The Dazzling Stage

Jiang Ran did not know how many eyes were watching this scene from the surroundings.

But even if he had known, it would not have mattered.

When he decided to use a sports car and grenades to kite this Ancient Exotic Beast, he had already anticipated this turn of events.

The stage of life does not have many spectators.

If there are... then display your most brilliant side.

At this moment, the Bone-Spike Cat Monsters that had swarmed in under the command of the Zhi had been thinned out by him until only a scattered few remained.

There were still some following from afar, baring their fangs and growling low, yet they dared not approach.

Monsters feel fear.

Jiang Ran had discovered this back when he was slaughtering the swarm of Human-Faced Spiders in the High-Tech District.

Therefore, throughout this journey, his targets had been these ordinary monsters, with the goal of killing them until they were terrified, ensuring they would not dare to step forward easily.

That was enough.

However, the Zhi had also noticed this.

Its scarlet pupils swept over the cowering cat monsters, then shifted to Jiang Ran, who stood atop the sports car continuously drawing his bow to shoot its subordinates; it was visibly going berserk.

It was no longer willing to let this insignificant human continue to kite it while standing on that red metal box.

ROAR!!

The Zhi suddenly let out a heaven-shaking howl, its massive body lunging forward as it leaped into the air.

The bone spikes on its back began to vibrate violently.

The next second.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Several bone spikes shot out from the back of the Zhi, carving gray-white trajectories through the air as they headed straight for the sports car where Jiang Ran was located.

Jiang Ran saw that it was about time.

He released the bowstring, stowed his war bow back into the Heavenly Net Pouch, and slightly bent his knees on the roof of the car.

Then, he leaped high into the air.

He landed easily on the street thirty meters away, kneeling on one knee to cushion the impact before rising.

He did not even glance at the sports car, letting it be riddled into scrap metal.

He slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and looked calmly at the Zhi ahead.

At this moment, the Zhi had also halted its charge.

Its massive body crouched slightly in the center of the street, baring its fangs at Jiang Ran.

Meanwhile.

Inside a three-story commercial building not far away.

Xia Xuan followed closely behind Zhao Feng, rushing quickly to the third floor and arriving at a shattered window.

Both men immediately cast their gazes toward the figure on the street and the suffocating giant beast not far away.

As soon as Zhao Feng saw the size and appearance of the Zhi, his brows could not help but furrow tightly as he muttered in a low voice: "What kind of monster is this!?"

The words had barely left his lips, and before Xia Xuan could speak, a woman's hushed voice came from behind them:

"Zhi."

As soon as the voice sounded, Zhao Feng and Xia Xuan immediately turned to look at the person who had spoken.

Seeing who it was, Xia Xuan frowned: "Why did you come too?"

An embarrassed look appeared on Zou Yue's face.

But she quickly trotted to their side, leaned against the window as well, and stared intently at the giant beast on the street, her tone serious:

"This Zhi... I saw its file after finishing the training class yesterday."

Hearing this, Xia Xuan and Zhao Feng could no longer concern themselves with the fact that Zou Yue had snuck along, and they immediately lowered their voices to press her:

"How strong is it?!"

Zou Yue appeared thoughtful, speaking rapidly:

"According to what the teacher said, apart from auspicious beasts, the exotic beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas are roughly divided into two levels of strength: those that are eaten by people, and those that eat people."

The words had barely fallen.

A low hum suddenly emanated from the street.

The three of them immediately shut their mouths, their gazes locked firmly on the center of the street.

They saw that around the body of the black-clad man, blood-colored wolf smoke suddenly surged and coiled.

The wolf smoke churned and rose.

Even from a distance, it made their eyes sting.

Afterward...

The figure of the black-clad man vanished.

Almost at the same moment, the sound of a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl exploded across the street.

When Xia Xuan and the others fixed their eyes on the scene again, Jiang Ran had already appeared before the Zhi.

Wrapped around his arm were the phantoms of a dragon and a tiger.

The Zhi clearly had not expected this human's speed to suddenly surge to such a degree, and in its haste, it raised its claws to block.

CLANG!!!

The moment fist collided with claw.

