Not a Player After All

The lake breeze carried damp moisture, but it couldn't dispel the tense and deadly atmosphere between the two Magic Beast as they faced off.

The Fairy Fish stood atop the churning waters, the entire lake stirred by the Bao Bao's Wind Element, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't restore calm.

At this moment, the Fairy Fish's face was filled with deep confusion, and doubts swirled in her heart.

She still can't understand why the arrogant and competitive Magic Beast would repeatedly fight her for the sake of these weak humans.

They are the ones who are the same.

It couldn't be because the Bao Bao was inherently kind and felt pity, could it?

The moment the thought popped into her head, the Fairy Fish completely rejected it.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

As a high-ranking water-type Magic Beast, she is gentle and dislikes fighting, making her the most docile being among the Magic Beast race.

The very nature of Magic Beast is etched with plunder and violence; the stronger the Magic Beast, the more intense its killing and cruelty.

Bao Bao has always been unruly, competitive, and domineering. His fighting strength is slightly greater than hers, and his inherent ferocity and ruthlessness are even greater. How could he possibly be kind?

Therefore, she was certain that the Bao Bao must have some unknown special reason for being willing to turn against her, a member of its own kind, in order to save these humans.

The Fairy Fish frowned.

By now, she was well aware that her strength was far inferior to Bao Bao's, and if they were to actually fight, her chances of winning were slim.

Thinking of this, the Fairy Fish looked at the Bao Bao and tried to negotiate.

She didn't kill any of the humans she had captured before, but she killed two of the newcomers.

Since Bao Bao wants to save these people, she should just release them. There's no need for Bao Bao to fight her to the death just because she killed two humans.

"Bao Bao, isn't your goal to save these humans? Now you can take them all away. We're both Neutral Magic Beast, and we don't have any deep-seated hatred between us. There's no need to make a big fuss over such a trivial matter."

The Fairy Fish suppressed her fear, thinking that if she was willing to release these humans and then persuade Bao Bao as a fellow Magic Beast, the matter could be dropped.

However, the Fairy Fish's negotiations only resulted in the Bao Bao's utter indifference.

After all, Bao Bao's original purpose was not to save people; she only saved those humans because of Xiao Fan.

What she really wanted was to kill the Fairy Fish.

The Life Crystal of Magic Beast is a valuable item for other Magic Beast.

In the world of Magic Beast, it's a dog-eat-dog world; strength is everything.

Bao Bao stood steadily by the lake, its agile figure upright and sharp, surrounded by fierce and violent wind-elemental spiritual power.

She lowered her eyes slightly, a cold, mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips. Her narrow, beast-like eyes were full of disdain and aloofness, and she never once looked directly at the Fairy Fish.

Bao Bao couldn't be bothered to explain.

She couldn't very well tell the obtuse Fairy Fish that she had already acknowledged the human Xiao Fan as her master and was willingly becoming his mount.

That's probably why she saved those humans.

Even though the Bao Bao had completely accepted Xiao Fan as its master and wholeheartedly acknowledged the bond, in the eyes of the proud Magic Beast race, it still submitted to humans.

To be reduced to a human's mount is the ultimate humiliation and unbearable suffering.

She would never let any Magic Beast know about this weakness; dignity and pride were her last act of defiance.

"Tch, my strength far surpasses yours. The fact that I was able to take these humans away safely is a testament to my skill."

Bao Bao slightly raised his chin, his eyes filled with arrogant arrogance, and a triumphant smile curled at the corners of his mouth. He glanced contemptuously at the Fairy Fish opposite him, his tone full of sarcasm.

"You ugly, plain-looking fish, if you have no strength, just accept your fate and wait. Today I'll kill you, extract the crystal from your body for cultivation, why bother with all that useless excuses?"

Despite the Fairy Fish's repeated concessions and attempts to dissuade him, the Bao Bao continued to press forward relentlessly, showing no intention of giving up.

The last shred of patience that the Fairy Fish held in her eyes was completely worn away.

She knew perfectly well that her cultivation level was indeed slightly inferior to Bao Bao's, and it would be difficult for her to gain the upper hand in a head-on fight. However, if she were willing to expend her own energy and fight to the death, even if she couldn't kill her opponent, she could definitely make Bao Bao pay a heavy price and end up with both of them suffering heavy losses.

Upon realizing this, the water vapor around the Fairy Fish suddenly froze, and her originally gentle eyes were instantly covered with a layer of bone-chilling ice. Her dark pupils were cold and lifeless, and she stared intently at the arrogant Bao Bao in front of her, with a chilling aura of killing intent emanating from her body.

