Chapter 57: Half a Step into the Earthly Rank

Sorry.

Yu Yan silently apologized in her heart.

Though she was a mother herself and sympathized with the plight of the golden-eyed crocodile, if she didn’t kill this giant beast today, and either take away or slay the young crocodiles, countless people would eventually fall prey to their jaws.

Not to mention, she had no intention of bringing the six people and the dog along when leaving the instance.

She needed to hurry and find her family, quickly slay two Xuan-tier monsters to gain the cooldown necessary for her journey—that was her true goal. Spending time saving these people was already an act of utmost benevolence; could anyone expect her to kill a few more fourth-grade monsters for their sake?

Were Xuan-tier monsters so easily slain?

The instance had now unleashed thirty percent of its power.

With her and Yun Duo’er’s abilities, they could protect themselves in this A-grade instance. But with only third-grade wind abilities and second-grade lightning abilities, killing monsters above fourth-grade was no simple task. Had they not seen how, after fighting for so long, the golden-eyed crocodile was hurt but not truly damaged? In the end, it was the sixth-grade Fire Rhino Horn that brought victory.

The chasm between fourth and third-grade monsters was a vast gulf.

It was not something that could be bridged by simply throwing more wind blades or lightning balls.

And Yu Yan’s sixth-grade Fire Rhino Horns… after all this time and use, not much remained. She had no idea what dangers lay ahead in her quest to find her family, and unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t intend to waste any seventh-grade or higher Fire Rhino Horns.

In truth, even using sixth-grade Fire Rhino Horns as disposable tools was a great waste.

Watching these high-tier spiritual materials reduced to single-use items caused Yu Yan considerable pain.

But there was no choice. Though spiritual vein enhancers had immense potential, and she and Yun Duo’er possessed powers, both paths required time to grow. At present, if she wished to quickly kill Xuan-tier monsters renowned for their defense and tough hides, she could only rely on the might of the Fire Rhino Horn!

This was entirely due to the nature of her and Yun Duo’er’s spiritual vein skills, which were not particularly strong in attack.

Yet Yu Yan had never regretted her choices.

After all, with a twelfth-grade Spatial Mirage Lotus spirit plant before her, would she ignore it in favor of some earth-tier, or even Xuan-tier plant? As for Yun Duo’er, the eighth-grade Waterlight Butterfly Blood Crystal was the optimal choice, combining both growth potential and utility.

Enough digression.

Under repeated harassment and sneak attacks from Yu Yan and Yun Duo’er—

Yu Yan employed the unpredictable speed of “Windstride” and the cunning angles of “Wind Blade.” Yun Duo’er’s lightning balls weren’t highly destructive, but their violent properties inflicted intense pain on the gray-backed golden-eyed crocodile with every strike—her interference was substantial!

The gray-backed golden-eyed crocodile finally went berserk.

It could no longer protect the young beneath its belly. Its nostrils flared violently, and its pale golden vertical pupils brimmed with blood. Its massive jaws opened, preparing to unleash its ultimate survival skill—Earthquake Rift Kill!

Who could have expected a small, fiery red horn-shaped object to fall into its mouth?

The golden-eyed crocodile: ???

What was that?

Oh no, this thing looked just like the two little objects that blasted its lair!

A glimmer of despair flashed in the crocodile’s eyes.

It desperately tried to spit out the item, but it was too late.

The skill, already halfway released, could not be withdrawn. Earthquake Rift Kill possessed unrivaled destructive power, but was equally difficult to unleash. The crocodile had to stay perfectly still until the skill was completed.

“Bang!”

“Boom boom boom… crack crack!”

The first was the explosion of the sixth-grade Fire Rhino Horn, the second the successful release of Earthquake Rift Kill. As the earth trembled violently, a massive fissure opened beneath Yu Yan and her daughter.

An immense suction force surged from below.

Yu Yan, her face stern, grabbed Yun Duo’er with one hand and clung tightly to a nearby tree with the other. Seeing the base of the tree split open, she quickly switched to another. This she repeated several times, unsure how long it lasted.

Gradually, the earth’s tremors subsided, leaving behind a landscape that looked like the aftermath of disaster.

Bottomless fissures gaped like monstrous jaws, waiting to devour any prey that fell in. Yu Yan held Yun Duo’er close, pressed against a tree that was now mostly leaning, heart still pounding with fear!

She knew Xuan-tier monsters were hard to kill, but this giant crocodile’s power was extraordinary.

It was indeed a sixth-grade monster, but wasn’t most of its strength sealed? Furthermore, it should have been at its weakest period in its life cycle.

This was highly unusual.

After waiting a while, no sound came from the crocodile’s position. Yu Yan set Yun Duo’er down, steeled herself, and flew over. She found the enormous gray-backed golden-eyed crocodile lying weakly at the bottom of the pit, barely able to blink its remaining eye.

Large tears rolled down like soybeans, and Yu Yan detected a hint of sorrow in them.

Its head was half-blown away, teetering on the edge of death.

Yet it still tried to stand, but in Yu Yan’s wary gaze, it collapsed back down with a thud.

A pleading look flickered in its eyes.

Yu Yan: ...

Crocodile tears—were they real or fake?

Was it trying to trick her closer, then unleash another deadly skill?

Yu Yan touched the coin-sized wound on her arm—a result of the Earthquake Rift Kill, when flying debris struck her as the earth shattered.

Besides this, she had more than a dozen similar injuries.

Even Yun Duo’er’s exposed skin bore two or three bruises.

One, two… three baby crocodiles crawled out from beneath the motionless giant, their tiny bodies trembling, utterly bewildered by what had happened. When they looked at Yu Yan, the one who killed their mother, there was not a trace of hatred in their eyes.

Only fear and terror.

A few minutes later—

It must have been real.

Yu Yan finally confirmed it. As a Xuan-tier spiritual vein enhancer, her consciousness sensed the giant crocodile’s death.

The oppressive threat it had posed was gone.

Yu Yan stepped forward; the newborn baby crocodiles posed no threat. She bound each securely with Bloodthirst Vine, intending to release them into her plant spirit world after leaving the instance, to enrich the diversity of her world’s creatures.

With the live baby crocodiles dealt with, Yu Yan began to collect her spoils.

The bodies of the three baby crocodiles… hmm, they were either blown apart or crushed beyond recognition. Only indistinct lumps of flesh remained—mere first or second-grade materials, which Yu Yan cared little about. She gathered them up, planning to give them to Song Yi and the others.

If they were willing to eat them, it would be somewhat beneficial.

But as for the taste… cough, it likely wouldn’t be good.

Standing atop the massive gray-backed golden-eyed crocodile, Yu Yan finally understood why it could unleash such powerful, almost unbelievable attacks. It had already reached the threshold of earth-tier. Had it not been burdened by six baby crocodiles, draining its energy and strength—

It would have advanced to earth-tier, becoming the apex predator of the Giant Crocodile Island instance!

The dim sixth-grade blood crystal emanated a mellow, earthen glow.

Even depleted of most of its energy, its quality still far surpassed ordinary sixth-grade blood crystals. Yu Yan gazed at the shattered body of the gray-backed golden-eyed crocodile, and a surge of respect rose within her…