After sprinting for about five or six hundred meters, the monotonous view of muddy ground and trees finally broke for Zhou Changqing. Two hundred meters ahead, two vague figures, mostly obscured by the dense woods, entered his line of sight. A tremendous clamor of impacts and furious roars echoed from their location.
Upon spotting the two figures, Zhou Changqing slowed his pace. Squinting, he began to inch closer with extreme caution. To avoid detection, he stopped circulating his Dou Qi, completely suppressing his aura.
Once he had closed the distance to roughly a hundred meters, he dropped into a prone position in the tall grass. Peering through the gaps between the tree trunks, Zhou Changqing was finally able to get a clear look at the two combatants.
"Could it be?!" Zhou Changqing's eyes widened, his gaze locked on the two figures as they violently collided and broke apart in the distance.
The two Magical Beasts were a wolf and a panther.
The wolf beast was covered in crimson fur and was the size of a full-grown water buffalo, its coat marked with patterns that resembled licking flames. Its claws were a sharp two inches long, and its erect ears were tipped with yellow fur. A tangible layer of fire constantly erupted from the flame-like markings on its body, shrouding it completely.
The panther beast was slightly larger than the wolf. Its fur was silver-white, etched with the patterns of crackling lightning, and a pair of long tusks extended past its lower jaw. Sparks of electricity flashed beneath its paws, and countless tiny arcs of lightning flickered in and out of existence across its coat.
The Flame Wolf! And the Silver Lightning Panther!
"Awooo!"
"ROAR!"
For reasons unknown, the two Magical Beasts were locked in a mortal struggle, their bestial roars shaking the surrounding forest.
Fire and lightning clashed, sizzling and crackling in the rain. Wherever their energies spread, trees were scorched black, boulders shattered, and foot-deep craters scarred the earth. Their massive bodies moved at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye, weaving and crashing into one another. Terrifying shockwaves of energy blasted outwards, whipping the air into a frenzy of violent gales. Within a radius of several dozen meters around them, most of the trees had been smashed to splinters, leaving the landscape a chaotic ruin.
To be absolutely certain, Zhou Changqing quickly retrieved a scroll from his Storage Ring and began to compare it to the beasts. After a moment of study, he put the drawing away, a terrifying killing intent flaring in his eyes.
"It really is those two bastards!"
He had confirmed it. The Flame Wolf and Silver Lightning Panther battling in the distance were the very culprits responsible for his parents' deaths. While these two species were not rare in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, there was no mistaking these specific individuals. Despite the hundred-meter distance, the obscuring trees, and the pouring rain, Zhou Changqing's sharp eyesight allowed him to catch glimpses of their bodies as they moved, piecing together a complete picture. Their features were too distinct. The Flame Wolf had a hairless, half-meter-long scar on its flank, and the Silver Lightning Panther's tail was clearly missing its tip. These details perfectly matched the highly recognizable features depicted on the drawing.
This location! These distinguishing marks! And judging by their power, inferred from the sheer devastation of their battle! There was no doubt.
Watching the Flame Wolf and Silver Lightning Panther tear into each other, Zhou Changqing fought back his impulsive rage. He masked the murderous glint in his eyes and settled in to wait.
"This is a godsend!"
His original plan had been to locate these two beasts, confirm their status, and then find a secluded place to train and forge better Monster Core Armaments. Once he was strong enough, he would look for an opportunity to ambush them and take them down one by one. After all, they were Tier 3 Magical Beasts, equivalent in power to human Dou Grandmasters—and likely stronger than the average ones. Without a high-grade Tier 3 Monster Core Armament, he had no confidence he could eliminate them individually.
He never imagined fate would hand him such a perfect opportunity. Not only had he found them, but he had stumbled upon them while they were locked in a deathmatch. Better still, the heavy rain was washing away any trace of his scent. Without this downpour, the beasts' keen senses would have detected him even from a hundred meters away. Now, all he had to do was wait. He would let them cripple each other, then emerge as the opportunist and finish them both off. Of course, if they didn't end up mutually wounded, he would have to abandon this chance.
With this in mind, and to be even more cautious, Zhou Changqing lowered himself completely into the undergrowth, lying flat on the ground and watching the battle through the narrow gaps between blades of grass.
As time passed, the battle between the Flame Wolf and the Silver Lightning Panther reached a fever pitch. The energy fluctuations emanating from their bodies grew more violent, and the flames and lightning arcs intensified. The battlefield, ravaged by the terrifying aftershocks of their fight, became a scene of utter devastation. Their combat zone constantly shifted as they fought from one clearing to the next. The number of wounds on both beasts had multiplied, and blood flowed freely, mixing with the rain to soak into the earth below.
In truth, the Flame Wolf and Silver Lightning Panther were not exceptionally powerful Magical Beasts. Their bloodlines were limited, capping their growth at Tier 3. Barring some miraculous encounter, they would never reach Tier 4. Both had reached their peak strength many years ago. Although most Magical Beasts live longer than humans, these two had remained at their apex for years without a breakthrough, and now their lifespans were nearing their end. While their intelligence wasn't on par with an adult human's, they were lifelong rivals. With death approaching, each was determined to kill the other, to ensure their greatest foe would perish before them. Thus, this battle was different from their previous skirmishes. They wouldn't tacitly withdraw after reaching a certain point; they were fighting to the death.
From his hiding spot, Zhou Changqing, who had kept his eyes locked on the battlefield, noticed that neither beast was retreating despite their grievous injuries. Instead, their attacks only grew more vicious. They were fighting with an unyielding, until-death-do-us-part ferocity. A thrill he could barely contain surged through him.
"AWOOO!"
At the climax of the battle, both beasts unleashed their ultimate killing moves simultaneously. The flames wreathing the Flame Wolf swelled violently, erupting into a terrifying heatwave that rose several meters high before rapidly condensing into a fireball a foot in diameter. It shot toward the Silver Lightning Panther like a cannonball.
"ROAR!"
Not to be outdone, the Silver Lightning Panther's eyes crackled with electricity. A storm of silver lightning, like a swarm of tiny snakes, erupted from its body and converged in its mouth, coalescing into a brilliant beam that shot out directly at the Flame Wolf.
The two attacks were incredibly fast, colliding in the blink of an eye.
SHIIIING!
BOOM!
The lightning beam possessed immense piercing power. It tore straight through the fireball and plunged into the Flame Wolf's forehead, exiting through the back of its neck. The beam continued, punching through several large trees before finally dissipating. The pierced fireball, however, did not disperse. Carrying its terrifying heat and destructive force, it slammed into the Silver Lightning Panther. A massive explosion instantly engulfed the beast, transforming the surrounding area into a sea of fire a dozen meters across that sent the air shimmering and twisting with heat.
A few moments later, the rain gradually extinguished the flames, revealing the scene within.
The Silver Lightning Panther lay collapsed on the ground. Nearly all of its fur had been burned away, leaving behind blackened, cracked skin. The blood that seeped from its wounds had been charred into dark crusts. Worse, one of its forelegs and one of its hind legs had been blown off in the explosion. The faint rise and fall of its chest and its barely perceptible breaths were clear signs that it was on the verge of death.
As for the Flame Wolf, it had collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud just moments after the beam had pierced its skull, its body twitching faintly.