"Don't be fooled by how gentle and well-mannered Saeko usually seems," Goku said calmly, watching the battle unfold in front of him. "She actually harbors a deep thirst for blood deep within. Fighting excites her... It's been too long since she last fought—she must've been holding it in. The moment she encountered a real opponent, she couldn't hold back. No one interfere—let her vent to her heart's content!"
"A thirst for blood..."
Xun'er and the other girls watched Saeko's increasingly exhilarated expression as the battle raged on, shocked by the side of her they had never seen before. It was hard to believe that the kind and gentle big sister they all knew could hide such a terrifying side within her.
"Hmph! Foul beast, taste my blade!"
With a soft shout, Saeko twisted her waist, thrusting her sword toward the neck of the Azure-Horned Savage Lion with a swift and piercingly sharp strike.
"ROAR!"
The beast let out a deep growl, twisting its head as one of its saber-like fangs at the corner of its mouth intercepted Saeko's strike.
Screech!
Sparks flew as steel clashed against beastfang.
"ROAR!"
At the same time, the lion's massive front paw stomped fiercely into the ground!
Boom!
A strange shockwave rippled out toward Saeko's feet!
Without hesitation, she leapt into the air! But the Azure-Horned Savage Lion seized the opportunity—its head whipped around, and both of its half-meter-long tusks shot upward, aiming to skewer Saeko mid-air! With no footing to maneuver in the air, if struck, Saeko would be impaled on the spot!
Just as the fangs were about to pierce through her abdomen, a pair of energy wings burst out from her back! With a strong flap, gusts of wind surged, and her body narrowly evaded the deadly strike, twisting mid-air to retreat backward! Even so, the sharp wind force carried by the tusks sliced open her clothes, leaving a thin trail of blood across her abdomen.
These were not Dou Qi Wings formed through cultivation, but rather, a flight technique known as Purple Cloud Wings, which Goku and Yi Xian had acquired together. Over the past month,
Yi Xian had already taught it to all the girls. Each of them was also equipped with a custom-made set of wings crafted from the feathers of a seventh-tier Windstorm Eagle—famous for its speed. Being able to fly freely in the sky had always been their dream.
Yet, despite the injury, Saeko acted as though she didn't even notice. While still flying backward, she began channeling a combat technique into her sword. Strands of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth gathered into gusts of wind and were drawn into her blade. A terrifying wave of power began to build from the longsword in her hand, indicating a powerful technique was forming!
In just moments, a phantom of sword energy condensed around her blade. As the spiritual energy continued to gather, the phantom became more and more solid…
The Azure-Horned Savage Lion clearly sensed the danger of the impending strike. Fear flashed in its eyes. With a deafening roar, it hurled itself forward like a cannonball! The horn on its forehead glowed with a dazzling blue light, which then enveloped its entire body, transforming it into a spinning drill-like arrow, tearing through the air with overwhelming force as it launched toward Saeko!
"Not good! Sister Saeko is in danger!"
Qing Lin gasped and quickly turned to Goku.
But Goku just waved his hand dismissively and gazed at the beast with a hint of surprise.
"I didn't expect this Azure-Horned Savage Lion—just a mere Tier-2 magical beast—to have such a rare innate ability. Not bad at all. Given time, it could've become a regional overlord… too bad it ran into Saeko."
Just as the beast—now a spiraling blur of blue—was about to strike, Saeko's figure suddenly flickered and reappeared over ten meters to the side, instantly creating distance between her and the charging lion!
"Willow Shadow Drift! I can't believe Saeko's already mastered that movement technique in just one month! She really is a cultivation prodigy!"
Rika's eyes lit up in amazement as she watched Saeko perform the evasive maneuver.
"Heh, when it comes to training combat skills, Saeko's definitely the most talented of you all,"
Goku smiled with satisfaction. To master a High-Grade Earth-rank movement technique to such a level in just one month—genius was the only word for it.
"But… Saeko is still only a Battle Master. Her energy reserves are limited. She's also preparing another High-Grade Earth-rank technique. I'm not sure if she can hold out…"
Rei looked worried.
"No need to worry," Saya said calmly, adjusting her glasses. "Goku gave us plenty of Qi-restoring pills."
As expected, Saeko, still rapidly evading the lion's frenzied attacks, produced a glowing pill and swallowed it in one gulp. Instantly, her depleted Dou Qi surged back to full, with even more replenishing continuously.
With the steady stream of energy fueling her, the phantom sword aura condensed around her blade began to radiate a terrifying intensity.
"Skypiercer Sword Technique—Cleave!"
With a cold and excited shout, Saeko brought her sword down in a slash.
BOOM!
A massive, blinding sword beam erupted from her blade—over a hundred meters long—manifesting as a solid light sword that cleaved through the air and slashed directly toward the charging Azure-Horned Savage Lion!
The sword's power was overwhelming—like a tidal wave crashing down on a mountain range! It was hard to believe such a fearsome strike came from someone with only battle master cultivation.
SLASH!
There was no resistance. The solid sword of light split the mighty lion clean in two! Blood sprayed into the air as the corpse crashed into the ground with a deafening thud, staining the land red. The massive energy wave continued to tear a deep scar into the earth over a hundred meters long before finally fading. The terrifying power of a High-Grade Earth-rank technique was on full display!
---
"Saeko-nee is awesome!"
Alice and the other little girls immediately burst into cheerful applause.
