Almost Died

The three stood in the empty forest clearing, staring at one another.

Jiang Donghua kicked at the dry leaves beneath his feet and irritably scratched his head.

"This is seriously strange. We can't even find a pile of Demonic Beast dung."

Liu Mingyu crouched down and touched the ground, Earth-yellow Battle Qi seeping into the soil.

"There haven't been any traces of living creatures in this area for at least two days."

He looked deeper into the forest.

"Should we?"

"No!"

Liu Yuting immediately cut him off, the ice crystal pendant on her chest swaying slightly.

"It's too dangerous beyond the red circle."

Jiang Donghua sheathed his longsword, the scrape of metal unusually piercing in the silent forest.

"We'll search for another half hour. If there's still no sign of a Demonic Beast, we'll have to try our luck somewhere else—or go deeper."

Before he had even finished speaking, Liu Mingyu suddenly pressed a hand onto Jiang Donghua's shoulder.

Earth-attribute Battle Qi transmitted a faint vibration through his palm.

"Something's moving southeast!"

The three immediately tensed, their swords leaving their scabbards in perfect unison.

Fire-attribute Battle Qi flowed over Jiang Donghua's blade, illuminating the swaying bushes ahead.

A gray-furred wild rabbit darted out in a panic, blood staining one of its hind legs.

It glanced fearfully at the three of them before quickly burrowing into a tree hollow across from them.

"Whew—"

Liu Yuting let out a long breath, lowering the tip of her sword toward the ground.

"Just an ordinary rabbit."

Boom!

The ground suddenly shook violently, nearly knocking the three off their feet.

Trees fifty paces away toppled one after another, while a bone-chilling sound of chewing came through the billowing dust.

The three froze for a second.

Jiang Donghua reacted first. His pupils contracted sharply, every hair on his body standing on end as he roared.

"Run!"

But Liu Mingyu and Liu Yuting were only at the Dou Qi stage. How could they possibly run fast?

Without another word, Jiang Donghua spread his arms and grabbed the siblings, one in each hand.

"Hold tight!"

The Battle Qi within him circulated madly, pale cyan cloud patterns suddenly appearing beneath his feet. It was the Yellow-Tier High-Grade Movement Combat Skill, Cloud-Chasing Steps.

Once this movement skill was unleashed, it was as though he were walking atop clouds, his speed soaring.

"Whoosh—"

Jiang Donghua gave it everything he had, running as fast as he possibly could as his figure became a blur weaving through the forest.

Thunderous crashes rang out behind him as towering trees fell one after another, dust flying everywhere.

"Damn it!"

Cold sweat seeped from Jiang Donghua's forehead as he cursed inwardly.

Anything capable of making such a commotion has to be a Demonic Beast at least at the Seven-Star Battle Master level!

He did not dare look back, only desperately driving his Battle Qi onward.

Cloud-Chasing Steps was fast, but carrying two people consumed an enormous amount of energy. Within only a few breaths, a pair of scarlet eyes emerged amid the shifting dust, drawing closer and closer to the three of them.

"Brother Donghua!"

Liu Yuting's face turned pale, and even her voice trembled.

"Don't talk!"

Jiang Donghua gritted his teeth, the cloud patterns beneath his feet growing brighter.

"Hang on a little longer!"

Suddenly, a mountain ravine appeared ahead.

Jiang Donghua's eyes lit up, and he leaped without hesitation.

Bang!

The three landed heavily on the opposite bank.

Jiang Donghua staggered several steps and nearly fell to his knees, but they had at least escaped danger for the moment.

Gasping for breath, he looked back and saw dust rolling across the opposite bank. Through it, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a massive creature rampaging through the forest.

"Whew... We're safe for now."

Jiang Donghua released the siblings and dropped onto the ground, his face deathly pale.

That had truly been a narrow escape. They had nearly died there.

Jiang Donghua stared fixedly at the massive creature ravaging the other bank, fear lingering in his heart.

As the dust gradually settled, the Demonic Beast's full form finally came into view.

A giant python more than ten zhang long lay coiled on the opposite bank. Its entire body was covered in heavy earth-yellow scales, each one as smooth and hard as carefully polished stone. With a casual sweep of its thick tail, it carved a deep trench into the ground. Ancient trees as thick as bowls snapped at once, wood chips scattering everywhere.

"This... this is?"

Jiang Donghua's pupils suddenly shrank. His throat tightened involuntarily, and even his breathing stopped for a moment.

"A Yellow Earth Python, a Demonic Beast at Battle Master Peak!"

Jiang Donghua recalled reading the Demonic Beast Compendium in the library corner.

