CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: WHO’S THE HUNTER, WHO’S THE PREY?

Deep in the maze of the Blood Cultivation Realm, Logan led Barzini for a full six hours.

Along the way, they were hit by attacks from all kinds of insect-type monsters from time to time.

Logan had arranged these monsters. His goal was simple: test Barzini’s true strength and hidden cards as much as possible.

But each time, Barzini stayed calm and cut the monsters down with ease.

After killing another five Master-level Black Ants, Barzini skillfully carved up their bodies and stored the most valuable parts in his familiar space.

Then he took out a bottle of water, scanned the area, and took small sips. "How much longer until we reach the cave you mentioned?"

Hearing that, Logan pretended to check the route and answered quietly, "About five more kilometers."

Barzini narrowed his eyes. "You’re quite the scout. You can go this deep alone."

As he spoke, a blue-green light flared behind him. The mottled giant python bared its fangs and lunged at Logan.

Logan instantly activated his Infernal Lord Form. The blade wings on his back crossed and slashed, sending the mottled giant python flying and smashing a cluster of stone pillars.

Clap, clap, clap!

A burst of applause rang out. Barzini stood up, his eyes on Logan full of fighting spirit. "Jesse, you really aren’t simple! I knew an old guy at Elite 2 stars couldn’t scout this far and still be alive."

As soon as he finished, his familiar space opened behind him again. Seven figures shot out at once and surrounded Logan.

Logan looked at the seven Master-level familiars around him, his face calm. "Since you figured it out, why wait until now to make a move?"

Smiling, Barzini recalled the mottled giant python. There was a hint of appreciation in his eyes as he looked at Logan. "Because I wanted to see with my own eyes how desperate you’d look when your plan is about to work, only for me to turn the tables alone."

He burst out laughing. "Be afraid. Tremble. Even in the Tattalia family, I rank in the top ten among Master-level familiar tamers!"

The mottled giant python flicked its tongue. Its slit eyes shot out two beams straight at Logan’s face.

At the same time, the seven familiars around Logan fired their ranged skills, locking down his room to move.

Booms echoed one after another, kicking up clouds of dust in the cave.

Barzini stared coldly at the spot where Logan had just stood, a grin spreading almost to his ears. "Smart hunters often show up as prey. Jesse, whatever you’re plotting against the Tattalia family, dead men can’t do anything."

He waved to his familiars, ready to pull them back into his familiar space.

But at the very moment they turned, a wave of fear suddenly rose in Barzini’s chest.

Then Logan’s icy voice sounded right by his ear. "You’re so right. Too bad you never figured out who’s the hunter and who’s the prey."

Before his words even faded, the swirling dust around them cleared.

Barzini and his familiars looked up at where Logan had just been. Aside from a few deep craters, there was no sign of him.

Suddenly, huge dark shadows spread under their feet. Even the view ahead dimmed under that mass of shadow.

"Damn it, why did the light get darker?" Barzini frowned and turned—then froze at what he saw.

In the gloomy cave, his pupils shrank and his mouth fell open. The veins on his forehead bulged and throbbed, like they might burst at any moment.

All around him, countless insect monsters packed the tunnels, sealing off both the front and the back.

Black Ants, huge fire centipedes, giant mole crickets, abyssal sandworms, holy beetles—each one at Master level. Barzini’s scalp tingled. His voice started to shake. "W-Who are you? What do you want?"

Logan and Lilith stood at the front of the swarm, their eyes full of mockery as they looked at him.

The Black Ant queen slowly crawled up beside Logan, then knelt at his feet. Her voice was full of hunger. "Master, I want to eat him."

Seeing that, Barzini’s eyes trembled in disbelief. "How did you do that? You can control an insect king?"

Logan ignored him. He gently tapped the queen’s antenna and said softly, "He’s useful. Don’t eat him. First, take away his ability to fight."

The Black Ant queen took his order at once. She held back her hunger, turned, and waved her antenna toward Barzini.

In an instant, over a thousand Black Ant soldier ants charged at him.

"Damn it, I’ll fight you!" Facing life and death, Barzini pulled out a rune stone and crushed it right in front of Logan.

