The Great Battle with the Fire Lizard

Deep within the valley, following a roar that shook the heavens, a bizarre beast crawled out from the depths. It resembled a lizard, yet it was far larger than any ordinary specimen.

Its body was as thick as a water barrel, and from head to tail, it measured two zhang in length. Most peculiar of all, a layer of raging flames engulfed its body, making it look like a dragon of fire.

Its appearance sent the beasts that had previously rushed to the front of the valley into a state of trembling terror; two giant wolves even collapsed to their knees. The price for such submission was being swallowed whole by the flaming giant lizard.

The dozen or so remaining beasts were trapped, unable to advance or retreat. On either side stood a demon waiting to devour them; both paths led only to death.

Indeed, they were caught between two demons. Taking advantage of the moment they had paused earlier, a zombie and this flaming lizard had lunged into the center of the pack like tigers into a flock of sheep, beginning a frantic slaughter.

In just two or three minutes, the dozen giant beasts were all dead, felled by the combined carnage of the two monsters. Finally, only the pitch-black zombie and the flaming lizard remained in the center of the valley, locked in a standoff.

The zombie that Chu Xiaotian had become possessed no consciousness. In his eyes, the flaming lizard before him was simply a treasure containing far more potent blood and qi than any of the previous beasts. If he could devour it, his body would undoubtedly grow stronger. The only thing he wanted to do now was to consume that dense mass of blood and qi. Without a moment's hesitation, he moved like lightning, pouncing toward the fire lizard.

The fire lizard was no ordinary beast; it was a demonic beast, just as Xia Xue had described to Chu Xiaotian. The difference between demonic beasts and common ones was that these creatures possessed innate special abilities. Even this low-level, first-rank demonic beast, the Fire Lizard, had the innate power to manipulate fire. While these flames were terrifying to ordinary beasts, the lizard could control them naturally—though only in the most rudimentary way.

While its body of raging flames looked incredibly intimidating, its actual combat utility was limited. Even so, it was enough to make the lizard a cut above any ordinary beast. Even if it encountered a human cultivator at the Pulse-Opening Realm, the lizard's flames would ensure the human couldn't easily gain the upper hand. A first-rank demonic beast was equivalent to a Pulse-Opening Realm expert, which was precisely why Xia Xue dared not venture deep into these mountains.

Chu Xiaotian's strength had certainly not reached the Pulse-Opening Realm. Had he been in his right mind, he never would have run into the depths of the forest to fight this flaming creature. But now, devoid of consciousness, he acted almost entirely on instinct. Thus, even though the Fire Lizard was far stronger than him, he pounced without a second thought.

The Fire Lizard felt no fear toward the black-furred monster. With a roar, it lunged forward instead of retreating, opening its blood-stained maw to bite at the zombie. One driven by a lack of reason, the other by a lack of fear, the two powerful entities collided in the valley with the force of two crashing trucks.

The layer of black fur on Chu Xiaotian's zombie form had been unaffected by the valley's high temperature earlier. But upon colliding with the giant lizard, it immediately began to hiss and emit black smoke. Fortunately, the long black hair was formed from the cold, yin-based corpse poison within his body, so it did not burn away instantly under the flames. However, fire countered yin-evil; the hair, born of cold energy, could not withstand the scorching heat for long, and soon the smell of charred flesh filled the air.

Chu Xiaotian's zombie body would not be consumed immediately, but if the fight dragged on, he would inevitably be reduced to ash, regardless of how much corpse poison he harbored. The mindless Chu Xiaotian understood this clearly.

Without hesitation, he drove his two sharp claws, imbued with a trace of cold yin energy, toward the lizard's head, hoping to kill it. However, the Fire Lizard was covered in scales as well as flames. Chu Xiaotian's claws failed to pierce the beast, leaving only a few scratches on its armor, while he paid the price of having his claws nearly scorched off.

Guided by the instinct for survival, the zombie realized he was no match for the lizard. He stopped tangling with the flaming beast and retreated rapidly.

