The Weak Thunder Kylin Beast, with the Mantis Stalking the Cicada!

"Tsk, looks like I'll have to speed things up."

Bing Tianxiao listened to the beast roars coming from the distance, the emotions in his eyes subsiding.

He withdrew his gaze and locked it once more onto the battered Qiu Beihai.

Qiu Beihai had long since lost his previous arrogance.

His body was covered in blood, and the long blade in his hand was riddled with gaps. Every swing looked incredibly heavy.

Facing the combined assault of the two, he was already at the end of his strength.

"It's over."

Bing Tianxiao murmured softly as he suddenly drew his Ice Crystal Longbow to its full extent.

"Snap!"

The bowstring trembled like thunder exploding.

The arrow transformed into a streak of black light and shot straight toward Qiu Beihai's heart.

"No—!!!"

Qiu Beihai let out a desperate roar and tried with all his might to block it with his blade.

However, a streak of silver sword light sent the long blade in his hand flying.

"Clang!"

The long blade flew from his grasp, and Qiu Beihai completely lost his last line of defense.

"Pfft!"

The sound of the blade entering flesh was dull yet clear.

The black arrow pierced straight through his chest without the slightest obstruction.

The tremendous impact sent his body flying backward, pinning him hard against an ancient tree that soared into the heavens.

Blood slowly trickled down the arrow shaft, staining the tree trunk behind him red.

Qiu Beihai's eyes widened, his face filled with unwillingness.

His body convulsed violently several times before finally dissolving into specks of light.

"Done."

Bing Tianxiao put away his longbow, looked at Luo Li beside him, and grinned. "Not bad teamwork, heroine."

Luo Li sheathed her sword, her expression as cold as ever.

Only the slight upward curve of her lips revealed her current mood. "You were just too slow."

"Heh."

Bing Tianxiao shrugged, then said, "Let's go."

"Mm."

"Rumble—"

Deep within the Black Demon Forest, the thunderous beast roars grew increasingly deafening, as though even the earth were trembling.

Ji Xuan turned back and glanced grimly behind him.

The large and mighty team that had set out with him had now been reduced to scattered stragglers.

Countless pairs of crimson eyes flickered in the darkness. Accompanied by terrifying snarls, they belonged to the Spirit Beasts drawn by the scent of blood.

"Damn it! How could there be a Spirit Beast riot?!"

Ji Xuan gritted his teeth and smashed apart an Ironclad Rhinoceros that charged at him with a single palm strike, his eyes filled with savagery.

The originally perfect encirclement plan had now turned into a chaotic encounter battle.

Behind them, the group led by Qiu Beihai and the others, who were responsible for covering the rear, had completely lost contact.

"Big Brother Ji Xuan! The brothers in the rear... they don't seem to be able to hold on!"

A blood-covered youth staggered over, his voice trembling. "Qiu Beihai... Qiu Beihai's aura has disappeared!"

"What?!"

Ji Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and a powerful sense of unease surged in his heart.

Qiu Beihai was a peak Level 3 Spirit Body expert. Even if he encountered several Spirit Beasts, he could still keep them occupied for a while. How could he have...?

Could it be...

The thought had only just surfaced when Ji Xuan forcefully suppressed it.

Impossible!

How could those lowly wretches dare to ambush him?!

"Forget about them!"

Ji Xuan took a deep breath, a ruthless resolve flashing in his eyes. "The Thunder Kylin Beast is just ahead! As long as we obtain its Essence, these losses won't matter at all!"

"But..."

The youth still wanted to say something, but Ji Xuan's icy gaze frightened him into swallowing his words.

"Pass down the order! Advance at full speed! Anyone who falls behind will be killed without exception!"

Ji Xuan's voice was cold and merciless, especially piercing amid the chaotic battlefield.

What did sacrificing a few people matter for the sake of that Thunder Kylin Beast?

Even Qiu Beihai was nothing more than a chess piece that could be discarded at any time.

The team accelerated once more, charging madly toward the depths of the forest like a pack of desperate outlaws.

Along the way, screams rose one after another.

Some were bitten by venomous snakes lying in wait in the darkness, while others were torn apart by giant apes descending from the sky.

Still others fell behind because they ran out of strength, only to be instantly swallowed by the beast tide.

The short distance of just a few li seemed like a blood-soaked road leading straight to hell.

When Ji Xuan finally broke out of the encirclement and reached the open ground, the team that had originally numbered seventy or eighty had been reduced to fewer than fifty.

Every one of them was injured and in a sorry state.

Yet Ji Xuan's eyes held nothing but fanaticism.

Because a hundred zhang ahead of him, a purple Spirit Beast was quietly lying on a rock.

At first glance, this purple Spirit Beast did not appear particularly extraordinary.

However, with every breath it took, thunderous sounds could be heard bursting from its mouth and nostrils.

Accompanying those thunderous breaths, wisps of electricity flashed at the corners of its mouth.

"Finally... we're here!"

Ji Xuan licked his cracked lips, his eyes filled with greed and longing.

After observing it for three months, he had determined that this Thunder Kylin Beast was in some sort of weakened state. Less than one-tenth of its terrifying lightning power remained.

As long as he seized this opportunity...

"Attack!"

Ji Xuan let out a low growl and suddenly waved his hand.

More than a dozen trusted subordinates instantly sprang into action, each clutching a thick golden rope.

Strange green light flowed across the ropes. Clearly, they had been laced with deadly poison.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

More than a dozen ropes intertwined in the air, forming a huge golden net that descended over the completely unsuspecting Thunder Kylin Beast!

"As long as this Spirit Binding Net covers it, the paralyzing poison on it will instantly seep into its body.

Even if it's an Earth Ranking Spirit Beast, it'll have no choice but to let me slaughter it!"

Ji Xuan clenched both fists, as though he could already see the moment when he absorbed the Thunder Kylin Beast's Essence, advanced to a Fourth-level Spirit Body, and looked down upon all other heroes.

However, just as the huge golden net was about to fall—

"Whoosh!"

A sharp, ear-piercing sound suddenly rang out, breaking the brief tranquility.

A pitch-black arrow struck one of the central knots of the golden net!

"Snap!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The seemingly indestructible golden net instantly disintegrated under that single arrow!

The originally perfect encirclement immediately developed a huge opening.

"What?!"

The wild joy on Ji Xuan's face instantly froze, replaced by a trace of shock and fury.

Before he could react, a voice carrying a hint of mockery came from the treetop not far away.

"Oh my, what a huge net. Wouldn't it be much better for catching fish? Isn't it a little cruel to use it to catch such an adorable Thunder Kylin Beast?"

Ji Xuan abruptly raised his head.

Amid the dense foliage, a slender figure sat on a tree branch, playing with an Ice Crystal Longbow in his hand. A thoroughly irritating grin hung at the corner of his mouth.

It was Bing Tianxiao!

Beside him stood a silver-haired girl in silence.

What made Ji Xuan's pupils contract even further was that two figures were also slowly emerging from behind a boulder on the other side.

Mu Chen! Zhan Xiong!

"Bing Tianxiao! Luo Li! Mu Chen!"

Ji Xuan ground out those names through clenched teeth, the killing intent in his eyes almost solidifying. "You... actually dared to come here and throw away your lives!"

"Throw away our lives?"

Mu Chen smiled slightly. His smile was gentle and harmless, yet it gave Ji Xuan a chill. "Ji Xuan, isn't it a little too early to say that? We're quite interested in this Thunder Kylin Beast too."