This assassin is upright

Chapter 471 Fifth-Order Mutant Beast!
Yu Zhun's calm expression gradually turned serious after his gaze swept across the lakeside.

He suddenly understood why there were no living beings in the area he had just traversed.

Because there are dozens of mutated beasts near the lake.

All of these mutated beasts were fourth-tier mutated beasts.

The moment Yu Zhun entered, they all cast bloodthirsty glances at him, their unsurprised expressions suggesting they had been waiting for this moment.

Yu Zhun slowly tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand.

There is no doubt that this is a trap set for him.

But what kind of being could command so many fourth-tier mutated beasts, making them all wait here for me to come to my door?

Yu Zhun looked around.

In the middle of the vast lake, there is a small island.

There is a tree on the island that is not very tall, and nothing else.

Apart from these fourth-tier mutated beasts, there was nothing else to be found on the lakeshore.

He couldn't find the guy who was giving orders from the shadows.

This is the worst-case scenario.

Yu Zhun knew that his strength was insufficient to deal with the siege of so many fourth-tier mutated beasts at the same time, not to mention that they were likely also capable of red mist.

He did save the chance to toll the death knell for an individual a few times, but that was his most important trump card, which he hadn't been willing to use when fighting monsters in the lava.

Moreover, even if it were used, it would be a drop in the ocean under the current circumstances.

Because there are too many fourth-tier mutant beasts.

Just as Yu Zhun was still pondering, a mutated beast roared and charged towards him, with wisps of red mist appearing around it as it charged.

Red Mist Ability!

Yu Zhun's heart sank.

In the two previous encounters with fourth-tier mutated beasts, the beasts only used the red mist ability when they were severely injured, as it was their trump card.

But now, this fourth-tier mutated beast actually used it right at the beginning.

The same applies to other mutated beasts.

As they approached each other without regard to their origin, varying shades of red mist rapidly began to rise around them, and their aura grew increasingly powerful and terrifying.

A bead of cold sweat silently slid down Yu Zhun's forehead.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Zhun turned and plunged into the forest, his speed almost bursting to its limit as he exerted all his strength to maneuver through the dense woods.

Behind him, dozens of fourth-tier mutated beasts, activating their red mist abilities, roared and relentlessly pursued him.

"Whoosh-"

A whooshing sound came from behind Yu Zhun. Yu Zhun instantly dodged to the side and looked at the attacker behind him. It was a monkey-like mutated beast holding a somewhat primitive wooden bow, and it already had some of the appearance of a primitive human.

Accustomed to climbing in the jungle, it caught up with Yu Zhun first, its blood-red eyes filled with violent emotions, as if it wanted to tear Yu Zhun to pieces.

"Bear--"

Yu Zhun's face was tense, and flames instantly erupted from his body, igniting a large area around him, including the fur of the monkey-like mutated beast that was right next to him.

With a scream, the mutated monkey leaped to the ground and rolled around in place, trying to extinguish the scorching flames on its body.

Ignoring the other party, Yu Zhun turned and disappeared into the dense forest.

Just now, the mutation inducer granted him even greater stealth abilities.

Now, he should be able to evade these guys' pursuit.

However, not long after this thought came to mind, a sharp eagle cry came from above Yu Zhun's head, followed by a fourth-tier giant eagle tearing through the thick canopy and charging down.

Yu Zhun's pupils contracted sharply as he narrowly avoided the sudden attack, then used the forked branches of the tree trunk to maneuver around the giant eagle.

Unable to maneuver freely in the complex terrain between the tree trunks, the giant eagle, realizing it was at a disadvantage, did not hesitate to burst through the canopy like an arrow and disappear back into the sky.

Yu Zhun looked away, his face tense, and shifted his position again.

His brief encounter with the giant eagle had already revealed his location once again.

After creating some distance and disappearing again, Yu Zhun hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief when a low roar suddenly erupted. Immediately afterward, a fourth-tier mutated beast that resembled a mink darted out of the darkness and pounced on his face.

again!

Yu Zhun's expression hardened, and he resumed fighting with the fourth-tier mutated beast.

Sensing the rapid commotion around him, he dared not linger in the fight. He used the tactic of trading injury for life to instantly pierce the heart of the fourth-tier mink beast and then left immediately.

While rapidly healing his wounds, Yu Zhun pondered everything that had just happened.

