CHAPTER 88: CHAPTER 88: DIVIDE AND CONQUER

The reason everyone gathered here instead of trying to seize the key was that the Two-headed Poison Wolves were too troublesome. They couldn’t be sure of obtaining the key, so they could only wait for more people to deal with the wolf pack together.

The number and strength were not what made the wolf pack troublesome; the real problem was their poison. The wolf pack could simultaneously release Poison Skills, creating a shroud of poisonous miasma.

In the poisonous miasma, the wolf pack had a natural advantage, while the Guardian Beasts would be poisoned if they inhaled the miasma, suffering a significant drop in strength. If they stayed in the miasma for too long, the Guardian Beasts might be poisoned to death.

Of course, some Guardian Beasts with high poison resistance might be immune to the miasma, but they were too few to even serve as a snack for the more than two hundred Two-headed Poison Wolves.

Having understood the situation, the next step was to wait.

As time passed, everyone became increasingly restless.

Now, only half a day was left before the Secret Realm closed, and continuing to wait would only result in returning empty-handed.

At this moment, another group of humans approached from not far away.

Leading them was a tall, well-featured youth.

"I am Zhang Haoran from the Qilin Daoist School. I believe everyone remembers Director Chen’s order. The key is in the nest of the Two-headed Poison Wolves, and to obtain it, we must cooperate."

Upon hearing this, Chu Chen and the others exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Because their team was assembled temporarily, no one was assigned as the spokesperson.

At this moment, Ji Mingyue came to Chu Chen’s side and whispered, "You decide, I trust you."

Ji Mingyue’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone around heard it clearly.

Chu Chen didn’t agree straight away, instead looking towards the others.

Mu Chengxue and his companion nodded enthusiastically, while Qian Jiadong and Zhao Peng remained silent, disapproving but not opposing either.

When Chu Chen’s gaze landed on Chen Haoyu and Zhang Liting, they merely smiled and nodded, clearly in agreement.

Seeing this, Chu Chen finally responded solemnly, "Cooperation is certainly not a problem."

Zhang Haoran was relieved upon hearing this. As long as Chu Chen and the others were willing to cooperate, there was a chance to get the key.

But Chu Chen hadn’t finished speaking.

"However, with just us, there’s probably little hope of obtaining the key, and those Star Beasts are still eyeing us. If we act, wouldn’t we just be doing the work for them?"

Zhang Haoran nodded and said, "I understand that. We can cooperate with them, and as for who ends up with the key, that will depend on our abilities."

Chu Chen nodded, "That sounds good. Time is of the essence; let’s go and discuss with them now."

"That’s exactly my intention."

Having reached a consensus, Chu Chen and the others proceeded towards the Star Beasts.

At this point, the Star Beasts also noticed Chu Chen and company.

They let out a low growl, seemingly warning them not to approach.

The other Star Beasts, hearing the growl, gathered and watched Chu Chen and the others with wary eyes.

At this time, Zhang Haoran summoned his Guardian Beast.

A fiery red flying-type Guardian Beast appeared before them.

It resembled a red-crowned crane, with fire-red feathers, about a zhang tall, and a beak nearly a meter long, like a fiery red sword.

Chu Chen couldn’t help but show envy; Zhang Haoran’s Guardian Beast was a Fire-Feather Sword Crane with fire and gold dual attributes, more expensive than dual-rare-attribute terrestrial Guardian Beasts.

The reason could be attributed to two points.

Firstly, the Fire-Feather Sword Crane was a flying-type Star Beast, and its flight speed and combat power ranked among the top three of flying-type Guardian Beasts of the same level.

Secondly, the Fire-Feather Sword Crane was exceptionally attractive; while strength can be improved through efforts, good looks were inborn.

Who wouldn’t want a Guardian Beast with strong combat power and high attractiveness?

The Fire-Feather Sword Crane showcased its War General Level aura, followed by a call expressing its intention to cooperate.

Upon hearing this, the Star Beasts withdrew their wary gazes, and the three lead Star Beasts let out a low growl, seemingly discussing cooperation terms.

A moment later, the ice-blue tiger stepped forward a few paces, letting out a low growl.

Through the translation of the Guardian Beast, everyone learned that these Star Beasts had agreed to cooperate.

This news delighted Zhang Haoran greatly.

However, Chu Chen remained expressionless as he looked at the Star Beasts.

Cooperating with the Star Beasts was a compelled strategy, and the other side’s strength was significantly superior to theirs. Even if they managed to eliminate the wolf pack, they would still face attacks from the Star Beasts. Their chances of success were less than forty percent.

Yet, due to the pressing situation, they could only take it step by step, ready to abandon the key if necessary.

Next was the discussion on how to deal with the wolf pack.

The Star Beasts’ suggested plan was to ambush within the wolves’ territory, catching them off guard.

That was a brute approach, but thinking about them being Star Beasts, everyone was more understanding.

Though Star Beasts possessed considerable intelligence, they weren’t systematically educated, often relying on instinct when handling issues.

Chu Chen and the others planned to split the wolf pack, using allure or luring tactics to draw out a small group of Two-headed Poison Wolves for elimination, gradually consuming the pack.

When the Star Beasts heard Chu Chen and the others’ plan, they instinctively took a step back, looking at Chu Chen and his team with renewed wariness.

Chu Chen couldn’t help but smile helplessly. Their formulated plan wasn’t only for dealing with the wolf pack but also included strategies against the Star Beasts.

To avoid attracting too many Two-headed Poison Wolves, Chu Chen and company formed one group, with the Star Beasts as another.

Chu Chen and his group took the initiative, while the Star Beasts observed with a learning attitude.

To ensure the success of drawing out the Two-headed Poison Wolves, Chu Chen’s side deployed five speed-specialist Guardian Beasts for the luring task.

Led by the Shadow Cat, the five Star Beasts cautiously approached the Two-headed Poison Wolves’ den.

Their arrival naturally caught the wolves’ attention, but they didn’t attack immediately, curiously observing the five Guardian Beasts.

In the Secret Realm, Star Beasts generally appeared in two forms.

The first was in groups, like the Two-headed Poison Wolves.

The second was individually, like the Three-headed Flame Python and Golden Stone Giant, which had exceptional standalone strength.

This was the first time the wolf pack had seen five different-group Star Beasts appearing simultaneously, sparking natural wariness.

However, Chu Chen and the others weren’t foolish; they had anticipated this scenario.

The Shadow Cat let out a high-pitched roar towards the Two-headed Poison Wolves’ den.

The gist was challenging the Two-headed Poison Wolves to vacate the central area, to come out for their demise; in short, to provoke.

As rulers of the Secret Realm, the Two-headed Poison Wolves naturally couldn’t tolerate this.

Soon, over twenty Two-headed Poison Wolves rushed out of the den, charging towards the Shadow Cat.