I picked up attributes in Swallowing Star.

When Luo Yuan arrived at the No. 0231 county highway and was about to head towards the military base, he suddenly felt a faint tremor behind him. He immediately released his spiritual power and saw a dark mass of monsters. Each monster was only about 30 centimeters in size, slightly larger than a human hand. However, this tidal wave of monsters surged towards him, and behind him, there was a large group of martial artists fleeing in a sorry state, frantically throwing away their burdens.

This dark, swarming horde of rats didn't appear boundless; its width covered the entire highway, and its length stretched only a hundred meters. Given that each rat beast was thirty centimeters long, this horde must have contained tens of thousands of monsters—considered a small swarm. Even a warrior at the general level would be devoured and killed!

"A rat swarm?" Luo Yuan frowned. A rat swarm, also known as a rat plague, would surely kill even a war god-level expert if surrounded by an endless swarm of rats.

"Damn it, I ran into something so dangerous as soon as I got back."

Without saying a word, Luo Yuan quickly ran away, leaving the swarm of rats far behind at supersonic speed.

Luo Yuan sped along the highway and saw Luo Feng running away frantically. He grabbed Luo Feng and pulled him away quickly.

"Boom~ Boom~"

A dark blue, flat, round flying saucer-shaped fighter jet suddenly flew in and continuously spewed scorching flames at the rat swarm below. Under the scorching flames, many rats were burned to death. The originally orderly rat swarm completely collapsed and scattered and fled.

……

Luo Yuan and Luo Feng arrived at the military region's martial arts supply base, where a large group of martial artists had gathered at the entrance.

"Luo Feng, do you know what's going on with this rat swarm?" Luo Yuan asked.

"Um, I'm not too sure either. I just got back and encountered this rat swarm," Luo Feng replied somewhat awkwardly.

Luo Yuan took out his phone, opened the martial arts forum, and saw that the headline was about the rat swarm. He quickly clicked on it.

"Today is destined to be a sad day for the supply base. Many martial artists who were out there lost their lives. Even one of the three War God-level martial artists who entered the wilderness area today was surrounded by an endless swarm of rats and was trapped in a vast ocean of rats."

The rat swarm's relentless and frenzied attack actually... killed a war god!

Yes, today, a human war god has fallen!

The rat swarm not only includes beast soldier-level rat beasts, but also beast general-level beings. The leaders of the rat swarm are extremely intelligent, and once they have chosen a target, they will stop at nothing! It is said that during the struggle of that human war god, dozens of high-rise buildings were destroyed and collapsed, so the number of rat beasts that died was probably over a million.

Unfortunately, a million rats are nothing compared to a swarm of hundreds of millions of rats.

therefore……

This god of war is dead!

Looking at the report, Luo Yuan's lips twitched. He had just broken through to the God of War realm, and today one of the God of War died, killed by rats.

"Boom!" Dark clouds rolled in, a gale swept across the land, and thunder roared intermittently. With a loud clap of thunder, a torrential downpour began.

On the rooftop of a townhouse at the supply base, Luo Yuan and Luo Feng sat on the veranda.

Luo Feng looked somewhat downcast, while Luo Yuan stared at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"Senior Brother Luo Yuan, do you think humanity can completely defeat the monsters?" Luo Feng suddenly asked.

"Yes, as long as you are strong enough, strong enough to kill countless lives with a single thought, these monsters will be nothing more than playthings in your hands," Luo Yuan said slowly. He was originally quite pleased with himself for breaking through to the God of War level, but when he thought about the countless powerful creatures hidden in this vast universe, he realized that even a planetary-level Hong was just an ant in their eyes, let alone them.

"Luo Feng, the task of saving the world is entrusted to you. You must do your best!" After saying that, Luo Yuan went upstairs to his bedroom.

Looking at Luo Yuan's somewhat lazy figure, Luo Feng didn't know what to say. He practiced the Ninefold Thunder Blade alone in the rain, looking fierce and sharp, with an aura of destroying everything. Upstairs, Luo Yuan was also using his mental power to improve his attributes and proficiency in the Ninefold Thunder Blade. Although his Ninefold Thunder Blade had reached the second level, everyone's understanding was different, and he could learn from others to become stronger.

The rain had stopped early the next morning, and a faint rosy dawn was already visible on the eastern horizon. The autumn and winter chill was already quite cold in the early morning. Luo Feng was still practicing his sword outside, while Luo Yuan in the bedroom turned over under the covers.

"Swordsmanship Proficiency +1"

"Swordsmanship Proficiency +1"

"Swordsmanship Proficiency +1"

........................

