Extraordinary Creature

"Bang!"

Inside the abandoned zoo, an explosive crash rang out. In the darkness, a figure seemed to have suffered a terrifying attack and was sent flying, crushing weeds and bushes all along the way before slamming hard into a thick, moss-covered concrete wall.

The tremendous impact shook the wall until cracks spread across it.

"Wah!"

Qin Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, her entire body instantly wilting. Her cyan vertical pupils were covered in blood vessels.

"Waaah!"

The eerie cry of a baby rang out again. It echoed through the darkness, drifting unpredictably—at times from far away, at times right beside them, and sometimes from behind—sending chills down the spine.

Qin Qing's vertical pupils darted around as she tried to lock onto the vicious creature's position in the darkness. She failed every time, only occasionally catching a glimpse of an eerie humanoid figure flashing past the corner of her eye.

"Up ahead? Right side? No, no, that's wrong. Left side."

Suddenly.

The eerie humanoid figure burst from the darkness and attacked again at an inconceivable speed. Although Qin Qing had already locked onto it, her eyes could only see several afterimages.

Its movement was simply too fast for her vision to track accurately.

Even her evolved vertical pupils could not capture its figure. Clearly, the vicious creature was stronger than Qin Qing at that moment. If she let her guard down even slightly, she would be killed here in an instant.

"Looking to die."

All at once, Yang Yilong's furious shout echoed out. White arcs of light suddenly appeared around them, instantly scattering the darkness. He charged out from another direction, trying to intercept and kill the vicious creature midway before it could attack Qin Qing.

The eerie humanoid figure seemed to sense a trace of danger. It actually abandoned its chance to kill Qin Qing, stopping strangely midway in an inconceivable manner. Then it abruptly changed course and rapidly vanished, once again melting into the surrounding darkness.

"Wah~!"

The cry of a baby rang out again, still echoing around them.

Yang Yilong stopped in front of Qin Qing. Seeing the vicious creature conceal itself, his face carried a hint of anger. His current state was extraordinarily strange. His hair and clothes floated slowly as if affected by static electricity, while his eyes radiated white light. A terrifying aura coiled around his right arm.

The fallen leaves and weeds that drifted close were instantly twisted into powder.

As dust swirled through the air, the faint outline of an invisible long sword seemed to emerge along his arm.

"Compared to last time, this thing has grown even stronger. Its rate of growth has surpassed the speed of our cultivation, and it's become more cunning, too. It knows it isn't your match, so it keeps attacking me, wanting to kill me first before dragging things out with you." Qin Qing coughed weakly twice before standing up again.

Although she could still move, she had already lost her ability to fight. Even protecting herself was difficult.

"Yang Yilong, let's withdraw. The energy in your body is being consumed rapidly, and that 'sword' won't last much longer. Once your strength gives out, we'll both die here." Qin Qing looked at Yang Yilong's right hand.

In her sight,

a certain kind of energy was converging and condensing along a strange trajectory within Yang Yilong's right hand. Invisible to the naked eye, it appeared dazzling in her vision. The condensed energy resembled a sharp sword, as though it could tear apart anything in reality.

"If I were weaker than that thing, I could accept defeat. But I have the strength to kill it now. If I still run away, that would mean I, Yang Yilong, am nothing but a useless waste of resources. I'm sorry, Qin Qing. I dragged you into this mess this time. I originally planned to hunt that thing down and give you half as thanks for saving my life last time. I never expected things to turn out like this."

Qin Qing said, "This isn't your fault. After suffering a setback last time, that thing changed tremendously. Its growth this time completely made up for its previous shortcomings. Before, I could rely on my agility, excellent dynamic vision, and reflexes to maneuver around it. But this time, it has completely overwhelmed me in every aspect."

"I could tell. This thing has extremely high intelligence and an astonishing ability to learn. If we fail to kill it this time, we truly won't have the slightest chance next time." Yang Yilong's gaze was resolute. "So, Qin Qing, no matter what, let's fight one more time."

"If we really lose, I'll die here with you."

Sensing Yang Yilong's determination, Qin Qing no longer tried to dissuade him. "Since you're prepared to fight to the death, there's nothing more to say. Let's hunt it down, then return together."

"Good." Yang Yilong nodded slightly.

"Go."

Qin Qing moved again. Her figure swept forward at astonishing speed, seeming to skim just above the ground. Her cyan vertical pupils kept turning as they locked onto the eerie baby-like cry in the distant darkness.

Yang Yilong moved as well. He and Qin Qing attacked from the left and right, surrounding the creature.

The baby-like cry echoed again.

The humanoid vicious creature sensed their killing intent and caught the scent of danger. It therefore did not choose to meet them head-on. Instead, it fled rapidly, giving Yang Yilong and Qin Qing no opportunity. Even while escaping, it deliberately controlled the distance—far enough that they could not catch up, yet close enough for it to turn around and counterattack in time.

Clearly, the humanoid vicious creature had no intention of letting Yang Yilong and Qin Qing go, either. It also wanted to kill these two evil Earth Prisoners here.

Perhaps, in the vicious creature's eyes, Yang Yilong's rate of growth was far too fast as well. Last time, it had clearly had a chance to kill him, yet after some time, it had nearly been killed by him instead. If it failed to kill Yang Yilong today and allowed him to keep growing, it would also be in grave danger.

Both sides harbored the conviction that they had to kill the other. The battle continued, far from over.

"This isn't an illusion. My eyes can already begin locking onto that thing. Is it deliberately slowing down to lure me in and counterattack? Or has its speed dropped?"

