Translator: CinderTL
Xiang Tan peeked over the edge and whispered, "It's a Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast."
Xu Sanyan pondered. A Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast was equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, offering limited direct assistance in the battle. However, the appearance of this Gold-Devouring Beast had united Zhou Longsheng's faction, making Luo Yu and his allies' defense even more difficult.
Hearing Luo Yu's shout, Xu Sanyan quickly made a decision. He struck Xiang Tan on the back of her neck, and her eyes rolled back as she instantly lost consciousness.
Xu Sanyan grabbed Xiang Tan and leaped into the fray, roaring, "I'm here!"
Luo Yu glanced over briefly and saw Xu Sanyan carrying Xiang Tan. Assuming he had chased her down, Luo Yu shouted, "Junior Brother, strike now! We must seize this opportunity to eliminate Zhou Longsheng in one decisive blow!"
"Rest assured, Senior Brother," Xu Sanyan replied, nodding solemnly. He casually tossed Xiang Tan aside as a swirling vortex of blood-red energy enveloped him. When the light cleared, he had manifested his Dao Body.
"Awooo!"
The Gold-Devouring Beast growled from the forest edge, its massive body emerging. Standing over six meters tall, it resembled a hyena magnified several times over, its dark brown fur gleaming ominously, and the tips of its claws radiating an eerie green light.
The Gold-Devouring Beast lunged forward, its slender snout baring rows of razor-sharp fangs. A thick, scaly plate protected its vital organs.
Its icy gaze swept across the battlefield before settling on Zhang Sheng's larger group. With eerie silence, the colossal creature charged.
Zhang Sheng had already manifested his Dao Body, transforming into a hulking giant with grotesque fleshy tumors bulging from his shoulders and backward-pointing barbs covering his arms.
While not much shorter than the Gold-Devouring Beast, Zhang Sheng sidestepped its attack rather than confronting it head-on. Pointing at the immobilized Chi Yu and his companions, he shouted, "Lure it over there!"
Luo Yu's expression twisted with urgency. "Junior Brother Xu, stop Zhang Sheng!" he roared.
"Got it!" Xu Sanyan crouched slightly, then exploded into motion, his four arms lashing out fiercely as he charged toward Zhang Sheng.
The battlefield descended into chaos. Luo Yu and his group desperately tried to hold back their opponents, while Chi Yu and his companions remained completely focused on controlling the Dragon-Catching Net, which continued to entangle Zhou Longsheng.
Zhang Sheng skillfully guided the Gold-Devouring Beast closer to Luo Yu's group. Xu Sanyan intervened, but held back his full strength, merely feigning difficulty in blocking Zhang Sheng's advance.
The situation hung in tense deadlock, the outcome hinging on which side could break the stalemate first. If Chi Yu and his companions managed to bind Zhou Longsheng, the enemy's morale would crumble, and defections to Luo Yu's side would surely follow.
Conversely, if Zhang Sheng and his group breached Luo Yu's defenses and disrupted Chi Yu's spells, Zhou Longsheng would be freed. Once he regained his mobility, Luo Yu would have little chance of escape.
Xu Sanyan watched with keen anticipation, secretly hoping for Luo Yu's victory, believing him to be the easier opponent to deal with later.
As if his wish had been granted, a golden net flashed through the air. Zhou Longsheng, momentarily distracted, found his wings ensnared by the Dragon-Catching Net.
Chi Yu roared with triumphant laughter. "Hahaha! Try escaping now!"
Panic seized Zhou Longsheng. With his wings immobilized, he lost his balance and thrashed wildly in mid-air, desperate to break free.
But the more he struggled, the tighter the Dragon-Catching Net became. It spread from his fleshy wings to envelop his entire body, dragging him plummeting from the sky like a broken bird.
Luo Yu crowed in delight. "Hahaha! Zhou Longsheng, your end has come!"
Zhang Sheng anxiously craned his neck upward, his mind reeling. If Zhou Longsheng fell, his own fate would be sealed.
"Senior Brother Zhou, hold on!" Zhang Sheng roared, disregarding everything as he charged past Xu Sanyan toward Chi Yu and the others. This was his only chance, even if it meant sacrificing his life.
