Lin Tian found another relatively open yet concealed clearing to rest in.
Lin Tian first scanned his surroundings warily. Only after confirming there were no hidden dangers did he let out a slight sigh of relief. He took out the leopard leg he had just cut from the Gold-Spotted Leopard from his Storage Ring. A Fireball hovered beneath it, and blazing flames instantly engulfed the meat. The fire licked at the leopard leg as fat dripped into the flames with sizzling sounds, releasing an enticing aroma. As Lin Tian turned the meat, he recalled his fierce battle with the Gold-Spotted Leopard, filled with emotion.
Perhaps the battle had drained too much of his strength and his body desperately needed energy, or perhaps food hunted and prepared with his own hands simply tasted different. Whatever the reason, the roasted leopard leg seemed exceptionally tempting to Lin Tian. He eagerly took a bite. Its crisp exterior and tender interior, along with its rich meaty fragrance, instantly filled his mouth. Lin Tian could not help secretly marveling that it tasted even better than the high-grade magical beast meat carefully prepared by the royal palace's chefs.
After eating his fill, Lin Tian recovered some of his strength. He looked around and finally fixed his gaze on a large, leafy tree. Its trunk was thick, and its branches and leaves intertwined like a net, making it an excellent hiding place. Lin Tian cleared a relatively flat stretch of branches, spread out the thin blanket he carried with him, and prepared to spend the night there.
Night had deepened, and the mountain forest was steeped in silence and mystery. Lin Tian lay on the branch. Though exhausted beyond measure, his nerves remained taut. His experiences over the past few days had taught him that in the perilous Magic Beast Mountain Range, even the slightest carelessness could come at a terrible price. After an unknown amount of time, Lin Tian gradually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
However, the tranquility did not last long. Lin Tian abruptly woke from his sleep. A black shadow was rushing toward him like a ghost, so fast it resembled a bolt of black lightning tearing through the night sky. Lin Tian had no time to think. Acting on instinct, he instantly unleashed a Repelling Fire Ring. Blazing flames rapidly spread outward from him, sweeping toward the shadow.
The shadow clearly had not expected Lin Tian to react so quickly. At the critical moment, he twisted sideways and nimbly evaded the Repelling Fire Ring. Lin Tian did not dare relax for even an instant and immediately summoned several flame shields around himself. The shields circled Lin Tian, forming a solid defensive line.
At the same time, Lin Tian swiftly drew out his Magic Staff, recalling his earlier battle against the Gold-Spotted Leopard. He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and instant-cast a barrage of Fire Arrows. Streaks of flaming arrows shot toward the black shadow like meteors, precisely cutting off his routes of movement. Almost at the same time, Lin Tian began chanting the sixth-tier spell, Fire Meteor. As the incantation left his lips, a massive burning meteor appeared in the sky, trailing a long tail of flame as it hurtled viciously toward the direction where the shadow was expected to dodge.
Yet to Lin Tian's surprise, the black shadow did not try to evade. A powerful burst of battle qi erupted from his body, and he forcibly withstood the Fire Arrows before continuing his charge at Lin Tian.
The sudden change made Lin Tian freeze for a moment. After that brief shock, he reacted quickly. Battle qi erupted from his body, and he rolled awkwardly across the ground, barely avoiding the black shadow's attack. Even so, the blade in the shadow's hand still tore a long gash through Lin Tian's mage robe.
Having missed his strike, the black shadow swiftly adjusted his position and pounced at Lin Tian again like a ferocious tiger. Lin Tian used the same move and cast Repelling Fire Ring once more. Seeing this, a trace of disdain flashed through the shadow's eyes. He erupted with battle qi again and took the attack head-on. This time, he moved so quickly that Lin Tian had no chance to cast a second spell.
