Chapter 586 562: Turns Out to Be a Top Journal Big Shot

He was certain that if the Beastmasters split up, regardless of whether they went north or south, the Demon Fiends on the other side would summon more of their kind from the Inner World. They would use their sacred trees to tear open Space and strike them from afar.

Tie Chenfeng rapidly ran through the scenario in his mind.

Splitting up meant the two teams would fight on their own, and the Demon Fiends' command structure was clearly more unified and efficient than the ad hoc formation from Iron Gate Fortress.

Divide and conquer was exactly what the enemy wanted to see.

Going their separate ways was, conversely, the worst possible choice.

The situation had now quietly reversed.

Gu Ming and Lu You possessed superior control abilities.

In their earlier clash with the Demon Fiend squad, Cyan Treasure's Rootless Wood vines and Ah Kun's Devouring water waves had already proven their immense power for large-scale crowd control, as well as the proactive mobility they granted.

They could decide when to fight, when to retreat, and when to change direction.

The ad hoc team from Iron Gate Fortress, on the other hand, lacked this kind of large-scale control capability.

Their Pet Beast compositions were more utility-focused, lacking the large-area Skills needed to divide the battlefield or disrupt enemy formations.

On top of that, every single one of them was injured.

Gu Ming's gaze swept over the crowd. The young female Beastmaster had a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around her arm, and her Pet Beast, a Wind Cat, was limping on its left foreleg.

A middle-aged male Beastmaster was pressing a handkerchief to a cut on his forehead that was still seeping blood.

Then there was the older Beastmaster, who coughed every few seconds, clearly having over-exhausted his Spiritual Power in the previous battle.

In terms of overall combat effectiveness, these people were far inferior to him and Lu You.

These two were talented youths, uninjured and at the peak of their strength.

Tie Chenfeng's gaze flickered between Gu Ming and Lu You, then settled on his teammates behind him.

The old Beastmaster was leaning on his knees, gasping for breath, the young female Beastmaster was squatting to feed medicine to her Wind Cat, and the middle-aged male Beastmaster was continually replacing his blood-soaked handkerchief.

He gritted his teeth.

As the leader of this temporary mission from Iron Gate Fortress, he had to find a way for these thirty people to survive.

These two talented youths before him were their only hope.

He made his decision.

He turned his head, splitting his Divine Sense into thirty silken threads that simultaneously touched the surface of each teammate's consciousness.

Expending Divine Sense like this was unwise at the moment; he should have been conserving his strength and resting for the next battle.

But he couldn't worry about that now. He had to reach a consensus as quickly as possible, lest they lose this opportunity.

He quickly relayed his assessment through his Divine Sense:

Gu Ming and Lu You had crowd-control abilities, high mobility, and were at their peak strength.

The Iron Gate Fortress squad, meanwhile, was heavily injured, their combat power was uneven, and they all needed outside help.

Finally, he gave his conclusion.

He was asking everyone to agree to join the other party's group.

Waves of different emotions came back through the Divine Sense link.

Some hesitated, some were unwilling, some remained silent, and some were relieved.

They were all experienced Beastmasters. Some had even been leaders in the past and, in their older age, were not accustomed to taking orders from young people. This squad itself was jointly managed by several core members; Tie Chenfeng was simply their designated spokesperson.

For the core members of their small group to bow their heads to two youths was, admittedly, humiliating.

But after some time for consideration, they nodded, one after another.

They were adults, not children. Adults could recognize their own limits, and right now, they needed hope.

If bowing their heads was what it took to find that hope, then they would bow their heads.

Tie Chenfeng retracted his Divine Sense, took a step forward, and turned to face Gu Ming. He performed the solemn gesture of cupping his fist and bowed his head slightly.

Normally, this was a posture reserved for facing a superior officer or a senior whose star-rank was far higher than his own.

But now, he did it without hesitation.

"Mr. Gu, Miss Lu, our Iron Gate Fortress squad would like to join your group."

His voice wasn't loud, but his attitude was sincere.

"I presume you are on a mission to deliver a message. Otherwise, you wouldn't be using a Five-star Flying Pet with only Four-star strength."

"We are willing to act as your eyes and hands, to help you shoulder some of the combat duties."

He paused, then raised his head, looking directly into Gu Ming's eyes. "If you'll have us."

Tie Chenfeng knew that if Gu Ming refused or had no interest, he could immediately take to the skies with his two Flying Pets and leave these thirty injured people behind.

And he, Tie Chenfeng, had no way to make him stay.

But he had made this decision because he had seen something more.

To traverse a battlefield as a Four-star Beastmaster during a time of war, to calmly deploy Pet Beasts and control the situation in a crisis like the one just now... what ordinary Four-star Beastmaster could possess such tactical ability and command skills?

'Don't worry about why he's only a Four-star,' Tie Chenfeng told himself. 'He might already have one foot on the threshold of becoming a Five-star Beastmaster and just hasn't broken through yet.

'Besides, his female classmate is also hiding her true strength. Her Four-star Rainbow Wing Butterfly displayed an Illusion Ability on par with a Five-star, and its control range is just too vast and powerful.

'It might not seem that effective when fighting wild Fierce Beasts in normal times, but in a war environment swarming with monsters, it's a god-tier Skill!

'Geniuses like them, who are so close to becoming Five-star Beastmasters, can be treated as if they already are.'

Gu Ming was slightly taken aback when he heard Tie Chenfeng's declaration that his entire team wished to join them.