Her voice was as cold as shattered ice, each word slow and deliberate, carrying a final warning. "I'll ask you one last time, are you determined to fight me to the death today?"

Hearing such a resolute question, Bao Bao showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he laughed even more unrestrainedly.

"You yourself said it was a fight to the death, so today, only you, the fish, are destined to perish here."

Bao Bao spoke with absolute certainty, his tone filled with unwavering confidence and disdain.

She now has Zijin backing her, giving her ample confidence to back her up, and she has no fear of the Fairy Fish's desperate counterattack.

Even if the opponent goes all out and fights desperately, they might only suffer some injuries. As long as other Magic Beast don't take advantage of the situation, everything will be fine.

Seeing that Bao Bao had no intention of negotiating, Fairy Fish steeled her heart and decided not to say anything more.

The water-based spiritual energy around him suddenly became restless. A faint aquamarine halo enveloped his entire body, and the already Wind Rises Water Flows lake surface surged even more violently, with layers of waves crashing against the shore, making a loud splashing sound.

The Fairy Fish forcibly steadied herself, her aura completely tense, her eyes fixed on the Bao Bao.

The Bao Bao met the Fairy Fish's gaze.

The moment their eyes met, a battle was about to erupt.

War--

Bao Bao suddenly unleashed a burst of wind-elemental spiritual power! A fierce gale swept outwards from her center, causing the vegetation on the shore to bend and dance wildly, and fine pebbles and dust were swept up by the gale and flew everywhere.

Bao Bao suddenly raised its head and let out a long howl, its clear beastly cry piercing the chaotic air around it.

The next moment, a light blue wind pattern suddenly appeared around its body, and its face, which originally still had some human features, was rapidly transforming at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The fine, thick, dark fur spread rapidly along the forehead and jawline, stripping away the soft features of human face and replacing them with sharp, cold, beast-like features. The narrow, vertical pupils suddenly narrowed, gleaming with a chilling light.

The originally slender human limbs cracked and popped as they stretched and expanded, muscles bulged and bulged, covered with smooth and tough leopard-print fur, finger bones extended into sharp, cold-gleaming claws, and the body grew taller and wider step by step.

In just a few breaths, the human form vanished completely, and a gigantic Cangwen Leopard, its body swirling with wisps of wind, stood firmly on the ground. Its powerful and ferocious Magic Beast aura spread out, causing everyone around to gasp for breath.

The true form of Magic Beast is its strongest form.

Even knowing that the Fairy Fish was no match for him, Bao Bao still reverted to his strongest form.

She spoke casually and nonchalantly, but she knew very well that fighting for one's life between Magic Beast of the same level was not as simple as it sounded. The dangers involved in completely killing the other were immeasurable.

Just as the Bao Bao's body underwent a transformation, rapidly shifting from human form to its beastly form, a chorus of exclamations erupted from the United Rescue Team watching from behind.

The players stared blankly at the scene before them. Just moments ago, the mysterious figure, who had been agile and powerful, and was regarded by everyone as one of the top experts in the Dragon Nation, had suddenly transformed into a giant cheetah with overwhelming power.

Such a mind-blowing scene was enough to shake them to their core, leaving them with nothing but unconcealable horror.

In the Monster Region, low-level Magic Beast are generally in beast form, and these players are unaware that Magic Beast can transform into complete humanoid forms.

Therefore, you can imagine the shock these people felt upon seeing the Bao Bao in its true form.

"She... she's not human, she's Magic Beast?!"

Hei Mi's legs went weak, and he instinctively staggered back two steps. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his finger pointing fixedly at the majestic Giant Leopard in front of him. He was so trembling that he was incoherent and couldn't string together a complete sentence for a long time.

The other players around them weren't in much better shape. Some were frozen in place, unable to move, while others instinctively covered their mouths, afraid of letting out a cry. All eyes were fixed on the Bao Bao, filled with disbelief.

Only now did all the doubts in everyone's hearts suddenly disappear.

They finally understood why the mysterious powerhouse beside Zhou He could fight a level 300 Fairy Fish without being at a disadvantage, and even gain the upper hand.

It turns out she wasn't a human player at all.

It is not a high-level Magic Beast, but a creature whose level may even surpass that of the Fairy Fish.

The two leaders of Mirror City gazed at the enormous beastly shadow covered in leopard spots and murmured to themselves.

"No wonder such a powerful top-tier expert has never appeared on the server-wide Combat Power Leaderboard. I had previously suspected that there was a hidden ranking system in the <Cloud Sea> game, but it turns out she wasn't a player at all."

