Li Tianyuan hovered above, his gaze locked on the figure below.
Spear in hand, energy surged from his body like a storm barely held in check.
I have to finish it now, he thought. It's down, but I can't be sure...
He narrowed his eyes.
It might be hiding something.
Though battered, it still held a third of its energy—
More than enough to lunch a desperate strike
Enough for the lizard drag him down with it.
His grip on the spear tightened.
Qi pulsed into the weapon, flaring to life with blinding intensity.
"I won't give it that chance," he muttered.
"One strike. I'll end it with one strike.
He raised the spear, his arm sweeping back. The air cracked.
Energy howled along the shaft as wind spun into a violent spiral at the tip—
a vortex of raw force ready to be unleashed.
BELOW.
Lizarius lay battered in the heart of the crater, its form bruised and scorched.
Dust clung to its scales, blood trailing from gashes along its sides.
But it moved.
Slowly. Painfully.
Claws scraped stone as it forced itself upright, trembling with effort.
Its jaws clenched, a guttural snarl rumbling in its throat.
Then—
Its golden eyes flared burning.
It lifted its gaze skyward—
To Li Tianyuan, still hovering above, spear poised to strike, wind coiling around the weapon like a living storm.
The spinning vortex at the spear's tip howled like a blade drawn across the sky.
The lizard roared, lifting one clawed forepaw high—then slammed it into the earth with a thunderous crack.
Li Tianyuan launched the spear.
It tore through the air like lightning unleashed from heaven, aimed straight at Lizarius.
Suddenly—
Massive earth spikes exploded from the crater's floor, jagged and brutal, spearing upward in a desperate defense—
But they shattered like brittle glass.
The spear, wreathed in pure Qi and spinning with razor-sharp wind, pierced through them without slowing.
It appeared before Lizarius in a flash—instant, deadly.
Its golden eyes narrowed, instincts flaring.
With a burst of motion, it snapped its wings forward, shielding itself.
CLANG!
The sound rang out like thunder.
The spear struck—
Piercing through Lizarius wings with raw force, slicing through scale and flesh.
Then, without mercy, it drove into its stomach, the impact slamming the beast down with crushing force.
BOOM!
The crater deepened, shockwaves rippling outward.
Lizarius coughed blood, a thick stream pouring from its jaws as its body trembled beneath the spear pinning it to the earth.
Above, Li Tianyuan hovered, stone and debris from the shattered earth spikes raining down around him.
He looked down, breath shallow, eyes narrowed.
Lizarius golden eyes were still open—still glowing—locked onto him with burning defiance.
The spear embedded inside the lizard.
Blood spilled across the cracked ground, but it wasn't dead.
Tianyuan frowned.
I used half of my remaining Qi in that strike…
And it's still alive.
His eyes narrowed further, thoughtful even through the tension.
Its defense is incredible. Those scales…
If I could forge them properly... they might produce a high-tier Earth-grade artifact.
Maybe higher.
I'd be a fool to waste this opportunity.
Without hesitation, he released a breath—and with it, his Qi surged outward.
He raised his hand.
Below, the spear embedded in the lizard began to glow, humming with the energy Tianyuan called back to it.
Lizarius let out a deep, guttural growl of pain as the weapon ripped itself free, blood trailing through the air.
The spear floated upward, spinning before snapping into Li Tianyuan's grip.
He caught it tightly, his arm trembling slightly as he pulled it back once more.
Energy surged through him like wildfire.
Lizarius lay still, wings torn, blood pooling beneath its frame—yet its golden eyes still glowed, locked onto Tianyuan.
Tianyuan raised the spear, drawing it behind him in a final arc.
"Time to end this."
But—
His vision want dark.
As suddenly.
His body—
Collapsed.
CRASH!
He slammed into the ground, hard. Dust erupted around him.
CLANG.
The spear fell beside him, lifeless, the glow fading from its shaft.