We are here to form an alliance.

"Hiss!"

The team members, who had been fiercely tangling with several Gale Magic Wolves, could not help but gasp.

The cultivation level of their captain, Golden Pupil, was so high that they could only look up to him with awe, while his bloodthirsty cruelty inspired a deep, bone-chilling dread.

"Awoo!" The Wolf King let out a cry of fury and despair.

With nowhere to run, it would fight to the death!

The Wolf King, its horns more ferocious than ever, brandished its remaining six claws. With a flicker of a phantom image, it lunged desperately toward Golden Pupil.

Golden Pupil remained in his human-headed, snake-bodied form, coiled tightly around an ancient tree.

Seeing the Wolf King hurtling straight at him, he vanished with a swish. Where was the shadow of the snake on the tree trunk now?

The Wolf King once again pounced on empty air, trembling with rage.

Baring its fangs and rolling its eyes, it scanned its surroundings, only for two sudden laser beams to strike it directly in the eyes from the upper right.

Blood! Splattering everywhere!

The Wolf King's sharp eyes were instantly covered in blood, losing all their light.

The dense forest was thick with a sticky, sickening scent of blood.

And the gliding of a snake is utterly silent.

Just as the Wolf King let out a despairing roar, Golden Pupil had already slithered stealthily onto a high branch at its side, greedily flicking his forked tongue.

With a single stretch and a snap of his jaws, the Wolf King's other head was dragged straight into a bloody maw.

"Crack!" Wolf blood sprayed in all directions!

The Wolf King's final moments of consciousness were filled only with its wildly thrashing body and clawing limbs.

The very next second, the Wolf King's torso was constricted by the snake's body, tightening with lethal speed.

Its six limbs gradually grew weak until they finally stopped struggling.

The massive, blood-stained jaws opened leisurely, rapidly devouring the Wolf King's tall and sturdy frame.

Bright red blood dripped and drabbled, soaking the withered layers of fallen leaves.

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore!" One team member turned away, retching violently.

"Me neither. Our captain is undeniably powerful, but this is just too bloody—devouring them whole like that!"

"What did you expect? How do you think his cultivation advances so fast? The flesh and blood of these demonic beasts are packed with high nutritional value."

"You look awfully envious. How about those Gale Magic Wolves' corpses are yours? Try devouring one, and your cultivation might just skyrocket to heaven!"

"You try it if you want! My spiritual pearls are enough for me. Not everyone is a Devourer."

Nearby, the Bald Crocodile watched Golden Pupil devouring the Wolf King with cold, inscrutable eyes.

At that moment, the rustling of footsteps echoed through the dense forest.

The team members instinctively tensed up, taking up defensive positions.

Golden Pupil paused his devouring motion, the ears on his head twitching, and a cold smirk curved across his still-dripping lips.

A bunch of insignificant nuisances!

Having made his assessment, he ignored them and resumed devouring the remainder of the Wolf King's carcass.

The Bald Crocodile had been leaning casually against an ancient tree the entire time. Dressed in military-green work clothes, he blended into the forest scenery, though his glaring bald head betrayed his presence.

He remained unfazed, acting as though he were simply waiting for Golden Pupil to finish his meal, or perhaps as if he cared about nothing at all.

Soon enough.

Two squads cautiously came into their view.

The one leading the way looked up and immediately saw Golden Pupil, still in his human-snake hybrid form, chewing on something in his mouth.

A trace of fear involuntary surfaced on his face.

"Golden Pupil, it's Golden Pupil."

The nine people accompanying him finally noticed the entity coiled around the tree trunk.

Simultaneously, several of Golden Pupil's team members stepped out from their hiding spots, gripping various weapons with hostile expressions.

Ma Dalong, whose strength was among the top tier within the team, stepped forward and threatened, "Hand over your spiritual pearls and eliminate yourselves voluntarily. We're all schoolmates, so let's save ourselves the trouble of doing it the hard way!"

