A Third-Tier Spirit Beast

"Roar!" A cry rang out, and Tang Yan felt a fierce gust from his left. He immediately unleashed Phantom Shadow Steps, leaping diagonally backward as a dark shadow pounced through the spot where he had just stood.

Only then did Tang Yan finally get a clear look at the creature. It was a wild beast!

The massive creature was three meters long, pitch-black from head to tail, with a sleek body that blended cunningly into the night.

After studying it for a moment, Tang Yan's heart jolted. Why does this leopard look so much like a Nether Leopard? That's a spirit beast!

Spirit beasts were divided into nine tiers according to their bloodlines. Legend had it that seventh-tier spirit beasts could speak human language and cultivate supreme demonic arts, possessing astonishing combat power. Spirit beasts of the second tier and above had beast cores within their bodies, which contained vast amounts of spiritual energy and served as excellent ingredients for pill refining.

A second-tier spirit beast would have been manageable, but a Nether Leopard was a third-tier spirit beast, equivalent to a Profound Tier martial artist. With such a vast gulf in strength, Tang Yan immediately decided to run.

Having missed its strike, the Nether Leopard gave Tang Yan a curious look. It could not understand how someone who looked so weak could move so quickly.

Refusing to believe it, the Nether Leopard rocked backward, thrust powerfully with its hind legs, and pounced at Tang Yan again as swiftly as lightning.

Tang Yan was alarmed. He pushed Phantom Shadow Steps to its limit and sprinted away without looking back.

"Roar!" Seeing Tang Yan dodge its attack again and then flee, the Nether Leopard let out an angry roar and charged after him at full speed.

As a third-tier spirit beast, the Nether Leopard possessed not only immense physical strength but also incredible speed. What really made Tang Yan's balls ache was that it concealed its presence almost perfectly while running. He could not accurately sense its aura, leaving him unable to tell whether it had caught up to him.

"Whoosh!" Reaching a massive boulder, Tang Yan had no choice but to run around it. Suddenly, an enormous figure leaped straight onto the boulder and kicked off hard with its hind legs, using that powerful momentum to launch itself at him.

Feeling a fierce presence prickling against his back like needles, Tang Yan groaned inwardly. Gritting his teeth, he forced the true qi within his Dantian to circulate rapidly, and Phantom Shadow Steps carried him in a sudden burst forward.

"Boom!" A heavy crash sounded behind him. As he felt the surrounding air burst outward, relief at surviving by a hair's breadth welled up within him. Had such a heavy strike landed, he really would have been smiling in the underworld.

Yet that perilous instant had actually forced out Tang Yan's hidden potential, pushing his understanding of Phantom Shadow Steps up another level.

Feeling his increased speed, Tang Yan grew somewhat calmer. Although he was still slower than the Nether Leopard, Phantom Shadow Steps was more nimble, allowing him to move in any direction. Now, he was a little less bedraggled when dodging its attacks.

"Look, Brother Leopard, you haven't caught me after all this time, and catching me now won't be easy either. Why don't we call it quits?" Tang Yan shouted behind him as he ran for his life.

"Roar!" Another vicious pounce was the Nether Leopard's answer.

Tang Yan slid diagonally backward to the left, turned at a bizarre angle, and fled again. Though the Nether Leopard was fast, its body was enormous. By the time it turned around, Tang Yan had widened the gap considerably.

After running like this for more than ten kilometers, the benefits of fleeing for his life became strikingly clear. Tang Yan's understanding of Phantom Shadow Steps grew deeper. At first, he had stumbled even while walking, but now he could shoot a great distance in a single breath.

His proficiency with Phantom Shadow Steps had improved, but the true qi in his Dantian was nearly exhausted. Tang Yan took a High Spirit Pill from inside his robe and tossed it into his mouth without hesitation.

The moment the pill entered his mouth, true qi began coursing through his previously depleted Dantian. Tang Yan's spirits lifted, and he focused on dodging once more.

They kept circling like this, and more than four hours passed in their contest. Tang Yan had already swallowed three High Spirit Pills and was marveling at the sheer toughness of a third-tier spirit beast when he suddenly felt the presence behind him disperse. Curious, he looked back. When he saw that the Nether Leopard was panting too, he stopped.

Damn it, you're finally tired!

Watching the Nether Leopard, which seemed to have given up hope of catching him, Tang Yan's lips curled into a cold smile. I've been waiting ages for this moment. He picked up a stone, infused it with true qi, and hurled it at the Nether Leopard. His sword flicked in his hand, and he charged right behind it.

"Crack!" The Nether Leopard swept a forepaw out, smashing the stone to pieces. Tang Yan's sword had already arrived, thrusting straight at its eye.

The thrust was as swift as lightning. Tang Yan thought the Nether Leopard had exhausted its strength and would not be able to dodge in time.

Yet the Nether Leopard nimbly twisted aside, avoiding the thrust at its vital spot. Even so, Tang Yan's sword slid along the side of its neck, leaving a long, thin cut.

"Roar!" Seeing the fellow it had already let go dare turn back and provoke it, the Nether Leopard flew into a rage. It roared and charged at Tang Yan again.

Sensing its fury, Tang Yan's heart jolted. Good grief, this thing still has strength left?

In his panic, Tang Yan abandoned any thought of attacking again, turned, and resumed his mad sprint. The furious Nether Leopard pursued him relentlessly once more. More than another two hours passed before it finally stopped again.

With pills on hand, Tang Yan naturally had no fear of running out of true qi.

After nearly eight hours of frantic running, Tang Yan refused to believe the Nether Leopard had any stamina left. He swallowed another High Spirit Pill, raised his sword, and charged again.

"Clang!" Tang Yan swung his sword, and the Nether Leopard raised a paw to meet it, producing a long metallic ring. The web between his thumb and forefinger went numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the sword.

Tang Yan now had a fair grasp of the Nether Leopard's remaining strength. Greatly reassured, he unleashed Cloudflow Sword, its movements flowing like drifting clouds and running water.

Though spirit beasts possessed immense strength, their intelligence and techniques fell far short of those of humans. Faced with the fierce yet elusive swordplay, the Nether Leopard could only counter with brute force, trying to overwhelm Tang Yan's advantage in technique through sheer strength.

Its strength was already all but spent, and the Nether Leopard was now like an arrow at the end of its flight. Though it wondered why this weak human possessed such remarkable endurance, its current predicament left it no time to ponder.

"Shhk-" Tang Yan's sword kept leaving wounds across the Nether Leopard's body. It could only let out repeated angry roars. Drained of strength, it was now as helpless as a lamb awaiting slaughter.

In little more than ten minutes, Tang Yan plunged his sword into the Nether Leopard's throat. It struggled a few times, unwilling to surrender, before finally collapsing to the ground with a crash.

Although their fight had lasted only a little over ten minutes, it was still a third-tier spirit beast. Even exhausted, the Nether Leopard possessed terrifying destructive power. After the battle, Tang Yan sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Thinking back over the night's events, Tang Yan gave a wry chuckle. He had only intended to practice Phantom Shadow Steps. He had thought it would take at least two months to learn the footwork, yet tonight he had not only learned it but improved at an astonishingly frightening pace.

He believed it would not be long before he reached minor mastery.

After resting on the ground for a while, Tang Yan got up, raised his sword, and split open the Nether Leopard's skull. A golden beast core soon rested in his hand.

Sensing the spiritual energy within it, Tang Yan felt a surge of delight. Just as he was about to put it away, he suddenly felt a burst of joy from the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron, which had been silent all this time. His expression went blank. What's this lousy cauldron getting so worked up about now?