Chu Xiaotian wanted to run, but the Fire Lizard had no intention of letting him go. Demonic beasts were territorial; any creature that trespassed was a challenge to their majesty and must be fought to the death. Furthermore, the cold corpse poison within Chu Xiaotian filled the lizard with disgust, hardening its resolve to burn him to ash.

The zombie had barely run four or five meters when the Fire Lizard lunged at him like a giant fireball. Chu Xiaotian leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the lizard's crushing weight.

Despite its massive size, the Fire Lizard was remarkably agile. As its body slammed into the ground, its giant tail whipped out like a lash of fire, striking the zombie and sending him flying until he slammed into the cliff wall. Fortunately, his zombie body was incredibly resilient, and he suffered no major damage, standing up the moment he hit the ground.

"Roar..." The repeated injuries ignited the zombie's violent nature. He stopped fleeing and lunged back at the lizard. His ten pitch-black claws, sharp as swords, struck out at the lizard's head once more.

The Fire Lizard disregarded the zombie's attack. It turned its head to dodge the claws while its own front paws raked at the zombie's chest. Its giant tail whistled through the air again, lashing toward the zombie's head.

Sizzle, sizzle. The Fire Lizard's claws raked across the zombie's chest, throwing off a shower of sparks. The attack proved ineffective, merely destroying a patch of black fur without wounding the flesh. In this situation, the black fur served the same purpose as the lizard's own scales.

Chu Xiaotian blocked the lizard's claws, but he could not escape the tail descending from above. He tilted his head, avoiding the fate of having his skull crushed like a rotten melon, but the blow caught him in the shoulder. Had his body not been exceptionally tough, his arm would have been severed instantly.

Now that his arm remained intact, his opportunity had arrived. Before the Fire Lizard could retract its tail, Chu Xiaotian acted in the nick of time. He grabbed the giant tail with both hands, his ten claws digging firmly into the gaps between the scales, and with all his brute strength, he swung the lizard's body into the cliff wall.

Boom. A boulder the size of a man shattered into pieces upon impact. The Fire Lizard's scales were incredibly tough, so it didn't die, but it was left dizzy and seeing stars. At the same time, its tail, gripped by the zombie, tore away, granting the beast its freedom. It turned and lunged at the zombie once more.

His ferocity fully ignited, Chu Xiaotian did not retreat. He tossed aside the severed tail and met the lizard head-on. The two savage beasts clashed in the valley, kicking up clouds of dust and sending boulders flying.

Having lost its tail, the Fire Lizard had lost a powerful weapon. However, its raging flames made life miserable for the zombie. Every time he left a wound on the lizard, a patch of his own flesh was scorched. The Fire Lizard, meanwhile, began to spew flames from its mouth, all aimed directly at his head. Chu Xiaotian was now blinded, forced to flail his claws based purely on instinct to defend against the lizard's onslaught.

Completely on the defensive, Chu Xiaotian was scorched and battered by the lizard's flames. His layer of black fur was nearly gone, most of his body was smoking, and the stench of charred flesh hung heavy in the valley. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he was reduced to a cinder.

Yet, the Fire Lizard was determined to finish him off, blocking his path of retreat so that he could not escape even if he wanted to. After fighting for a while longer, Chu Xiaotian's body was almost entirely covered in a layer of black, charred skin; he looked like a living piece of charcoal.

"Roar..." Since becoming a zombie, this was the first time Chu Xiaotian had experienced such a humiliating fight. With a roar, he threw caution to the wind and lunged at the lizard. He wrapped his arms tightly around it, ignoring the searing heat, and began to claw frantically at its body with his other hand. The lizard's scales were too tough to suffer a fatal wound, but the effort left Chu Xiaotian's body charred and his arms covered in bite marks.

At this rate, he would likely perish in the flames before long. Fortunately, at that very moment, his flailing claws suddenly sank into a soft spot, where he could feel something pulsing rhythmically. Driven by the instinct to kill, he drove his claws into the opening without a moment's hesitation.