He smelled the unusual scent of blood in the air. It seemed to ignite the killing instinct within people, causing them to become excited without realizing it.
But now the mechanism activated again, and the third battle followed immediately.
"Let's go!"
Henry, the blond, waved his hand and led the team directly to the next entrance. Li Chonglou could only suppress his thoughts for the time being.
During the interval when the stone walls were moving, Henry took the opportunity to review the previous events with Ou Qi, reminding him that if it weren't for You Yiku's quick reaction, they would have been in trouble due to the impulsiveness of the two of them.
"Can you stop treating me like a waste?"
You Yiku expressed her dissatisfaction unhappily. She believed her strength was no less than anyone else present, but because she was carrying the little girl, she was always treated as an ordinary person and protected, with virtually no chance to fight.
Hearing her words, the others finally realized that they had indeed overlooked You Yiku's feelings.
Looking at the strong dissatisfaction on You Yiku's face, they exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond.
Should they just cast the little girl aside?
Although they didn't know what role this little girl played, since it was a requirement of the mission, there was definitely a reason for her existence.
Therefore, someone had to protect her closely, as in such situations, ordinary people could easily lose their lives with the slightest mistake.
Just like the accident that just happened, if You Yiku hadn't been carrying her, their corpses would likely be cold by now.
"How about I protect her for a while? It's not right for you to never get a chance to act."
Li Chonglou suddenly spoke up. You Yiku's face lit up with joy, and without a word, she handed the little girl over to him. Then, she stretched her limbs and snorted coldly at the others.
"I hate this kind of male chauvinism. Do you really think I can't beat you?"
Henry and the other two coughed repeatedly, averted their gazes awkwardly, and dared not meet her eyes. At the same time, they cast grateful glances at Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou smiled faintly and carried the little girl on his back.
At this moment, the mechanism under their feet stopped, and the two stone walls slowly descended. The group quickly collected themselves and adjusted their states.
"No, why are there two?"
Henry sensed something unusual, and the others also frowned, warily staring at each other between the two descending stone walls in front and behind.
Not long after, when both stone walls had completely lowered, they suddenly discovered that the one in front led to another battlefield, while the one behind was actually the direction to leave the arena.
"You can leave midway?"
Confusion and bewilderment arose instantly. They looked at each other, this was different from what they had understood before.
"This year seems to be full of variables."
Henry, the blond, murmured, making a decision. Should they leave temporarily or continue fighting?
This question was quickly resolved. The three who had already tasted the thrill of battle, along with the eager You Yiku, decided to continue fighting almost instantly.
"Hurry up, the sooner the better."
The four nodded slightly in unison and all rushed towards the third battle within.
Li Chonglou naturally followed the group closely, but as soon as he moved, he felt the little hand on his shoulder suddenly grip tighter.
The third round featured the same kind of exotic beasts, but not many of them, only five black bulls of normal size with a pair of gray wings.
"I'll take two!"
Henry, the blond, took the lead, charging directly at the two black bulls closest to him. The others each chose one bull and met them.
Whoever carried the little girl would rest; this seemed to have become an unwritten rule.
At this time, the stone wall behind them had already risen again. Li Chonglou took the opportunity to retreat to the side, carrying the little girl.
"Do you know something about this?"
Li Chonglou turned his head and asked the little girl behind him. Her expression immediately changed, and she repeatedly shook her head.
"You can't say?"
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed slightly, but there was no response from behind him.
However, her reaction undoubtedly explained everything. There must be something fishy going on.
Watching the four people who were increasingly engaged in a heated battle, Li Chonglou carefully recalled everything that had happened before and quickly discovered a clue.
It was the blood. The blood of these exotic beasts seemed to contain some kind of catalyst. When it volatilized in the air, the four people in battle clearly became more excited. Not only did they become braver as they fought, but their stamina also seemed to be completely unleashed, as if they felt no fatigue at all.
Li Chonglou quickly confirmed with the little girl, "Is there something wrong with this blood? Will there be other special situations later?"
The little girl still shook her head without answering, but the little hands on his shoulders tightened slightly with each question.
It seemed he had guessed correctly.
Li Chonglou thought to himself, his expression also turning grim. Although he didn't know what would happen next, it was clear that the current choice of everyone was not correct.
How to tell them?
This was indeed a problem, because all of this was still just his guess. He did not have enough evidence to persuade the others, who were clearly already caught up in the heat of the moment.
This battle ended much slower than the previous one. Although there were not many exotic beasts, the black bulls were comprehensive in terms of speed, strength, and defense. Moreover, their pair of wings could even allow them to fly temporarily. This scene alone would surely cause a huge sensation if it were seen outside.
Who would believe that there were flying cows in this world?
Fortunately, this flying ability was only marginal. The group found the right timing to kill them one by one when they landed, and then retreated with excited expressions.
By this time, nearly half an hour had passed.
You Yiku, panting slightly, said excitedly, "How about it? I was faster than all of you."
It was true that she was the first to kill a black bull, but the three who were still immersed in the thrill of battle had no objections and praised her along with her words.
And the three of them were clearly breathing heavily, but they did not seem to notice this anomaly among themselves.
"Next round!"
Henry's eyes were filled with excitement, and he led the group into a new entrance.
While waiting inside the stone walls, Li Chonglou tentatively reminded them, "Should we take a break? After all, this is only the third battle."
"No need! I feel like I can fight ten or twenty more rounds without any problem!"
Ou Qi immediately objected, and Henry said confidently, "Let's go all out. With our current speed, we should be able to enter the Iron Forest among the top ten."
The remaining two had the same attitude, especially You Yiku, who had just tasted the thrill of battle and couldn't wait for the next round, let alone thinking about resting.
As expected, Li Chonglou said nothing more upon seeing this.
At the same time, he had already begun to vaguely guess what the hidden danger here was.
A few minutes later, the impatient group finally waited for the mechanism to stop.