SWOOSH!
A streak of golden light tore through the air, followed by a BOOM as it slammed into an orange barrier. The shield shuddered violently, nearly shattering on impact.
"Move it!!" Inside the barrier, Di Xuan barked, almost violently yanking Xue Ziqi up before she could fall flat. He bellowed the command simultaneously.
ROAR!! A furious bellow echoed from behind them. A massive, deep-gold silhouette burst through the undergrowth like a tank about ten meters back. It was a golden lizard several meters long. Its huge, bronze-bell eyes blazed with ferocity, fixed unwaveringly on the fleeing group. Its powerful limbs churned the earth as it THUNDERED towards them in pursuit.
"Hah!" A sharp cry rang out. A figure in vibrant robes flashed beside Di Xuan. She flicked her wrist, sending a talisman flying. A millstone-sized fireball shrieked through the air, hurtling towards the colossal lizard.
Without waiting to see the result of her Grade 3 Mid-grade Talisman, Jie Feiyuan spun around and sprinted alongside Di Xuan. Ahead of them, the other four cultivators were already fleeing for their lives.
"Damnit! How can there be a Grade 3 Demonic Beast in a place like this?! Unbelievable!!" Di Xuan cursed furiously as he ran. His left arm hung unnaturally limp at his side, clearly badly injured. His Daoist robes were torn in several places, some spots stained dark red with seeping blood. He looked thoroughly disheveled.
The others were in no better shape, each radiating panic and exhaustion. Even Jie Feiyuan's robe was torn across her right shoulder, revealing a patch of pale skin. As she ran, a subtle curve was fleetingly visible beneath the ripped fabric.
"It clearly just advanced to Grade 3 recently, probably thanks to those Pi-Luo Vines! Stop complaining and focus on losing it first!"
Hearing Di Xuan's curses, a flicker of anger crossed Jie Feiyuan's eyes as she coolly retorted. She threw another Grade 3 Mid-grade Talisman over her shoulder, her heart aching at the loss. A sliver of resentment towards Di Xuan bloomed within her – if he hadn't led them this way, would they have been unlucky enough to run into this Grade 3 beast?
But recriminations were useless now. Survival was paramount. Jie Feiyuan risked a glance back. Her blood ran cold as she saw the Golden-Scaled Lizard effortlessly dodge her fireball. Clenching her silver teeth, she steeled herself to use her single, precious Grade 3 Top-grade Talisman – her ultimate life-saving trump card.
"DIE!!"
But Di Xuan acted faster. Perhaps driven to desperation, a vicious light flashed in his eyes, twisting his face into a snarl. He whirled around, his true essence surging within him like never before. He flung out a crimson talisman. It exploded in a burst of flame, coalescing into a massive fire serpent that roared towards the pursuing lizard.
As the Senior Brother of Lingyue Sect's South Hall, he only received Grade 3 Top-grade Talismans for protection during specific missions; he didn't carry them normally. This single Grade 3 Top-grade Talisman was his most powerful lifesaving treasure. He knew if he hesitated any longer, he'd lose his life anyway. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed it.
A Grade 3 Top-grade Talisman unleashed an attack equivalent to a spell from a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Its power was immense. The Golden-Scaled Lizard visibly paused, a flicker of wariness in its eyes. Its massive tail slammed into the ground with explosive force, propelling its body sideways with astonishing speed!
KABOOM!!!
The next instant, the colossal fire serpent conjured by the talisman detonated precisely where the lizard had been standing, blasting out a huge, charred crater.
While the Grade 3 Top-grade Talisman certainly posed a threat to the Grade 3, Rank 1 Golden-Scaled Lizard, it needed to hit its target. Unfortunately, the lizard's reflexes were lightning-fast, rendering Di Xuan's ultimate move useless. The silver lining was that the attack bought the group precious seconds. They managed to sprint another dozen meters while the lizard evaded.
CRASH!!!
Just as relief began to flicker on their faces, a deafening impact sounded behind them. The ground bucked violently beneath their feet. Whirling around in terror, they saw the massive shadow of the lizard launching itself through the air like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, it soared over their heads!!
"SCATTER!!" Di Xuan's face drained of color. He only had time for that desperate shout before the Golden-Scaled Lizard crashed down with earth-shattering force, landing squarely in front of the fleeing group!
