Magic Beast Mountain Range: A Day (Part 2)

Lin Tian found another relatively open and concealed clearing to rest.

First, Lin Tian warily scanned his surroundings. Only after confirming there were no hidden dangers did he let out a slight sigh of relief. He took out a leopard leg he had just cut from the Gold-Spotted Leopard from his Storage Ring. A Fireball floated beneath the leg, and roaring flames instantly engulfed it. The fire licked at the leopard leg, grease dripping into the flames with a sizzling sound, releasing an enticing aroma. As Lin Tian turned the leg, he recalled the fierce battle with the Gold-Spotted Leopard, his heart full of mixed emotions.

Perhaps because the battle had drained him and his body urgently needed energy, or maybe because of the unique flavor of hunting and cooking it himself, the roasted leopard leg now seemed exceptionally tempting in Lin Tian's eyes. He couldn't wait to take a bite—the crispy exterior and tender interior, the rich meaty fragrance instantly spreading through his mouth. Lin Tian couldn't help but marvel inwardly; this taste was even more delicious than the high-grade magic beast meat carefully prepared by the imperial chefs he usually enjoyed in the palace.

After a hearty meal, Lin Tian's stamina recovered somewhat. He looked up and scanned the surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on a large, lush tree. The tree had a thick trunk and branches intertwined like a net, making it an excellent hiding spot. Lin Tian cleared a relatively flat branch, spread out the thin blanket he carried with him, and prepared to spend the night there.

The night was deep, and the mountain forest was filled with a silent, mysterious aura. Lin Tian lay on the branch, utterly exhausted yet still tense. The experiences of the past few days had taught him that in the perilous Magic Beast Mountain Range, any negligence could come at a heavy price. After an unknown amount of time, Lin Tian gradually fell asleep in his extreme fatigue.

However, the peace did not last long. Lin Tian jolted awake from his sleep. A black shadow rushed toward him like a ghost, its speed like a black lightning bolt tearing through the night sky. Without time to think, Lin Tian instinctively triggered a Repelling Fire Ring. Blazing flames spread rapidly from him, surging toward the shadow.

The shadow clearly hadn't expected Lin Tian to react so quickly. At the critical moment, it sidestepped and nimbly dodged the Repelling Fire Ring's attack. Lin Tian didn't dare slack off; he immediately released several flame shields, which orbited around him, forming a solid defensive line.

At the same time, Lin Tian quickly pulled out his Magic Staff, recalling the battle scene against the Gold-Spotted Leopard. He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and cast a chain of Fire Arrows instantly. Each arrow, blazing with fierce fire, shot toward the shadow like meteors, precisely sealing off its escape routes. Almost simultaneously, Lin Tian began chanting the sixth-level magic Fire Meteor. As the incantation was uttered, a massive burning meteor appeared in the sky, trailing a long tail of fire, and hurtled toward the spot where the shadow was expected to dodge.

But to Lin Tian's surprise, the shadow didn't choose to evade. Instead, it erupted with powerful battle qi, forcibly tanking the Fire Arrow attack and continuing its charge toward Lin Tian.

This sudden turn of events stunned Lin Tian for a moment. After a brief shock, he quickly reacted. Lin Tian burst out with his own battle qi, executed a clumsy roll, and barely dodged the shadow's attack. Even so, the blade in the shadow's hand slashed a long gash in Lin Tian's magic robe.

The shadow, having missed its strike, quickly adjusted its position and lunged at Lin Tian again like a fierce tiger. Lin Tian repeated his tactic, casting another Repelling Fire Ring. Seeing this, the shadow's eyes flickered with disdain as it once again used battle qi to withstand it. This time, the shadow moved extremely fast, giving Lin Tian no chance to cast a second spell.

