Desperate Counterattack, Cleverly Seizing Soul Rings

The Radiant Lion seemed to sense the battle intent erupting from Ye Feng, letting out a deafening roar as it pushed off with all four limbs, transforming into a golden bolt of lightning as it lunged once more!

This time, Ye Feng did not dodge!

He slammed his feet into the ground, charging forward instead of retreating to meet the lion head-on!

"Well come!"

With a low shout, he clasped his hands before his chest, the meager soul power within him surging wildly to condense into a golden blade of light about half a meter long!

Man and lion collided with a thunderous crash in the forest!

The impact between the light blade and the sharp claws erupted in blinding sparks.

Ye Feng felt an irresistible force surge through his arms, knocking him back seven or eight steps. His arms went numb, and the light blade nearly dissipated.

The Radiant Lion, meanwhile, had a white mark left on its claw by the sharpness of the blade, and the pain only made it more ferocious!

It opened its maw and spat out a golden orb of light the size of a human head, which slammed toward Ye Feng at astonishing speed.

Ye Feng's pupils constricted; he tapped his feet rapidly, his body turning into a blur as he narrowly evaded the orb.

The orb struck a massive tree behind him, blasting out a charred, gaping crater as wood splinters flew everywhere.

What immense power!

Ye Feng felt a lingering fear and dared not be the slightest bit careless.

He pushed his speed to the limit, circling the Radiant Lion at high velocity, his light blade constantly stabbing at the beast's vitals from tricky angles.

The eyes, the neck, the abdomen...

But the Radiant Lion's combat instincts were simply too strong. No matter how strange Ye Feng's attacks were, it always found the most concise and effective way to parry or dodge, all while counterattacking with its claws, fangs, and light orbs.

The battle fell into a stalemate.

Ye Feng's soul power was depleting rapidly, and the wounds on his body were multiplying. Every collision with the lion's claws sent his blood churning.

If this continued, he would definitely be the first to fall!

He had to risk it all!

A flash of determination crossed his eyes as he intentionally exposed a flaw, allowing the lion's claws to rake across his left shoulder.

"Rip!"

Flesh flew, and a sharp pain flared.

But using that impact, Ye Feng closed the distance to the Radiant Lion and poured every remaining drop of his soul power into the Short Sword in his right hand!

Not the light blade, but the tempered steel Short Sword!

He would stake everything on this final burst of soul power!

However, just as he was about to drive the Short Sword into the lion's body, a flicker of cunning crossed the Radiant Lion's eyes, and it whipped its massive head around!

"Bang!"

Ye Feng felt his vision go black. It was as if he had been struck by a giant siege hammer; he flew backward, slammed heavily into a tree trunk, and slid to the ground.

He felt as though his bones were falling apart. His soul power was completely exhausted; he didn't even have the strength to conjure a flicker of light.

He was spent...

The Radiant Lion walked toward him step by step, its golden pupils filled with the arrogance of a victor.

It stopped before Ye Feng, looking down from above at the prey that had exhausted all of its patience.

It did not deliver the killing blow immediately, seemingly savoring this final moment.

Ye Feng lay on the ground, his chest heaving violently, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His body trembled, as if he had lost all ability to resist.

Now!

At the very moment the Radiant Lion lowered its head and opened its blood-stained maw to snap his throat!

Ye Feng, who had been "unconscious," sprang up like a spring coiled to its limit!

Using the very last ounce of strength he could squeeze out, he drove the Short Sword upward with blinding speed, plunging it deep into the Radiant Lion's undefended jaw!

Pfft!

The Short Sword sank precisely into the throat!

As the searing pain pierced its jaw, the Radiant Lion let out a strangled cry of agony, its massive body erupting in a final frenzy!

It thrashed its head wildly, trying to shake off the tiny creature pinned to its throat.

Ye Feng's body was whipped back and forth by the immense force, his bones groaning under the strain.

But he refused to let go. Instead, using the momentum of the thrashing, he spent his last bit of strength to flip upward, straddling the top of the lion's head!

His legs clamped tightly around the lion's neck, and he abandoned the Short Sword to dig his hands into the mane and flesh of the lion's nape!

"Roar... ugh..."

The Radiant Lion's struggle grew increasingly violent. It rampaged through the forest, snapping countless low-lying shrubs, its massive body carving deep furrows into the earth.

Ye Feng felt as though his internal organs were about to be shaken out, but he simply gritted his teeth and pressed his entire weight down, the muscles in his arms knotted and his knuckles drained of color from the effort.

I do not know how much time had passed, but the violent power beneath him began to wane.

The Radiant Lion's charges grew feeble, and its gait began to stagger.

In the end, its massive body crashed to the ground, limbs twitching unconsciously, golden pupils gradually losing focus as blood and white foam spilled from its maw.

This wretched, convulsing sight was identical to Ye Feng, who had collapsed from exhaustion just moments before.

Ye Feng rolled off the lion's head, gasping for air, his entire body soaked through with sweat and blood.

Seeing that the Radiant Lion did not have long to live, he dared not delay for even a second.

The scent of blood here was far too thick; this was by no means a safe place to absorb a spirit ring.

Forcing himself to stand, he walked to the lion's side, grabbed one of its thick forelegs, and began dragging it toward the tree hollow where he had been hiding.

The lion weighed at least several hundred jin, and in Ye Feng's current state, moving it was an arduous task.

With every step he took, a tearing pain radiated from the wound on his shoulder.

The heavy carcass scraped across the fallen leaves, leaving a clear trail of blood in its wake.

As he dragged it, Ye Feng kept a vigilant watch on his surroundings, terrified of being spotted by other spirit beasts drawn by the scent of blood.

This short distance of a hundred meters felt as long as a century.

Finally, he dragged the Radiant Lion's body to the base of the massive ancient tree, and with a Herculean effort, managed to shove most of the carcass into the hollow he had dug out.

Once finished, Ye Feng could no longer hold himself up; he collapsed onto the ground, back against the trunk, feeling as though every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.

Half an hour later, a final, faint twitch came from the tree hollow, followed by total silence.

That majestic Radiant Lion was truly dead.

A yellow ring of light, not particularly thick but of an incredibly pure color, rose slowly from the carcass and hovered silently in mid-air.

Ye Feng regulated his breathing for a moment to recover some strength, then looked at the spirit ring. Although it was a pity that its age was only around three hundred and sixty years—not reaching the limit for a first spirit ring—he was still more than satisfied.

This was a top-tier spirit beast he had hunted alone, above his own rank! That sense of achievement could not be measured by mere years.