The figure was as fast as lightning-it was Gale!
Like a ghost blending into the night wind, she silently appeared on the Hellhound's enormous back just as its three heads gathered power, its attention wholly drawn to Qi Wu!
Her long blade left its sheath, flashing coldly!
There was not a single wasted movement. All her strength, speed, and precision converged in this one slash!
The blade tore through the air with a piercing hiss, slashing viciously at the back of the Hellhound's neck!
Shrrrip!
The blade scraped against the tough hide!
An ear-splitting screech rang out, accompanied by a shower of sparks!
Even with all her strength behind it, Gale's slash failed to cut clean through the Hellhound's neck.
Even so, it left an enormous wound deep enough to expose bone, and blood sprayed out!
"ROOOAR!!!"
Severely wounded, the Hellhound roared in pain and fury from all three heads, its gathering breath attacks interrupted.
Its right head whipped around, snapping savagely at Gale on its back!
But just then-
The earth churned!
"Earth collapse!"
Jiang Qingyue's cool voice rang out. She pressed both hands against the ground, pouring torrents of ocher spiritual energy into the earth!
Rumble!
The ground beneath the Hellhound suddenly softened like quicksand and rapidly collapsed!
An enormous pit formed in an instant, its powerful suction dragging the creature's heavy body down!
Caught off guard, the Hellhound's four legs sank into the mud. Its enormous body lost its balance and lurched to one side!
Its bite at Gale went wide, its enormous fangs grazing the hem of her clothes!
Seizing the chance, Gale performed a nimble backflip and landed steadily at the edge of the pit.
"Beautiful teamwork!"
Iron Buddha, hurrying over from ahead, could not help cheering.
The Salvation Team's coordination was nothing short of exquisite!
ROOOAR!!!
Trapped deep in the pit, the Hellhound thrashed its three heads wildly, letting out deafening roars.
Agonizing pain and the humiliation of being trapped drove it utterly mad. Dark red destructive energy gathered recklessly in its three gaping mouths.
"Your last desperate struggle!"
Iron Buddha, an eighth-rank expert, had already charged forward.
With an angry shout, Iron Buddha steadied himself, his arms blazing with a bronze sheen.
"Arhat's golden body!!"
His entire body seemed to acquire a metallic coating, his aura becoming immensely heavy. He stamped forward and drove both fists out like heavy cannons, aiming straight for the Hellhound's belly, exposed as it tilted to one side!
"Vajra demon subjugation!"
Boom!
A heavy, muffled impact rang out. The Hellhound's enormous body shuddered violently, the armored scales on its belly shattering as its abdomen caved in. Once again, the energy gathering in its mouths faltered.
Almost at the same instant Iron Buddha struck, Jiang Qingyue changed her summoning hand seal again!
"Stone spears: Earth spikes!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!
Countless enormous, sharp stone spears erupted from the ground around the Hellhound, stabbing viciously at its trapped body like the bars of a cage!
Although these stone spears could not fully pierce its tough hide,
they further restricted its movements, pinning it firmly inside the pit!
Having just landed, Gale's long blade hummed again in her right hand. She lowered herself slightly, like a leopard poised to pounce!
"Wind breath slash!!!"
Her figure vanished again. Rather than leaping into the air, she skimmed close to the ground like a gust of wind!
This slash targeted the Hellhound's wounded abdomen.
Shlkk!
This time, with no tough hide to block it, the blade sank almost to the hilt! She followed through with a vicious downward cut!
"AWOOO!!!"
The Hellhound let out its most agonized howl yet!
With several powerful fighters attacking together, the humans held an overwhelming advantage.
Victory seemed just within reach.
The smile on Qi Wu's lips deepened.
"Looks like I won't need to do anything."
But a dying beast was the most terrifying of all!
The six lava-like eyes on the Hellhound's three heads instantly turned bloodred.
Despite being trapped in the pit and wracked with pain, its middle head twisted abruptly at an impossible angle, its jaws snapping open.
A dark red beam, compressed to its utmost limit, shot straight at Gale, who had just landed!
The attack was too fast!
Too sudden!
Gale's pupils contracted sharply. She twisted with all her might, trying to dodge, but the beam was simply too fast!
Hiss!
Despite her desperate attempt to evade it, the Hellhound's beam reached her in an instant.
Too late!
The thought flashed through Gale's mind.
Left with no choice, she raised her blade across her body, already bracing herself to take the hit and suffer grievous injuries-or even die.
Suddenly!
Whoosh!
A tall, powerfully built figure appeared in front of her, silver hair stirring slightly in the scorching wind whipped up by the beam.
It was Qi Wu!
The red beam of breath blasted toward Qi Wu.
Qi Wu's Limitless activated automatically.
The closer the red beam came to Qi Wu, the slower it moved.
It was as though it had struck an infinity it could never reach!
All that destructive energy was steadily diluted by the space that made a hair's breadth an unreachable distance. At last, it broke into countless tiny flecks of red and black light. Like docile fireflies, they drifted helplessly before Qi Wu, then vanished completely.
Not even the hem of Qi Wu's clothes stirred.
He turned his head slightly, glancing at Gale behind him from the corner of his eye.
Qi Wu had effortlessly blocked the Hellhound's desperate final attack.
Gale rolled to the ground in its wake.
Then Qi Wu saw something that utterly surprised him.
The force of the breath attack had blown back Gale's hood.
Revealing her true face-
The hood slipped off.
The face that met Qi Wu's eyes was not the weather-beaten warrior's visage he had imagined.
Instead, it belonged to a girl with neat, pale blue short hair as icy as a glacier!?
Her face was small and delicate.
There was a hint of both valor and cuteness to it.
Her nose was straight and finely shaped, her lips thin and clearly defined, their color pale. At that moment, they were pressed tightly together as she endured the pain.
Her fair skin was faintly flushed from the fierce battle and the danger she had just faced, like the first cherry blossoms scattered across snow.
Her presence evoked an elf carved from ice and snow, or a cold blade drawn from its sheath.
She gave the impression of an ice-cold beauty of the highest order.
This was nothing like the face Qi Wu had imagined beneath Gale's hood!
At this sudden revelation, unmistakable surprise flickered in Qi Wu's azure eyes. He raised his brows slightly and blurted out:
"Whoa, I thought you were my bro."
"How did you turn into a beautiful girl?"
Before you continue