With the Purple Cloud Wings enhancing him, Mu Chen moved at incredible speed. He bent backward to evade the beast's incoming paw, then violently beat his wings. His speed surged again as the Fire-Quenched Sword flashed across the ape-like magical beast's neck, brutally slicing more than halfway through it.
Before Mu Chen could steady himself from the momentum carrying him forward, a Demon Wolf leaped into the air. Its sharp claws swiped straight at his head, its bloodthirsty wolf eyes filled with cruelty. Its jagged fangs parted slightly, releasing a thick stench.
Gritting his teeth, Mu Chen held the Fire-Quenched Sword horizontally before him and blocked the Demon Wolf's pounce. Borrowing the wolf's force, he shot backward at top speed, only to find two more magical beasts behind him, both vicious and savage.
Mu Chen was extremely glad that he had cultivated the Purple Cloud Wings. They were far more useful than any movement Dou technique. At that critical moment, the wings beat rapidly, carrying him seven or eight meters into the air and evading the fatal attack from behind.
"Die!"
Mu Chen hurled the Fire-Quenched Sword from his hand. It turned into a streak of fiery light and pierced through one magical beast's skull with a puff.
Dodging left and right to evade the other magical beasts' encirclement, Mu Chen swiftly dove down, pulled the Fire-Quenched Sword from the beast's head, and pursed his lips. There were still six magical beasts left on the field.
Mu Chen had thought killing two magical beasts would make these creatures come to their senses and realize he was not someone to provoke. However, he had not expected the blood flowing from their dead companions to stimulate them even further, awakening their bloodthirsty instincts. The two wolf-type magical beasts in particular became increasingly vicious, their attacks growing fiercer and fiercer.
Although these magical beasts could not fly, their bodies were far stronger than those of humans. A single leap could easily send them more than ten meters into the air, enough to threaten Mu Chen.
Not wanting to draw the attention of the flying magical beasts in the sky, Mu Chen kept his altitude at around seven or eight meters, never rising beyond the cover of the trees' branches and leaves.
Mu Chen did not continue charging recklessly. He cast a cold glance at the remaining six magical beasts, then turned and flew deeper into the forest.
These were no ordinary Second Tier magical beasts. If an ordinary Dou Master did not possess a sufficiently powerful trump card, dealing with even one of them would be difficult.
Awooo!
The two Demon Wolves followed close behind. Once these bloodthirsty creatures bore a grudge, they clung on like dogged leeches and could not be shaken off. Mu Chen's "escape" especially made their not-too-intelligent minds believe he feared them, so they pursued him relentlessly.
To magical beasts, human flesh and blood were equally great supplements that could increase their strength.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Behind the Demon Wolves, two bulky Black Bears followed as well. These magical beasts were just as vengeful, and they were also the strongest among the group, comparable to six- or seven-star Dou Masters.
"There are four magical beasts left. The other two did not follow, so they must be eating the corpses of the dead magical beasts. That was within expectations. With two fewer magical beasts, my chances of winning have increased considerably."
Flying ahead, Mu Chen suddenly circled around a large tree, wheeled back, and thrust the Fire-Quenched Sword straight at one of the Demon Wolves.
To Mu Chen, these two swift and agile creatures were the priority targets to eliminate.
However, this Demon Wolf was very cunning. Wolf-type magical beasts were already known for their agility. It easily dodged Mu Chen's strike, kicked off a large tree, and used the rebound to pounce at him.
Mu Chen gripped his sword with both hands and poured the Fire Attribute Dou Qi within him into the Fire-Quenched Sword, activating the Magic Core's amplification effect. The pale red blade became almost like a red-hot branding iron as he brought it down upon the charging Demon Wolf with the force of splitting a mountain.
"Slash!"
Mu Chen swung down with all his strength, severing the Demon Wolf's outstretched claws, splitting open its head, and cleaving its body in two.
Beast blood sprayed everywhere. Warm blood splattered across Mu Chen's body, and his face was covered in fresh, foul-smelling crimson liquid, making his expression look especially savage.
After killing that magical beast, Mu Chen's pupils contracted. He immediately used Thousands-Pound Fall to descend to the ground. A Demon Wolf shot past above his head, its sharp claws only an inch or two from his face. The gale force created by its swift passage stung his cheeks.
If Mu Chen had not reacted quickly enough, that single pounce could very well have taken his life.
Seeing this, Mu Chen thought, What a chance! The Fire-Quenched Sword in his hand shot straight upward and pierced into the Demon Wolf's abdomen. Carried by its momentum, the wolf's belly was sliced open by the sharp blade, spilling wolf blood and entrails all over the ground.
