Strange, Berserk

With a thud, Flender's heart sank the moment he saw the other Griffin.

A Royal Griffin, a variant of the Griffin. Though it could not compare to the Holy Sacred Dragon, a variant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, it was far stronger than an ordinary Griffin.

If the leader of a beast pack was inevitably the strongest individual of its species, then a Royal Griffin was born to become the leader of Griffins.

A ten-thousand-year Royal Griffin was nearly comparable to a fifty-thousand-year Griffin.

It was unclear what relationship the Royal Griffin before them had with that ninety-thousand-year Griffin.

For now, this Royal Griffin was no weaker than other seventy- or eighty-thousand-year Soul Beasts. Flender could only hope that Zhao could withstand it.

"Hey, hey, hey, what the hell is that thing?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes rolled as he stared at the Royal Griffin in near disbelief.

Wasn't Sunset Forest supposed to have a mild climate, without exceptionally powerful Soul Beasts? What were these two things?

The Griffin had no interest in what humans thought. It merely stared intensely at Flender, its intelligent mind marveling at its own good fortune.

First, it had found a great nourishing treasure. Now, it had encountered food that could elevate its very essence.

Could it be that it was about to become Sunset Forest's first Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!?

At that thought, the Griffin no longer suppressed its frenzy. Its wings beat, and it dove fiercely toward Flender.

The strong preyed upon the weak!

"Zhao, move!"

Flender did not waste words either. The Wind Eagle wings behind him flapped, and his body rose like a hurricane.

The winds howled, yet they followed behind Flender, gently supporting him and aiding his movements.

Despite its massive body, the Griffin's speed was absolutely among the best of Soul Beasts at its level. But Flender was even faster.

Facing its claw strike, Flender barely moved. He simply followed the wind generated by the Griffin's motion and drifted away like paper riding the wind.

He soared above the Griffin, but the instant its attack missed, the Griffin's huge head turned toward Flender, and its wings lashed heavily.

Whoosh!

Two wind blades formed at incredible speed. In less than a second, they became milky-white slashes; the old force had barely ceased before new force was born.

A stabbing sensation came over him. The wind was warning Flender that if he took this attack head-on, he would be cut in two.

Wind Domain!

Whoosh—

The phantom of a Wind Eagle emerged indistinctly from Flender's wings. It circled briefly before suddenly exploding, and violent winds rose from every direction.

In an instant, green and blue whirlwinds centered around Flender spread throughout the entire Iron Tree Forest, enclosing the area completely.

The incoming wind blades suddenly stalled, as though their very nature had been obstructed. They grew slower and slower.

Fourth Soul Skill: Ten Blades!

Whoosh!

The same sound erupted behind Flender. As his wings struck, ten wind blades appeared. Empowered by the winds of the Wind Domain, they accelerated faster and faster, charging directly toward the Griffin's wind blades until they collided.

Two crisp cracking sounds rang out. The foremost two wind blades canceled out the Griffin's wind blades, each scattering into gas and vanishing in the air.

Eight wind blades remained, plunging toward the Griffin like hunting hawks.

The Griffin's brow twitched, seeming unable to understand what had happened. That human's aura was like an ant's—how could he contend with its power?

If it could not understand, then it would not think about it.

Ferocity burst from its eyes. The Griffin viciously struck at the eight wind blades flying toward Flender. Energy surfaced at the tips of its claws, strengthening its force.

The wind moved again. The instant the Griffin swung its claws, a breeze lightly brushed across its lion-like paw, and the wind belonging to it immediately collapsed.

!

"Roar!"

Scarlet sprays burst forth. The flesh on the Griffin's claw was sliced open, exposing stark white bone. The pain made it release a beastly wail.

Flender hovered in the air, his gaze strangely assessing the Griffin before him.

It was powerful, but for some reason, this Griffin felt unsteady, as though it had not reached its current level through genuine strength.

The lightning-fast exchange had ended in less than a minute. Zhao Wuji blankly looked at the injured claw of the Griffin and blinked.

"Is this thing all show and no substance?"