Everyone recognized the arriving squad. Aside from two unfamiliar foreign faces, the rest were students from Supreme Academy.

Golden Pupil's strength and cruelty were notorious throughout the school.

Seeing him in the middle of devouring prey, with the ground soaked in thick, unyielding blood, the surrounding stench of carnage, and the corpses of the Gale Magic Wolves acting as a grim reminder, it was clear a fierce battle had just taken place here.

At that moment, Golden Pupil swept his golden eyes in their direction, sending a shudder down everyone's spine. Who would dare to cross his team head-on?

Liu Zhi, the student who had spotted Golden Pupil first, hurriedly waved his hands and stammered in explanation, "Captain Golden Pupil, Brother Dalong, we don't mean any harm... and we certainly wouldn't dare oppose you. We... we just want to join you and contribute to helping Captain Golden Pupil win the championship."

Hearing Liu Zhi say this, the remaining students rolled their eyes and nodded repeatedly.

"Yes! Yes! We came here to form an alliance."

By then, Golden Pupil had completely swallowed the Wolf King's corpse, and with a flash of light, he transformed back into his human form.

"An alliance? Just you?" Golden Pupil remained seated on the tree branch, looking down from above with utter disdain.

Liu Zhi's face paled, but he braced himself and stepped closer. "Captain Golden Pupil, our strength might not match yours, but there is strength in numbers. You guys have been hunting monsters here in the Gloomy Forest, so you probably don't know that things have gone crazy outside."

"Oh?" Golden Pupil's eyebrows arched with a flicker of curiosity.

"Xiang Nan, the most arrogant guy from Kyoto Spiritual Martial, the punk who dared to challenge our Mad Yanwang to a bet. That guy has gathered a bunch of people from Kyoto Spiritual Martial, and judging by the look of it, he's dead set on winning the championship this time."

"Everyone knows that our Supreme Spiritual Martial's Captain Golden Pupil is the rightful champion of this Spirit Void Expedition. We were furious, so we picked a fight with them. But our side has been scattered like loose sand, completely outmatched in numbers!"

"That's why we specifically came to find Captain Golden Pupil. The moment you give the call, everyone from Supreme Spiritual Martial will rally behind you, and that Xiang Nan won't be swaggering around for much longer. With our Captain Golden Pupil here, what right does he have to win the championship? He's out of his damn mind!"

Liu Zhi spoke with righteous indignation, and the others chimed in to support his words.

Though they hadn't set out specifically to find Golden Pupil, their claims weren't entirely fabricated.

Everyone knew Golden Pupil had a eccentric, reclusive personality, coupled with a violent and bloodthirsty streak—in short, he lacked basic human empathy.

If they hadn't spun this tale, they would have had no choice but to face elimination.

Staying behind to help Golden Pupil offered at least a glimmer of a chance to make it to the end. Besides, they might even earn some spiritual pearls from the hard work of hunting and scavenging.

Thus, Liu Zhi's quick improvisation suited everyone's desires.

Even the two foreign reinforcements, upon seeing a powerhouse like Golden Pupil and glancing at the unreadable Bald Crocodile resting near the old tree, dared not raise any objections.

Seeing Liu Zhi's proposal, Ma Dalong was already won over.

Being on Golden Pupil's team, his ultimate goal had always been the championship.

"Boss..." Ma Dalong looked at Golden Pupil with an eager, pleading expression.

Golden Pupil swept his cold gaze over the crowd with arrogant pride. "The championship belongs to me by right, and no one is taking it away!"

Liu Zhi's expression darkened, and he immediately added, "If it were like past years, where victory depended solely on the number of spiritual pearls, then Captain Golden Pupil would undoubtedly take the crown. But this time, we also have to find the Soul-Suppressing Stones. When it comes to searching for things, having more people makes the job much easier."

Hearing this, Ma Dalong grew somewhat anxious, while Golden Pupil fell into deep, silent contemplation.