With Your Intelligence, How Could I Deceive You?

For no apparent reason, as if he had just recalled something of great importance, Qian Yuhan suddenly turned his head to look at the Rakshasa Phantom crouching in the grass beside him, whispering, "Come to think of it, does sonic-based damage pose a threat to you in your current spirit-body state?"

"Uh... basically none," the Rakshasa Phantom replied, stunned for a moment before frowning. "Why are you suddenly asking me this?"

"Just a casual question. It might get 'a tiny bit noisy' around here soon, so I'm giving you a heads-up. Hope you're prepared."

With that, Qian Yuhan, who possessed a vast reservoir of knowledge regarding spirit beasts, immediately used his spirit power to seal off most of his hearing, minimizing the potential harm from the shockwaves of any upcoming spirit skills.

Sure enough, the very next instant after Qian Yuhan sealed his hearing, a heaven-shaking roar erupted from the throat of the Heaven-Shaking Hou.

The moment that earth-shattering roar sounded, an incomparably dense shockwave burst forth with ferocity from a spot several hundred meters away from the man and the spirit.

The terrifying sound waves ravaged the forest for a full five seconds before finally subsiding.

"My goodness... how does such a small beast have such a... massive set of lungs!"

Even though the Rakshasa Phantom was currently in a spirit-body form that granted immunity to most energy-based attacks, it was still given a massive fright by the shockwave after being blasted by the Heaven-Shaking Hou from hundreds of meters away.

Had Qian Yuhan not held it back, it would have nearly leaped out of the bushes to slap the Heaven-Shaking Hou a few times and demand to know why it had to roar so loudly.

"Don't worry, there's another round coming," Qian Yuhan said, pressing the Rakshasa Phantom back into the bushes and pointing at the Silver Hero Beast, which lay on the ground looking half-dead. "Don't let the Silver Hero Beast's appearance fool you; it looks like it's dying, but in reality, it's incredibly cunning. It's just waiting for the Heaven-Shaking Hou to lower its guard and approach."

"So, is the ability of this thing called a Silver Hero Beast just really cheap!?"

"Exactly. Just keep watching, and you'll see."

Sure enough, the Heaven-Shaking Hou, believing it had gained the absolute upper hand with that previous roar, leaped forward and landed right in front of the Silver Hero Beast, raising its claw to strike.

With a dull thud, the Silver Hero Beast was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing through two large trees before tumbling to the ground.

"ROAR—"

Seemingly wanting to resolve this sudden "territorial dispute" once and for all, the Heaven-Shaking Hou let out a sharp cry, its body turning into a streak of light as it lunged, jaws wide open, aiming straight for the Silver Hero Beast's throat.

If that bite landed true, the Silver Hero Beast would undoubtedly be dead.

But at that very moment, the Silver Hero Beast, which had been playing dead, suddenly rolled over and sprang back to its feet.

Although its body was still unsteady and blood flowed from its nose and mouth, its eyes remained calm, even carrying a hint of ferocity and cruelty.

Seeing the Heaven-Shaking Hou right before it, the Silver Hero Beast suddenly erupted with a strange light, and a faint phantom flickered behind it.

The appearance of that phantom was none other than the Heaven-Shaking Hou, which had just used its massive lungs to gain the upper hand!

As the faint phantom dissipated behind the Silver Hero Beast, a heaven-piercing roar and shockwave once again ravaged the already devastated forest.

In an instant, countless blades of grass were propelled into the sky by the shockwave, and leaves from the canopy of the towering trees, along with snapped branches, rained down upon the ground.

Undoubtedly, the Heaven-Shaking Hou was unfamiliar with the Silver Hero Beast, a rare and near-extinct spirit beast, and it had been riding high on its previous dominance.

With an intelligence level comparable to a ripe banana, it likely never imagined that its own proudest innate ability would one day be unleashed upon it by a rival competing for its territory.

Caught completely off guard, it stood there foolishly and took its own signature move head-on.

To this, Qian Yuhan could only label the Heaven-Shaking Hou as a "legendary glutton."

You greedy beast, just keep eating! Who could possibly snatch anything away from you?

Under the force of the terrifying sound waves, the "gluttonous" Heaven-Shaking Hou was launched into the air, flying a long distance before crashing heavily to the ground.

More importantly, after slamming its head into the earth, the Heaven-Shaking Hou's petite body shifted from a state of rigidity to uncontrollable rolling across the ground.

To use the Rakshasa Phantom's rather trendy terminology, the state the Heaven-Shaking Hou was in now should be called... breakdancing.

Yes, that's right, it was breakdancing.

In any case, with this spectacular final performance by the Heaven-Shaking Hou, let alone finding the strength to stand up and counterattack, it probably couldn't even decide when it would "burn out" and drop dead.

"Now is the time. If we wait any longer, even if the Heaven-Shaking Hou isn't finished off by the Silver Hero Beast, it'll bleed to death on its own. The Silver Hero Beast is yours; use the special ability of your Rakshasa Demon Scythe to store this spirit ring and use it as your fifth spirit ring."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Yuhan leaped out of the bushes, the pair of golden angel wings radiating a rich aura of light unfurling behind him in the air.

With a simple flick of his wings, he appeared a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.

"Hmph! As if you're the only one who can fly! Rakshasa Martial Soul, third spirit skill: Shadow-Piercing Shift!"

The moment the words left its mouth, the Rakshasa Phantom activated its powerful third spirit skill, emerging from the shadow beneath Qian Yuhan.

After barely catching up to the high-speed Qian Yuhan, the Rakshasa Phantom flew alongside him, glaring fiercely at him with dissatisfaction. "Wait, how did you know I could store a spirit ring in the Rakshasa Demon Scythe for later use? I don't recall ever telling you that!"

"Is it possible that I have eyes and can see for myself!?" Qian Yuhan pouted, acting as if his intelligence had been insulted. "Isn't that exactly what you did when you were connecting your second and third spirit rings!?"

"What! Such a thing happened!?" The Rakshasa Phantom was shocked, hurriedly grabbing Qian Yuhan's sleeve. "Yuhan! You're well-read and have a dirty mind, you must not lie to me!"

Qian Yuhan: "?!", Wait, buddy, are you serious? You're a remnant of an Evil God's consciousness. Calling me the one with a dirty mind... isn't that a bit too much?

Deep down, Qian Yuhan nearly lost his composure and cursed out loud, but on the surface, he sighed and gave a "high-EQ response" to this "foolish-looking" unlucky creature:

"Look at what you're saying. With your brilliance and wisdom, how could I possibly deceive you!? Go on, don't let that Silver Hero Beast get away!"