Chapter 063 The River-Turning Crocodile (4)

Some people finally began to harbor thoughts of retreat. Compared to obtaining a high-tier phantom beast, their own lives were far more important. Moreover, the path ahead was filled with unknown dangers and formidable competitors. To lose one's life for the sake of a single high-tier phantom beast was hardly worthwhile.

Consequently, a dozen or so lower-rank phantom masters withdrew. The campgrounds still held the corpses of low-tier phantom beasts such as the Scarlet Porcupine and the Fire Serpent; returning to scavenge those would yield some gain.

In the end, fewer than thirty people remained, loosely divided into two factions: one led by Zoe and Shen Duo, the other headed by a middle-aged nine-star phantom master.

Proceeding cautiously for another quarter of an hour, they all felt their phantom energy nearly spent, their strength waning. When the two phantom masters leading the way sliced through a cluster of violet reeds with blades formed from their phantom energy, their view suddenly opened up—only for the scene before them to make their scalps tingle with fear.

A small pond lay before them, encircled on all sides by dense violet reeds except for the path they had just carved. The shores were littered with the shriveled, blackened corpses of Blackwood Scorpions, Fire Serpents, and Gold-Eating Rats. All were desiccated and lifeless. In the center of the pond floated a savage crocodile, five or six meters long, its body gleaming silver and a single horn protruding from its head. Beneath it, a complex blue-green array shimmered, signaling that it was in the midst of evolution.

“River-Turning Crocodile!” someone cried out in excitement.

Princess Doris gazed at this majestic nine-star sacred phantom beast, her eyes shining, unable to resist rushing forward—only to be pulled back by Zoe. Zoe’s stern voice sounded, “Your Highness, don’t be rash. There’s something wrong with this River-Turning Crocodile!”

Shen Duo and Feng Jun also frowned. Whether human phantom swordmasters or phantom beasts, advancement was supposed to be a natural process of “overflowing and ascending”—in other words, when one’s phantom or sword energy reached a certain threshold, one would naturally advance, usually accompanied by auspicious omens. The advancement of a phantom master would even influence their contracted beast, enhancing its abilities as well.

Yet this River-Turning Crocodile’s advancement had attracted not the reverence of lesser beasts, but instead a mass sacrifice—an ominous sign that could not help but arouse suspicion.

Human nature is easily swayed by greed. Before Shen Duo and the others could stop them, an impatient rogue phantom master rushed toward the River-Turning Crocodile, green phantom energy blazing in his hands, clearly ready to attack. But as he reached the edge of the pond, his body seemed frozen in place. The orb of phantom energy in his hands slowly dissipated, his body rapidly shriveled, and in a moment he was nothing but a dried corpse, lifeless and slumped in the water. The array beneath the crocodile glowed even brighter, its color slowly shifting from green to blue.

The shock of this scene was profound. Some of the female phantom masters could not help but scream in terror. Even the weakest of these lone phantom masters was a formidable expert; to die so easily and in such a strange manner was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart.

“This River-Turning Crocodile is devouring phantom energy,” Yusha’s voice echoed through Shen Duo’s mind with rare gravity.

“Devouring phantom energy?” Shen Duo had never heard of such a bizarre method of advancement.

Yusha had learned of this perverse method from the bloodline inheritance of ancient phantom beasts. It was a technique handed down from the era of the ancient phantom masters, but it required excessive sacrifice and was too dangerous, so it gradually fell into obscurity. Yet today, it appeared again in this River-Turning Crocodile, an astonishing sight indeed.

Given that the River-Turning Crocodile possessed a trace of the ancient Azure Dragon’s bloodline, it was perhaps not so surprising that it knew such a defiant technique.

“The corpses of the phantom beasts at the edge of the pond are missing even their magic crystals!” Feng Jun observed with a frown. The magic crystal was the beast’s internal energy core. The River-Turning Crocodile was madly absorbing phantom energy, which meant the crystals of the slain beasts were also being converted into phantom energy and drawn in.

“Phantom beasts can only advance by consuming magic crystals of the same attribute, but this cunning River-Turning Crocodile is using the strange water of the pond as a medium to transform all the crystals into phantom energy for its own absorption!” Yusha’s voice was indignant. No wonder the corpses of the low-tier beasts looked so peculiar.

Magic crystals were brimming with wild, primal energy, and more Blackwood Scorpions, Fire Serpents, and Gold-Eating Rats kept leaping into the pond as if offering themselves in sacrifice. At this rate, the River-Turning Crocodile would soon complete its advancement.

Shen Duo quietly relayed these findings to Feng Jun and Zoe, whose expressions grew grave.

Even Feng Jun, scion of one of the four great families, had never heard of such a sinister method. If they did not subdue the River-Turning Crocodile now, the consequences once it completed its advancement would be unimaginable.

No one dared act rashly. Zoe considered the situation, then turned to frankly explain it to everyone: now was not the time to fight among themselves, but to unite and subdue the River-Turning Crocodile.

The rogue phantom masters, seasoned travelers, understood the urgency of the moment and raised no objections. After a brief discussion, a strategy was devised.

Shen Duo, Feng Jun, and Lu Qi would attack the crocodile from the left, blocking any escape in that direction, while the others split into three squads to cover the remaining sides.

At Zoe’s command, everyone unleashed their most potent phantom skills at the River-Turning Crocodile.

The crocodile, in the midst of frenziedly absorbing phantom energy, was suddenly bombarded by volleys of phantom orbs. Its massive body thrashed in the pond, the hard silver scales on its back scorched and blackened. It bellowed in fury, lashing its tail and sending great splashes of water flying.

Yet despite the fierce assault, the array beneath it did not dissipate; on the contrary, its color continued to shift—a clear sign the advancement was ongoing.

After several rounds of attacks, the crocodile’s silver scales were battered and torn, its flesh exposed and bleeding, but its evolution showed no signs of halting.

Suddenly, Shen Duo’s gaze fixed on a point, her voice cold and clear: “Stop attacking the crocodile. Clear the remaining low-tier beasts at the water’s edge first. Remember, do not touch the pond.”

The group, frustrated by their fruitless efforts, was eager to try a new approach. There were few low-tier beasts left; they were soon dealt with. As Shen Duo had expected, without fresh sources of phantom energy, the advancement array beneath the crocodile began to fade. The crocodile howled in anguish, thrashing and churning the water. Deprived of the constant influx of phantom energy, the pain became unbearable, and it writhed in the pond, staining the already muddy water with its own blood, turning it grayish red.

Shen Duo kept her eyes fixed on the beast; the array beneath it had yet to vanish, and she dared not relax for a moment.

At her side, Princess Doris laughed triumphantly. “So this is a high-tier sacred phantom beast? Nothing special after all.”

Most of the others relaxed, greed gleaming in their eyes. Now, they only needed to wait for the advancement array to disappear, then seize the River-Turning Crocodile at its weakest.

Yet just as everyone lowered their guard, several piercing screams erupted at once!