"That long-lost thrill of battle… it's really incredible!"
Saeko stood with her sword in hand, eyes sparkling with excitement. Hearing the cheers, the bloodthirsty light in her eyes faded, and she gradually returned to her usual calm and gentle self.
Using two powerful techniques in succession had left her looking pale and a little breathless. However, thanks to the high-grade pill she'd taken earlier, her complexion and breathing quickly returned to normal.
The others watched her, deeply moved. It was hard to believe that someone so gentle could hide such a deadly, battle-hungry spirit inside.
Saeko walked over to Goku with a hopeful look.
Goku shook his head and said flatly, "No way. You burned a fourth-grade pill just to kill a Tier-2 beast? That's a total waste! Next time, don't push so hard. With your movement skills, you don't even need to use that kind of pill! I'll let it slide this time."
Goku knew full well that Saeko had fought so recklessly not out of necessity, but because the bloodlust within her had built up from too much peace. He didn't blame her too harshly.
"I understand… I'll be more careful next time,"
Saeko nodded, a little embarrassed. She realized that her excitement had gotten the better of her. All her techniques were top-tier, and using a high-grade pill on a low-level beast was definitely overkill.
The group retrieved their frightened hornbeasts and continued their journey. This time, they encountered no danger. Though their beauty drew plenty of stares, the group's strength—most being at least battle master—was enough to keep the more flirtatious mercenaries at bay. As for the bolder ones who thought their status made them special… each was promptly beaten half to death by the fierce Zi Yan, and sent crawling away.
Even after three full days of travel, they had covered less than half the distance. It would take at least another half month to reach the Magic Beast Mountains. Goku found the pace frustrating—it wasn't even helping the girls get proper training. So, he simply used Instant Transmission to teleport everyone to Qingshan Town.
After resting for the night and replenishing supplies, the next morning the girls set out once more—hearts full of anticipation and excitement for the adventure ahead. For many of them, this was their first real expedition into the unknown!
This time, they didn't ride carriages. On Goku's suggestion, they would cross the vast Tagore Desert on foot before entering the Magic Beast Mountains—a daunting challenge for the girls.
Under a clear sky and scorching sun, the massive orb of heat blazed overhead like a flaming giant, baking the desert sands until they shimmered with heatwaves. The hot air distorted the landscape, and every grain of sand beneath their feet seemed to radiate heat.
Their group trudged slowly across the blistering yellow sands, dusty and worn. To protect their fair skin from sunburn, Goku had given each of them a Beauty Preservation Pill. Even so, each of them wore a wide-brimmed hat to shield against the merciless sun.
"The Tagore Desert… it's been a long time,"
Yue Mei said with a sigh, trudging across the sand. "I wonder how the Queen is doing with our tribe's migration."
She glanced down at the little girls clinging to her long serpent tail and said helplessly, "You know, you're making it really hard for me to walk like this."
"What's the problem? Your tail is cool and comfy, Yue Mei-nee," Karin said, hugging the tail tightly, her cheek pressed against the smooth scales.
"Yeah, yeah!"
Alice and Zi Yan both nodded in agreement.
"You little freeloaders…" Yue Mei shook her head with a smile. She couldn't stay mad at them. After all, they were Goku's precious darlings.
They laughed and chatted as they walked across the desert. No beasts or enemies appeared. By dusk, they finally saw the silhouette of the Magic Beast Mountains on the horizon. The girls were overjoyed—after a whole day of desert walking, they were utterly exhausted and could finally rest.
Compared to their initial excitement, Bulma and the others now looked completely worn out. This wasn't what they had imagined—more like torture disguised as training.
Upon entering the mountains, they each took a recovery pill to restore themselves to peak condition, their eyes sharp as they kept watch for danger in the dense forest shadows.
They encountered many mercenaries along the way. But sensing the overwhelming aura each girl exuded—not to mention their unfriendly expressions—the mercenaries dared not approach. As for Goku, the lone man among the group, they would've gladly tossed him aside and taken his place if they could.
"Huh? Do you guys feel that? The ground's shaking…"
Kushina knelt and pressed a hand to the earth, eyes narrowing.
"Yes... a massive number of magical beasts are stampeding this way!" Goku replied, expression grave.
Yue Mei and Moonlight exchanged a shocked look.
"A Beast Tide?! This is bad—everyone, we need to leave immediately!"
The girls were startled but didn't panic. After all, Goku was with them.
"No way! Our luck can't be that bad, right? We just stepped into the Magic Beast Mountains and already we're facing a once-in-a-century Beast Tide?" Shizuka said in disbelief.
The tremors grew stronger by the second. Ahead, trees toppled like dominoes, dust billowed, and the shouts and screams of mercenaries became clearer.
In the blink of an eye, a massive wave of magical beasts surged forward, unstoppable as a tidal wave! The ground shook violently, smoke and dust filled the sky, and towering trees were flattened like paper!
At the head of the stampede were panicked mercenaries, running for their lives with terror on their faces—as if death itself were on their heels. In fact, it was—anyone who stumbled for even a moment was immediately trampled into a bloody pulp by the stampeding beasts!
But what shocked them most wasn't the mercenaries' fear… it was that the beasts themselves, numbering in the tens of thousands—including powerful sixth- and seventh-Rank creatures—were all fleeing in terror.
What could possibly strike such fear into the hearts of monsters?
____
T/N:
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