Giant Wild Boar

Screams shattered the silence of the mountain forest, and an ominous premonition hung in the air.

"What's going on? Who's trying to kill me?!"

Shen Changchuan jolted awake, every hair on his body standing on end.

His muscles tensed all at once. He crouched slightly, his nerves taut to the limit, ready to leap from the carriage and flee at any moment!

At the same time,

two gold needles, each about an inch long and as thick as his little finger, appeared in his palm.

Though these two gold needles had not reached the grade of magical artifacts when they were forged, the Gold Essence mixed into them gave them a certain ability to conduct magical power. For a cultivator, they were far more effective weapons than the so-called hundred-refined steel used by ordinary people.

Shen Changchuan gripped the most powerful weapon at his disposal,

his gaze fixed intently ahead,

his mind taut as he prepared to fight or flee at a moment's notice.

Just then,

Rumble!

A roar came from up ahead. The ground began to shake visibly, as though some colossal beast were charging wildly through the forest.

Then the dense woods suddenly seemed to split apart under an irresistible force. The towering trees were so fragile before it that they groaned as they were mercilessly crushed, toppling to either side!

A massive shadow burst from between the trees. The savage aura of a ferocious beast swept over them like a gale, surging in every direction and filling everyone's heart with dreadful fear!

It was a gigantic Tusked Wild Boar.

It stood three or four meters tall, its huge, bloated body like a writhing little hill. Its muscles knotted beneath its skin, which was dark and hard, as if it wore a thick suit of armor. Bristles like steel needles stood stiffly all over its body.

At that moment, a fierce glint shone in the eyes of the Tusked Wild Boar's enormous head. Two long, razor-sharp tusks jutted from either side of its mouth, impaling a person through the belly and lifting the body high into the air.

The unlucky man who had been attacked while clearing the way had been disemboweled. He was clearly beyond saving.

Bright-red blood trickled from his body, staining not only the tusks that gleamed with a cold light but also the Tusked Wild Boar's snout and head. The blood made its hideous head seem all the more murderous,

like a blood-soaked demon straight out of hell!

At that moment,

the ordinary people were cowed by the giant wild boar's fearsome might. Their hands and feet went weak, and they began to tremble.

The horses and pack animals in the caravan were so terrified by its savage aura that they retreated in panic.

The ordinary martial guards patrolling the flanks of the caravan were frightened too, but they still stood by their duty, gripping their weapons as they hurried forward from the rear to reinforce the others.

While everyone else was panicking,

Shen Changchuan actually felt a little relieved.

"Thank goodness. It wasn't someone from that faction sent to ambush me."

"Come to think of it, I've kept a low profile in the Shen Clan for the past two years and haven't made enemies with anyone. Now I've even taken the initiative to leave the heart of the turmoil and go to a remote posting. No matter how fiercely they're fighting, surely they wouldn't bother with an insignificant nobody like me."

The knot in Shen Changchuan's heart loosened a little.

Just then,

"Beast! You're asking for death!"

Beside Shen Changchuan's carriage, his maternal grandfather, Han Qinhu, saw the giant wild boar charging out of the forest and immediately roared in fury.

His eyes bulged, and his voice cracked like thunder!

In an instant, he sprang from his horse. Still in midair, he drew the Decapitation Broadsword from his back and slashed downward!

The fierce blade light illuminated the forest, tracing a crescent-moon arc through the air. Its dazzling edge whipped up a sharp gale and came crashing down toward the giant wild boar's head with the overwhelming force of a mountain-splitting blow!

A piercing shriek rang through the air—the sound of a blade moving so fast it tore through the wind!

Han Qinhu's strike was ferocious and domineering. Its force was so terrifying that even a solid block of cast iron would have been cleaved in two!

But just then,

the giant wild boar sensed the attack from above and whipped its hideous head to one side, flinging the unlucky man from its tusks.

At almost the same instant,

the Decapitation Broadsword came down, its edge striking the long tusk that gleamed with a bloody, icy light!

Clang!

The crisp clash of metal rang out, and a gust of air burst from the point of impact.

The blade shuddered violently, numbing Han Qinhu's hands around the hilt.

That strike, empowered by Xiantian True Qi and powerful enough to cleave steel, had achieved nothing. The giant wild boar's tusk had blocked every bit of its force.

Han Qinhu's pupils shrank sharply.

"What a beast! Careful—this thing is a Demon Beast!"

He shouted a warning.

A Demon Beast—

a being that had awakened demonic power and possessed extraordinary abilities!

Its strength was almost on par with a cultivator's!

Han Qinhu's full-power strike had been deflected, and the resulting recoil had numbed his arm. That was proof enough!

But just then,

Han Qinhu did not retreat. Instead, he shifted aside to avoid the wild boar's tusks, darting several meters away in the space of a breath.

At the same time, the saber in his hand flashed like lightning and split the air as he struck again, slashing viciously at the beast's thick neck from a different angle!