Despite the massive disparity in their sizes.

Under this single punch...

The body of the Zhi was sent flying backward.

It crashed into a six-story residential building to the side, causing the entire wall to collapse as dust and debris soared into the sky.

On the third floor, Zhao Feng saw this scene, and his scalp instantly went numb.

As a Transcendent himself, he had awakened the Rock Armor Divine Ability.

He could crush any ordinary person, and even holding his own against other Transcendents was no problem.

But this black-clad man before him...

He had sent a five-meter-tall Ancient Exotic Beast flying with a single punch.

What level of strength was this?

They were both Transcendents, so why, by comparison, did he feel like a mere child?

Xia Xuan and Zou Yue could not help but exchange a glance.

This big shot... seemed to have become far stronger than when they had last seen him.

And the true battle was only just beginning at this very moment.

The next second.

From the ruins of the residential building the Zhi had crashed into, several bone spikes shot out violently from the darkness.

Jiang Ran's figure flickered continuously across the street.

He pushed Eight-Step Cicada Chase to its limit.

The buildings on both sides of the street retreated rapidly from his field of vision.

He no longer cared that the experience points for Eight-Step Cicada Chase were jumping wildly on his system panel.

Until Jiang Ran suddenly came to a sharp stop.

His feet plowed two shallow furrows into the ground, and his right hand reached out, fingers hooked like claws, directly grabbing a bone spike that had shot toward him.

The impact force transmitted from the bone spike caused the muscles in his arm to tense instantly, blue veins bulging.

But he did not let go.

He twisted his waist and hips, his spine undulating like a great dragon, and the power of his entire body rose from his feet, passed through his waist and abdomen, and converged in his right arm.

"Returning this to you."

Jiang Ran let out a low shout, his right hand pulling back violently before whipping forward.

The bone spike shot back at a speed even faster than when it had arrived.

It headed straight for the Zhi, which had just emerged from the building's ruins.

The Zhi clearly had not expected this move; a flicker of astonishment flashed through its scarlet pupils, and it instinctively raised its front claws to block.

CLANG!!

The sound of the impact was like a great bell tolling.

The Zhi was knocked sliding back several meters by the strike, and the dark cyan fur covering its front claws was blown apart.

It lowered its head to look at its claws.

Then it raised its head to look at the tiny human in the distance.

Its scarlet pupils were once again replaced by killing intent.

Jiang Ran shook his slightly numb right hand and grinned.

"Your bone spikes are quite nice."

Before his voice had even faded, the bone spikes on the back of the Zhi began to tremble once more.

The smile on Jiang Ran's face gradually faded.

He slowly exhaled, and the blood within his body began to surge.

Golden Bell Shield, quietly activated.

The next second.

The Zhi let out a heaven-shaking roar.

All the bone spikes on its back detached simultaneously, sealing off every possible path of evasion for Jiang Ran.

Up on the third floor, Zhao Feng watched with palms slicked in cold sweat.

"This... how is he supposed to dodge that?!"

Xia Xuan and Zou Yue held their breath as well, their eyes locked onto the black-clad figure in the center of the street.

Yet, from start to finish, Jiang Ran had never intended to dodge.

He stood his ground, feet slightly apart, center of gravity lowered, hands rising slowly to trace a semicircle before him.

The opening stance of the Dragon-Tiger Fist.

The first bone spike reached his face.

Jiang Ran's left fist swept upward from below, the knuckles colliding violently with the tip of the spike.

CLANG!!!

A visible shockwave of air exploded from the point of impact.

The bone spike was deflected upward by the punch, grazing past the corner of Jiang Ran's eye.

Soon, the remaining spikes followed in rapid succession.

Seeing this, Jiang Ran took a deep breath, his chest slightly caving in as his blood energy erupted with a roar.

He pushed the Golden Bell Shield to its limit.

The invisible layer of energy on his skin instantly solidified, shimmering with a faint golden luster.

Clang! Clang!

Several bone spikes struck Jiang Ran's body with solid force.

Jiang Ran slid back half a step, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

But the spikes ultimately failed to pierce that layer of golden energy, falling limply to the ground.

