Chapter 3: Losing Control (Part 1)

A large piece of leg meat from the Silver-Striped Dragon was sliced into extremely thin strips by Guo Shier using his reduced-sized moon blade. A special roasting rack was set up on the ground. This roasting stove was crafted by the old man at his leisure, infused with countless fire talismans. It was slightly inferior to the Jiebaina Pearl but sufficient to roast the meat of high-grade talisman beasts.

Each slice of Silver-Striped Dragon meat was about the size of a palm, as thin as paper. Laid flat on the roasting rack, it emitted a sizzling sound as the fire talismans came alive. Such meat contained immense life energy, and ordinary fire couldn’t roast it—neither could regular talisman fire. Only this roasting stove or the Jiebaina Pearl could be used to process and roast it.

Each slice needed to be roasted for several minutes to cook thoroughly. After seasoning it with special spices, Guo Shier picked up a slice and tasted it, exclaiming in admiration, “Delicious…” A strong surge of vitality flowed into his body, similar to the physical training he had done as a child. He could clearly feel his body growing stronger bit by bit.

The meat of high-grade mutated talisman beasts couldn’t be cooked by ordinary people; special equipment was required. Most professionals without such skills ate it raw, but it wasn’t pleasant—too tough to bite, so they had to cut it into small pieces and swallow them, relying on their exceptionally strong bodies to digest and absorb it.

Li Ran tasted a piece of the roasted meat and looked somewhat surprised, saying, “Shier, you actually managed to roast it… Damn, it tastes amazing…”

Guo Shier smiled and said, “This kind of meat can only be roasted using a special stove. It can’t be used for soups, as it won’t cook properly.”

Hai Miluo, Feng Miluo, Fang Miluo, Juehu Miluo, Eagle Demon, and Luo Zhan were all there. They sat around the roasting rack, enjoying the delicious roasted meat. Guo Shier also brought out several bottles of fine wine.

The harvest this time was good, and everyone was in high spirits. They ate and drank joyfully, chatting casually.

Hai Miluo said, “The ancestors want to go hunting on their own. Senior, what do you think?”

Li Ran replied, “It’s best to form teams. I’m not worried about how powerful the mutated or abnormal talisman beasts are. I’m more concerned about professionals from other ancient clans. If their strength isn’t enough, they might get trapped.”

Feng Miluo said, “I’m worried about the Gu Ming clan…”

Hai Miluo nodded. “Yes, I’m also thinking about them. After suffering such a big loss, they’ll surely take it out on us.”

Li Ran said, “Hmm, for now, let’s stay together. Wait until things calm down before forming teams for hunting. Each team shouldn’t stay too far apart so they can rescue each other in case of danger.”

Feng Miluo nodded. “Agreed.”

Guo Shier smiled and said, “Anyway, I’ll follow Brother Li Ran.”
Hai Miluo and Feng Miluo both shook their heads in exasperation. Only Guo Shier could speak like that—clearly relying on a stronger person for protection. Li Ran didn’t mind it. By following him, he could indeed obtain advanced mutated talisman beasts and abnormal talisman beasts. With his ability to easily kill level-16 abnormal talisman beasts, with just a little help, Guo Shier could get the essence of advanced talisman beasts.
Fang Miluo said, “I can lead a squad.”
Juehu Miluo said, “Shier, I’ll join your squad.”
Guo Shier nodded. “No problem. Uncle Juehu has always been part of our squad.” Juehu Miluo had taken care of Guo Shier and the others before. He originally couldn’t come this time, but by following Guo Shier, he could barely hunt here.
…
After resting for two days, the smell of blood had completely dissipated. During that time, only a few level-8 or 9 mutated talisman beasts came, which were killed by a few elders. No advanced mutated talisman beasts appeared, so Hai Miluo decided to leave.
They packed up the Hidden Talisman House, and everyone flew into the air. Feng Miluo asked, “Elder, where to?”
Li Ran had become the de facto leader of the group. He said, “South.” He didn’t explain why they were going south, and no one asked. Everyone was unfamiliar with this continent, so any direction would do.
Guo Shier followed the others southward.
After flying about a hundred kilometers, they saw over thirty altar-level professionals emerging from the woods, blocking their path. Leading them were Ming Liang and Ming Wudeng, both with grim expressions, radiating hatred. Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh softly. “These guys are hiding here? Did Brother Li Ran do this on purpose?”
Li Ran smiled but said nothing. He indeed had come on purpose. Ming Liang’s retreat route was south, so he naturally had to eliminate this threat.
Ming Liang was also enraged. He thought the highest-ranked opponent was only a level-7 altar professional, while his side had a level-8 altar professional and a level-7 expert—so they could easily defeat them.
Hai Miluo said coldly, “Ming Liang, you’re blocking our path… what do you want?”
Both sides quickly formed their formations. Li Ran hovered not far behind Hai Miluo, looking calm. Among them, only he hadn’t activated his altar.
Ming Liang said indifferently, “Compensate us for our losses!”
Hai Miluo was amused by his arrogance. He said, “You think… you can defeat us? Ridiculous. What do we owe you?”