With a flash of bright light, a solid energy barrier spread out, blocking the soldier ants’ attacks and creating a safe zone about a hundred meters across for Barzini and his familiars.

Barzini looked at the Black Ants around him, all staring like predators. His face twisted as he pulled out his phone and snapped, "Jesse, I don’t care who you are. The Tattalia family won’t let you go!"

He raised his phone, ready to send out what was happening here.

He had set up a group send. With one tap, every familiar tamer exploring Blood Cultivation Realm No. 10086 would get the message.

Then the Tattalia family would surely figure out Logan’s identity and avenge Barzini.

Barzini’s fingers pounded the screen, his expression turning manic. "Jesse, I might die today, but don’t think you’ll live easy!"

He moved to press send.

But just as he lifted his hand, he saw Logan’s mouth curl into a smirk, full of mockery.

Right then, the mottled giant python at his feet suddenly turned on him and flung Barzini and his phone into the air.

"No!" Barzini flew through the air, his eyes full of rage.

Crack!

The sound of the screen shattering was sharp and harsh.

At the same time, Barzini slammed into the ground.

Logan walked up to the barrier and looked coldly at Barzini lying there. "Your plan was about to work, and I turned it around with one hand. Your face looks terrible now."

Hearing Logan throw his own words back at him, Barzini felt a stab of pain. His face twisted even more.

"Traitor!" Barzini bit his lip hard, stood up, and pointed at the mottled giant python. "Kill it!"

At his order, his other seven familiars rushed in and quickly tore the mottled giant python to pieces, leaving blood all over the floor.

Logan watched and kept smiling.

Back when the mottled giant python first fought for Barzini, Lilith had already started secretly using her [Weaken Will] skill on it.

With each fight and injury the mottled giant python took, Lilith’s [Weaken Will] skill broke down its mental defenses. Only then could she use [Enslave Mind] to take control of it.

The barrier Barzini cast faded quickly.

Without that defense, the Black Ant legion beat Barzini until he was barely alive.

When he had only one breath left, Logan used [Enslave Mind] on him.

But the first attempt failed.

"Lilith, your turn!"

On Logan’s order, Lilith activated [Demon Eye] and tried [Enslave Mind] again.

Logan and Lilith then took turns using their skills.

Soon, the hatred in Barzini’s eyes began to fade.

Logan looked at the Master five-star familiar tamer he had enslaved and felt very pleased.

By controlling Barzini, he also controlled seven Master-level familiars. That was far better than controlling wild monsters in the Blood Cultivation Realm.

Next, Logan took Barzini straight to the end of the Blood Cultivation Realm—the ant nest.

In truth, Logan hadn’t lied to him.

While subduing the Black Ant queen, the insect monsters under Logan had indeed killed many Black Ants.

Logan handed those Black Ants and their soul crystals to Barzini, then gave his first order: "Take these spoils back to claim credit. I want to know where the Tattalia family has been storing the monster resources they’ve bought these days. When the time comes, you’ll help me steal them."

On receiving the order, Barzini immediately opened his familiar space and gathered up the Black Ant remains.

Because there were too many Black Ant corpses, Barzini’s familiar space filled up fast—it only held about a third.

Just as Logan was at a loss, Barzini casually took out a ring and started collecting the Black Ant remains again.

"Is that... a space ring?" Watching Barzini’s skilled movements, Logan was shocked by how rich the Tattalia family was.

When the space ring in Barzini’s hand was full, Logan looked around and saw there were no Black Ant bodies left.

"Does the Tattalia family have a lot of these space rings?" Logan finally asked the thing he was most curious about.

"Master, these rings are handed out to camp leaders to collect resources from the Blood Cultivation Realm. Even the Tattalia family has fewer than twenty." Barzini put the ring away and told Logan that the family had been gathering monster resources this time specifically for Victor.

"So it was Victor behind this!" Learning Victor was the one pulling the strings, Logan spat.

Sensing Logan’s dislike for Victor, Barzini spoke up: "Master, you don’t need to go through so much trouble. As far as I know, in two days the Tattalia family will gather the recent supplies and send them to the Genius Training Camp."