Luo Yuan suddenly awoke, sensing the sword technique knowledge emanating from his mind. It turned out to be a new sword technique imbued with profound meaning. Luo Feng was amazing; he had actually comprehended a new sword technique all by himself in one night. If all protagonists were prodigies, he decided to create a sword technique as well.

Every master swordsman has their own unique artistic conception. According to the "Ninefold Thunder Blade" manual, the higher one's level of swordsmanship, the higher the level one can reach.

In the afternoon, Luo Yuan and Luo Feng took a train and left the supply base, returning to Jiangnan Base City.

Yangzhou City Bright Moon Residential Area, Luoyuan Villa.

After taking a good shower, Luo Yuan, dressed in loose training clothes, watched the news in the second-floor audio-visual room. The news showed some scenes of the God of War Lu Gang's past battles. The special effects were very cool, and the movements were incredibly handsome. Luo Yuan felt a little regretful because before he rushed back, the God of War Lu Gang had perished together with the rat horde. He actually wanted to see what the strength of the other Gods of War was like.

Luo Yuan's current strength is 68000 kilograms. The second level of the "Nine-fold Thunder Blade" can enhance his strength by 2.1 times, which means that he can exert 142800 kilograms of pure strength, comparable to a mid-level war god. Combined with perfect-level movement techniques and the ability to control flying knives with mental power, he can exchange a few blows with a high-level war god.

One early morning, the temperature was very low. The area around the 'Hero's Hall' funeral home in Jiangnan Base City was completely under lockdown because many people would be coming to mourn Senior Lu Gang that day.

The Fire Hammer Squad gathered together, all dressed in black suits and holding small white flowers. Luo Yuan was among them; he had been called over by Gao Feng.

"There are so many people today," Chen Gu couldn't help but exclaim.

There are martial artists, family members, high-ranking government officials, and ordinary citizens here.

P.S.: Dear readers, please give me a reward, vote for me, and add this to your favorites. Thank you so much!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 38 Venturing into the Greater City

Jiangnan Base City's 'Hero Hall' Funeral Home.

Tens of thousands of people have gathered here today; these are all members of the elite in Jiangnan Base City. There are high-ranking members of family conglomerates, high-ranking officials in the government and military, and most importantly, a large number of martial artists. Among these martial artists are even War God-level experts!

"The national television station is here too." Luo Yuan looked at the interview vehicle and couldn't help but think that warriors at the God of War level were quite highly regarded.

Luo Yuan and his group stood on the side of the street, waiting in line like a large number of other martial artists. Some important figures could have priority in paying their respects.

Luo Yuan sensed the powerful war god-level experts passing by. They had strong auras, some with sharp eyes and others with calm eyes.

"drop!"

Suddenly, a jet-black, saucer-shaped fighter jet flew directly from a distance. The troops guarding the Hero Hall Funeral Home did not stop it at all, and the war god-level powerhouses who had gone in to mourn, the mayor of Jiangnan Base City, and high-ranking officials from the political and military circles all came out to greet it.

"Looks like a big shot has arrived." Luo Yuan looked closely, and all the martial artists, including the people from the TV station, stared at him, but no one dared to make a sound.

A silence.

The UFO fighter jet slowly landed, and the door opened.

A lean, hooked-nosed man, dressed in all black, descended the fighter jet stairs. His complexion was pale, and his eyes were glistening with tears. His mere presence seemed to plunge the surrounding area, dozens of meters around him, into darkness; he was a god within that radius.

"Councilor Zhu," a powerful warrior at the God of War level greeted him.

The hook-nosed man sighed softly, said nothing, nodded to the war god-level powerhouses who were there to greet him, the mayor of Jiangnan Base City, the high-ranking officials from Kyoto City, and the military leaders, and then walked directly towards the funeral home.

Luo Yuan was startled. This was Zhu Xi, one of the five great inspectors, with planetary-level strength. He looked ordinary, and no one would have guessed that he was such a terrifying existence. This was true modesty.

Funeral music echoed throughout the Heroes' Hall Funeral Home as government officials, military leaders, and martial arts masters of god-like status offered their condolences one after another. The national television station meticulously recorded the entire event, with reporters describing it on camera. Soon it was Luo Yuan and his group's turn.

Soon, Luo Yuan and the others finished their worship and left the venue.

The atmosphere outside the venue was noticeably more relaxed, unlike the oppressive atmosphere inside.

After the seven members of the Firehammer Squad left, they found a restaurant nearby with a somewhat classical style and nice decor.

The group ate and chatted casually.

