The Undying Salamander had outrageous regenerative abilities, excelled at close-quarters combat, and was covered in poison. Its arrival brought untold suffering to the six Cocoon Stage Hunters.
Previously, the strongest of the Rank 2 exotic beasts present was merely a B-class. The moment the Undying Salamander arrived, it instantly became the leader of the swarm. S-class exotic beasts naturally possessed a bloodline suppression over lower-class beasts of the same rank.
Seeing how dire the situation had become, Su Ze returned to Liou Wenxin's side and asked, "How many minutes are left?"
Liou Wenxin instantly understood what Su Ze was asking and replied, "A little over six minutes have passed. In less than four minutes, the beast swarm will disperse."
"Only a little over six minutes?"
Su Ze felt those six-plus minutes had been exceptionally long. And from the looks of it, their team wasn't going to last another four.
After a moment of thought, Su Ze handed the Head of the Wailer to Liou Wenxin. "Here, take this back."
Liou Wenxin instantly understood his intentions and accepted it without hesitation.
As Liou Wenxin took the Head of the Wailer, Su Ze felt the greedy gazes that had been secretly watching him vanish.
With the Head of the Wailer in his possession, Su Ze knew some people would covet it. But by pretending it belonged to Liou Wenxin and "returning" it to her, he extinguished everyone's greedy thoughts.
As long as Mrs. Yun was around, no one on the team would dare to target Liou Wenxin.
Su Ze had a second reason for giving the Head of the Wailer to Liou Wenxin: he wanted her to use the curio to help the team.
Although Liou Wenxin was not skilled in combat, she was a true peak Pupa Stage evolver. Her Spiritual Power might even be stronger than Su Ze's. As long as she used the Head of the Wailer effectively, she could provide significant aid to the team.
After receiving the Head of the Wailer, Liou Wenxin imitated Su Ze, unleashing a barrage of spiritual attacks on the Rank 1 exotic beasts. She actually managed to help the team kill a dozen of them.
With that, the guard team now actually had the numerical advantage!
This also freed up some of the Pupa Stage Hunters to support the six struggling Cocoon Stage members.
Some of the six Cocoon Stage Hunters were already injured. A veteran Hunter had half his palm bitten off by the Undying Salamander, while another had been poisoned, his entire body turning a deathly purple.
This wave of support finally allowed them to catch their breath.
To Su Ze's surprise, even after launching over a dozen spiritual attacks with the Head of the Wailer, Liou Wenxin's expression remained normal, showing no signs of Spiritual Power depletion.
Generally speaking, as they were both Pupa Stage beings, even if there was a gap in their Spiritual Power, it shouldn't have been that large. But Liou Wenxin's Spiritual Power was clearly far beyond that of other evolvers at her stage.
Su Ze guessed that Liou Wenxin must have mastered a skill that enhanced her Spiritual Power.
Liou Wenxin, whose Spiritual Power was still in great shape, even had the energy to continue launching spiritual attacks. She turned her attention to the Rank 2 exotic beasts.
Although the Head of the Wailer's spiritual attack couldn't pose a substantial threat to Rank 2 exotic beasts, it was enough to affect them briefly. It was just like when Su Ze had used it to attack "Vampire" and "Sicko" during his prison break, causing the two Cocoon Stage experts to miss their best chance to escape.
In battle, a brief moment of distraction could decide the final outcome. Even if it couldn't help the six Cocoon Stage Hunters turn the tide, it could at least alleviate some of their pressure and buy them more time.
However, Liou Wenxin soon ran into a problem. The Head of the Wailer required eye contact with the target to launch its spiritual attack, but the Rank 2 exotic beasts were completely absorbed in the fight. No matter what commotion she made, none of them spared her a glance.
With her level of strength, she didn't dare to rashly enter the battle circle of the Rank 2 exotic beasts and the Cocoon Stage Hunters.
The best option now was to give the Head of the Wailer to one of the Cocoon Stage Hunters and let them use it themselves. But the curio was incredibly valuable. Su Ze had been willing to give it to her out of trust, but she wouldn't pass it on to someone else without his consent.
Just then, a Cocoon Stage Hunter noticed Liou Wenxin's predicament and shouted, "Let's work together to draw the Undying Salamander's gaze toward our employer! We'll coordinate with the curio in her hands and try to kill this beast in one fell swoop!"
"Alright! Let's risk it!"
The other Cocoon Stage Hunters quickly agreed. The Undying Salamander was the one putting the most pressure on them. As long as they could eliminate it, they were confident they could survive the remaining time.
But if the Undying Salamander wasn't eliminated, they would still face a difficult situation, even if they managed to kill one or two of the other Rank 2 beasts.
And there was another, most important point: the Undying Salamander's extract was extremely valuable!
Even split among so many people, it would still be a considerable fortune.
"Be careful," Liou Wenxin reminded them. "Don't make eye contact with the skull in my hand, or you might get hit by accident."
The six Cocoon Stage Hunters immediately began to coordinate, deliberately trying to draw the Undying Salamander's attention toward Liou Wenxin. Meanwhile, Liou Wenxin gripped the Head of the Wailer, aimed it forward, and braced herself.
However, after several attempts, even when the Undying Salamander's head was turned in her direction, its attention remained fixed on its opponents. It didn't spare even a single glance for Liou Wenxin, who was standing far off.
Liou Wenxin gritted her teeth and moved much closer.
Just then, a Cocoon Stage Hunter covered his body in a layer of bone armor, suddenly charged forward, and locked his arms around the Undying Salamander's head, wrenching it in Liou Wenxin's direction.
The Undying Salamander's skin was covered in toxins. Direct physical contact would almost certainly result in being poisoned.
The Undying Salamander struggled fiercely. With a whip of its massive tail, it shattered the armor on the back of the Hunter holding it, who spat out a large mouthful of blood.
But the Cocoon Stage Hunter refused to let go. Thanks to his efforts, the Undying Salamander's gaze finally swept past Liou Wenxin and, for a fleeting moment, made eye contact with the Head of the Wailer in her hands.
The spiritual attack activated!
The Undying Salamander immediately fell into a dazed stupor.
"Quick! Seize this chance!"
During this brief window, the Undying Salamander could neither flee nor dodge, nor could it use its skills to defend or counterattack. They had to concentrate their firepower to kill it.
The six Cocoon Stage Hunters were experienced veterans. The three who specialized in defense immediately used their strongest defensive skills, bracing for injury as they blocked the attacks from the other Rank 2 exotic beasts. Meanwhile, the three offensive specialists unleashed their full firepower, frantically hammering the Undying Salamander with a barrage of attack skills.
The Undying Salamander's defenses were not particularly strong. In an instant, it was grievously wounded. Its four limbs and tail were severed, its skull was split open, and its heart was shattered.
"Don't let up! It's not dead yet!"
Su Ze, watching from a distance, also noticed that the Undying Salamander's wounds were still healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. Even its severed limbs and tail were slowly regrowing.
'This thing is ridiculously hard to kill!'
A look of excitement appeared on Su Ze's face.
'That Undying Salamander's extract... it will be mine!'