At this critical moment, Lin Tian steeled himself. He put away his Magic Staff and took out a long spear from his Storage Ring. Gripping the spear tightly with both hands, he thrust it fiercely at the shadow. The shadow's eyes narrowed at Lin Tian's move, seemingly surprised by his choice to engage in close combat. Then, a glint of greed flashed in its eyes as the discovery of the Storage Ring excited it. It easily dodged Lin Tian's spear and charged again with renewed ferocity.

For a time, Lin Tian and the shadow were locked in intense combat. The shadow was clearly stronger than Lin Tian, and as the fight wore on, Lin Tian gradually fell into a disadvantage. To break free from this predicament, Lin Tian relied on his agile footwork to evade the shadow's attacks while using instant-cast small fire magic to disrupt it. Though these small fire spells weren't powerful, the sudden bursts of flame forced the shadow to divert its attention, allowing Lin Tian to barely hold his own.

As the battle dragged on, Lin Tian's mana continued to deplete, and his anxiety grew. In this life-or-death moment, a discussion about the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear from his past life suddenly flashed through his mind. With a hardened resolve, he decided to take a risky gamble.

Just as the shadow attacked again, Lin Tian thrust his spear straight forward. The shadow was preparing to counter Lin Tian's strike when a fireball suddenly erupted from the spear tip. The fireball blazed intensely, its light flaring so brightly that the shadow instinctively shut its eyes. In that instant, Lin Tian's spear shot out like a venomous snake, striking the shadow precisely. Then, with a forceful flick, he sent the shadow flying. The shadow crashed heavily to the ground and lay motionless.

Looking at the fallen shadow, Lin Tian felt a wave of relief and was about to step forward to check if it was dead when he suddenly stopped. Remembering the shadow's tenacious resistance earlier, he couldn't be sure it had truly lost its ability to fight.

So, Lin Tian quickly swapped his spear for his Magic Staff and unleashed a chain of Fireballs at the shadow. At the same time, he secretly prepared a Fire Meteor, ready to counter any retaliation. Sure enough, as the chain of Fireballs reached the shadow, it suddenly sprang up, dodging the attack at incredible speed and charging at Lin Tian again.

Lin Tian didn't hesitate to release the Fire Meteor. The massive, blazing meteor, carrying destructive force, hurtled straight toward the shadow. The shadow couldn't evade in time and let out a piercing scream. The Fire Meteor instantly engulfed it, its body burning fiercely in the flames. After writhing in agony on the ground for a few moments, it lay still.

Even so, Lin Tian didn't let his guard down. He cast another Fire Arrow, and seeing it accurately hit the shadow's head, confirming it was no longer alive, he finally relaxed a little.

Lin Tian walked over, searched the shadow's body thoroughly, and eventually found a bundle. He then stowed away the bundle and the dagger the shadow had used to attack him, quickly leaving the dangerous spot.

Lin Tian found another hidden place and climbed a large tree. He took out potions for restoring mana and mental energy from his Storage Ring and gulped them down. The potion flowed down his throat, and a warm current spread through his body. Lin Tian could clearly feel his mana and mental energy rapidly recovering.

Once his condition was restored, Lin Tian began to inspect his spoils. First, he picked up the dagger. The dagger had a unique design, crafted from refined iron and mica. Lin Tian observed closely and noticed that the surface had been specially treated, giving it a matte texture. The entire dagger seemed to absorb light, making it extremely hard to detect in the dark. After studying the dagger's craftsmanship, Lin Tian grew curious about the shadow's identity. He carefully put the dagger away.

Next, Lin Tian took out the bundle to count its contents. Inside, there were 26 second-level magic cores, 17 third-level magic cores, 9 fourth-level magic cores, and 4 fifth-level magic cores. Additionally, there were several Anonymous Magic Crystal Cards. Lin Tian guessed these were spoils the shadow had taken from others it had ambushed and killed.

Lin Tian stored all these items away one by one. After this thrilling battle, he felt both physically and mentally exhausted. He found a comfortable spot and fell into a deep sleep on the tree.