Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 630: Trapped and Counter-Trapped

Liu Shi stared, utterly astonished. "You... how did you become so powerful!"

Zhan Tian, however, was preoccupied with tallying his Merit Points. The one hundred and ninety billion points acquired were far from sating his ambition.

"Captain, I need more Scavengers deployed!" Zhan Tian stated with an unwavering calm.

Liu Shi cast a glance at his squad, who were locked in a desperate battle with the Black Bear Monster, nearing its defeat. He then turned back to the composed Zhan Tian.

He could feel the immense potential radiating from this young man's group.

He recalled hearing that Zhan Tian was a disciple of Master Seven Stars. Was it possible that Master Seven Stars was not only a master of artifact refinement but also a formidable combatant? How else could he have nurtured such exceptional disciples?

Liu Shi submitted a request to higher command for additional Scavengers to engage in combat.

Shortly after, two more Scavengers were allocated to their mission.

This time, Liu Shi positioned himself to the side, eager to witness if Zhan Tian could contend with two foes simultaneously.

Zhan Tian made a single, swift movement, his form blurring as he weaved between the two Scavengers.

By the time he reappeared, he was already holding his spoils. His speed was incredible.

Liu Shi's eyes widened in disbelief. Such combat prowess was simply astounding!

At that precise moment, the rest of the squad also managed to finish off the Black Bear Monster.

Lin Feng, having delivered the final blow to the Black Bear Monster, felt his comprehension of the Chaos Slaughter Dao deepen significantly – a truly rewarding outcome.

Zhou Hao employed his Devouring Power, absorbing a portion of the Scavenger's power origin, which led to a noticeable increase in his own strength.

Xuan Huang stood like an unyielding mountain, his willpower significantly hardened by the Scavenger's relentless assault.

Every member of the team had gained something from the encounter, to varying degrees.

Witnessing these results, Liu Shi did not hesitate further and once again petitioned the War Regiment for more Scavengers.

The higher command of the War Regiment had already taken notice of the situation unfolding here and had directed their attention towards them.

This time, a substantial contingent of five Scavengers was deployed.

Liu Shi immediately engaged one of them. Xuan Huang swiftly suppressed two Scavengers, while Zhou Hao followed, absorbing their attacks, allowing the others to strike with precision.

Zhan Tian's blade effortlessly cleaved through the remaining two Scavengers, dispatching them with remarkable ease.

After dealing with his assigned targets, he casually assisted Liu Shi by eliminating his opponent.

Observing this overwhelming display of strength, the higher command could not possibly overlook Zhan Tian's astonishing combat capabilities. An invitation was immediately extended to him, proposing a transfer to a different engagement.

Zhan Tian readily accepted the offer.

Consequently, Zhan Tian departed from Liu Shi's Squad and was integrated into the elite core team of the Sand Dunes Battle Group.

Within this core team, Zhan Tian swiftly asserted his dominance, proving himself the strongest. His Destructive Power appeared to be a Great Dao specifically forged to counter the Scavengers, and his efficiency in eliminating them was unparalleled!

In an incredibly short period, over three thousand additional Scavengers met their end beneath Zhan Tian's blade. His accumulated Merit Points surged to an astonishing one quadrillion, nine hundred trillion!

He had successfully amassed enough Merit Points to cover two Kalpa units' worth of resources.

Zhan Tian promptly utilized these Merit Points, exchanging them for Chaos Jade to bolster his Life-bound Chaos.

His origin realm experienced an immediate and rapid ascent, climbing swiftly to the thirty-third order.

While this realm was still some distance from the forty-ninth order true intent comprehension he ultimately sought, it had already reached the same level as the Deputy City Lord of Black Flame City.

Just as Zhan Tian prepared to continue his relentless pursuit of more enemies.

From the heart of the battlefield, the Old City Lord was violently thrown backward, spinning like a top.

"Retreat!"

The Old City Lord's urgent command echoed.

All soldiers and War Regiment members executed a practiced and efficient withdrawal.

The Old City Lord charged back into the fray, exchanging a single, powerful blow with four newly appeared high-order Scavengers, thereby buying precious moments for the retreat.

The army and War Regiment personnel quickly fell back to the safety of the city walls.

