A bloody wind swept along with a low growl, shattering the silence on the outskirts of the Sunset Mountains in an instant. Six blurred afterimages, like evil spirits clawing their way up from the dark earth, burst from the dense undergrowth with a suffocating killing intent! They moved faster than the eye could follow, leaving only wavering, distorted outlines on the retina. They were fearsome beasts famed for their speed and stealth—the Shadowless Leopards!
"Hold your ground! Don't panic!" Yan Xiao Liu's roar cracked like thunder, instantly drowning out the few brief cries of alarm from the group. Though startled, they didn't lose their heads. They quickly closed ranks back-to-back, the clanging draw of blades blending into one as cold glints flashed through the shadowy woods. The men with rope nets gripped their cords tightly, their sharp eyes tracking the elusive shadows; the swordsmen lowered their centers of gravity and held their blades outward, forming a loose defensive circle that was still enough to protect them.
Ye Yun gripped the standard-issue steel saber in his hand and sank slightly into a fighting stance. His gaze, as cool as a falcon's, swept past the chaotic battlefield and locked firmly on Li San and Wang Wu at the edge of the group. The two stood like reefs at the brink of a surging beast tide, yet showed no intention of taking the initiative against the savage leopard shadows lunging right at them! Only when a Shadowless Leopard's glinting claws or drooling fangs came within a foot of them would the pair "just happen" to shift half a step or flick a wrist. Li San's broadsword precisely knocked aside a leopard's claws with a sharp clang, sending sparks flying. Wang Wu, meanwhile, casually tapped aside another Shadowless Leopard's all-or-nothing pounce with the broad side of his heavy-backed cleaver. Their movements were tiny, yet astonishingly efficient, as though they were merely brushing dust from their clothes.
A few Shadowless Leopards that had tested them had clearly noticed something amiss. These cunning beasts possessed an almost instinctive sense of danger. The faint yet abyss-deep presence around Li San and Wang Wu, along with their effortless, utterly unshowy defensive postures, filled the leopards with a wariness that seemed to rise from their very blood. They rumbled threateningly in their throats, their green eyes fixed on the two as their claws anxiously scraped the ground, yet in the end, they didn't dare approach again. After a brief standoff, they abruptly changed direction and unleashed their bloodlust and ferocious assault without reservation on the targets who looked "easier to bully"!
Ye Yun sneered inwardly. This was exactly the moment he had been waiting for. He deliberately reined in the power lying dormant within him, keeping his movements at the level of an ordinary expert. When a Shadowless Leopard lunged at him, he "fumbled" to raise his saber and block. Blade and claws slammed together, numbing his hand. He "staggered" backward in a sorry heap, even deliberately letting the leopard's claws tear a hole in his robe and dust and dead leaves cling to it. He made his breathing ragged and forced beads of sweat to gather at his temples—some from genuine nerves, some for show. He looked no different from his companions locked in a bitter fight. But his gaze remained as cold as ice, and the corner of his eye never left Li San and Wang Wu, searching their subtle expressions and movements for the slightest flaw.
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch! The shadowy forest seemed to have become a gigantic millstone grinding flesh and blood. The Shadowless Leopards pushed their speed to the limit, their forms becoming black bolts of lightning that tore through the air as they launched deadly attacks from treacherous angles. Each pounce came with a gust of bloody wind and the sharp whistle of claws cutting through the air. Though the group outnumbered them, the overwhelming difference in speed kept scattering and splitting their formation. Cries of alarm, roars of fury, clashing weapons, claws tearing flesh, and the beasts' snarls all tangled together, raising goosebumps.
Screams rang out from time to time. One man with a rope net was a fraction too slow, and a Shadowless Leopard ambushed him from the side. Its sharp claws raked across the outside of his thigh, tearing flesh open as blood gushed out like a spring and soaked his trouser leg. He screamed and fell, the net slipping from his hands. Another swordsman, trying to shield his wounded companion, took the claws of another Shadowless Leopard across his back. His tough Leather Armor split in three deep gashes, leaving his flesh mangled. The tremendous impact made him spit blood and slam heavily into a tree trunk, nearly knocking him unconscious. The stench of blood spread through the damp air, further stoking the bloodthirsty beasts' savagery.
At the heart of the battlefield, Yan Xiao Liu faced the unusually burly Leopard King, a conspicuous tuft of white fur marking its forehead! This beast had clearly surpassed the realm of ordinary ferocious beasts. When it stopped deliberately holding back and unleashed its full strength, a brutal aura several times more concentrated and savage than that of its companions exploded outward! A faint Killing Intent swirled around its body. Its claws sliced through the air with a piercing whistle, and the force of their passing left pale gouges in the hard stone beneath its feet!
"A First-Order Demon Beast!" Ye Yun's heart tightened as his earlier suspicion was confirmed. The Leopard King's strength had unquestionably crossed the threshold into demon-beast territory!
Yan Xiao Liu's expression turned grave, his earlier ease entirely gone. His long saber danced like the wind, its silver gleam spilling out in streaks. It was the swift blade technique that had made his name! His strikes were swift and ruthless, every move aimed at the Leopard King's vital points—its throat, eyes, and soft underbelly. Yet the Leopard King was faster! Its massive body moved with unbelievable agility, slipping through the blade-light like a ghost. Each twist let it narrowly evade a fatal strike. Its thick tail was like a steel whip, too, sweeping through the air with a roar and repeatedly lashing at Yan Xiao Liu's legs, forcing him to split his attention to block.
"Rrrip!" The Leopard King seized the tiny gap when Yan Xiao Liu paused to catch his breath and suddenly darted low toward him. Its claws flashed like lightning, tearing through the leather sleeve over Yan Xiao Liu's left arm and leaving three bloody furrows in his muscular forearm! Blood instantly stained half his arm. Yan Xiao Liu grunted, but the pain only roused his ferocity. Rather than retreat, he pressed forward, his saber strokes suddenly turning even more violent. He brought down a Cleaving Mount Hua with all his strength and fury!
"Pfft!" Blood burst forth!
Though the Leopard King did its utmost to dodge, the blade still carved a foot-long, hideous gash through its glossy black fur, deep enough to expose bone! Scalding beast blood sprayed out, staining the ground. Yet this grievous wound, enough to render an ordinary beast unable to fight, seemed only to kindle the First-Order Demon Beast's fury. Pain wrung a deafening roar from it, one brimming with agony and rage, and its eyes turned scarlet as blood! Its attacks didn't weaken. They grew even more frenzied, even more reckless!
Before you continue