At that life-or-death moment, Lin Tian steeled himself. He immediately put away his Magic Staff and took out a spear from his Storage Ring. Gripping it tightly with both hands, he thrust it viciously at the black shadow. The shadow's eyes narrowed the moment he saw Lin Tian's action, seemingly surprised that Lin Tian had chosen close combat. Then, as though he had thought of something, greed flashed through his eyes. The discovery of the Storage Ring thrilled him greatly. He easily dodged Lin Tian's spear and charged forward again.
For a time, Lin Tian and the black shadow became locked in fierce combat. The shadow was clearly stronger than Lin Tian, and Lin Tian gradually fell into a disadvantage. To escape the predicament, Lin Tian relied on nimble footwork to evade the shadow's attacks while instant-casting small fire spells to interfere with him. Though these minor fire spells were not especially powerful, their sudden bursts of flame forced the shadow to divide his attention. Only then could Lin Tian barely hold his own.
As the battle continued, Lin Tian's magic power was steadily depleted, making him increasingly anxious. At this critical juncture between life and death, a discussion from his previous life about the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear suddenly flashed through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he decided to take a risk.
Just as the black shadow attacked again, Lin Tian thrust his spear straight forward. The shadow was preparing to deal with the attack when a fireball suddenly burst from the spear tip. The fireball instantly flared fiercely, its light exploding in brilliance and forcing the shadow to close his eyes reflexively. In that instant, Lin Tian's spear shot out like a venomous snake and struck the black shadow with deadly precision. Then Lin Tian heaved upward, flinging the shadow away. The shadow crashed heavily onto the ground and did not move.
Lin Tian looked at the fallen shadow and relaxed slightly. Just as he prepared to step forward and check whether the man was dead, his footsteps abruptly halted. He remembered the shadow's stubborn resistance earlier and could not be sure whether he had truly lost the ability to fight back.
Lin Tian swiftly switched his spear for his Magic Staff and fired a chain of Fireballs at the black shadow. At the same time, he secretly prepared Fire Meteor, ready to deal with the shadow's counterattack at any moment. Sure enough, when the chain of Fireballs reached the shadow, he sprang up in an instant, dodged the attacks at incredible speed, and charged at Lin Tian once again.
Without hesitation, Lin Tian unleashed Fire Meteor. The enormous fiery meteor crashed head-on toward the black shadow with destructive force. Unable to dodge in time, the shadow let out a shrill scream. Fire Meteor instantly swallowed him. His body burned violently in the flames, and after rolling on the ground in agony a few times, he no longer moved.
Even so, Lin Tian did not let down his guard. He cast Fire Arrow again. Only after seeing the flaming arrow strike the black shadow squarely in the head, confirming that no life remained in him, did Lin Tian finally relax a little.
Lin Tian stepped forward and carefully searched the black shadow, eventually finding a bundle. He then put away the bundle and the dagger the shadow had used to attack him before quickly leaving the dangerous area.
Lin Tian found another concealed place and climbed into a large tree. He took out potions that restored magic power and spiritual power from his Storage Ring and tilted his head back to drain them. As the potion flowed down his throat, a warm current instantly spread through his body. Lin Tian could clearly feel his magic power and spiritual power recovering rapidly.
Once he had recovered, Lin Tian began examining his spoils. First, he picked up the dagger. Its design was unusual, forged from refined iron and mica. Upon closer inspection, Lin Tian found that its surface had undergone special treatment, giving it a matte texture. The entire dagger seemed capable of swallowing light, making it extremely difficult to notice in the darkness. Lin Tian studied its craftsmanship for a while, becoming curious about the black shadow's identity. Then he carefully put the dagger away.
Next, Lin Tian took out the bundle and counted its contents. Inside were twenty-six second-tier magic cores, seventeen third-tier magic cores, nine fourth-tier magic cores, and four fifth-tier magic cores. There were also several Anonymous Magic Crystal Cards. Lin Tian guessed that these were spoils the black shadow had robbed from others while ambushing and killing them.
Lin Tian put away the items one by one. After such a harrowing battle, he felt utterly exhausted in both body and mind. He found a comfortable spot and fell into a deep sleep in the tree.
Before you continue