Beast Battle

Bolan raced all the way, charging straight into the canyon. Every magical beast that blocked his path was cut in two. He slew no fewer than a hundred Level 6 Green-striped Giant Pythons alone, and the road was dyed crimson by their foul-smelling blood. Not to mention the flocks of Winged Dragons in the sky—no one knew how many of them had been slaughtered. All anyone knew was that every Level 6 and Level 7 magical beast along the way had been killed by Bolan with a single sword strike.

He kept killing until he was nearly at the bottom of the canyon. It was as though magical beasts were raining down from the sky, and the stench of blood filled the entire canyon. If anyone had been above the canyon at that moment, the white mist constantly rising from below might already have been replaced by a bloody haze. The bottom of the canyon had become a scene straight out of Asura.

Passing two level-8 Golden Velociraptors that were crawling along the ground with their rear ends raised in terror at the scene before them, Bolan merely glanced at them before stepping over the two dragons and continuing toward the battle below.

Seeing that the danger had temporarily passed, the two velociraptors exchanged a look, their dragon eyes full of relief. They did not even dare roar. With their tails tucked between their legs, they headed into the distance. The sight of their enormous bodies moving so cautiously would have been hilarious to onlookers. But every magical beast in the canyon knew that a ruthless figure had arrived. After all, ordinary level-8 magical beasts possessed intelligence no less than that of humans. One after another, they prepared to leave.

Having entered the depths of the canyon floor, Bolan spotted a solitary little hill nearby and flew toward it. The usually bustling canyon was now exceptionally silent. Beside the hill was a hole leading straight down, and without a moment's thought, Bolan headed inside.

Bolan descended all the way down, falling roughly seventy or eighty meters before landing steadily on solid ground. The underground passage was pitch-dark, with only faint light filtering through the opening above. Though it was not very clear, it was enough to make out the path ahead.

Following a broad passageway to one side, Bolan continued in the direction it extended. The passage was more than ten meters wide and nearly ten meters high. The underground tunnel was uneven and twisted, likely dug out by the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon below. Bolan found himself entertaining that rather mischievous thought.

The depths of the cave grew darker still, and Bolan accelerated, swiftly making his way farther inside.

Bolan saw Linley staring tensely toward the depths of the cave, completely unaware that Bolan had already arrived behind him. Inside the cave, a massive black bear stood suspended in midair. It stood a full ten meters tall, with eerie purple patterns covering its body and only one eye. It was the Saint-level magical beast, the Purple-striped Black Bear. Facing it was a giant dragon about the same size as Leibulus—Bolan's magical beast companion—the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon, Sadius.

Standing behind Linley, Bolan watched this trash-talking bear from the original story with great interest. Although the two magical beasts had noticed Linley, neither regarded him as a threat. One was a peak Level 9 magical beast, while the other was a Saint-level Purple-striped Black Bear. Neither was something a mere Level 7 warrior could covet.

Even if neither of them moved, Linley probably would not have been able to break through their defenses.

At that moment, Bolan, standing behind Linley, suddenly noticed a soul body watching him. Bolan knew that this was Linley's first great advantage, the earth-style Saint-level magus from several thousand years ago, Doering Cowart.

Seeing that Bolan had noticed him, Doering Cowart calmly smiled and nodded at him. Then, seeing the old man hurriedly signal Linley that someone was nearby, Linley, who had been watching the battle with complete focus, jolted in alarm. Turning around, he saw a man in white robes, with silver hair and two blood-red swords on his back, smiling at him. Who else could it have been but his brother, Bolan?

Linley's condition was far from good. Though he was not as miserable as in the original story, where he had been directly disfigured, his clothes were in tatters. His face remained intact, but much of his long brown hair had been burned away, and his face was blackened, making him look rather comical. Bebe, the God-slaying Rat perched on Linley's shoulder, bared his teeth at Bolan in greeting.

Bolan waved for them all to remain quiet and calmly watch the duel in the arena.

The two magical beasts in the arena had already reached the most intense stage of their battle. Although the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon, Sadius, was at a slight disadvantage, Bolan knew that the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon clan possessed a final move that could take an enemy down with them: firing the spikes on their backs at their opponent. Leibulus had told Bolan about it before.

Seeing the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon in such a sorry state, Bolan watched as that big foolish bear extended its claws toward the dragon's eyes. He could no longer sit still and immediately flew forward, blocking the disfiguring strike for the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon.

His speed was so great that Doering Cowart, who had been standing nearby, could not help but be shocked. Then, seeing Linley's worried expression as he watched Bolan suddenly appear between the two powerful magical beasts, Doering Cowart said, "Your older brother is already a Saint-level expert. Even among Saints, he is one of the strong ones. Those two magical beasts cannot hurt him." Hearing this, Linley immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

In the arena, Bolan held up the Purple-striped Black Bear's enormous paw with one hand while saying to the injured Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon, "Acknowledge my younger brother as your master, and I will save you. Otherwise, I can only take your dragon crystal." As he spoke, a murderous glint flashed in Bolan's eyes.

The Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon let out an angry roar and, without hesitation, clawed at Bolan as well. Like the Purple-striped Black Bear, its claw was caught in Bolan's hand. This sequence of events left Doering Cowart utterly stunned. Smacking his lips, he said to Linley, "Linley, you are already a genius, but compared to your older brother, you are far behind. Your brother is simply monstrous. Magical beasts are already physically stronger than humans, and these two are exceptional even among their own kinds. Yet your brother caught both of their claws with his bare hands." Doering Cowart nearly stared his soul body's eyes out.

Linley immediately said, "Big Brother must have already reached the Saint level in human form. After he transforms into dragon form, he is even more terrifying." Linley spoke with great delight.

Still clicking his tongue in amazement, Doering Cowart suddenly remembered that the two brothers before him could both transform. The tremendous leap in power after their transformations was truly terrifying. "How can there be such a miraculous bloodline as the Dragonblood Warrior? When I was alive, these Four Ultimate Warriors did not exist at all. Yet not long after I died, they all appeared. How strange." Doering Cowart muttered to himself.

In the arena, Bolan directly threw the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon in one hand away, sending it crashing into the incomparably solid wall. With his other hand, he punched the Purple-striped Black Bear just as it came to its senses. The Purple-striped Black Bear also threw out a fist as large as a small mountain. The two fists collided with a thunderous explosion, followed by crisp cracking sounds of bones breaking. Bolan stood quietly in the center, his white robes still spotless. The Purple-striped Black Bear opposite him was in a far more miserable state. Its entire right arm had been shattered and hung limply at its side as it stared at Bolan in terror.