Huff—
Jiang Lu stopped and exhaled, her eyes filled with the killing chill of relentless combat.
"I'm exhausted!"
Jiang Lu panted out the words, then looked toward the Spirit Beasts hovering in midair.
"How are you all doing? Feeling any better?"
"Don't worry, Master. We can still fight!"
The Spirit Beasts were raring to go. It was rare to train alongside their master; even if they could not keep going, they would have to.
"You can still hold out? It seems I underestimated you!" Seeing that they still had the leisure to chat, the Dumo Beast immediately intensified his attacks.
Jiang Lu spun around, and she and her beasts once again fought in concert...
Only after an unknown stretch of time did they stop.
The Dumo Beast gave a low, rumbling grunt. The next instant, spiritual light flashed, and the sounds of shattered stone plunging into the sea rang out all around them. Waves rose in succession, churning into countless bursts of spray.
Jiang Lu's eyes abruptly widened, and her heart tightened as she stared at the white figure slowly emerging before her.
That enormous creature had now shrunk to less than half his original size.
A thick, rough outer hide slowly peeled away from his body like a molting shell. Fragments fell into the roiling sea, splashing up white foam and revealing the creature's true form beneath.
His plump, oval body actually looked rather endearing.
The enormous crimson eye that had once looked down upon the four seas had drawn inward and settled on his head, occupying a full quarter of it. The color of its iris swirled like molten fire.
Below the eye was a mouth only half its size, with a subdued outline. On either side of his head, gill flaps and small, winglike ears fluttered, gently