, in certain circumstances, excessive reliance on the snake tail for defense would instead restrict one’s mobility and adaptability.
Regardless of its shortcomings, however, its dazzling defensive capability remained undeniable.
“Since everyone has finished performing, it is now my turn to take the stage.”
The strength of the Dark Card Organization at this stronghold had already been thoroughly probed. Zhou Ming no longer concealed his true power.
“Gathering Sand Secret Technique · Power of the Giant Serpent.”
Repeated battles against the Foreign Races’ battle formations had given Zhou Ming new insights into how the snake swarm could unleash even greater power.
Under the surge of the snake swarm’s strength, Zhou Ming’s physique was reinforced once more.
The translucent snake scales covering his upper body began to emit a faint blood-hued glow as the Power of the Giant Serpent was activated, and beneath his skin, muscles bulged with explosive veins.
“Boom…”
His snake tail lashed violently against the ground. The tremendous force caused the already ravaged earth to tremble violently, and Zhou Ming shot forward like a cannonball fired from its barrel.
The sharp gale produced by tearing through the air sent dust spiraling upward, forming a rolling sandstorm that seemed capable of blotting out the sky.
His target was Diamonds Six, who had advanced to the High-level Professional Rank.
Only the opponent posed a potential threat to him, as both were Professional Beast Tamers of the same tier.
As Zhou Ming had anticipated, when Diamonds Six saw him charging over with terrifying momentum, he immediately activated his final trump card.
The transcendent equipment he wore—a ring and a necklace—was driven by Spiritual Power, and flames instantly surged from the Phantasmal Beast Armor.
Blazing heat enveloped Diamonds Six, ultimately transforming him into a three-meter-tall flaming giant.
Fire God’s Fury.
A powerful spell cast by combining the enhancement of transcendent equipment with his Phantasmal Beast Armor, possessing extremely high attack and defense.
Under everyone’s gaze, the two seemed like meteors colliding. Rings of heat waves spread outward like ripples, continuously battering those nearby.
Yet in the next moment, the flaming giant formed by Diamonds Six was cleaved away by Zhou Ming with a single sword strike.
At this moment, Zhou Ming’s physical strength had already surpassed that of a Beast Knight of the same rank.
“Attack together.”
Seeing Diamonds Six completely fall into a disadvantage, Plum Blossom Five and the other two high-level members of the stronghold no longer dared to stand by and immediately chose to support him.
However, once they engaged, they truly experienced Zhou Ming’s terrifying strength.
The blade of the Phantasmal Spirit Sword was incomparably sturdy, containing an overwhelming and unstoppable force. Whether spells or combat techniques, all were shattered by a single slash.
Entry-level Professional Rank Beast Tamers had no strength to resist; the toxin contained within the blade killed three of them outright.
Faced with the situation, Diamonds Six and the others finally disregarded the organization’s punishment and chose to flee in hopes of preserving their lives.
Yet Su Mei and Aina, who had been waiting in the shadows for a long time, immediately erupted with their full strength to intercept the fleeing group.
Diamonds Six and the others had already lost their courage, and their strength was less than ten percent of its peak. Facing Su Mei and Aina’s interception, they were unable to break through immediately.
In the end, all Professional Beast Tamers stationed by the Dark Card Organization at the Maple Leaf Ridge Stronghold were slain one by one by Zhou Ming. Not a single person escaped.
“My lord.”
As Zhou Ming walked over after returning to his normal form, Su Mei and the others immediately bowed and greeted him.
Having personally witnessed him slay more than a dozen Beast Tamers of the same rank, they finally understood the true extent of their lord’s power. In his presence, they felt an overwhelming pressure.
“Su Mei, you are responsible for cleaning the battlefield. Collect all the spoils from their bodies. The rest of you will follow me into the underground stronghold.”
“Yes.”
Now, it was time for Zhou Ming to reap the fruits of victory.