The street was a scene of utter devastation.

Jiang Ran slowly straightened his body, raising a hand to wipe the blood from his lip.

The wound at the corner of his eye was still bleeding, tinting his vision with a faint red hue.

But he smiled.

He smiled quite happily.

"Now..." he said softly, his voice echoing through the empty street, "continue."

The moment his words fell.

A wave of pressure erupted from Jiang Ran's body.

A crimson plume of blood energy surged into the sky, rising and taking shape behind him.

A five-meter-tall Vajra Phantom with glaring eyes appeared on the street!

The Vajra Phantom was wreathed in blood-colored Buddhist light, its eyes like torches, posed in the manner of a demon-subduer.

Meanwhile, the Dragon-Tiger Phantom on Jiang Ran's own arms had fully solidified; the dragon's whiskers drifted, golden light swirled within its eyes, and the tiger's fangs were bared, the faint sound of a tiger's roar emanating from it.

Buddha's Wrathful Vajra, fully unleashed!

Seeing this, the Zhi's scarlet pupils suddenly constricted.

Its instincts told it... danger!

Extreme danger!

It let out a low growl, its four limbs crouching slightly, and the bone spikes on its back began to regrow, though the speed was noticeably slower than before.

Naturally, Jiang Ran would not give it a chance to catch its breath.

The five-meter-tall Vajra Phantom moved in perfect synchronization with Jiang Ran, taking a single step forward.

BOOM!!!

A crater three meters in diameter exploded into the ground.

Jiang Ran's figure vanished from where he stood.

When he reappeared, he was already hovering above the head of the Zhi.

His right fist was raised high, the White Tiger Phantom roaring toward the heavens.

He smashed his fist down.

The ground beneath the Zhi collapsed instantly, and its entire body was forced to its knees by the sheer weight of the blow.

But it was, after all, an Ancient Exotic Beast.

The moment it was forced to its knees, its thick, long ox-tail whipped out like a steel lash, striking directly at Jiang Ran's waist.

Jiang Ran did not dodge or evade.

The Azure Dragon Phantom on his left arm lunged out, its spectral claws gripping the tail that had lashed toward him.

"Get... up!"

Jiang Ran roared, the muscles in his left arm bulging as his blood and qi boiled to their limit.

The Azure Dragon Phantom exerted force in tandem.

The massive, five-meter-tall body of the Zhi was actually hoisted into the air, tracing an arc before being slammed violently against the exterior wall of the nearby office building.

BOOM!!!

The Zhi was buried deep within the rubble.

Jiang Ran did not let up while he had the advantage.

Charging into the ruins, the Vajra Phantom rained down punches like a torrential storm.

The Zhi tried to resist, tried to struggle.

But with every punch that landed, its wounds were torn deeper, and its pale golden bones began to be exposed.

Jiang Ran did not know how many punches he had thrown.

He only knew that the blood and qi within his body were burning frantically.

The duration of Buddha's Wrathful Vajra was nearing its end.

But the Zhi was in an even worse state.

Its skull was severely deformed, and one eye was completely blinded.

Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed incessantly from its mouth.

The bases of the bone spurs on its back had all snapped, revealing the cracked, pale golden skeleton beneath.

Finally.

As Jiang Ran's last punch landed.

The Zhi let out a low growl that sounded almost like a whimper, and its massive body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

On the third floor.

Xia Xuan took a deep breath and whispered a reminder: "We should go."

Zou Yue nodded immediately.

After all, watching the battle while it was in progress could be excused as being drawn in by the commotion.

But if they did not leave now that the battle was about to end, it would very likely provoke the hostility of the black-clad man.

Zhao Feng, standing beside them, nodded as well upon hearing this.

The shock this battle had brought him was simply too great; he now only wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible and return to properly digest everything he had seen today.

However, just as they were about to turn and leave...

Jiang Ran's voice suddenly rang out across the street.

"Wait."

The bodies of the three froze simultaneously.

They turned around slowly.

They saw that on the street, the black-clad man who had just slaughtered the Ancient Exotic Beast was looking up at them.

Those eyes were so calm they sent a chill down one's spine.

"Come down."