Solo Killing a Seven-Hundred-Year Beast

Early the next morning, as dawn broke, Lu Yuan left Spirit City alongside Shao Ping, galloping away toward the north.

The two traveled for nearly an hour, the terrain along the way gradually rising and falling. The trees within the forest grew increasingly sparse, and the exposed, gray-black rocks scattered everywhere became more and more conspicuous. Shao Ping led Lu Yuan to turn into a low stone ridge, where a figure was already standing—it was precisely the Elder Hall deacon who had stayed behind yesterday to monitor the Quake-Armor Beast.

Seeing the two arrive, the deacon exchanged no unnecessary pleasantries, directly raising a hand to point eastward. "Last night it moved less than two li in that direction, and right now it is still lingering in the stone gully ahead."

"How are its injuries?" Shao Ping asked in a deep voice.

"No obvious improvement, nor have they worsened," the deacon reported truthfully. "Its right hind leg continues to drag along the ground, and the wound on its flank was still seeping blood last night. However, its combat strength remains; last night, a century-old Stone Badger rashly approached and was crushed to death by it on the spot."

Shao Ping nodded slightly. "Lead the way."

The three proceeded quietly along the rock wall, turning a bend after more than a hundred zhang. That seven-hundred-and-twenty-year Quake-Armor Beast finally came into view. The actual creature possessed far more oppressiveness than the beast-skin diagrams. Its body was thick and solid, its four limbs thick and powerful, and deep brown scales layered heavily, extending continuously from the side of its neck to the base of its tail in a heavily fortified barrier. Two scales on its flank were shattered and detached, dark red scabs covering the damaged flesh and blood. A deep tearing wound on its right hind leg was exceptionally glaring, causing it to lean slightly with every step and fully revealing how its injuries dragged it down.

The deacon observed intently for a moment before stating with certainty, "Its cultivation is around seven hundred and twenty years, its state is stable, and it still maintains sixty percent of its combat strength."

Shao Ping turned to look at Lu Yuan beside him, asking softly, "Its condition is passable. Do you want to change targets?"

"No need."

Lu Yuan raised his hand, a cold flash passing by as the Piercing Spear was already grasped in his palm. He had spent years fighting century-old spirit beasts alone in the North Hunting Forest and was long accustomed to solo combat. Yet the pressure brought by this heavily injured seven-hundred-year spirit beast before his eyes far exceeded that of any opponent he had previously fought.

Shao Ping offered no further persuasion, leading the deacon to retreat to the outer perimeter of the stone gully and leaving behind a word of admonition: "If you cannot beat it, fall back; on no account force it or push yourself too hard."

Lu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment, lifting his spear and walking slowly into the stone gully to face the lingering Quake-Armor Beast directly.

The Quake-Armor Beast grew alert in an instant. Its lowered head snapped upward, its front hooves heavily shattering the stony ground, and the scales along its back abruptly tightened as its entire body went on high alert. The moment Lu Yuan closed to within a range of ten zhang, it abruptly exerted force and charged straight ahead, its heavy body grinding and crushing stone as debris flew everywhere in a swift and tyrannical offensive.

Lu Yuan knew full well that meeting it head-on would put him at an extreme disadvantage. His footwork abruptly shifted as he dodged sideways to the left, simultaneously lowering his spear tip to accurately thrust toward the damaged flank of the Quake-Armor Beast.

Clang!

The spear tip grazed the damaged scales, ringing out with a piercing sound of metal clashing. A thick and savage counter-shock force surged wildly back along the spear shaft. The tiger's mouth of Lu Yuan's right hand went instantly numb, the flesh splitting open as a sharp pain struck and the Piercing Spear almost flew from his grip.

Before he could steady his stance, the Quake-Armor Beast had already twisted its body and rammed sideways, its thick shoulders and back carrying immense force to grind forward in suppression. Lu Yuan hastily erected his spear to parry, the massive impact instantly shaking him into consecutive retreats. His boot soles dragged two long scratch marks across the stony ground, qi and blood surging in his chest with dull, unceasing pain.

This clash completely dispelled any notion of a head-on confrontation.

Pausing slightly, the Quake-Armor Beast charged fiercely once more. Drawing a lesson from before, Lu Yuan circled around to the right in advance to evade, no longer touching its heavily armored torso. He abruptly dropped his spear tip, locking it firmly onto the beast's injured right hind leg. Taking advantage of the sluggishness in its turn, he drove a spear with pinpoint accuracy straight into the gap of its old wound.

The excruciating pain caused the Quake-Armor Beast to tremble all over, its hind hooves viciously kicking out in response. Lu Yuan had anticipated this and pulled his spear back to retreat in a rush; even so, his lower leg was still grazed by the tip of a hoof, and his figure stumbled backward several steps.

Yet this single thrust also allowed him to figure out his opponent's shortcomings. The straight-line charge of the Quake-Armor Beast remained fierce, but its severely injured right hind leg heavily dragged down its turning speed. As long as it was forced to turn frequently, its flaws would constantly be exposed.

During the ensuing entanglement, Lu Yuan completely stabilized his rhythm, consistently circling around to the right side where the Quake-Armor Beast's injuries were severe to maneuver and pull it along. If the opponent charged in a straight line, he dodged to the side; if the opponent turned to alter its offensive, he immediately pressed his body forward to lunge, his spear tip firmly biting into the injuries on its right hind leg and flank. He never grew greedy for vital points, only continuously draining the opponent's combat strength.

After several rounds of maneuvering, multiple abrasions were added to Lu Yuan's shoulders and lower legs, the split in his tiger's mouth continuously seeping blood, and the spear shaft dyed crimson. However, the old wounds of the Quake-Armor Beast were repeatedly torn open, blood dripping continuously down its hind leg, and its originally steady and swift movements visibly grew sluggish and heavy.