The Old City Lord managed to escape back into the city himself, but at the severe cost of losing both his legs.

The initial engagement had concluded.

The outcome was dire for the Old City Lord, who was left severely wounded. However, Black Flame City's forces had also seized the opportunity to annihilate three hundred thousand Scavengers, with only ten thousand Dominators lost in the process. This was indeed considered a significant triumph.

"City Lord, are you unharmed?"

The three Deputy City Lords rushed to his side.

The Old City Lord waved a dismissive hand, extracting a precious Nothingness Spiritual Plant and consuming it.

His severed legs and depleted origin began a slow but steady recovery.

At this critical juncture, the four high-order Scavengers, witnessing the immense casualties suffered by their own forces, were consumed by fury and initiated another relentless assault on Black Flame City.

This time, the four formidable Scavengers split their forces. Each leader commanded one hundred and forty thousand Scavengers, launching a sustained and multi-pronged assault from the four cardinal directions of the city wall.

Jia Jicheng reported, "City Lord, the Scavengers have fractured their assault!"

The Old City Lord's eyes narrowed. "They've fallen precisely into our calculated ambush! With their attack divided, Black Flame City's defenses actually grow stronger. We can even seize chances to eliminate them individually."

"City Lord, what are our subsequent orders?"

"Patience! Await my full recovery!" the Old City Lord declared.

He added with grave importance, "Once I am restored, I shall personally handle one of the forty-fifth order high-order Scavengers. Your responsibilities will encompass repelling the incursions from the other three fronts!"

A chorus of solemn nods echoed from his subordinates.

The Old City Lord quickly surveyed Black Flame City's origin reserves. In this brief span, the reserves had diminished by a full percent. Disregarding how long their endurance might last, the critical issue was that each passing second exacted a tremendous toll in Chaos Jade and Chaos Origin!

Putting aside further contemplation, the Old City Lord threw himself into accelerating his physical recuperation.

The situation was precarious, yet he dreaded any unforeseen complications.

After a period, the Old City Lord concluded his recuperation, and his previously vanished legs had been fully regenerated. He re-examined the origin reserves; during his recovery, the reserves had decreased by an additional two percent.

The Old City Lord drew a deep breath and ascended to the city ramparts.

Gazing outward, the valiant soldiers on the wall were locked in fierce combat with the Scavengers' relentless onslaught.

The Scavengers' attacks came without cessation. The soldiers could only intercept and neutralize half of the onslaught; the remaining half pressed on, relentlessly battering Black Flame City's formidable defenses.

While unable to breach the city's integrity, these persistent assaults continuously depleted Black Flame City's vital origin reserves.

Through keen observation, the Old City Lord discerned that the aura emanating from the high-order Scavenger on the eastern flank exhibited the least potency among the four.

Consequently, he resolved to direct his targeted strike against this weaker foe.

The Old City Lord swiftly formulated the strategic countermeasures, then departed the city once more, accelerating directly towards the identified Scavenger.

His velocity was astonishing, and he soon located the designated high-order Scavenger.

The Old City Lord unleashed his domain, engulfing the high-order Scavenger and drawing it into a fierce confrontation.

Initially, the Old City Lord's intent was to conclude the engagement with swift finality.

However, the very instant the Old City Lord engaged this high-order Scavenger, another high-order Scavenger materialized from seemingly nowhere in their immediate vicinity—and it was the apex predator, the forty-sixth order Scavenger!

"What?!" The Old City Lord's countenance shifted drastically. Sensing a dire shift in the situation, he initiated an immediate tactical retreat.

Yet, at that critical juncture, this most powerful Scavenger produced an artifact, emitting a luminous ring of light that ensnared all three combatants within its confines.

The Old City Lord slammed against the light barrier, finding himself utterly trapped!

"You have walked right into our meticulously crafted trap!" the Scavenger stated with chilling finality.

This revelation caused the Old City Lord's expression to turn ashen. A Scavenger endowed with superior intelligence had arrived, and he had been outmaneuvered.

Without his presence to anchor the defense, could Black Flame City possibly withstand the combined assault of the remaining two high-order Scavengers?

"You would be wise to concern yourself with your own predicament first!" This Scavenger, having perceived the Old City Lord's inner turmoil, spoke with unnerving calm.