The thick tome had clearly recorded it.

The Yellow Earth Python was a low-grade Earth attribute Demonic Beast. An adult could reach Battle Master Peak, though with a certain opportunity, it could also reach the Tier 3 Da Dou Shi level.

Its scales were as hard as Xuan Tie, and ordinary combat skills could not harm it in the slightest. Even more terrifying was its constricting strength. It was said that it could easily twist even refined steel into a knot.

"Good thing... good thing we ran fast."

Liu Mingyu's face was white as paper, and his voice shook uncontrollably. He had long since collapsed onto the ground.

Because if they had made even the slightest mistake, they would have died.

Jiang Donghua forced himself to calm down and carefully observed the giant beast across the ravine.

Suddenly, he noticed something strange.

"Wait, something's wrong with its condition."

Although the Yellow Earth Python was immensely imposing, its movements seemed somewhat frantic.

It kept looking back from time to time. Several fresh wounds marked its thick body, and some of its scales had even shattered and fallen away, exposing bleeding flesh beneath.

"It seems to be afraid of something?"

Liu Mingyu also noticed the abnormality.

At that moment, an earthshaking roar suddenly came from deep within the distant forest.

The pressure contained in that roar made the three, even from a hundred zhang away, shudder involuntarily.

Upon hearing the roar, the Yellow Earth Python immediately acted as though it were facing a great enemy.

Its enormous body trembled violently, and it plunged straight into the ground without hesitation.

The hard earth parted before it like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, it vanished without a trace, leaving only a huge hole behind.

"W-what was that?"

Liu Yuting's voice had gone shrill.

Jiang Donghua's expression was grave.

"What kind of existence could make a Yellow Earth Python at Battle Master Peak flee at the mere sound of it?"

The three stared at one another, seeing deep fear in each other's eyes.

How could they dare remain there any longer?

They immediately circulated Battle Qi to cover their bodies and silently retreated deeper into the cave. Anything that could make a Yellow Earth Python at Battle Master Peak flee in terror was definitely a terrifying Demonic Beast above Tier 2!

"Hold your breath."

Jiang Donghua whispered, and the three pressed themselves against the ground like corpses, even deliberately suppressing their heartbeats to the faintest level.

Liu Mingyu's Earth-attribute Battle Qi formed a thin layer of camouflage over their bodies, while Liu Yuting's Water Attribute Battle Qi wrapped around the three of them, completely sealing off their auras.

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

Screech—!

A piercing cry that seemed capable of splitting metal and stone shook loose fragments of rock from the cave ceiling.

A giant bird with a wingspan of seven zhang descended from the sky. Its body was covered in blue-black metallic feathers, each one gleaming with an icy, sinister light.

Most terrifying of all were its claws, like enormous sickles forged from refined steel, flashing with deadly sharpness beneath the sunlight.

"It's an Azure Wing Demonic Eagle!"

Liu Mingyu's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and even his voice transmission trembled.

The Demonic Eagle's sharp gaze swept over the ground. Then it suddenly dove, its claws stabbing into the earth like blades.

The ground shook violently. Accompanied by the Yellow Earth Python's miserable hiss, its enormous body was forcibly dragged out from beneath the ground!

Hiss—!

The Yellow Earth Python twisted its body wildly, Earth-yellow Battle Qi erupting as it tried to break free.

However, the Demonic Eagle merely tossed its head disdainfully. Its sharp beak precisely clamped onto the snake's head, then it tilted its head back and swallowed.

Gulp!

A horrifying sound of swallowing echoed through the cave.

The three watched helplessly as the ten-zhang giant python was swallowed whole. Its tail weakly twitched a few times at the edge of the Demonic Eagle's beak before finally disappearing entirely into that blood-filled maw.

The Demonic Eagle shook its feathers in satisfaction, then suddenly turned toward the cave.

Those amber vertical pupils seemed able to pierce through the darkness, locking directly onto where the three were hiding!

The scent of death was right before them. It felt as though even their blood had frozen.

At that critical moment—

Boom!

A violent explosion suddenly rang out from the distant forest.

The Demonic Eagle raised its head alertly. After hesitating for a moment, it ultimately spread its wings and flew toward the source of the sound.

Its enormous wings whipped up fierce winds, blowing the trees outside the cave in every direction.

Only after that sky-covering figure completely vanished beyond the horizon did the three dare breathe deeply again.

Cold sweat had long soaked their backs, and Liu Yuting collapsed directly onto the ground.

The other two were not much better off. Jiang Donghua in particular was the strongest among them, and that Tier 3 Demonic Beast had definitely sensed the auras of all three of them.