Lu Yuan kept a clear head in his heart. The vitality of a seven-hundred-year spirit beast was far from comparable to that of a century-old one; the closer it was to death, the easier it was to trigger a frenzied counterattack. He kept his mind restrained at all times and never advanced rashly into close quarters.

Sure enough, after failing to turn several times and with its injuries continuing to worsen, the Quake-Armor Beast suddenly halted its offensive. Lowering its head to pant heavily for a moment, it unexpectedly turned directly and fled toward the exit of the stone gully, intending to break away from the battlefield.

Shao Ping and the deacon stood quietly in place, watching the developments without stepping in to interfere.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan immediately raised his spear and gave chase in a rush. Having tangled to this point, he would never allow his opponent to slip away. Although heavily injured, the escape speed of the Quake-Armor Beast was still not weak. Lu Yuan pursued closely for over ten zhang as his First Spirit Ring abruptly lit up. Piercing Edge erupted instantly, his figure tearing through the air to close the distance, and the Piercing Spear accurately thrust toward the base of its hind leg.

The spear tip sank deep into flesh and blood, and a violent counter-shock struck once more. The tiger's mouth on Lu Yuan's hand was completely torn open, dripping with blood. Yet this fierce attack completely shattered the Quake-Armor Beast's support, causing its massive body to lose balance abruptly and crash heavily onto the ground, scattering shattered stones everywhere.

This spirit skill consumption was immense, and the already meager soul power Lu Yuan had left was drained by another notch. Hesitating not at all, he hurried around to the flank, preparing to end the battle.

Enduring the excruciating pain, the Quake-Armor Beast struggled to its feet. The damaged scales on its flank spread open with the movement, exposing unhealed flesh wounds. Seizing the fleeting flaw, Lu Yuan gripped the spear shaft tightly with both hands, using the momentum of his charge to drive the Piercing Spear fiercely into the wound, reaching straight to the depths.

The sharp pain thoroughly infuriated the Quake-Armor Beast. It rolled over and struggled violently, the immense force pulling the spear shaft into fierce vibrations that nearly dragged Lu Yuan down along with it. Making a prompt decision, Lu Yuan instantly dissipated his Martial Soul to unload the force, pulling back his body in a rapid retreat before summoning the Piercing Spear once more to return to combat stance.

By this time, the Quake-Armor Beast had gone completely berserk. Forcing itself up on just three legs, it paid no heed to the heavy trauma all over its body, lowered its head, and charged fiercely once more. The distance was too close for Lu Yuan to evade completely; dodging sideways to avoid the fatal collision, his shoulder was heavily grazed, and his entire person was sent flying several paces. Upon landing, his lower right ribs struck heavily against a rock, the bone-chilling pain causing his breath to hitch abruptly.

Outside the stone gully, Shao Ping moved his foot forward half a step, and the deacon had already raised his hand to channel power, ready to step in and rescue at any moment.

Yet Lu Yuan braced the spear shaft and gritted his teeth to stand up swiftly.

He knew clearly that the Quake-Armor Beast was at the end of its tether, retaining only the ferocity of a dying counterattack. Meanwhile, his own soul power consumption was massive, leaving him with only the strength for one final, complete release of Piercing Edge. If this spear could not finish off the opponent, today's endeavor could only end right here.

Dragging its crippled leg, the Quake-Armor Beast labored to turn its body, lowering its head to build momentum as it prepared to launch a final strike.

Lu Yuan stood still, calming his mind and steadying his spirit as he awaited the prime moment. The instant the opponent charged to within a few zhang of him, he abruptly sidestepped to cut toward its right side, where the injuries were most severe. Instinctively turning to defend, the Quake-Armor Beast's heavily injured right hind leg suddenly gave out, causing its massive body to instantly tilt and lose balance. The closely fitted scales along the side of its neck consequently shifted apart by a tiny gap.

The opportunity was fleeting!

The bright yellow spirit ring lit up once more, and Lu Yuan poured his remaining soul power to the limit, driving his strongest strike. The force of Piercing Edge poured into the spear body as a dark golden sharpness surged. The Piercing Spear slashed fiercely out from the lower side, accurately penetrating the scale gap to stab viciously into the vital spot on the side of the Quake-Armor Beast's neck.

The massive beastly torso used its momentum to rush forward a few steps before crashing thunderously onto the ground, falling completely silent.

Lu Yuan did not approach rashly, instead standing with his spear a few zhang away and focusing to confirm that the opponent had completely lost all movement before slowly relaxing his tense shoulders and back, expelling a turbid breath.

Only then did Shao Ping and the deacon walk into the stone gully. The deacon squatted down to inspect carefully, confirming that the Quake-Armor Beast was thoroughly dead, before raising his gaze to the outer perimeter. "There are no abnormalities from other spirit beasts in the surroundings; I'll go keep watch and guard the perimeter." With those words, he turned and retreated.

Shao Ping walked to Lu Yuan's side, raising a hand to examine his torn tiger's mouth and lightly pressing his shoulder and ribs before speaking in a deep voice, "They are all flesh abrasions, without injury to tendons or bones. Treat your wounds first and recover your soul power; do not be in a rush to absorb the spirit ring."

Nodding in response, Lu Yuan sought out a flat rock and sat down.

Wisps of pale yellow light rose from the corpse of the Quake-Armor Beast, slowly gathering and condensing. A lustrous yellow spirit ring floated quietly in midair, its halo gentle yet heavy—unmistakably an exceptional seven-hundred-year spirit ring.

Lu Yuan swiftly treated his wounds, regulated his state, and closed his eyes to quietly recover the depleted soul power.

Once his soul power returned to fullness and his state was fully restored, this second spirit ring, which would make up for his shortcomings in close combat, would completely belong to him.