Before Mu Chen could even breathe a sigh of relief at the dead Demon Wolf, the two Black Bears attacked him from both sides. Their enormous bear paws were even bigger than his head.
Even with the Dou Qi Veil enhanced by Wood Hardening covering his body, Mu Chen was not confident that this defense could withstand the Black Bears' brutal attacks, creatures renowned for their strength.
At that moment of crisis, Mu Chen's mind became calm and clear. He fell straight backward onto the ground and rolled with the momentum, evading the two Black Bears' pincer attack in an extremely disheveled manner.
The blood flowing over Mu Chen's frenzied face had long made his expression impossible to distinguish. At that moment, there was only one thought in his mind: kill the two magical beasts before him!
Slapping one hand against the ground, Mu Chen flipped several times and landed on one knee. With an angry roar, he drove the Fire-Quenched Sword straight into one Black Bear's belly. He twisted his wrist, turning and stirring the blade as warm beast blood sprayed out.
Releasing the Fire-Quenched Sword, Mu Chen formed palms with both hands and slammed them hard against the hilt. The bloodstained sword forcibly pierced through the Black Bear's body, its crimson tip emerging from the other side as streams of blood flowed out.
However, having expended enormous amounts of stamina, Mu Chen ultimately failed to evade the last Black Bear's claw strike. The Purple Cloud Wings and Dou Qi Veil were violently shattered, while blood poured from his left shoulder. A horrifying wound appeared there, and Mu Chen felt as though his entire left arm had gone numb.
With a muffled groan, Mu Chen staggered backward. Threads of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, his eyes twitching slightly from pain as beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks and dripped onto the soft ground with a smack.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with his right hand, Mu Chen coldly stared at the roaring Black Bear charging toward him. His eyes were filled with fury. This was the first time he had suffered such severe injuries.
With a flick of his right hand, Mu Chen directly unleashed his trump card, the Xuan Huang Flame. The dark yellow flame swept over the berserk Black Bear like a sea of fire, instantly setting its entire body ablaze.
Under the terrifying heat of the Heavenly Flames, the Black Bear struggled for only a few seconds before being burned into a pile of ashes.
Mu Chen dropped onto the corpse of the other Black Bear and sucked in breaths through clenched teeth.
Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, Mu Chen tore open his sleeve. The cloth stuck to the wound tugged at it as it ripped free, causing even more sweat to run down his face.
Maintaining his Wood Attribute, Mu Chen took out a white jade bottle from his backpack and gave a bitter smile. He then poured the hemostatic medicine he had refined the previous night over the wound before taking out and swallowing a healing pill. Before long, a layer of blood scab formed over the wound on his left shoulder.
His cultivation technique circulated as Dou Qi surged rapidly, accelerating the pill's medicinal effect. Combined with the Wood Attribute's restorative power, it greatly increased the wound's healing speed.
Ten minutes later, Mu Chen finally felt sensation returning to his left arm. Still, judging by the situation, it would take at least half a day for him to recover completely.
"Fortunately, the Purple Cloud Wings and Dou Qi Veil offset much of the impact, so there was no serious bone fracture. Otherwise, even if I focused entirely on healing, it would take at least three days.
"Luckily, I refined some pills last night when I had nothing to do. Otherwise, today would have been dangerous."
After simply binding the wound, Mu Chen pulled the Fire-Quenched Sword from the Black Bear's body and split open the heads of the dead magical beasts on the ground, storing their Magic Cores in his backpack. He surveyed the surrounding forest, rubbed his forehead, and came away with a sticky mixture of sweat and beast blood.
"I was too busy running earlier to know where I've ended up. But I should no longer be on the outskirts, right?"
Mu Chen quickly left the area. The magical beast corpses and the scent of blood left on the ground were especially attractive to other magical beasts. The battle had been over for a while now; if he did not leave soon, he might run into more magical beasts.
What Mu Chen could not see was that atop a distant tree canopy, a blurry cyan figure silently watched him leave. Beneath it, the forest floor was littered with magical beast corpses.
"With the cultivation of a newly advanced Dou Master, he encountered the siege of eight Second Tier magical beasts above the intermediate level and killed six in a single battle. He is only around seventeen, about the same age as that girl Yanran, yet his strength far surpasses hers.
"He possesses both Fire and Wood Attributes. He is a fine prospect.
"Unfortunately, I still need to trade with the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King for Purple Spirit Crystal. Otherwise, I would certainly bring him into the Misty Cloud Sect."
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