"ARGHHH!!" A blood-curdling scream tore from the lips of the short, thin male cultivator who had been leading the charge. Despite his quick reaction to dodge, the lizard's whipping tail caught him squarely. He was sent flying like a ragdoll, a spray of crimson blood arcing from his mouth even before he slammed down heavily over ten meters away. He lay motionless, life hanging by a thread.
The others skidded to a halt, scrambling backward in panic. In their haste, they became separated, forming a loose, ragged semi-circle around the lizard. But everyone knew the horrifying truth: whichever direction the beast attacked next, its target was almost certainly doomed.
ROAR!! The Golden-Scaled Lizard rose from the crater its landing had created, shaking off debris. It let out another thunderous bellow. Its yellowish-brown pupils narrowed, locking onto one figure directly ahead. Primal instinct screamed that this target posed the greatest threat. Or rather, the object held in that person's hand was dangerous.
— The figure pinned by its predatory gaze was Jie Feiyuan, her hand clenched tightly around her Grade 3 Top-grade Talisman!
Jie Feiyuan's face went deathly pale under the lizard's stare. Despair washed over her. Clenching her jaw until it hurt, she prepared to throw her talisman in a final, desperate gamble.
Simultaneously, the Golden-Scaled Lizard coiled its massive body, muscles bunching as it prepared to obliterate the source of the perceived danger.
SCREEEEEEEE!!!!!
Suddenly, a piercing shriek ripped through the air from above! A streak of violet lightning streaked down from the sky, aimed unerringly at the Golden-Scaled Lizard!
The lizard's pupils contracted to pinpricks. With astonishing speed, reacting to the new threat, it twisted violently. A brilliant golden light erupted from its scales, instantly forming a solid, tangible barrier around its entire body.
KABOOOOOM!!!!
The violet bolt slammed into the lizard an instant later. Purple and golden light exploded outward in a blinding flash. Amidst a storm of flying rocks and sand, the lizard's massive body was hurled backward by the colossal impact!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!… Before the lizard, now blasted over twenty meters away, could even regain its footing, a barrage of violet lightning bolts rained down from the sky like divine punishment, mercilessly engulfing it.
A series of deafening detonations shook the very earth. Blinding bursts of spiritual energy and billowing clouds of pulverized rock and dust completely swallowed the area where the lizard had landed. Within the chaos, a faint, agonized shriek seemed to echo briefly... then abruptly fell silent.
After nearly ten seconds of continuous thunderous impacts, the dust began to settle. Where the lizard had been thrown now yawned a crater more than ten meters wide. At its center lay a charred, mangled lump of flesh, vaguely retaining the outline of a giant lizard...
SWOOSH! A purple blur descended gracefully from the sky, landing beside the smoldering remains of the Golden-Scaled Lizard. Its beak darted down, plucking the glistening demonic core from the ruined flesh and swallowing it whole.
It was the Purple-Crowned Thunder Crane.
"..."
Di Xuan and the others stared, utterly dumbfounded by the spectacle. Only when the Thunder Crane landed did they jolt back to awareness. But then, they froze again, utterly bewildered...
Because they saw, perched on the back of the Purple-Crowned Thunder Crane, was a person. And that person...
"Lin... Lin Feng!!!"
Xue Ziqi's eyes bulged wider than saucers. She stared at Lin Feng as he dismounted the crane's back like she was seeing a ghost, her voice rising in a disbelieving shriek.
...
Lin Feng inwardly sighed at Xue Ziqi's comically shocked expression. The situation had been critical; the Thunder Crane had spotted the danger and intervened immediately, giving him no time to dismount discreetly beforehand. Otherwise, he would have preferred to avoid this encounter altogether.
But since concealment was impossible now, he saw no point in pretense. He deliberately ignored Xue Ziqi. Instead, he strode quickly to the side of the short, thin cultivator who had been struck by the lizard's tail. Kneeling beside the prone figure, Lin Feng checked for vital signs and found faint breathing. Keeping his back to Xue Ziqi and the others, he retrieved two Healing Pills and carefully fed them into the unconscious man's mouth.
Once he had stabilized the man's condition, Lin Feng stood up and turned to face the rest of the group. Every single one of them was staring at him with identical expressions of utter disbelief. He offered an awkward, slightly uncomfortable smile.
"Everyone... are you alright?"