Ming Liang said, “Of course, with your strength… fighting against us is a sure death! So… leave enough compensation, and I might spare you this time.”
Li Ran whispered, “See? In a place like this, encountering such unreasonable folks—if you can’t beat them… it’s terrible. Even if you survive, you’ll be robbed clean… hehe.”
Guo Shier also whispered, “It seems we’re the real ancestors of robbery.”
Eagle Demon laughed cheerfully, “I agree—rob them all… um, if they refuse, kill them all!” He was even more ruthless than Guo Shier; not only wanted to rob them but also kill them. He was born to be a bandit. Back on the Great Plains, he loved robbing everything he could—truly an experienced bandit.
Hai Miluo couldn’t help but laugh loudly and said, “Fine, if you insist on robbing, haha, I’ll satisfy you… leave all your offerings and collected materials. Each of you must hand over a sacrificial treasure, or… you can all die!” With Li Ran standing behind him, he was full of confidence, speaking in an infuriating tone.
Ming Liang was furious. He sneered, “I’ve already given you a chance. Since you refuse… die then! Slash!” The Dragon Python Sword transformed into a roaring, soaring dragon python and flew forward.
Hai Miluo wouldn’t fight head-on. He knew his sacrificial treasure wasn’t as powerful as theirs, so a direct confrontation was unwise. He suddenly moved to the side, revealing Li Ran behind him.
Li Ran cursed with a laugh, “Little Hai, you little scumbag!”
A golden hand appeared out of thin air, intercepting the flying Dragon Python Sword.
Ming Liang said coldly, “Seeking death!” He quickly cast a series of talismans. The dragon python grew rapidly, becoming as real as life, roaring as it rushed downward.
The golden hand sent by Li Ran was a rather ordinary technique, even those with a Virtual Altar could use it. Among professionals of the same rank, its power was weaker than that of a sacrificial treasure. But he was a professional beyond the Ninth-Level Altar, his strength far surpassing Ming Liang’s by many times.
The golden hand flashed and swiftly grabbed the dragon python’s neck. Then Li Ran shouted, “Shatter!”
Boom!
Ming Liang spat out a mouthful of blood—the Dragon Python Sword had been crushed by Li Ran’s hand. With his life sacrificial treasure destroyed, Ming Liang was instantly severely damaged. For any altar professional, their strongest asset was their life sacrificial treasure, the weapon most closely tied to their soul. Once destroyed, their soul would suffer heavy damage.

Two gouts of fresh blood sprayed out in succession. Ming Liang hurriedly stepped back, staring intently at Li Ran. It was then that he realized the strongest among them wasn’t Hai Miluo, but this guy who hadn’t even brought out a altar. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he said with difficulty, “You… you… who are you? You…”

Li Ran didn’t respond either. With a wave of his left hand, countless runes scattered, instantly sealing off the surrounding space. This move was similar to that of the Silver-Spotted Dragon—it controlled the nearby area to restrict the opponent’s actions, at least making it difficult for them to escape instantly.

Seeing Ming Liang defeated in just one move, Ming Wu Deng couldn’t believe it. He suddenly felt foolish for provoking such a powerful expert. The opponent didn’t care about them at all, yet they, these fools, kept provoking them.

Li Ran said, “What ‘you’? Robbery!”

Guo Shier said with a laugh, “Men stand on the left, women on the right, those who aren’t male or female stand in the middle! Hand over all the sacrifices, all the materials, and one sacrificial treasure from each person!”

Li Ran couldn’t help but laugh—Guo Shier was being silly again.

Ming Liang screamed frantically, “I’ll fight you… fight… uh… I… you, you… how dare you!”

Li Ran brought out the altar and said calmly, “Choose—your life or your stuff!”

The moment Ming Liang saw Li Ran’s altar, he lost all his temper. An altar that surpassed the ninth level—even if a few eighth-level professionals came, they would be crushed by it. It was simply too powerful. He thought to himself: The Gu Miluo family is truly twisted, hiding such a heartless guy in their group to deliberately trick others.

The ancestors of the Gu Ming family had been excited, thinking they could get some compensation this time. They thought the opponent was just an easy target they could manipulate however they wanted. But instead, the opponent wasn’t only powerful but also overwhelmingly so. They weren’t an easy target—they were like hard stones, while their side was like overripe, rotting soft persimmons.

The handsome old man poked half of his body out from the altar and said, “Learn from this. This is what true despicability looks like…”

Li Ran suddenly turned his head, scaring the handsome old man into retreating quickly. Guo Shier laughed bitterly, “Handsome Old Man, you said I was fine—how dare you say the same about Brother Li Ran?”

It wasn’t until Li Ran stopped paying attention that the handsome old man poked his head out again. Wiping away non-existent sweat, he said, “That was really scary, Shier. Use Gu Xi Bi’s tentacles… to steal things from their altars!”

Li Ran said, “I can spare your lives, but if you dare provoke me again, I won’t hesitate to kill you all!”