"Triple Wave!"

Facing such a terrifying foe, Han Qinhu used the signature technique that had once made him a force to be reckoned with in the mortal martial world!

In a single instant,

he slashed three times as fast as lightning.

His speed was so great

that the three strikes seemed to overlap, all landing at once, precisely against the giant wild boar's neck.

Sshk!

Han Qinhu's blade struck the tough, thick hide of the wild boar.

However,

the giant wild boar's hide was terrifyingly tough.

The blade cut only a small gash through the thick, resilient skin, leaving behind a thin line of blood!

His full-strength attack had caused nothing more than a small wound.

Han Qinhu couldn't help drawing a sharp breath.

The long tusks were one thing, but how could this wild boar's hide be so tough?!

Just then,

the wound on its neck hurt, enraging the giant wild boar. Its eyes flooded red, and its two heavy hooves suddenly slammed into the ground with the force of a thousand jun.

Boom!

In an instant, the ground caved in like tofu, leaving a bowl-sized crater. At the same time, demonic aura erupted with a roar, blasting outward in every direction.

The blast of demonic aura hit Han Qinhu like a sledgehammer. He groaned and was hurled several meters through the air like a rag doll, crashing to the ground with bright-red blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Having sent Han Qinhu flying with a single blow, the giant wild boar pressed its advantage.

It pawed the ground a few times, lowered its massive body, and bent its four legs to gather strength. Its tusks gleamed with a bloody, icy light as they aimed at Han Qinhu, who had been thrown some distance away. It was ready to charge and smash the two-legged beast who had wounded it into a pulp!

Against such a terrifying giant wild boar, once it charged, Han Qinhu would have little chance of surviving.

At the back of the crowd,

Shen Changchuan's expression changed, and he prepared to act.

His hand, gripping the gold needles, swiftly formed a spell sign. Magical power poured into the two needles, and they glimmered with a pale-gold chill.

But just then,

"Father!"

Another furious roar rang out.

Han Dayong, Shen Changchuan's elder uncle, had arrived!

In fact, when Han Qinhu had leapt from his horse and charged at the giant wild boar with his broadsword, Han Dayong had already raised the fearsome Mace in his hands and rushed after him.

But Han Qinhu had engaged the beast and been defeated so quickly that Han Dayong had only just arrived when he was flung away.

That was precisely why Han Dayong's arrival came at just the right moment to interrupt the giant wild boar's charge!

Han Dayong gripped the enormous Mace with both hands and swung it down from the other side. Just as the giant wild boar was about to charge, he brought the weapon crashing down on its head.

Boom!

Another heavy blow.

The enormous force slammed the giant wild boar's head into the ground, cracking the earth in a web of fissures and shaking the whole area.

The Mace's blow drove its sharp spikes into the beast's head, leaving a series of bloody holes.

Roar!!!

The repeated attacks enraged the giant wild boar even further.

It jerked its head up and smashed it forward, unleashing an irresistible force that sent Han Dayong flying as well!

The giant wild boar raised its head and bellowed.

Its savage aura swept across the entire scene.

The Han Clan's martial guards, who had rushed forward and surrounded it on all sides with their weapons trained on it, couldn't help retreating when the aura hit them.

But clearly,

the attacks from Han Qinhu and his son had affected the giant wild boar.

Han Dayong's heavy, forceful blow in particular

had left its head spinning. For a moment, it struggled to move its raised head.

In that instant,

inside the carriage behind the crowd, a sharp glint flashed through Shen Changchuan's eyes.

"Now!"

Shen Changchuan had been ready. He pointed sharply toward the giant wild boar, and the gold needles in his palm, already charged with magical power and brimming with force, shot forward in an instant!

Whoosh!

A tiny golden streak of lightning seemed to flash through the air.

Everyone saw only a fleeting trace of gold.

Then,

Bang! Bang!!

The giant wild boar's eyes burst, spraying blood and gore!

Its once-scarlet, frenzied pupils were instantly blown into two bloody hollows!

But it wasn't over!

Supported by magical power, the two gold needles—each as thick as a little finger—had power no less terrifying than sniper bullets. They pierced through the eye sockets and skull, turning the giant wild boar's brain into a mush.

The giant wild boar's massive body stiffened, then slowly collapsed onto the ground with a thunderous crash, kicking up clouds of dust.

Phew!

Seeing the giant wild boar finally dead, and the battle's fortunes reversed in the space of a breath, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, they stood frozen, unable to recover for a moment.

"All right, clean this up quickly. We need to get moving as soon as possible."

Shen Changchuan flicked his sleeve and spoke to the martial guards around him, who were still stunned after such a dizzying turn of events.

It was true that they hadn't done much during the fight.

But with their strength—not even Xiantian yet—charging in would most likely have made them little more than cannon fodder. They had still surrounded the beast and shielded him from behind, ready to provide cover for his escape in an emergency. That was enough.

Shen Changchuan didn't blame them for it.