Immediately afterwards, his brows furrowed.

He concealed himself twice, but was attacked by different mutated beasts each time.

The feeling was as if an eye was constantly watching him, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Besides that, there was another thing that puzzled him, which was the state of the mink beast just now. Yu Zhun had noticed the mink beast when they were by the lake, and he was certain that it had also activated its red mist ability at that time.

When they met again, the opponent's red mist ability had disappeared, but it was able to be activated again during their battle!
This situation is also very unusual, at least it contradicts the patterns he summarized regarding the abilities of the Red Mist.

So... what exactly is going on?
As he was thinking this, Yu Zhun suddenly felt a strong gust of wind erupt beside him again.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Zhun turned around and slashed out with his dagger.

A branch was instantly severed and thrown into the air, and a strangely shaped tree not far away quickly retrieved the injured branch.

Immediately afterwards, the other branches of the strange tree came crashing down like a sudden storm.

A fourth-tier mutated beast!
Yu Zhun's eyes narrowed; he hadn't expected that a plant could become a fourth-order mutated beast.

However, the opponent's weaknesses are also quite obvious.

Plants are afraid of fire!

"Bear--"

With a low, crackling sound of flames, intense flames erupted from Yu Zhun's body, engulfing the branches that were sweeping towards him.

Large sections of branches were burned to ashes, and the tree quickly retracted its branches as if it had been electrocuted, even trying to uproot itself and escape.

But, it's too late.

This was probably the easiest kill Yu Zhun had ever made of a fourth-tier mutated beast. Without paying any price, he completely severed the beast's root system, causing the tree-like fourth-tier mutated beast to perish.

As usual, he fled before the other fourth-tier mutated beasts could hear the commotion and arrive, but Yu Zhun seemed to have grasped a key point.

Plant-type mutant beasts fear fire…

A red fruit... the power of red mist...

Targeting one's own trap...

A flash of lightning streaked through Yu Zhun's mind.

Is it possible that the plant that produces the red fruit is itself a mutated beast, and a very powerful one at that?

Perhaps all the mutated beasts that have eaten the red fruit have been affected by it to some extent, and may even be directly controlled by it, serving as its senses.

When Yu Zhun used his fire abilities, it targeted him.

As a plant-based mutant beast, it also fears fire!
That's why it set up a trap to kill Yu Zhun here.

if it is like this…

A sharp glint flashed in Yu Zhun's eyes.

He hadn't considered the possibility that plants could also be mutated beasts before, but now that he realized this possibility, he immediately understood what he had overlooked.

That island in the middle of the lake in the heart of the forest!

There's probably something wrong with that tree on that island!
Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Zhun turned around instantly and darted off once more towards the heart of the forest. Almost the instant he moved, the entire forest seemed to come alive.

Every tree here twisted and tore at him, as if trying to stop him from returning.

This approach only strengthened Yu Zhun's resolve.

The other party had a way to observe his situation at any time, so even if he hid, it would be useless. Moreover, the other party's control over this forest was beyond his imagination.

"Bear--"

The blazing flames rose up, engulfing Yu Zhun completely and burning all the tangled branches to ashes.

Seemingly realizing that such actions could not stop Yu Zhun, the next moment roars and violent commotion came from all around.

Countless creatures fiercely rushed towards Yu Zhun, from the relatively weak second-tier evolved beasts to the more powerful third-tier evolved beasts, forming a beast tide in an attempt to stop Yu Zhun's advance.

Yu Zhun's gaze gradually turned cold.

"Trying to stop me?"

"Perfect timing, I'm lacking in kills."

Slowly, he drew his dagger with both hands, and the long-awaited killing began.

Under the influence of the mutation inducer, increasingly powerful forces are growing in Yu Zhun's limbs and bones, and every killing is a nourishment for him.

More and more beasts fell at his feet, becoming stepping stones for him to reach the core area of ​​the forest. Suddenly, at a certain moment, Yu Zhun's eyes flickered slightly.

He stomped his foot hard on the ground, and the flames instantly engulfed all the surrounding beast corpses.

Beneath the beast corpses that instantly turned to ashes, wisps of red mist rose up.

"As expected." Yu Zhun looked enlightened.

"The cores of those mutated beasts were stolen by you."

"Control these mutated beasts like you're raising poisonous insects, and then absorb them after they die, turning them into your own nourishment."

Is this how you survive?