The Gold-Devouring Beast behind him, enraged by Zhang Sheng's earlier taunting, abandoned the others and surged forward in relentless pursuit.
Seeing this, Luo Yu shouted, "Junior Brother Xu, stop him now!"
"Don't worry, Senior Brother," Xu Sanyan replied promptly, but his feet barely moved as he watched Zhang Sheng leap past him.
Luo Yu forced back his opponent with a palm strike, glaring at Zhang Sheng's charging figure. He inwardly cursed Xu Sanyan as a useless wretch. All that effort to exchange merit points for the Blood Demon Cultivation Technique, and when the time comes, he's utterly worthless!
With Zhou Longsheng captured, several opponents withdrew, relieving some of the pressure on Luo Yu's group. These opportunistic cowards, like blades of grass in the wind, shifted their allegiance with the slightest change in fortune.
"Die!" The barbs on Zhang Sheng's arms shot out with a sharp thwip, launching themselves at Luo Yu.
Luo Yu's eyes burned with vicious intent. Blood energy coalesced into a protective membrane around the horn on his forehead, forming an impenetrable shield.
He couldn't dodge. Chi Yu and the other two junior brothers were behind him, struggling to maintain the Dragon-Catching Net. It wasn't out of concern for them; if they lost focus, the net's spiritual power supply would fail, giving Zhou Longsheng a chance to escape.
They had come so far, ninety-nine steps out of a hundred. They couldn't falter now, not at the final hurdle!
Whoosh!
The barbs pierced the air with a piercing whistle, tearing through Luo Yu's blood membrane. Their power had diminished significantly, allowing Luo Yu to block them with relative ease.
But Zhang Sheng's figure materialized immediately after, his iron fists crackling with formidable energy as they slammed down toward Luo Yu's head.
A savage grin stretched across Luo Yu's lips. As a Peak Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he wouldn't cower before this brute! He swung his fists to meet the attack.
Bang!
The collision erupted in a shockwave of spiritual power, unleashing a violent gust of wind that sent fallen leaves spiraling into the air.
Zhang Sheng's expression flickered visibly. The difference in their cultivation realms proved insurmountable. His spiritual power crumbled against Luo Yu's onslaught, sending him flying backward.
Roar!
The Gold-Devouring Beast lunged, its massive jaws snapping shut on the airborne Zhang Sheng, who had no footing to brace himself. With a sickening crunch of tusks, the beast severed Zhang Sheng's burly frame in two.
"Aaaah!"
Zhang Sheng was still alive, his piercing screams shattering the night as he struggled to crawl out of the Gold-Devouring Beast's jaws, his severed torso writhing in agony.
The beast raised a foreleg, its razor-sharp claws slicing across Zhang Sheng's neck, silencing his screams.
Thud!
At that moment, Zhou Longsheng, who had been thrashing in the sky, crashed to the ground, sending plumes of dust billowing upward.
Luo Yu's face lit up with triumph. "Hahaha! Zhou Longsheng, it seems I've finally won!"
The outcome of the battle was now clear to everyone. Both sides ceased fighting, leaving the battlefield littered with bloody limbs and mangled corpses, their deaths gruesome and tragic.
Originally, neither side had intended to fight to the death. But as the situation escalated, their skirmishes had devolved into a desperate struggle for survival. Now, barely two dozen combatants remained standing.
The Gold-Devouring Beast lowered its head to tear at Zhang Sheng's remains, its savage eyes scanning the surroundings before settling on Luo Yu, the most arrogant of the survivors.
Luo Yu wasn't afraid of the beast, but he was far more eager to kill Zhou Longsheng with his own hands. Turning to Xu Sanyan in the distance, he said, "Junior Brother Xu, I'm deeply displeased with your performance. I'll entrust this Gold-Devouring Beast to you as an opportunity to redeem yourself."
Luo Yu's words, a blend of reprimand and reward, perfectly demonstrated his manipulative leadership skills.
"Senior Brother, rest assured! I'll handle it!" Xu Sanyan replied without hesitation.
Luo Yu smirked coldly. The phrase "Senior Brother, rest assured" now sent shivers of irritation down his spine. When have you ever truly given me peace of mind? he thought bitterly.
(End of the Chapter)
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