"Uchiha Flame Formation!"
Smith slammed his palm to the ground.
A fiery red square barrier instantly rose into the air—not around Smith himself, but surrounding the Thunder Bull King, Lei Xun Niu Wang!
The blazing red seal formed a perfect cage around the beast, and the purple lightning that had just begun to gather in its mouth was abruptly cut off.
By the time the barrier fully activated, the bolt of lightning that had been forming could no longer be suppressed. It erupted, striking the inner surface of the barrier with explosive force.
BOOM!
Within the confined space, the purple lightning raged wildly. Even Thunder Bull King himself couldn't escape the violent electrical discharge. A powerful current coursed through his own massive frame—the first time the beast had ever suffered from his own attack.
He let out a pained roar, his body trembling violently.
Realizing what had happened, the Thunder Bull King quickly understood it was the barrier's fault. That lightning bolt—it was powerful enough to obliterate even a high-tier fourth-level beast, and yet this barrier had absorbed it entirely?
As the pain rippled through him, the Thunder Bull King narrowed his eyes in shock.
But there was no time to hesitate. He had to break free—fast. If he remained trapped, the upper hand he'd just secured for the beast tide would be lost again. Without his long-range lightning attacks, the human warriors could regroup and suppress the onslaught.
Sure enough, once Thunder Bull King was sealed away, Kong Changxing and the others immediately ramped up their firepower and unleashed everything they had on the beast tide.
Sizzle!
A thick layer of purple lightning surged over the Thunder Bull King's entire body as he charged forward.
BANG!
With a thunderous crash, the raw physical power of a fifth-level advanced beast exploded outward. The barrier shattered into fragments. Though he succeeded in escaping, the backlash was harsh.
The intense heat from the Uchiha Flame Formation had scorched through his thick hide, charring the skin underneath.
Smith knew the barrier wouldn't hold the Thunder Bull King forever—but it had bought him enough time to close the distance.
By the time the beast broke free, Smith was already within striking range.
"Wood Release: Grafting Technique!"
From the ground, countless spear-like wooden spikes shot upward, aiming to impale the Thunder Bull King.
But to Smith's frustration, the beast's hide proved far too tough. The razor-sharp wooden thorns merely bounced off, unable to pierce the dense skin.
"Human," the Thunder Bull King sneered, his voice rumbling like thunder, "don't think just because you've run rampant through Starfall Forest that you can match me."
He raised a hoof and stomped the ground with terrifying force.
CRACK!
A bolt of thick purple lightning burst upward, tracing its way along the ground and lashing toward Smith.
Eyes narrowing, Smith jumped back, weaving between the bolts with precise movements, narrowly dodging the full brunt of the strike.
"It seems I'll have to find someone more suitable to face you," Smith muttered under his breath.
He quickly formed a new hand seal.
"The Art of Spiritual Communication!"
Bang!
A cloud of smoke erupted, and from within it, a gigantic figure emerged.
One-Tailed Shukaku!
"A fifth-level beast?!" the Thunder Bull King exclaimed in shock as he gazed up at the colossal sand creature.
The chakra radiating from Shukaku wasn't any weaker than his own!
"Heh heh, I'm back again!" Shukaku laughed gleefully, his huge frame swaying.
"Go! Kill it!" Smith commanded, standing atop Shukaku's head as the tailed beast barreled toward the Thunder Bull King.
Thunder Bull King immediately realized close combat would be unwise. The difference in size and power was immense. Instead, he retreated quickly to gain some distance.
"Thunder Style: Destruction of the World!"
Bright arcs of purple lightning gathered at the tips of his horns and merged into a single point. The energy intensified rapidly, then exploded outward in the form of a giant snake-like bolt of lightning.
Sizzle!
The arc screamed through the air toward Shukaku.
Not one to back down, Shukaku responded instantly.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
His massive chest inflated, and a colossal gust of wind burst from his mouth to meet the incoming lightning.
BOOM!
The shockwave from the collision blasted away any nearby beasts. Even those trying to sneak up were blown back violently.
Standing firmly on Shukaku's head, Smith activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, closely observing every movement of the Thunder Bull King.
Blood began to trickle from his right eye.
Amaterasu!
Fwoosh!
A pitch-black flame appeared out of nowhere.
Although Thunder Bull King sensed the danger the moment Amaterasu appeared, it was too late to evade.
The dark flames fell directly on him, igniting his thick skin with scorching intensity.
"What kind of fire is this?!"
Panicking, the beast tried to suppress the flames using his spiritual energy. But to his horror, the more energy he poured into resisting, the more the flames grew—feeding off his chakra like fuel.
"AHHHHH!!"
Soon, the black flames had engulfed half his body. The burning agony forced screams from his throat.
Huff...
Smith took a slow breath to ease the pain in his eyes. His vision blurred from the strain, but his focus never left the Thunder Bull King.
Under normal conditions, a fifth-level monster couldn't survive Amaterasu for long.
But Thunder Bull King wasn't ordinary.
"Don't think... you can defeat me so easily!"
Enduring the searing heat, a blinding purple light suddenly erupted from the beast's body. Smith had to avert his eyes from the brightness.
Then—a crack appeared in the Thunder Bull King's skin.
From within, a smaller version of himself emerged—completely bathed in lightning.
His outer skin, where the Amaterasu still burned, had been completely shed.
That armor-like layer had been his final line of defense. Peeling it off meant his defenses were now severely weakened—but it was the only way to escape Amaterasu's deadly grip.
"Boy!" the Thunder Bull King roared. "You're the first human who's ever pushed me this far. Now… I'll kill you!"
His body radiated with violent arcs of lightning, and he began transforming—shifting into a form resembling a pure thunder beast.
His speed and power surged as he charged toward Smith and Shukaku with overwhelming momentum.
Not backing down, Shukaku opened his mouth and formed a black sphere of concentrated chakra.
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
BOOM!!
The two killing blows collided, creating a titanic explosion that engulfed the entire battlefield.
Even Xu Yue and the others stationed far away on the city wall felt the shockwaves.
RUMBLE!
The tall stone wall trembled beneath the blast.
"What incredible power…"
"Is this… what a battle between fifth-level warriors looks like?"
"If it were me, I'd have died fifty times already…"
The defenders stood in awe, their faces pale with fear and respect.
Xu Yue and Kong Changxing exchanged anxious glances.
Until a victor emerged, no one dared let their guard down.
...
As the dust settled, the battlefield was deathly silent.
Neither side had gained the upper hand. Though Thunder Bull King had taken the first heavy hit, he remained standing. He was, after all, a peak fifth-level beast—one that few could challenge in direct combat.
"Who… what kind of spiritual beast is this?" Thunder Bull King finally asked, his voice still crackling with electric energy. "Its strength rivals mine!"
Shukaku's eye twitched. "Not bad, I'll admit that. But I'm just getting started."
Smith, standing tall atop Shukaku's head, narrowed his eyes.
"Doesn't matter what he is. Just keep fighting. Give me your power, and I'll help you win this."
Bound by the system's influence, the tailed beasts were loyal to Smith's commands.
Without hesitation, Shukaku channeled a surge of fiery red chakra into Smith's body.
With his energy reserves replenished, Smith brought his hands together again.
"Wood Release: Advent of the World of Trees!"
From the earth below, titanic trees burst forth—massive, twisting, and alive—racing toward the Thunder Bull King with overwhelming momentum…
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