A faint but furious roar echoed from within the red mist, as if Yu Zhun was enraged because he had seen through everything.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you anything after this."

"I will burn everything to the ground."

The angry roars grew clearer, but Yu Zhun ignored them and walked toward the heart of the forest.

Since deciding to return, he has not seen any fourth-tier mutated beasts again. There is no doubt that the hidden creature can still command them.

There is only one reason why they never appear.

That means they've returned to the core area, which serves as the last line of defense, waiting for them to avoid being defeated one by one.

This was probably a strategic adjustment made by the hidden guys after they realized that Yu Zhun had the ability to kill fourth-tier mutated beasts.

but…

The other party clearly lacked awareness of Yu Zhun's strength.

Returning to the lakeside in the core area, Yu Zhun saw the missing fourth-tier mutated beasts. At this moment, they all displayed a frenzied and bloodthirsty demeanor, guarding the island in the center of the lake without any blind spots, giving Yu Zhun no chance.

Yu Zhun stopped in his tracks.

"You've been hiding it quite well," he said quietly, his gaze fixed on the seemingly ordinary tree on the island in the middle of the lake.

"If I hadn't encountered a fourth-order mutated tree, I probably wouldn't have realized that you were hiding right in front of me."

The fourth-tier mutated beasts grew increasingly angry and frenzied.

As the tree on the island in the middle of the lake swayed gently, all the mutated beasts pounced on Yu Zhun at the same time.

Yu Zhun shook his head slightly.

He was naturally incapable of dealing with these fourth-tier mutated beasts.

But he could kill that tree.

"clang--"

A death knell tolled from the void, and the trees on the island in the middle of the lake suddenly twisted wildly before turning into ashes and disappearing.

The fourth-order mutated beasts that were rushing towards Yu Zhun seemed to have been paused, their movements halting and their eyes quickly becoming lifeless.

They lay on the ground, still showing signs of life, but completely unconscious, as if they were in a vegetative state.

Or rather, they have long since lost their senses.

"This should be over now." Yu Zhun breathed a slight sigh of relief, stepped over the fallen fourth-tier mutated beasts, and headed straight for the island in the middle of the lake.

Where the tree once stood, only a bottomless pit remains, and at the edge of the pit lies a crimson crystal.

The energy within that crystal was far greater than that of the core of the magma monster fish that Yu Zhun had seen before. Without a doubt, it was definitely the core of a mutated beast of the fourth rank or higher.

“This tree is indeed at the fifth level.” Yu Zhun showed no surprise.

How could this tree, capable of controlling so many fourth-tier mutated beasts, possibly be a fourth-tier being as well? It must be above the fourth tier.

Picking up the crystal, after a moment's thought, Yu Zhun put it directly into his mouth.

"Click——"

With a crisp chewing sound, Yu Zhun swallowed the crystal directly.

The next instant, terrifying energy erupted from his body.

"Uh…"

With a soft hum, Yu Zhun suddenly knelt down on one knee and dug his hands into the soil.

hot…

It’s so hot…

Having already awakened his fire abilities and could move freely even through lava, he now felt as if his body was about to be burned to ashes.

That was a tremendous power far exceeding his current level; it had only just erupted within his body, yet it seemed to be about to burst Yu Zhun's body apart.

As he clenched his teeth, Yu Zhun's mind suddenly became hazy.

He felt as if he had become a tree, a tree rooted in the island in the middle of the lake, beginning to gain consciousness from a state of confusion.

He was surrounded by countless powerful beasts, any one of which could easily tear him apart.

After witnessing a relatively weak beast easily snap a tree several times its own thickness in half, the tree made a decision.

It wants to hide itself so that no one can detect it.

So the tree stopped growing above ground to avoid being noticed by any animals, but beneath the ground, it frantically took root deeper and spread outwards.

Over the years, the animals on the lakeshore have become accustomed to the presence of this tree on the island in the middle of the lake, and no one has ever thought of destroying it.

Beneath the island in the lake, this tree has extended its root system almost throughout the entire forest.

The carcasses of animals after they die, and various things buried in the soil.

It absorbed almost everything it could and completed its final expansion, allowing its roots to reach every corner of the forest.

But this is still not enough to make it feel safe.

Because it cannot move compared to those powerful beasts.

This fatal flaw will surely bring it disaster.

unless…

It can possess new methods.

(End of this chapter)