Thousand Spirit Marshland (Part 2)

The battle between the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros and the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard continued. Hu Haoran's heart hung in suspense. He was terrified that the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros would lose to the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard and be eaten, and then his soul ring would vanish into thin air.

"Don't worry. As long as the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros is severely wounded and near death, I'll immediately step in and drive off the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard. Your soul ring won't just fly away for nothing. Besides, the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros may not necessarily lose. At least for now, its steps and breathing are still steady." Looking at Hu Haoran's pale face, Jiang Jiayao continued, "You should be steadier. Strike at the best moment. Your state of mind still needs to be tempered slowly!"

Hu Haoran nodded. He knew full well that he was extremely anxious right now. He wanted to grow stronger as soon as possible. Once he became strong, he could protect Taohua, revive his clan, and restore the glorious days of the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon Clan. He also desperately wanted revenge against Ling Fengyun.

Just as Hu Haoran was lost in thought, the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard's scales suddenly shimmered with dazzling intertwined blue and yellow light. The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros slipped up and fell into the swamp, becoming deeply trapped. This blue-and-yellow light was an innate ability of the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard to control swampland. It could even summon swamps out of thin air, making it an extremely troublesome move.

Once the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros was trapped, the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard charged forward without hesitation. It opened its enormous, blood-filled jaws and bit down at the rhinoceros's neck. Purple-yellow lightning suddenly flashed across the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's body, wrapping it in crackling bolts. The armored area around its neck also erupted with numerous spikes.

The Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard ignored it and still bit down.

Boom...

The two behemoths were sent flying backward once more. Blood poured from the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's neck, while several of the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard's teeth had shattered. This exchange left both sides badly injured.

The two soul beasts stared at each other now, neither willing to attack first. Both were gasping for breath and gathering strength, preparing for the next round of attacks.

In the end, the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard could no longer restrain itself. Blue-and-yellow light flared from its body again, and the swamp surged toward the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros, attempting to trap it once more.

But this time, the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros had learned its lesson. Purple-yellow lightning flashed over its body, and a bolt of lightning gathered atop its horn.

Whoosh...

The lightning struck toward the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard. Though it could not kill it, it could still disrupt the enemy. As expected, the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard was stunned by the bolt. The lightning carried a paralyzing effect. It only lasted three seconds, but that was enough. The demon lizard's body went limp, and it was completely unable to exert any strength during those three seconds.

The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros would never let such a perfect opportunity slip away. Lowering its head, it charged again with its sharp horn.

The demon lizard tried to make one last stand. It wanted to sweep its massive tail across to block the rhinoceros's charge, but the numbness in its body had yet to fade. Helpless, it could only open its huge jaws and bite toward the rhinoceros.

Squelch...

The demon lizard's upper jaw was pierced through by the rhinoceros's horn. Blood sprayed from the demon lizard's mouth, drenching the rhinoceros's head. Yet the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros did not find it disgusting. Instead, excitement was visible in its eyes.

The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros swiftly pulled out its horn, raised its front hooves, and stomped wildly on the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard's head. Before long, the demon lizard's head was reduced to pulp, and a soul ring floated out from its head.

"Roar..." The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros let out a victorious cry.

At that moment, Hu Haoran wanted to rush out and stab his sword into the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's eye, ending its life.

"Wait! Don't be impulsive! The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros is still in an excited state, and the purple-yellow lightning around it hasn't faded yet. If you rush out like an idiot now, you'll only be injured by its lightning. You won't even be able to harm a single hair on that beast. Let's wait a little longer. We'll launch our sneak attack once the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros has completely lowered its guard. As the saying goes, when the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind. You, little oriole, mustn't let the mantis wound you. There's no fault in being careful." Seeing how impulsive Hu Haoran was, Jiang Jiayao immediately held him back and urged him to calm down.

"I was blinded by the immediate gain before my eyes." Hu Haoran quickly adjusted his emotions.

The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros looked left and right. It felt that someone was watching it, yet it could not spot anything unusual. It pondered this, and the purple-yellow lightning around its body gradually weakened, but its vigilance did not lessen in the slightest.

Half an hour later, the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros still had not detected anything wrong. The purple-yellow lightning on its body had completely vanished. It slowly began enjoying its spoils of victory—the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard that had died in battle.

"You must aim carefully for the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's eye. Make sure you hit it in one strike," Jiang Jiayao said to Hu Haoran.

"Alright, no problem!" Hu Haoran replied.

Hu Haoran focused intently, holding a two-foot-long blade forged from Black Iron Stone Essence. His mother had given it to him before he left home, for use in emergencies. Now, it had come in handy at this crucial moment. Hu Haoran did not dare release his martial soul, because he knew that once he did, the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros would definitely notice him. That would waste a precious chance to ambush it.

Hu Haoran slowly poured his Soul Power into the blade forged from Black Iron Stone Essence. The blade gleamed with a chilling edge. A quarter of an hour passed like this, and the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros remained completely unaware of the danger it faced. It was still happily eating its final dinner.

Whoosh...

Hu Haoran charged out with lightning speed, targeting the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's vulnerable eye.

Squelch...

The blade forged from Black Iron Stone Essence pierced into the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's left eye, the entire hilt sinking in. Bright red blood sprayed from the rhinoceros's eye, splattering all over Hu Haoran's face.

"Roar..." The Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros did not die. It let out an earth-shaking roar! Hu Haoran was sent flying by the roar and could not help spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Haoran!" Jiang Jiayao was startled by the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's ferocity. He immediately wanted to rush toward Hu Haoran and save him from in front of the beast.

"Don't come over. This Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros is already at the end of its strength! Let me finish it myself!" Though Hu Haoran had been blasted away by the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's roar, he knew that if it had been at full strength, that roar would have already reduced him to minced meat.

Jiang Jiayao observed the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros. Sure enough, just as Hu Haoran had said, the rhinoceros was already at the end of its strength.

Blood was still spraying from the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros's neck. Its old wounds had not yet healed, and now Hu Haoran had blinded its left eye. The massive blood loss had already left the rhinoceros staggering. Furthermore, after its battle with the Miasma Ghost Demon Lizard, the Soul Power in its body had yet to recover. Its current combat strength was less than half of what it had been at its peak, more than manageable for Hu Haoran.

After analyzing the situation, Jiang Jiayao quickly relaxed. Still, he did not dare let down his guard. If anything happened to Hu Haoran during the fight, he would be at fault. Therefore, he too watched with rapt attention as Hu Haoran faced the Thunderous Lightning Rhinoceros in their final showdown.