Chapter 534: Chapter 338: The Most Dangerous Opponent_2
The young man held a black dagger in his hand and swiftly charged toward his opponent. This action surprised the massive beast before him, yet also delighted it. Just as Yan Xiaobao was about to reach the beast, he abruptly changed direction, darted to its side, and dived under its claws, lunging forward with immense force capable of killing it instantly.
Though the attack carried great force, Yan Xiaobao knew the risk was equally high. While the beast was still able to move, it had exposed its entire flank to Yan Xiaobao. Without waiting for a better opportunity, he stabbed the dagger into its tough hide. The blade pierced through and sank into its flesh.
The wound wasn’t deep enough to be fatal, yet it was still a wound. As blood surged out of its side, the beast’s pained screams resounded like sharp cries. Using its mist-like energy to stem the bleeding, the beast now appeared more agonized than ever, hatred and fury gleaming in its eyes.
Despite the beast’s intelligence being comparable to that of humans, it was still ruled by its primal instincts. Although it hadn’t entirely succumbed to its animalistic nature, it was evident that the urge to kill Hui Yue had awakened within it—a fact Yan Xiaobao promptly noticed.
Yan Xiaobao fled again as he kicked a small stone off the forest floor, launching it at the beast like a barrage. He continued to apply pressure, forcing it to advance or endure the bombardment. Already injured and unwilling to suffer additional harm, the beast dodged every rock. Yan Xiaobao’s retreating assault made it impossible for the beast to move forward, as its sole focus was on avoiding the stones landing on its body.
Suddenly, the cracking sound of exploding stones rang out. Gazing at the beast, Yan Xiaobao immediately saw a stark difference compared to before. Previously, the beast’s body was adorned with stunning golden fur, silver streaks running beneath its spine. However, now, a black mist shrouded its form, and it no longer avoided the stones. When the stones came into contact with the shield surrounding the beast, each one was shattered into fragments. Yan Xiaobao felt astonished by the defensive power the beast now possessed. But he noticed one thing: the beast had grown slower. Clearly, using this energy to protect itself diminished its ability to move quickly. Encased in this shield, the beast no longer relied on speed, as it could withstand the majority of attacks.
Roaring loudly, the beast lunged at the young man wielding the dagger. It opened its mouth wide, ready to clamp down on him, its claws fully exposed to Yan Xiaobao’s unprotected parts.
Seeing the fangs and claws rushing toward him, Yan Xiaobao knew he couldn’t avoid both. Gripping his dagger tightly, he infused it with spiritual energy and quickly evaded the claws. However, as he narrowly escaped them, the beast’s teeth sank deep into his shoulder. A sickening crunch was heard as his shoulder blade shattered under the sheer pressure of its powerful jaws.
Blood pooled in his mouth, his eyes turned red, but Yan Xiaobao suppressed the red fog within him. Instead, he lifted his still-functioning arm, brandished the dagger coated in black blood, and with all his might, stabbed it into the beast’s forehead, between its eyes.
The dagger moved slowly at first; he could feel it cutting through layers of crystal before penetrating soft fur and flesh. Once it broke through the crystal layers, the beast’s protective barrier, the dagger slipped effortlessly into the skull.
The magical beast’s ferocious red eyes dimmed gradually as all light faded from them, its soul lost within the Hell World.
Staring at the beast, Yan Xiaobao staggered toward a fallen tree. Gravely injured, he had no intention of dismantling the flame ring around his current position. The fire kept the beast trapped inside, but it also prevented other creatures from entering, which was crucial for Hui Yue, given his utterly crushed right shoulder.
Examining the wound, Yan Xiaobao hissed in pain. After waiting a few minutes, he consumed a pill. He hoped the green pearl within his body could assist in the healing. However, seeing that it wouldn’t, he sighed heavily and resorted to taking the strongest healing pill he possessed.
After swallowing the pill, something peculiar occurred. Normally, the energy should flow into his Dantian, merge with his Qi, traverse the Dai Mei Meridian, and reach the injured part of his body. However, once the energy entered his Dantian Cave, it didn’t fuse with the Qi Spiral. Instead, it was entirely absorbed into the green pearl within the cave. Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao was thoroughly shocked, his eyes widening as anger surged within him.
