Rumble-!
A deafening beast's dying howl suddenly erupted, shaking the wilderness and sweeping across the entire forest clearing.
The savage sound waves carried the Golden-Maned Lion's agony and unwillingness to die, whipping up gusts that sent broken branches and fallen leaves flying and made the surrounding vegetation shudder wildly.
The palm strike that had landed squarely on its vulnerable spine carried the tremendous force of the half-step Core Realm, piercing its tough, gilded fur and thick muscles before crashing deep into its body.
In an instant, the Golden-Maned Lion's spine fractured, its meridians snapped inch by inch, and the overwhelming force pulverized all its internal organs.
Its massive, powerfully built body could no longer support its enormous weight. Like a battered sack struck with full force, it traced a heavy arc through the air and hurtled away, crashing onto the muddy, ravaged ground.
Bang!
Dust sprayed and earth and stones burst apart. The enormous body collapsed, its limbs twitching and struggling violently a few times before all life beneath its golden mane vanished.
Its once-vicious, bloodthirsty eyes rapidly dimmed and lost their focus, without a glimmer of life remaining. This mighty, high-grade pattern-condensing exotic beast of the Heavenly Origin Mountains had died on the spot.
The tense, fierce hunt came to an end, and the raging force throughout the forest slowly subsided.
The woman in green let out a long breath of stale air. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead, and her sweat-soaked hair clung to either side of her face. The prolonged struggle had clearly exhausted her in both body and mind.
She raised a hand to gently wipe the sweat from her brow. With a slight movement of her fingers, the cold gleam of the slender, sharp flexible sword in her hand faded, and she smoothly returned