Crisis

"Swoosh~~~ Swoosh~~~"

A tall, powerful Flame Tiger with fiery red fur dragged the carcass of a Level Four Wind Antelope along the riverbank.

Suddenly, the Flame Tiger stopped. Its nose twitched, and its body lowered into a tense crouch as it warily growled at an ancient tree.

"Roar—"

"What a vigilant beast." A voice came from behind the tree.

"Whoosh!"

Xiao Yan stepped out, Heavy Ruler in hand.

"Roar—" Sensing danger from Xiao Yan, the Flame Tiger attacked first.

"Boom!"

As the Flame Tiger pounced, Xiao Yan stared intently at it. "The Flame Tigers are one of the larger clans among tiger-type magical beasts. Even the most ordinary Flame Tiger is at least a Seventh-Level Magical Beast, while the elite ones can reach Level Eight or Nine. It's said that a Saint Domain magical beast was born among them a thousand years ago!"

"This one gives me a slight sense of danger, but it isn't too strong. It probably hasn't reached Level Nine—it's an elite Level Eight Flame Tiger."

"With the formidable fighting strength of tiger-type magical beasts, its strength should be close to mine." Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with gravity, and excitement stirred within him. But isn't this exactly what I'm after? A challenge is what makes it worthwhile!

"Bang!" As he thought, Xiao Yan swung Heavy Ruler, using Heavy as Light to block the Flame Tiger's attack. He then borrowed its force and retreated.

A cold light filled Xiao Yan's eyes as he retreated and began chanting a spell.

When the Flame Tiger attacked again, a confident smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

"I've been waiting for you to get close again!"

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

As the Flame Tiger charged in front of Xiao Yan, scorching heat spread behind him. Three enormous fire snakes, each over ten meters long, appeared out of nowhere and lunged for the Flame Tiger's vital points.

Level 7 Magic: Dance of the Fire Snake!

"Boom!"

A dull explosion rang out.

"Roar—" The Flame Tiger had no time to dodge. The attack struck its hind legs, greatly slowing it down.

"Hum~" Pain only made the Flame Tiger's eyes grow fiercer. It opened its mouth, and a red glow filled with scorching heat gathered within.

"Not good, it's the Flame Tiger's innate magic!" Recognizing the glow, Xiao Yan didn't dare take it lightly. He hurriedly dodged backward, trying to escape the Flame Tiger's range.

"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" "Swoosh!"...

Before Xiao Yan could get far, a series of whistles came from behind him. Countless red-orange fireballs materialized and shot toward him at incredible speed.

No good, I can't dodge them. I'll have to take the hit. Feeling the scorching heat rapidly closing in behind him, Xiao Yan made a split-second decision. He spun around, raised Heavy Ruler high, then drove it into the ground in front of him to block the fireballs.

"Rumble~~" The fireballs collided with Heavy Ruler, and the tremendous heat sent clouds of smoke billowing up around them, swallowing Xiao Yan's figure.

"Drip~ drip~ sizzle~~" From within the smoke came the sound of liquid flowing, accompanied by the crackle of flames. The pungent smell of melting refined iron spread through the area, severely disrupting the Flame Tiger's sense of smell.

"Roar—" Outside the brilliant white smoke, the Flame Tiger warily watched the dense cloud.

"Whoosh!" Just as it began to let its guard down, a dark figure suddenly burst from the smoke.

"Bang!" The figure hurled a short black rod at incredible speed, slamming it into the Flame Tiger's neck.

Taking advantage of the Flame Tiger's pain, Xiao Yan pressed his attack. He lightly tapped the ground and darted toward it. With a flick of his hand, a small black knife appeared out of nowhere. It flashed through the air and plunged into the Flame Tiger's abdomen.

Forged from Black Profound Iron, the little knife could even cut a Saint Domain magical beast. The hide of a mere Level Eight Flame Tiger was no obstacle at all.

"Roar—"

Xiao Yan easily gutted it, then immediately retreated at top speed without hesitation.

This beast is as good as dead. It'll definitely make a desperate counterattack before it dies.

Xiao Yan pushed off hard and shot into the distant woods like an arrow loosed from a bow, nimbly bounding between the trees.

The gravely wounded Flame Tiger chased after him, its aura even stronger than before. It had clearly entered its final burst of strength.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

Red-orange fireballs flew wildly through the forest, setting the ancient woods ablaze. The Flame Tiger stared at Xiao Yan, who kept a safe distance from it. The light in its eyes had nearly faded. At last, it let out an unwilling roar, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.

"Boom!"

Perched in a tree a hundred meters from where the Flame Tiger had fallen, Xiao Yan watched it without approaching right away. Only after observing it for a while and confirming it was truly dead did he go over to claim his spoils.

"As expected of a Level Eight magical beast—what incredible vitality. Its belly was gutted, and it still chased me for half an hour." Xiao Yan pulled the knife from the Flame Tiger and looked at its ghastly wound, unable to help sighing.

Unnoticed by Xiao Yan, a cold gaze watched him from a nearby thicket.

The figure concealed in the shadows silently mouthed a spell. A hazy black barrier appeared around him, enveloping his body.

Level Four Dark Magic—Shadow. It created a black barrier around the caster, greatly reducing their presence.

Combined with the dark surroundings of Sunset Forest, even a Level Seven Mage would find it difficult to detect him.

Shrouded by the Shadow spell, the figure soundlessly approached Xiao Yan. Once he was within twenty meters, the man's eyes turned cold, and he launched his attack.

His terrifying speed showed that the man was not only a Level Four dark mage but also at least a Level Seven warrior!

Xiao Yan was still handling the Flame Tiger's corpse. In that instant, every hair on his body stood on end. A chill swept over him, and his heart leaped into his throat.

"Danger!"

Xiao Yan had no time to think. He darted to the side at incredible speed.

But when ambushed by someone who was also a Level Seven warrior, Xiao Yan had no chance to dodge after his opponent had struck first.

"No!"

With his life hanging by a thread, Xiao Yan had no time to think. His mind went blank. Everything before him seemed to slow as he stared vacantly at the man's dagger thrusting toward his vitals.

"Syn..." At the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, the instant Xiao Yan fell into danger, Lynn instinctively wanted to use the Origin Bead to assimilate his Clone.

But before Lynn could make up his mind,

the situation changed again. Just as the dagger was about to pierce Xiao Yan's skull, at the very last moment before his death, it was as if Yao Lao had possessed him. Xiao Yan's entire body flickered strangely, and he dodged the fatal blow at the last second.