Dawn pierced the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground. Hillman walked over the damp earth, his palms seeming to retain the solid, weighty sensation of resonating with the land. The Battle Qi circulating within him carried something of the earth's steadiness. Last night's insights had benefited him greatly, but he also knew that danger lurked everywhere in this Magical Beast Forest. Without a secure place to shelter, he could fall into desperate straits at any moment.
His goal on this journey was to find a secluded, safe cave to serve as a base for long-term cultivation and rest. According to the Dragonblood Secret Manual, comprehending the pulse of the earth was not the work of a single day. It required prolonged seated meditation; he absolutely could not expose his whereabouts out in the wilderness.
Following the markings on the map in his memory, Hillman headed toward a mountain hollow. The trees along the way grew increasingly thick, and the mist in the woods grew denser. Occasional roars from magical beasts lent even the air a sense of tension. He suppressed his presence, made his steps as light as possible, and gripped his Fine Iron Longsword tightly, his wary gaze sweeping his surroundings.
At the entrance to the hollow, a surge of dense earth elemental energy washed over him. Hillman felt a flicker of delight. Its source was most likely a natural cave. He quickened his pace and rounded a dense patch of bushes. The sight before him was just as he had imagined-in a recess in the mountainside, an opening barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast lay hidden behind vines. The soil around the entrance glistened with moisture; clearly, the interior was dry and stable.
"This is the place," Hillman murmured. Just as he was about to step forward and cut away the vines, the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook violently.
Rumble-rumble-
The tremors grew stronger and stronger, as though some enormous creature were charging toward him. Loose stones rattled across the ground, and distant trees swayed. A savage aura, mingled with a strong earthy smell, instantly enveloped the entire hollow.
Hillman's expression changed. He darted sideways behind an ancient tree, tightened his grip on his sword, and stared fixedly in the direction of the tremors.
Before long, an enormous figure appeared in his field of vision. It was a giant rhino as large as a small hill, its entire body covered in thick layers of grayish-brown rock. Hideous protrusions studded those layers like the toughest armor. A horn roughly three meters long projected from its head, gleaming coldly. Its tip was sharp as a blade, as though it could pierce any defense. Its bell-sized eyes were bloodshot, fixed on the spot where Hillman hid. Two streams of white air blasted from its nostrils amid deafening snorts.
A Level Nine Rock Armor Giant Rhino!
Hillman's pupils abruptly contracted, and shock surged through him. He had never imagined that this hollow would be the territory of a solitary Level Nine Magical Beast. The Rock Armor Giant Rhino boasted the strongest defense among Level Nine Magical Beasts. The rocky layers covering its body were incredibly hard; even an ordinary Ninth-level Warrior's full-powered strike would struggle to leave a mark. That was to say nothing of its terrifying charging power. If it struck him head-on, his bones and sinews would probably be shattered in an instant.
Even more troublesome, the Rock Armor Giant Rhino was naturally connected to the earth and could draw on its power to strengthen itself. In this area, it could unleash almost the full extent of its strength.
The Rock Armor Giant Rhino had clearly detected Hillman's intrusion and let out a deafening roar. Its four hooves thrust hard against the ground, and its massive body barreled straight toward the ancient tree where Hillman hid like an out-of-control war chariot!
"Not good!"
Hillman's expression changed drastically, and he threw himself sideways without hesitation. Almost the instant he moved away, the Rock Armor Giant Rhino slammed into the ancient tree.
Crack-
The ancient tree, so thick that several people would have been needed to encircle it, snapped under the giant rhino's impact. Wood chips flew, and its trunk crashed heavily to the ground with a deafening boom.
Hillman rolled awkwardly across the ground, his back scraping over sharp stones in a burst of searing pain. Ignoring it, he quickly scrambled to his feet, gripping his sword tightly as the Battle Qi within him circulated furiously.
Having missed its first strike, the Rock Armor Giant Rhino turned around, even greater killing intent filling its bell-sized eyes. It pushed off the ground again, its massive body charging at Hillman once more with unstoppable momentum.
Hillman drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew he could not meet the Rock Armor Giant Rhino head-on. His gaze swept his surroundings before settling on a slope along the mountainside. Strewn with loose stones and steeply inclined, it was an ideal place to obstruct the giant rhino's charge.
Hillman drove off with his feet and shot toward the slope like an arrow. The Rock Armor Giant Rhino followed close behind, its heavy hoofbeats making the earth tremble continuously.
