Truce

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino charged again like a moving mountain, its heavy hooves shaking the entire cavern until it teetered on the brink of collapse, sending a rain of stone shards falling from above.

Qian Qizhou forcefully suppressed the turbulent soul power and elemental energy within his body, deciding against another head-on collision. With a flash of lightning beneath his feet, he narrowly dodged the impact.

"BOOM!" The Dragon Rhino's single horn grazed his sleeve and slammed into the rock wall behind him, instantly shattering the hard stone into a massive, deep crater.

Seizing the opportunity, Qian Qizhou's figure transformed into a jagged bolt of lightning, striking at the beast's flank.

That area was where the scales were relatively thin, and it was also the blind spot when the creature exerted its strength.

"SHRIIIIK!"

Engulfing Lightning struck the Dragon Rhino's flank scales with a piercing thunderous roar.

However, the power he had managed to muster in his haste was insufficient, and the blade failed to pierce its thick defenses.

It left only a charred gash and a few shattered scales behind.

"ROAR!" The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino let out an angry bellow, its thick tail sweeping out with sudden, violent force.

Qian Qizhou's expression shifted, and he hurriedly retracted his blade to block!

"BANG!"

As the blade and tail collided, a tremendous force surged through him, sending Qian Qizhou flying once more. His arm went numb, his internal soul power fell into chaos, and he nearly vomited blood again.

Damn it! he cursed inwardly; his condition was far too poor.

This soul beast was likely nearing a hundred thousand years of age.

With his current attack power insufficient to break its defense, and his own defense and strength failing to keep up, he had fallen into a completely passive state of being beaten.

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino clearly sensed that its opponent was a hollow shell, and its offensive grew even more ferocious, continuously spitting out projectiles of earthy-yellow energy.

At the same time, it used its massive body and rhino horn to charge and stomp wildly, forcing Qian Qizhou to dodge in a desperate, narrow escape within the cramped cavern.

Finally, Qian Qizhou found his opening. Suppressing the churning backlash of soul power within him, the sixth soul ring beneath his feet suddenly flared to life!

A terrifying aura, majestic and solemn, as if descending from the highest heavens, suddenly manifested!

"King: Emperor's Judgment!"

"HUM--!!!"

In the blink of an eye, a colossal, majestic, and sacred phantom of a Six-Winged Angel, formed from pure flames, suddenly appeared behind Qian Qizhou.

The angel's face was blurred, yet it radiated a supreme majesty that looked down upon all living things and held the power of divine retribution.

In its hands, it gripped a massive holy sword burning with golden flames.

Inside the cavern, the sounds of roaring, thundering, and explosive lightning were incessant.

Purple electric light and the earthy-brown power of the mountain collided, intertwined, and annihilated one another.

Stone shards flew, walls crumbled, and the entire cavern swayed precariously.

Qian Qizhou was in poor condition and could not land a lethal blow.

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino, in turn, struggled to track the elusive, ghost-like movements of Qian Qizhou.

The battle fell into an eerie stalemate.

A day passed...

Two days passed...

The cavern was already in ruins, filled with deep craters, cracks, and charred marks.

Qian Qizhou's face was pale, his breathing ragged, and the soul power within him grew increasingly chaotic; he was relying entirely on sheer willpower to hold on.

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino was also covered in wounds, its aura significantly withered; one of its eyes had even been scorched by lightning, and its movements had slowed considerably.

By the third day, both man and beast stopped simultaneously, as if by mutual agreement.

Qian Qizhou leaned on his blade, gasping for air, his chest heaving as he stared at the Earth Vein Dragon Rhino, which was also panting heavily and glaring back at him.

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino shook its massive head, let out a low growl filled with exhaustion and irritation, and ceased its meaningless attacks.

It couldn't kill him, and running away didn't seem necessary.

The Dragon Rhino felt this was its home, Qian Qizhou couldn't get out, and if they kept fighting, the cavern would likely collapse entirely.

After a long while, Qian Qizhou slowly sheathed his blade. Leaning against the charred rock wall, he slid down to the ground, pulled water and food from his soul storage device, and began to eat, not even glancing at the Rhino.

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino blinked its single eye, let out a few unintelligible grumbles in its throat, and then collapsed with a heavy thud. It rested its massive head on its front paws and began to lick its wounds.

Inside the cavern, man and beast sat slumped amidst the wreckage, the atmosphere shifting from a life-or-death struggle to something... subtly awkward.

Qian Qizhou chewed a few bites of dry rations and gulped down some water, feeling the churning blood in his body settle slightly.

He looked up at the massive creature across from him, which was still licking its wounds, and couldn't help but rub his still-numb arm, muttering under his breath, "Why did you even bother attacking me?"

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino paused its licking, raised its massive head, and looked at him in confusion, transmitting through telepathy: "You broke in, and you're asking me why I attacked you?"

Qian Qizhou retorted irritably, "You aren't even a soul beast that evolves by eating people. Wouldn't it have been better to just sleep and absorb your energy?"

"I only stumbled into your home by accident, didn't I? I didn't even know you were here. Is it really necessary to go all out the moment we meet?"

He gestured toward the cave, which had been reduced to a complete wreck. "Look at this. You've practically demolished your own home."

"What good does it do you to beat me? I don't even taste good."

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino seemed stunned by his words, blinking its eyes.

It looked around at its home, which was indeed in shambles, then lowered its head to inspect the new wounds and cracked scales on its body, letting out a low growl that sounded somewhat aggrieved and dejected.

It seemed it really hadn't gained anything at all.

Its home was ruined, it was injured, and the key point was... it hadn't even won. This two-legged creature before it was slippery as an eel, impossible to catch, and fighting him was exhausting.

It buried its massive head into its claws, seemingly retreating into a shell of self-isolation, and flicked its tail in annoyance, shattering a nearby rock.

He shook his head, remembering that he still had some Soft Bone Rabbits in his soul tool that he had hunted in the forest earlier, which he had originally intended to roast for a snack.

"Fine, fine." Qian Qizhou muttered under his breath. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled several plump, succulent, and pre-cleaned Soft Bone Rabbits from his soul tool and tossed them forcefully toward the Dragon Rhino.

"Here, catch!"

The white, fleshy rabbits traced several arcs through the air, landing precisely in front of the Dragon Rhino's massive head.

The Earth Vein Dragon Rhino suddenly saw several lumps of white meat flying toward it, and its eyes lit up instantly. Its massive tongue lashed out like lightning, sweeping all the Soft Bone Rabbits into its mouth.

Crunch, crunch...

The teeth-grinding sound of bones shattering echoed through the cave.

The Dragon Rhino chewed a few times, its eyes narrowing in delight. Its tail flicked happily, and it let out a purring sound, clearly very satisfied with the tender texture.

It raised its head, and the look in its eyes as it gazed at Qian Qizhou had changed. The lingering hostility and wariness had vanished without a trace, replaced by a look that said...

You're a sensible kid, aren't you? Got any more?

It even shifted its massive body forward, bringing its giant head closer, staring at Qian Qizhou with eager eyes while emitting a fawning, rumbling sound from its throat.