After the initial surprise, the doubts in everyone's hearts deepened.

Why would such a powerful Magic Beast follow Zhou He to rescue people?

The cunning and ferocity of Magic Beast can be seen from the deceitful Seven-Colored Deer and the murderous Fairy Fish.

The players in the United Rescue Team simply wouldn't believe that Magic Beast had any good players.

But this Giant Leopard actually saved them.

Even though I have countless questions in my mind, now is not the time to ask them.

The group could only turn their attention back to the two beasts in front of them.

Just then, the Bao Bao launched its attack.

With a slight push of her limbs, her agile figure instantly soared into the air, her mottled fur gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and her sharp claws and teeth gleaming with a chilling light.

Countless highly refined azure Wind Blade appeared out of thin air, sweeping across the sky with sharp whistling sounds that tore through the air, and swiftly bombarded the Fairy Fish on the water column.

Each Wind Blade was imbued with pure wind-elemental spiritual power, moving with lightning speed and possessing domineering and fierce force, sealing off all of the Fairy Fish's escape routes.

A barrage of wind Wind Blade pierced the air, their sharp killing intent assaulting her. The Fairy Fish's expression changed drastically, a strong sense of crisis instantly rising in her heart. She dared not relax for a moment; the aquamarine aura around her surged, and surging water-based spiritual power rapidly gathered in front of her.

"Thousand-Fold Water Defense!"

With a low shout, thick, heavy water shields instantly materialized in front of her. The crystal-clear water curtains overlapped and intertwined, like a solid glass barrier, firmly protecting her body in the center. As the water rippled, it desperately resisted the impact of the Wind Blade.

In an instant, countless Wind Blade bombarded the water shield!

"Boom boom boom--!"

Violent explosions rang out one after another, the ear-piercing whistling and impact sounds intertwined, causing the lake surface to tremble violently and water mist to splash everywhere.

Under the relentless slashing and bombardment of the Wind Blade, the sturdy water shield continuously developed dense cracks, and crystal-clear water droplets flew everywhere. Each collision caused the Fairy Fish's body to tremble violently, and its internal spiritual energy to fluctuate wildly.

Water-based spiritual energy is known for its flexibility, endurance, and defensive capabilities, but the Bao Bao's wind-based spiritual energy is extremely sharp and destructive, perfectly countering water-based defense. The Wind Blade are continuous and layered, each layer stronger than the last, relentlessly crushing the thin water shield barrier.

The Fairy Fish gritted her teeth and exerted all her strength to activate the primal elements within her body. A continuous stream of water-based spiritual power surged out as she desperately repaired the water shield that was on the verge of breaking.

However, there was a huge gap in strength between her and Bao Bao. The purity of Leopard's spiritual power, its explosive power, and its endurance far surpassed hers. In just a few breaths, the layers of water shield were completely torn apart and shattered by the Wind Blade!

The curtain of water collapsed with a roar, turning into countless tiny water droplets that scattered across the lake surface. The remaining Wind Blade, undiminished in momentum, slammed into the Fairy Fish's body with fierce wind.

This time, the Fairy Fish had nowhere to hide.

"Puff--"

The Fairy Fish shuddered violently, spitting out a mouthful of sweet, Magic Beast blood, the pale blue blood mixed with water mist scattering into the air.

Her once light and graceful figure instantly went out of control, and like a kite with a broken string, she fell heavily towards the lake in a sorry state.

The moment it crashed heavily onto the lake surface, the enormous impact created towering waves, and the lake water surged wildly.

The Fairy Fish struggled to get up, but only felt that her whole body ached as if it were about to break.

She struggled to move her fishtail, barely managing to surface. Her hair was disheveled and clung to her cheeks, and she was soaking wet and looked utterly wretched.

His terrifying eyes were filled with exhaustion and fear, and the water-based spiritual energy around him had completely withered away, with not a trace of the sharpness he had shown in the previous confrontation.

The Bao Bao landed lightly and steadily on the Blue Stone, concealing its fierce wind-elemental spiritual power. Its fur was spotless, and its posture remained upright and sharp. It was calm and composed from beginning to end, showing no signs of fatigue.

She looked up at the defeated Fairy Fish on the lake, her beastly eyes still filled with cold indifference, devoid of any pity.

The disparity in strength is too great.

"Bao Bao, you forced me to do this."

The Fairy Fish clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the Bao Bao not far away.

She knew she had to use her true trump card, otherwise she would have no chance of harming Bao Bao.

"Then let's fight with all our might!"