Just as the giant rhino was about to catch him, Hillman abruptly turned, thrusting his sword, wrapped in concentrated Battle Qi, at its eyes! This was the weakest point in the Rock Armor Giant Rhino's defenses.
The giant rhino seemed to sense the danger and jerked its head aside. The sword skimmed its eyelid, leaving only a shallow mark on the rocky layer.
"What a tough defense!" Hillman's heart sank. Taking advantage of the moment when the giant rhino turned its head, he swiftly leaped onto the slope.
Loose stones covered the slope, and the Rock Armor Giant Rhino slowed noticeably as its enormous body charged up. It let out an enraged roar and suddenly swept its horn upward at Hillman.
Hillman dodged sideways. The horn skimmed past his waist, the wind of its passage whipping his robes. Just then, he suddenly recalled the pulse of the earth he had comprehended the night before. An idea stirred, and he slammed his right palm against the slope beneath him.
The Battle Qi within him became thin streams that instantly seeped into the earth.
In that instant, Hillman clearly "heard" the structure of the rocky layers beneath the slope and felt the vibrations transmitted deep into the earth as the Rock Armor Giant Rhino's four hooves struck the ground.
"Now!"
A gleam flashed in Hillman's eyes. Guiding his Battle Qi, he struck fiercely at the footing of a loose boulder on the slope.
Crack-
The boulder's footing gave way at once. Pulled by gravity, it crashed down toward the Rock Armor Giant Rhino below, bringing countless loose stones with it!
The Rock Armor Giant Rhino had no time to react. The boulder struck its massive body squarely. It let out a cry of pain and staggered back several steps. A crack had actually opened in the rocky layers covering its body.
An opening!
Without hesitation, Hillman shot down the slope like lightning. His sword gathered all the Battle Qi in his body as he thrust it fiercely into that crack!
Shluk-
The sword pierced the crack in the rocky layer. Battle Qi surged wildly through it, wreaking havoc inside the giant rhino.
The Rock Armor Giant Rhino let out a deafening bellow of pain, its massive body struggling violently. It jerked its head and hurled Hillman away.
The tremendous force sent Hillman flying. He hit the ground hard, tasted blood in his throat, and spat out a mouthful. Enduring the intense pain, he quickly scrambled to his feet. Not daring to pause for even a moment, he charged at the giant rhino again.
The Rock Armor Giant Rhino was now in agony from the Battle Qi rampaging inside it, and its movements had become much slower. Hillman seized the opportunity, constantly circling the giant rhino and searching for openings. His sword thrust out again and again, each strike accurately hitting the cracks in its rocky layers.
The fierce battle lasted an hour. The Rock Armor Giant Rhino's roars grew weaker, and more and more cracks appeared across its body. Its movements became increasingly sluggish, and at last, a trace of fear appeared in its bell-sized eyes.
Hillman seized one final opportunity. Gathering all his remaining Battle Qi into his sword, he leaped up and thrust at the Rock Armor Giant Rhino's head!
The sword passed through a crack in the rocky layers and pierced the giant rhino's brain with precision.
The Rock Armor Giant Rhino's body shuddered violently, then its massive bulk crashed to the ground, throwing dust into the air.
Leaning on his sword, Hillman gasped for breath. Every muscle in his body trembled, and his Battle Qi was almost completely exhausted. He looked at the fallen Rock Armor Giant Rhino, a weary smile appearing on his face.
Had he not drawn on his ability to perceive the pulse of the earth, he would have had no chance of winning this battle.
After resting for a while, Hillman forced himself to walk to the cave entrance and cut away the vines. He inspected the interior. It was larger than he had imagined, covering several dozen square meters, with a dry, level floor. It was indeed an excellent place to shelter.
He dragged the Rock Armor Giant Rhino's carcass deep into the cave, sliced open its abdomen, and removed a fist-sized magic core glowing with an earthy yellow light. The energy contained in this Level Nine Magic Core was far purer and more abundant than that of the shadow-striped leopard's magic core.
Holding the magic core, Hillman sat cross-legged in the center of the cave and began absorbing its energy.
The sun sank in the west, its lingering rays spilling through the entrance onto Hillman. Outside the cave, the roars of magical beasts rose one after another, while inside, all was peaceful.
Hillman knew that from this moment on, this cave would be his base in the Magical Beast Forest, and the starting point of his push toward the Saint-level.
And this forest, fraught with danger, would also usher in an even crueler trial.
Before you continue