Chapter 300: Old Friends Reunited
Within the Dark Domain, across a territory spanning dozens of kilometers, a lone figure floated in the dim midair. It was none other than Zhou Ming, whose reputation had recently risen like a comet.
Beneath him, among the undulating hills, more than a thousand Spirit Molting Snakes whose strength had reached the high tier descended like a locust plague, devouring every Ferocious Beast they encountered.
For a time, beastly roars and bird cries filled the air. The Ferocious Beasts that had lived here fled at their fastest speeds, gradually forming a Beast Tide within this region.
Zhou Ming paid no mind to the upheaval beneath his feet. His purpose in entering the Dark Domain this time had been to free-range his snake swarm.
At the same time, he had come to investigate whether there existed any presence within the territory surrounding his camp that could threaten its safety.
If there was, he intended to eliminate it in advance.
The reason was simple—Zhou Ming planned to leave the camp temporarily.
It had been more than a year since he last sent a message to Lei Yuan, yet he had still received no reply. He wanted to understand her current situation and, at the same time, fulfill the promise he had once made to her.
Beyond that, Zhou Ming had other objectives as well.
Now that he had advanced to Transcendent Master, the question he faced next was how to ascend to the throne of the Legendary Saint.
Counting from the beginning of the Doomsday Era, in nearly a thousand years of the Alliance’s history, fewer than ten individuals had successfully advanced to Legendary Saint. That alone demonstrated the difficulty of such an advancement.
At present, the only knowledge he possessed regarding the Legendary level came from the inheritance left behind by the Hydra Rune School—and even that was largely incomplete.
As for the Beast Taming system, the only Transcendent-level knowledge he held was the class advancement ritual gifted by Lei Yuan, along with a severely incomplete Half-Beastman Profession System.
As for Legendary-level Beast Taming knowledge, he had yet to gain anything at all.
Therefore, he planned to try his luck at the Alliance Headquarters.
While Zhou Ming silently contemplated his plan to head there, the Ferocious Beasts in the region beneath him had already fled completely, and the ravenous snake swarm had finally eaten its fill.
After confirming there were no threats to the camp, he suppressed the thoughts in his mind, recalled the snake swarm into his Beast Space, and moved on toward another territory.
“So that’s the master of Snake King Fortress, Lord Zhou Ming? To be able to control over a thousand high-tier snake-type Ferocious Beasts… I wonder what profession he chose.”
After Zhou Ming departed, several figures emerged from behind a massive boulder at the base of a hill several kilometers away.
Zhou Ming had long since noticed these Professional Beast Tamers. Had he not restrained the snake swarm in time, they would already have been reduced to bones.
He had taken the opportunity to reveal a fraction of his methods, intimidating those in the outside world who still harbored ulterior motives. In any case, he no longer needed to worry about his abilities attracting trouble.
Seeing Zhou Ming leave, the Professional Beast Tamers immediately began discussing among themselves.
“It’s said this lord chose a crippled profession system. He advanced to Transcendent Master by completing it himself—and in such a short time.”
“With such talent, within the Alliance, beneath Legend, none can compare.”
Hearing their companion’s explanation, the others were utterly shocked.
They had believed that becoming Professional Beast Tamers already made them rare geniuses among their peers. Yet compared to Zhou Ming, they did not even qualify to be mentioned in the same breath.
As they were sighing in admiration, one of them suddenly reacted.
“Enough marveling. Lord Zhou just cleared the Ferocious Beasts in this area—shouldn’t we seize the chance to gather resources?”
At the reminder, the others snapped out of it and quickly mounted their Beast Companions to search for rare resources.
Such scenes were unfolding in several places throughout the region.
After leaving this territory, Zhou Ming had been preparing to delve deeper into the Dark Domain to investigate when shrill sounds of battle suddenly echoed from afar.
Ordinarily, he would have no interest in such matters. But just as he was about to ignore it, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Lion King, leave us! Go!”
That familiar voice—and the words “Lion King”—instantly stirred memories of the Northern Wasteland in Zhou Ming’s mind.
He immediately raised his head, his eyes shifting into the state of Dark-gold Serpent Pupils. The dim environment became exceptionally clear.
In the distance, Lion King rode his Violent Lion, wielding a greatsword in both hands as he resisted two high-tier Ferocious Beasts.
Nearby, Flower Scorpion and the others were trapped within a siege of low-tier Ferocious Beasts.
As the only woman in the squad, Flower Scorpion instead held a heavy machine gun, wildly sweeping fire in all directions.
Her mature beauty contrasted sharply with a body like a diamond-shaped powerhouse, and combined with the heavy machine gun’s relentless barrage, the scene carried an oddly surreal tone.
Though Lion King and the others were fighting with all their strength, the surrounding Ferocious Beasts had been driven here earlier by Zhou Ming’s snake swarm and were still in an extremely frenzied state.
In the current situation, only Lion King had any chance of escaping.
“Flower Scorpion, watch out!”
Just as Flower Scorpion used her heavy machine gun to force back the low-tier beasts, a black marten streaked toward her like lightning. Seeing the danger, Mole immediately leapt forward to block it.
“Little Chick!”
Seeing Mole’s body sent flying, Flower Scorpion’s face instantly filled with panic, her concern laid bare.
At the same time, Zhou Ming had not expected that a moment’s hesitation on his part would push Mole into mortal danger.
Boom—
Like a storm descending, the Predator’s Might carried by his Talent Force Field erupted instantly. The Ferocious Beasts attacking Lion King’s squad were seized by extreme terror.
Under Zhou Ming’s fury, Lion King and Doghead saw the beasts before them collapse like harvested wheat.
Without him lifting a finger, the crisis was instantly resolved.
“Little Chick, are you alright?”
Flower Scorpion had already thrown aside her heavy machine gun and was cradling Mole in her arms, completely ignoring the cause of the sudden change.
Mole looked at her tear-streaked face. Though blood spilled from his mouth, a smug smile appeared on his lips.
He had wanted to say something, but another mouthful of blood sprayed out, leaving his thoughts unspoken.
“Little Chick, don’t die! As long as you live, I’ll marry you, alright? I’ll bear your children!”
Seeing this, Lion King and Doghead felt their throats tighten.
The five of them had formed a hunter squad ten years ago, weathering countless storms without loss. Yet this time, misfortune had struck.
“Flower Scorpion, are you serious?”
Before anyone realized it, Zhou Ming’s teasing voice sounded beside them.
Sensing someone’s presence, Lion King and Doghead immediately grew alert.
“Who’s there?”
“Lion King, it’s been many years. You haven’t forgotten me, have you?”
As Zhou Ming slowly walked before them, Lion King studied him carefully before asking tentatively,
“Ten Thousand Snakes?”
“Haha, I thought you might’ve forgotten. But let’s save Mole first.”
Zhou Ming ignored the astonishment on Lion King and Doghead’s faces. Walking to Flower Scorpion’s side, he poured a high-tier healing potion down Mole’s throat.
Then, using the power of his bloodline, he took control of Mole’s body, realigning the fractured and dislocated bones.
Within moments, Mole—who had been on the brink of death—had already recovered most of his injuries.