Li Zhexian clung tightly to the Blood-Toothed Demonic Tiger's back, carried helplessly forward by the raging stampede of spirit beasts.
Behind him, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling gave desperate chase.
But—
Every spirit beast in this horde had at least several thousand years of cultivation. Their speed was far beyond what any human could match.
They could only watch as the beast tide vanished like a dust storm rolling into the dense forest, fading completely from sight.
The two girls' faces instantly turned pale.
Moments later, Yu Feng and the others arrived, panting, their voices filled with panic.
"What the hell just happened?!"
"Why are the spirit beasts in this area going berserk?!"
Elder Feng Xiao appeared with the disciples of Wind Sword Sect, his expression grave.
"Unless... the legendary King of the Forest issued a command—"
"Then there's only one other possibility..."
His aged eyes swept across the still-turbulent woods.
"A rare heaven-and-earth treasure is about to emerge in this forest—
Something powerful enough to drive every beast into madness."
Feng Buyu clenched his fists and forced down the gloom in his heart, speaking in a low voice:
"Brother Zhexian is a man of great fortune. He'll surely be all right."
"We should—"
Before he could finish—
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling had already turned into twin streaks of light, shooting off in the direction of the vanishing beasts.
Yu Feng, Osler, and the Shi brothers didn't dare hesitate. They rushed after them at once.
—
On the Blood-Toothed Demonic Tiger's back—
Its crimson fur bristled like steel needles, stabbing into Li Zhexian's flesh.
The violent jolts as the beast ran made his organs churn and his stomach lurch. He was on the verge of vomiting.
But he didn't let go.
Both hands clung death-grip tight to the hilt of the Qinglian Sword.
Around him surged the suffocating stench of blood and rage from spirit beasts thousands—or even tens of thousands—of years old. Their foul and violent aura was so thick it was almost tangible, enveloping him completely.
Taking advantage of the tiger's single-minded sprinting—
Li Zhexian endured the dizziness and quickly swallowed a Spirit-Concealing Grass to lower his presence
Every single second felt as long as an eternity.
The beast tide surged through woods and wetlands.
He had no idea how long they had been running when—
Ahead, the forest suddenly ended at a yawning, bottomless cliff.
Looking down past the edge of the cliff, all he could see were thick white clouds surging up from the bottom. The faint, mournful sound of the wind could be heard coming from the abyss.
"What?!"
Li Zhexian's heart suddenly sank. The path ahead was a dead end, yet this group of Spirit Beasts showed no hesitation. In fact, they charged even more frantically toward the cliff.
"Have they gone insane?!"
His face went pale, arms locking tighter around the sword hilt.
"What's down there?!"
BOOM BOOM—!
BOOM BOOM—!
The spirit beasts surged to the edge like a tidal wave, hurling themselves over without a second thought.
The Blood-Toothed Demonic Tiger leapt forward, planting all four paws onto the back of a three-headed green wolf, launching itself into the air.
Its massive body twisted mid-leap. Razor-sharp claws sank into the sheer cliffside—
Then it began charging straight down, as if running across flat ground.
The jostling grew even more brutal.
Amid the chaos, Li Zhexian glimpsed the others:
A silver-white giant centipede used its hundred legs to crawl down the cliff wall;
A golden python coiled around jagged stone spines, slithering downward at breakneck speed;
A winged unicorn folding its wings and diving like a hawk…
Only a few weaker beasts lost control in the madness, shrieking as they plummeted into the abyss—
The first to be eliminated from this deadly contest.
Several minutes later—
BOOM—!!!
The Blood-Toothed Demonic Tiger crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact.
The earth rippled like a dragon flipping in its sleep.
Li Zhexian was sent flying, the shockwave launching him high into the air.
He lost his grip on the Qinglian Sword.
His Martial Soul retracted into his brow in a streak of light.
He crashed down like a kite with a snapped string, tumbling nearly a hundred meters before slamming into the rocky ground.
His internal organs felt displaced. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Pain seared through his body like a knife. But he clenched his jaw and lay still—
Completely motionless.
All around him were high-level spirit beasts—
Each one ready to kill.
His only chance at survival was to play dead.
The Blood-Toothed Demonic Tiger's blood-red eyes swept past him. It looked as though it might finish the job with a single claw.
But perhaps the Spirit-Concealing Grass had hidden his life signs…
Or perhaps the surrounding beasts made it wary of unnecessary risks.
In the end—
The tiger let out a low growl, turning its attention back to the cliffside.
Li Zhexian had bought himself a slim chance.
He lay rigid on the cold, jagged rock, not moving a muscle.
It was only after more than ten minutes had passed—
That he finally cracked one eyelid open, ever so slightly.
Down here at the base of the cliff, without the canopy above, the light was actually brighter than the forest above.
The first thing he saw—
Were the savage, predatory gazes of countless powerful spirit beasts, all crouched or coiled in silence, their attention fixed on something on the cliff wall.
Li Zhexian slowly, carefully turned his neck—
And followed their gaze.
Halfway up the jagged cliff, several dozen meters off the ground, a gnarled little tree had somehow taken root in a narrow crevice.
This tree… was extraordinary.
Its trunk was silvery white.
Its leaves gleamed like sculpted jade.
At its crown, a single unopened flower bud stood quietly, shimmering with iridescent, dreamlike light.
Li Zhexian's heart shook violently.
But what held his gaze even more tightly—
Was the spirit beast guarding this miraculous tree.
It was a flying-type beast, about three meters in length. Its appearance was like nothing he had ever seen.
Its head was that of a dragon, raised high in pride—
But its body was that of an eagle.
Long silver dragon whiskers hung from its mouth.
Two pairs of silver dragon horns curled atop its head.
Its entire body was covered in pitch-black feathers, each edged with a razor-sharp metallic gleam.
But the most astonishing feature—
Was the twelve sword feathers that hovered behind its head!
Each one was a different color.
Each one floated straight and upright, like a drawn blade.
Each one radiated an edge that made one's heart tremble.
In terms of aura—
This beast was weaker than many of the ten-thousand-year-level creatures on the ground.
Judging by the fluctuations in Spirit Power, it was likely only around seven or eight thousand years.
Yet—
Its posture was unbearably proud.
It stood atop the cliff like a sovereign gazing down at the world.
Not budging a single step from its post guarding the glowing tree.
"This is…"
Li Zhexian's pupils contracted.
After reading through the legends and records of the Douluo Continent, he knew that the types of Spirit Beasts were vast.
As someone who knew the original story's plot, he had his own classification system for spirit beasts:
Besides common spirit beasts—
There were apex types with ancestral bloodlines, like the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, Titan Giant Ape, and the Sky Azure Bull Python.
Beyond that were spirit beasts whose very existence shaped the fate of entire regions—
Pure-blooded remnants of divine species.
Like the legendary Auspicious Emperor Beast: the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
But even beyond these—plot
Li Zhexian had once theorized the existence of another kind.
A unique class of spirit beast—
Caught between the common and the divine.
Beasts touched by the breath of gods.
Transformed by divine influence.
Marked by power beyond mortal law.
Beasts like—
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, tainted by the Evil God's power.
And now—
The creature before him.
With twelve sword feathers suspended behind its head.
Bearing the head of a dragon and the body of a hawk.
A miracle beyond reason.
Li Zhexian gave this class of beast a name:
Rare Beast.
Creatures of such rarity they might exist only once in the entire continent.