In just one exchange, Lei Ze, possessing the strength of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, was severely wounded. This sight caused the faces of the onlookers surrounding the battle to drastically change. The expressions of excitement and anticipation many had worn instantly froze.
"He can't win... not even City Lord Lei can win!" "Third Tier... it is a Third Tier demon beast!! Why would one suddenly appear here?!" "Run!! If we don't run now, there won't even be corpses left!!"
In an instant, most people plunged back into panic, desperately fleeing once more. The square, which had calmed for barely ten seconds, descended into even greater chaos.
...
At the center of the square, Lei Ze ignored the turmoil around him. Gritting his teeth, he steadied his stance. He dared not relax his grip on the longsword in his hand, his eyes locked fiercely onto the demon beast opposite him.
His face was pale, a streak of blood still visible at the corner of his mouth. The outer robe over his chest had been shredded into strips, revealing a golden inner armor beneath. Three deep gashes scored the armor itself, threatening to tear it apart completely.
Utter shock roiled within Lei Ze. He simply couldn't believe the beast before him was only at the Second Tier Peak. He even doubted his own senses—perhaps it wasn't Second Tier Peak at all, but a genuine Third Tier beast.
"It distinctly radiates Second Tier Peak aura fluctuations... so why is its actual combat power so terrifyingly monstrous?!" Lei Ze frantically circulated his true essence to calm the raging qi and blood within his body while feverishly thinking. "Its appearance... clearly isn't that of a 'normal' demon beast. Could it be... a tamed beast?! Controlled by someone?! But what kind of beast-taming art could grant such a horrific boost?! And why would someone possessing such power appear in a backwater place like ours? Unleashing this beast into the city for indiscriminate slaughter... why?!"
Countless questions flooded Lei Ze's mind, each one baffling. But the most urgent, the most critical problem remained: how to deal with the beast before him?!
As the city lord, Lei Ze naturally possessed valuable treasures. The longsword in his hand was a low-grade spirit artifact. He also carried several life-saving talismans, high-grade or even peak-tier Third Grade. Precious pills were in his possession too. Yet, facing this utterly bizarre demon beast, he had no confidence in victory. A single misstep could mean death. He dared not act rashly.
The beast, however, granted Lei Ze no respite. Its massive head shook slightly. Strangely, the wound on its lower jaw bled very little. It displayed no overt fury, only the bloody light in its eyes pulsed more violently. With a low growl, it lunged forward, swift as lightning, charging straight at Lei Ze!
Lei Ze's expression tightened. Unwilling to clash head-on again, he pivoted, dodging sideways. Simultaneously, his left hand flickered, producing a dark, palm-sized, turtle-shell-shaped magical artifact. True essence surged, and a layer of profound cyan light instantly enveloped him completely.
Blink. The beast flashed past where Lei Ze had stood moments before. That spot exploded, fragments flying. Before Lei Ze could even feel relief at dodging, a blurred dark shadow flickered before his eyes!
THOOMP!
A muffled impact resonated. The shimmering spiritual light barrier shielding him immediately began to vibrate violently!
Panic surged within Lei Ze. He retreated hastily, several steps back. Focusing, he saw the source of the attack: the beast's immense tail. Without that barrier, he would have been grievously wounded, if not killed!
Moreover, the force behind the tail strike was terrifying. To cause such violent tremors in his top-grade treasure artifact barrier indicated power nearly equivalent to a peak treasure artifact's blow!
WHOOSH!
Before Lei Ze could fully process the shock, a sharp whistling sound tore past his ear! Another dark blur flashed. His barrier shuddered abruptly once more!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A rapid succession of muffled detonations echoed. Lei Ze was forced back relentlessly, step by step. He could only perceive a dark silhouette encircling him at blinding speed. The barrage of impacts against his barrier was relentless, the tremors unceasing.
Once again, the beast astonished everyone—it was completely overwhelming Lei Ze!!
The prestigious Lord of Qingyun City, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, couldn't even find an opening to strike back! He could only pour his energy into maintaining the barrier while constantly dodging!
Within mere dozens of breaths, Lei Ze had been driven back over a hundred meters. His expression grew darker, more desperate.