"Captain, what mission are we going to do next?" Chen Gu asked.

“Old Chen and Wei Tie and the other brothers are pretty much familiar with the area. I think we should head into the wilderness in the next couple of days.” Gao Feng looked at the group, and they nodded.

"Haha." Chen Gu laughed, "This time we can't go to those small counties again. Our team is much stronger than before."

"Let's go to the city center."

"How about we go all out and try our luck in City 003?" Gao Feng took a deep breath and said in a low voice.

"City 003?"

Everyone present was startled. Luo Yuan frowned as well, sensing that his brothers had gotten a little too cocky.

City 003 is arguably one of the most terrifying areas in the entire Eurasian region. Located near the ocean, it teems with sea monsters in its waterways. It boasts one of the most numerous architectural complexes in almost all of Asia, resulting in an astonishing number of monsters, including many lord-level monsters, and even some exceeding lord-level!

A large number of top martial artists have come here, and even martial artists from other base cities in China have come here specifically!

This place is practically a battleground for human warriors and monsters!

This is the economic center of the entire Huaxia Kingdom before the Great Nirvana period—the former Magic City!

"That's too ruthless! Taking such big strides could easily tear your balls," Wei Tie couldn't help but say.

Gao Feng looked at the group and chuckled, "Scared?"

“What’s there to be afraid of? It’s a good thing to go to City 003.” Chen Gu’s eyes lit up. “Go, of course we have to go! Anyway, City 003 is huge, more than ten times bigger than other cities. We’re going to infiltrate from the periphery slowly, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

"Luo Yuan, Luo Feng, what do you say?" Gao Feng and the others looked at Luo Yuan and Luo Feng. They dared to be so bold this time because the presence of Luo Yuan and Luo Feng gave them confidence.

"It's fine to go for a bit of fun, but we can't go too deep," Luo Yuan said slowly, taking a sip of tea.

“Okay, we can go in, but we have to start from the suburbs and proceed slowly.” Luo Feng nodded.

The members of the Fire Hammer Squad smiled when they heard what Luo Yuan and the other person said.

Daring to operate in City 003 is a symbol of strength.

"Alright, everyone, get some rest and get ready. We'll set off early the day after tomorrow for City 003," Gao Feng said with a smile.

"Okay, let's go to city number 003!"

Luo Feng and his group were getting excited.

After parting ways with the Fire Hammer Squad, Luo Yuan went alone to County Town No. 0231, which is next to the military region.

The nine-tailed white fox, along with its nine high-ranking beast generals and some vassal phantom fox branches, settled in the ruins of a twenty-story hotel. After tidying it up, they went into hibernation, a method of cultivation where they used dreams to enhance their spiritual power.

Luo Yuan lay down directly on the soft belly of the nine-tailed white fox. The snow-white fur enveloped him, making him feel warm and comfortable. He also used his mental power to collect the mental attribute bubbles dropped by the phantom fox. He would spend his days in the base like this for a while, and soon fell asleep.

On the third day, Luo Yuan checked his attribute panel and found that his mental strength had also broken through to the level of a beginner war god. He was overjoyed. After getting ready, he joined the other six members of the Fire Hammer Squad and headed to the supply base of the Southeast Military Region.

"This supply base is much larger than the supply base of the Northern Military Region." After receiving the key, Luo Yuan and his group walked through the supply base and couldn't help but sigh. The number of residences in the entire supply base far exceeded that of the Northern Military Region, and at a glance, they could see a large number of martial artists in various places.

003 The city is near the ocean, where countless monsters have cleaved the continent and threatened the inland areas along the Huangpu River. Compared to land monsters, ocean monsters are actually more terrifying to humans because the ocean is much larger than the land, and the ocean is entirely the territory of monsters. You can imagine how many monsters are in the ocean.

The seven members of the Fire Hammer Squad were walking in the Southeast Military Region when they unexpectedly encountered a War God-level martial artist who was preparing to venture into City 003. It was rare to see a War God-level expert in the Northern Military Region, but here they saw several right away.

A moment later, the fully armed Firehammer squad of seven left the supply base.

Along the way, people were discussing Luo Feng's "madman" deeds, which prompted Gao Feng and the others to tease Luo Feng a few times. Luo Yuan, on the other hand, kept a low profile. His spiritual power secretly swept over those War God-level martial artists, directly penetrating their combat uniforms and skin to see their internal organs, muscles, and bones, and he discovered that those people had very strong physical qualities.

P.S.: Dear readers, please give me a reward, vote for me, and add this to your favorites. Thank you so much!

(End of this chapter)