The life-and-death struggle that had begun in the woods would finally reach its decisive battle beside this towering cliff.
On the battlefield now, there was no room left for clever tricks or needless flourishes.
There was no deft maneuvering, no dazzling display of techniques, only the most primal, direct collisions-if you charged, I took it head-on; if you threw a punch, I caught it. Every collision shook the earth and sent waves of air surging, shattering the surrounding rocks into flying fragments and uprooting every plant along the cliff.
The Swift Raptor's body was as hard as iron, his claws and fangs lethally vicious, and every pounce carried the power to destroy heaven and earth; Shiheng's punches and kicks were unmatched in their ferocity, and he steadily withstood every attack without the slightest retreat.
Time ticked by, and the setting sun gradually sank westward, its lingering light staining the cliff a deep gold and red.
The Swift Raptor's attacks gradually slowed. Wounds of varying depths covered his body, blood dripping steadily from them and gathering in small pools beside the cliff. Every breath came in a heavy gasp, and his vitality drained rapidly with each head-on clash.
But Shiheng was suffering too. His clothes were already soaked in blood, his arms and shoulders covered in deep claw marks, his bones aching dully and his body numb from the impacts. Yet his gaze had never wavered in the slightest. His unyielding will was like a pine at the cliff's edge, standing firm no matter how fiercely the wind howled.
At last, the final gleam of dusk fell upon the towering cliff.
The Swift Raptor let out a shrill roar and lunged at Shiheng with his last shred of strength, his enormous body hurtling forward with the last of his vitality. Rather than retreating, Shiheng advanced, turning sideways to evade him while gathering all his strength into a punch that slammed into the Swift Raptor's skull.
"Bam-"
The dull sound of the impact echoed through the valley.
The Swift Raptor's body suddenly stiffened. His once-ferocious eyes rapidly lost their luster, and his taut muscles abruptly relaxed. He slowly toppled over and crashed heavily onto the rocks beside the cliff, lying motionless beneath the sunset's glow, utterly lifeless.
Shiheng slowly withdrew his fist, his chest heaving, the movement tugging at his wounds and sending searing pain through him. He lowered his head to look at the Swift Raptor's corpse on the ground. That body of a seventh-level peak magical beast had fallen before his unyielding will at last.
This life-and-death duel across a gulf in strength ended at dusk, its final curtain falling with willpower triumphing over vitality.
At the sight of the Swift Raptor's fall, the taut aura surrounding Shiheng abruptly collapsed. His body, which had been sustained entirely by a will that feared no death, could no longer suppress the injuries churning within him, and the berserk state he had forcibly activated instantly ended on its own. Agony swept through him like a tide, every limb and bone feeling as though it had been crushed. He staggered, all strength drained from his body, and his vision repeatedly darkened. He pitched straight toward the cliff's edge, yet sheer persistence kept him from collapsing to the ground then and there.
Just as his body was about to tilt and plunge into the vast sea of clouds beside him, a slender figure burst from the woods in desperate haste. Her steps were hurried but sure as she rushed forward, reached out, and firmly caught the collapsing Shiheng. It was Kelin Xiaoman. Her face was deathly pale, fine beads of sweat covered her temples, and branches had torn several rents in her skirt. Her eyes were filled with lingering fear and worry as she stared fixedly at the blood-drenched, weakly breathing Shiheng in her arms, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
Everyone had been deeply worried ever since Shiheng had left in pursuit of the Swift Raptor. Nalan Jingyu had wanted Xifaman to follow secretly behind Shiheng and protect him, but Huohe and their other companions had suffered severe injuries in the earlier fierce battle and urgently needed people to tend to them and treat their wounds. While everyone was struggling to decide and gathered to discuss what to do, Kelin Xiaoman had set off directly toward Shiheng's battle. They had originally thought that even if Shiheng pursued the Swift Raptor, he would turn back upon sensing danger if he could not catch up after a prolonged chase, and they had assumed his life would not be at risk. They had never imagined that Shiheng intended to fight until one of them died and would battle the Swift Raptor to the bitter end. This running battle lasted nearly an entire day, the two of them crossing the outskirts of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts and pressing deep into its middle region, covering seven hundred li in all.
This area was extraordinarily dangerous, especially the four hundred li through the middle of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, where fifth-level magical beasts could be seen everywhere. For Kelin Xiaoman, who was only a fourth-level mage, deadly danger lurked with every step, and the slightest carelessness could land her in a magical beast's jaws. Yet she could not stop worrying about Shiheng and insisted on coming alone to find him, following the traces left by their fierce battle. Fortunately, the aura of nearly eighth-level combat power that the Swift Raptor and Shiheng had unleashed earlier had been so terrifying that all the magical beasts along the way had fled in fear, not daring to approach; moreover, Xiaoman had followed only the route where the two had fought, avoiding countless dangers.
Throughout the journey, she had been frightened and anxious, exhausted in both mind and spirit, yet she had stubbornly gritted her teeth and pressed on, not daring to stop for even a moment. Only one thought filled her mind: to find Shiheng and make sure he was safe. Fortunately, her efforts had not been in vain. In the end, she had reached the cliff at the most critical moment, just in time to catch Shiheng as he was about to collapse.
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