"Screech!"

Seeing the Griffin in such a state, the smaller Royal Griffin immediately grew anxious and flapped its wings, preparing to approach.

Zhao Wuji turned his head and gave a grim smile.

There was nothing to fear now.

Fifth Soul Skill: Gravity Squeeze!

A black Spirit Ring lit up. Zhao Wuji clenched his hand, and invisible gravity immediately pressed down like a great net covering the Royal Griffin.

The little Griffin had barely begun moving when the wings on its back felt as though they had been filled with lead. Then another gust of wind swept over it, draining all strength from its body.

Its graceful form immediately became wobbly and unsteady. Seeing this, Zhao Wuji was overjoyed.

It really was all show and no substance!

Without hesitation, two more Spirit Rings lit up around Zhao Wuji.

Third Soul Skill: Gravity Enhancement!

Fourth Soul Skill: Positioning Tracking!

The gravity on the Royal Griffin doubled again, but its thick flesh instinctively resisted it. After stumbling twice, it actually began adapting to such movement.

Then a huge circular phantom descended and instantly merged into the little Griffin's body.

The corners of Zhao Wuji's mouth rose. He had caught it.

Bang!

With a powerful leap, the wind came rushing in. Before Zhao Wuji could figure out what was happening, he felt the long-lost sensation of becoming light as a swallow.

Before he could think further, the leaping Zhao Wuji was drawn toward the Royal Griffin as though pulled by a magnet.

His tiger eyes narrowed. Zhao Wuji immediately spread his arms and unleashed all the strength in his enhanced body.

Second Soul Skill: Vajra Palm!

A massive bear phantom appeared vaguely behind Zhao Wuji. As he swung his palm, the bear phantom gradually solidified, forming a suit of armor over his body.

Avatar Armor!

His palm struck the Royal Griffin. With the double confinement of gravity and the wind's deceleration, combined with Zhao Wuji's Positioning Tracking and the wind's acceleration, it had nowhere to evade.

Boom!

A dull, heavy impact erupted. The immense force seemed to travel through flesh and into bone and organs. The Royal Griffin also let out a cry of grief as its body was sent flying backward.

Crack, crack, crack...

Several Iron Trees were consecutively smashed apart by the Royal Griffin's flying body. Branches and leaves scattered everywhere, and feathers fluttered chaotically.

Zhao Wuji landed safely and looked at his own fist. Could it be that he had improved again?

Lu Qibin, who had been secretly observing from afar, also wore a strange expression. Since when had Zhao become so fierce?

Forget it. This was a good thing.

With a few taps of his fingertips, several Spirit Rings behind Lu Qibin blazed brightly, and one Soul Skill after another activated.

Several streaks of fluorescent light cut through the air. The chess pieces that had previously been scattered throughout the forest rose and fell together toward the downed Royal Griffin.

Though it was not nighttime, when Lu Qibin's control abilities were at their strongest, he could still unleash considerable power.

The sound of pieces landing rang out, and the Royal Griffin roared again.

"Bind!"

Lu Qibin uttered a command, and heavy restraints immediately stacked onto the little Griffin, weakening it piece by piece from Soul Power to flesh.

"Nice one, Lu!"

Zhao Wuji praised him, then immediately leaped again. His Savage Bear-like body closed in like a swallow. He raised his arm high, and the Avatar Armor shone brilliantly.

"Vajra Palm!"

"Screech!"

"Pfft!"

Lu Qibin staggered several steps. Blood could not stop seeping from the corner of his mouth, and his horrified voice rang out.

"My chess pieces?"

Crack...

The Royal Griffin spread its wings wide behind its back and slowly forced itself out of the Iron Tree Forest. As it advanced, its body grew larger step by step.

Boom!

Zhao Wuji's fist struck the Royal Griffin like a mountain-shaking blow.

"This is..."

Zhao Wuji stared at the Royal Griffin before him in disbelief.

"Berserk?"

Flender looked at the Griffin before him, its eyes gradually being consumed by blood-red. His expression darkened.