WHOOSH! SWISH! CRACKLE!
Just as Lei Ze was steeling himself for a desperate counterattack, three distinct sounds tore through the air from the north! A fireball, a wind blade, and a bolt of purple lightning screamed towards them, converging almost simultaneously on the beast attacking Lei Ze!
KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!
Three thunderous explosions merged into one deafening blast. The beast was sent crashing away. Lei Ze seized the chance, darting back like an arrow, putting over a hundred meters between him and the beast in an instant. He whipped his head towards the north, spotting three figures hurtling towards him. Relief and hope washed over his face.
"Patriarch Zheng! Patriarch Changgong! Patriarch Kou!!"
Seeing these three 'reinforcements' arriving in the nick of time, Lei Ze's heart surged with joy. A heavy weight seemed to lift from his shoulders.
...
The three figures arrived like lightning bolts, halting beside Lei Ze. They were Zheng Changqing, Changgong Linglan, and Kou Xuyun. Changgong Linglan's expression was grim as he addressed Lei Ze. "City Lord Lei, are you injured?"
Lei Ze shook his head slightly. "Nothing severe. Thank the heavens you arrived when you did... otherwise, the outcome might have been grim..."
"What exactly happened? This beast..." Zheng Changqing began, his gaze fixed on the slowly settling dust cloud ahead. Suddenly, his pupils constricted. "Not dead?!"
About thirty meters away, within a newly formed crater, a massive black shadow rose. Even through the lingering haze of dust, its pair of blood-red eyes burned with a terrifying, soul-piercing glare.
Not only Zheng Changqing, Changgong Linglan and Kou Xuyun also wore expressions of profound shock. Their combined attack just now—equivalent to the simultaneous strikes of three early Golden Core cultivators, delivered via mid-grade Third Grade talismans—had struck the target full force! Yet, it hadn't perished!
"Third Tier demon beast?!"
The thought flashed through all three minds simultaneously. But then, sensing the beast's aura once more, their brows furrowed in unison, profound confusion filling their eyes.
Lei Ze understood their bewilderment and urgently warned them. "Be extremely cautious! This beast is bizarre beyond measure! Its cultivation aura is Second Tier Peak, yet its combat strength rivals that of an early Third Tier beast! Its defense is monstrous... even my spirit artifact failed to wound it significantly!!"
"What? That powerful?!"
Changgong Linglan and the others paled further, staring at the beast ahead with renewed disbelief. The claim seemed utterly implausible.
"ROOOAR!!"
The beast itself promptly dispelled any lingering skepticism. Its roar was a guttural shriek. Immediately, a blast of even more potent aura erupted from it! A series of faint crack-crack-cracking sounds came from its body. The bloody light in its eyes intensified violently, thick rivulets of crimson liquid leaking from the corners like bloody tears. Grotesquely, bloody fissures split its skin, as if its frame was swelling beyond its hide's capacity. Its entire bulk visibly expanded, limbs thickening grotesquely, covered in lumpy, unnatural-looking muscle. It was horrifying.
This transformation happened in the blink of an eye. Just as the attacks from Lei Ze and the three patriarchs were about to land, the beast... vanished!
"What?!"
"Careful!!"
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Changgong Linglan and the others reacted with identical horror. There was no time to adjust their attacks! Dark shadows flickered before each of them!
Shouts of alarm mingled with brutal impacts!
All four figures were sent flying backwards simultaneously! To maximize their offensive power and coordination, they had dispelled their defensive barriers during the attack. None had anticipated the beast's speed could be so utterly terrifying, allowing it to evade their combined assault with ease and launch a devastating counteroffensive in the same instant!
There was no time to reactivate their barrier artifacts. They could only block instinctively with their weapons. Though their reflexes were keen, the sheer force behind the blows hurled them backwards. Kou Xuyun's spear was knocked flying from his grasp! Lei Ze, struck again, coughed up another mouthful of blood!
In the time it takes to blink, the combined assault of the city's four strongest defenders was shattered instantly!!
This scene chilled the hearts and froze the guts of every spectator watching from afar. For some, despair took root.
The strength of this demon beast was too monstrous, too unreasonable! If even the united might of the city's strongest could not halt it… what hope remained?!