After Qin Qing and Yang Yilong joined forces to surround and hunt it for a while without results, she discovered that the creature's figure had become sluggish.

"No, it isn't deliberately slowing down. Like us, its strength is beginning to wither, so my eyes can capture it now. This is an opportunity. If my vertical pupils can lock onto it, that means I have a chance to hunt it down."

Qin Qing then glanced at Yang Yilong.

Yang Yilong was panting. The dazzling light on his right hand had dimmed considerably and was about to go out, yet he continued struggling to maintain it. Once the 'sword' was extinguished, he would not be able to condense it again that day. By then, the two of them really might be counter-killed by the vicious creature.

"Do we still have a chance to strike?" Yang Yilong seemed to notice Qin Qing's gaze and looked over.

Their eyes met, and it seemed they both understood the other's thoughts.

Qin Qing nodded slightly.

A trace of hesitation flashed through Yang Yilong's eyes, but it soon hardened into resolve.

The next moment.

Qin Qing's speed suddenly increased, and the little physical strength remaining in her body was consumed frantically.

She wanted to squeeze out her last ounce of strength and win Yang Yilong an opportunity to strike.

In the darkness, Qin Qing's figure swept past like a streak of white light. In the blink of an eye, she had caught up with the vicious creature and had even overtaken it.

"Wah~!"

A cry of surprise and panic rang out.

The humanoid vicious creature seemed not to have anticipated this. It had been controlling the distance all along, only to be caught when its stamina weakened.

But when it saw that Qin Qing was the one attacking, the humanoid vicious creature instead let out a roar. It immediately extended a furry humanoid arm. Strangely, the limb did not end in a human hand, but in the hoof of a beast.

The hoof glowed faintly, forming a ring-shaped mark. Even without activating Spirit Medium, the luminous mark could be seen with the naked eye.

"Qin Qing, move back." Yang Yilong sensed that something was wrong and roared.

But it was too late.

At such speeds, the clash was completed in the blink of an eye.

Qin Qing's figure and the humanoid vicious creature's figure briefly overlapped. Then, in an instant, the two figures separated again. Qin Qing's body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, blood scattering through the air as a dense bloody stench instantly spread around them.

The humanoid vicious creature merely paused and retreated a few steps. It had not suffered any serious injury.

Qin Qing's desperate attack had not been intended to kill it. She had only wanted to stop it and create an opportunity for Yang Yilong to strike.

"Die!"

Light shone from Yang Yilong's eyes. Like a godly being, he struck across the distance. A sword-shaped outline appeared along his right arm and slashed toward the humanoid vicious creature at tremendous speed.

Sensing the danger of death,

the vicious creature let out a shrill baby-like cry and turned its head.

But it was too late.

The surrounding light suddenly flared. An invisible sword had already swept through its body.

Illuminated by that brief flash, the creature's true appearance was finally revealed.

It was a monster with a human body and a head resembling that of a goat. Its appearance was close to the demons of Western legends, but somewhat different. Its mouth was filled with savage fangs, and it was bloodthirsty and cruel.

Clearly, this was an unknown Extraordinary Creature.

But at that moment,

the Extraordinary Creature had been severed at the waist. Blood gushed from the split and splattered across the ground.

Yet even after being cut apart, the vicious creature still did not die. It remained alive, its two hooves—resembling human arms—bracing up its upper body as it lunged at Yang Yilong.

However, the counterattack was futile.

Yang Yilong's fury had not yet subsided. He immediately raised his right arm and swung it down.

The vicious creature's head was instantly split in two.

Only under this fatal attack did the Extraordinary Creature's life begin to rapidly wither. Yet even as it neared death, its head, split into two halves, still wriggled on the ground and let out a strange whimpering cry.

"Qin Qing, how are you?"

Yang Yilong ignored the vicious creature's dying struggles and rushed straight to his teammate's side.

"I'm... I'm not dead. I can't feel my lower body." Qin Qing lay limply on the ground in a bizarre position.

Yang Yilong hurriedly examined Qin Qing's injuries, but his expression changed slightly.

Qin Qing's back was a bloody mess. The vicious creature's hoof had torn away nearly half her body, and her spine had been mangled. If not for a cultivator's tenacious vitality, injuries like these would have been unquestionably fatal.

"Several sections of your spine are shattered. The injuries are serious, but thankfully your internal organs are fine. It's all right. As long as we make it back safely, you can be healed. It'll only cost a little more money. Don't worry. I'll make sure you're cured." Yang Yilong rapidly considered various medical treatments, then let out a slight sigh of relief.

As cultivators evolved, the world's medical system was also changing with each passing day.

"That's good. We can't stay here now. The smell of blood will attract other vicious creatures. Hurry and get out of here." Qin Qing's face was somewhat pale, but she remained rational.

"Okay."

Yang Yilong nodded. He no longer had the strength to hunt other vicious creatures. They had to withdraw in time; otherwise, if they encountered another danger, neither of them would be able to leave the Danger Zone alive.

He quickly carried Qin Qing onto his back and prepared to pack up the corpse and leave.

But at that moment.

Within the abandoned zoo shrouded in darkness, the roars and howls of all kinds of ferocious beasts echoed out.

"That's not right. That monster's voice is transmitting some kind of information to the surrounding beasts." Qin Qing realized what was happening. Seeing that the goat-headed, human-bodied monster was still making its strange whimpering cries, she immediately sensed trouble.

"I noticed it, too."

Yang Yilong understood. He immediately struck the monster again, making it stop its strange cries, then packed up the corpse before quickly retreating.