Grievously injured, Yan Xiaobao required the aid of a therapist or medicinal pills. Yet his internal therapist refused to heal him, and whenever he used pills, the green pearl consumed the energy meant for his recovery.
This had never happened before. Hui Yue assumed it was due to him using stronger pills for the first time. Typically, he relied on weaker pills but consumed them in larger quantities. As expected, the green pearl showed no interest in those pills. After consuming them, Yan Xiaobao crossed his legs and began channeling his Qi. He controlled it enough for it to flow through his body and reach his shoulder, where it slowly started to repair the shattered bones and tissues.
Sitting there, Yan Xiaobao waited for days. During that period, he ultimately consumed twenty-nine low-grade medicinal pills to heal his shoulder. Though healed now, the bones remained too fragile to allow Yan Xiaobao to partake in combat.
Days passed within the shrinking flame ring, its increased height discouraging beasts from even attempting to jump inside to investigate.
Yan Xiaobao subsisted on meat provided by Tianmao. He had long since extracted the magical core from the beast’s skull.
Ten more days went by, and Yan Xiaobao consumed another batch of ten pills. To heal his arm, he spent several days cultivating and engaging in physical exercises to regain his ability to fight.
Standing upright, Yan Xiaobao lifted his chin and shoulders. When he waved his hand, the flames dissipated, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Yan Xiaobao anticipated many beasts lying in wait for the flames to vanish. Yet, with the flames gone, only a few creatures were visible. Upon spotting Yan Xiaobao, each beast turned away and fled as fast as possible.
Having narrowly survived an intense battle, Yan Xiaobao nonetheless closed his eyes and scanned the area. He searched for other beasts of a similar caliber with whom he could engage in combat.
Yan Xiaobao fought battle after battle, his ability to kill beasts significantly improving over time. Initially, he sustained injuries in every fight, relying on the green pearl for assistance at times and inferior pills for the rest, which he quickly ran out of.
His once-perfect skin was now marred with scars and wounds—each more gruesome than the last. Days were filled with battles against various beasts, and soon enough, he successfully fought off half of the King-level monsters he encountered.
The remaining half was dealt with through the combined efforts of Lan Feng and Yan Xiaobao. Through their wilderness journey, the beasts gradually grew stronger; however, Yan Xiaobao’s personal strength was far too inadequate to contend with the advanced Senior Experts now appearing. In the end, Yan Xiaobao relinquished control of his body to Lan Feng.
With the change in control, the number of fights dwindled. This was something Yan Xiaobao preferred, as both he and Phoenix wished to avoid using the meticulously cultivated Wu Wei.
While Yan Xiaobao spent time in the Dantian Cave, he used his time to cultivate. Upon entering the Divine Domain, he finally realized the extent of his weakness. Previously, he had convinced himself he wouldn’t perish because Lan Feng stood by his side. However, after encountering Zhong Hui, both Lan Feng and Yan Xiaobao were shaken awake. They understood that Lan Feng had resided in this world for over four thousand years—a staggeringly long time in which everything had changed while seemingly remaining the same.
Both realized they were far from matching the strength of true experts. Neither Yan Xiaobao nor Lan Feng allowed any moment to go to waste, focusing their waking hours on either engaging beasts in battle or cultivating inner energy in preparation.
Lan Feng’s control of his body greatly benefited Yan Xiaobao. During Lan Feng’s journey through the wilderness to the City of Ten Thousand Bridges, he advanced to the ninth rank of Master level.
The closer Yan Xiaobao came to the city, the more the landscape transformed. He passed through numerous villages, resembling the very first one he entered, with roads constructed through the wilderness, leading them to the main city.
Journeying deeper into the Divine Domain’s core, he encountered more humanoid beasts—creatures resembling humans yet retaining animalistic traits. Seeing these beasts, Yan Xiaobao was reminded of the form Lan Feng’s soul had taken: a human-shaped entity covered in celestial blue feathers.
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