The two advanced swiftly northeast, treading over rotting leaves and loose stones, moving nearly twice as fast as they had in camp. Shen Fei led, with Xiao Ning'er following roughly thirty feet behind.
The Shadow Mantis's senses locked onto the presence ahead. The distance shrank rapidly, from four kilometers to three, then from three to two.
Then they saw the Demon Beast.
It stood amid a patch of flattened bushes, its enormous body covered in dark red scales, each edged with a dark golden sheen.
Its four limbs were thick as stone pillars, its claws buried deep in the soil. A long, heavy tail trailed behind it, tipped with a cluster of dark bone spikes.
Most striking was the layer of flames enveloping its entire body. Dark red tongues of fire seeped through the gaps between its scales and rolled over its surface, scorching the surrounding air until it shimmered and warped.
Its head was huge, and its dark red eyes shone dazzlingly through the flames. Its mouth hung slightly open, revealing two interlocking rows of sharp teeth, with dark red fire flickering between them.
Peak Black Gold Rank 5-Star.
Shen Fei silently repeated that rank to himself. This was the strongest Demon Beast he had encountered in the Dark Forest, two minor realms above the Black Gold Rank 3-Star beast he had killed outside the Jade Grove Clan's gates.
His cultivation was Black Gold Rank 3-Star, while Xiao Ning'er was Black Gold Rank 1-Star. Even together, they remained at a disadvantage in cultivation. But he did not hesitate.
The Dark Prison Reincarnation Art's spiritual power surged through his meridians. The Shadow Mantis's bladed forelimb swept lightly through the air, leaving an exceedingly faint dark trail.
Xiao Ning'er stopped behind him, drawing her Wind-Thunder Wings slightly inward. A two-foot-long Lightning