After resting for barely half a quarter of an hour, the group pushed through their exhaustion and pain and ventured deeper into the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts once more.
The blood of the sixth-level Shadow Leopard still clung to their weapons and robes. As the mountain wind swept over the undried stains, a bone-piercing chill seeped through. The Nalan Ruoshui sisters guarded the left and right flanks, Wind Magic constantly swirling around them. Not the slightest disturbance escaped their senses. Nalan Jingyu silently gathered her Fire Element mana, an orange-red glow flickering faintly at her fingertips, ready to face any sudden danger.
Xifaman scouted at the front, with the one-armed Kelan Kai close behind. Losing an arm had not diminished his presence; instead, it had given him an added ruthlessness born of staking his life on survival. Huohe brought up the rear, his hawklike gaze sweeping the dark forest around them. This region was nothing like the outskirts. The aura of magical beasts filling the air was alarmingly powerful.
"Be careful, everyone. The magical beasts here are probably all above the fifth level," Huohe warned in a low voice. "Shiheng and Xiaoman have been missing for nearly twenty days. If they really came this deep..."
He stopped. Everyone understood what he had left unsaid.
With the strength Shiheng and Xiaoman had possessed back then, they probably could not have survived even a single day in this central core region.
But no one wanted to voice the worst possible outcome.
Alive, they had to find them. Dead, they had to find their bodies.
Suddenly, Xifaman raised his hand sharply, signaling everyone to stop.
His brow furrowed as he sniffed the air, his expression instantly turning grave. "Something's wrong. This smell... there's more than one magical beast, and... they're very strong."
Before his words had faded, the earth began to tremble faintly.
A teeth-grating roar rose from deep within the forest. It sounded like neither a leopard nor a wolf, low and heavy, carrying a ferocity that could crush everything.
Kelan Kai's expression changed. "This aura... it's at least a peak sixth-level magical beast, possibly even a half-step seventh-level beast!"
Huohe's heart sank.
A single sixth-level Shadow Leopard had left every one of them wounded, barely escaping with their lives. If another, even stronger beast appeared...
"Hide!"
Huohe made the decision at once. Everyone immediately held their breath and darted behind thick ancient trees, suppressing all their mana and auras.
The next moment, an enormous figure slowly emerged from the forest.
It was a pitch-black giant bear, more than thirty feet tall, its muscles bulging and its hide as hard as steel. Scarlet eyes scanned its surroundings, and every step sent a faint tremor through the ground.
A peak sixth-level magical beast-a Black Iron Demon Bear!
Its defense and strength far surpassed those of the Shadow Leopard!
What chilled them even more was the pair of slightly smaller sixth-level Red-Patterned Tigers beside the Black Iron Demon Bear, their auras equally terrifying.
Three magical beasts of the sixth level or higher occupied this place.
Xifaman sucked in a cold breath. "We... walked into a magical beast den."
Nalan Ruoshui's face was pale. "They seem to be guarding something..." she whispered.
Huohe followed her gaze. Between the three beasts lay a small clearing, where a luminous white flowering herb grew, giving off a faint fragrance. It had only three petals, yet it emitted a strange pulse that soothed the mind.
"That's... Clearheart Spirit Grass!" Kelan Kai blurted in a low voice. "They say it steadies the mind and aids cultivation. It's an especially potent tonic for magical beasts!"
It was precisely this spirit grass that had brought the three powerful beasts together here, guarding it without attacking one another.
Huohe's heart turned ice-cold.
It was already too late to retreat. Once discovered, wounded and exhausted as they were, they would face certain death against three sixth-level magical beasts.
Advancing would be an even surer way to die.
Just as they found themselves unable to advance or retreat, the Black Iron Demon Bear suddenly whipped its head around, its scarlet gaze locking directly onto their hiding place.
Roar-!!!
A deafening roar thundered through the mountain forest.
"We've been spotted!"
A life-or-death crisis descended once more!
With their hiding place exposed by the Black Iron Demon Bear, everyone's heart plunged. There was no time to think before a desperate battle erupted!
"Spread out! Don't take it head-on!" Huohe roared, charging forward first with his refined-iron longsword to draw the Black Iron Demon Bear's attention. "Nalan Ruoshui, use all your wind control to hold back the Red-Patterned Tigers! Jingyu, use fire magic to burn the bear's hide and break its defenses! Xifaman, Kelan Kai, help me keep the Black Iron Demon Bear occupied! Everyone else, split up and deal with the two Red-Patterned Tigers!"
At this moment of life and death, everyone immediately took their assigned role without the slightest panic. Nalan Ruoshui's delicate hands moved rapidly as she chanted a wind magic incantation. Fierce winds suddenly swept through the forest, sending countless sharp Wind Blades toward the two Red-Patterned Tigers. At the same time, powerful currents wound tightly around their bodies, drastically restricting their speed and creating openings for her companions. Nalan Jingyu followed immediately, flames surging from her fingertips. Blazing fire formed several fiery serpents that lunged at the Black Iron Demon Bear. The intense heat scorched its hard hide with a sizzling sound, and an acrid burnt smell instantly spread.
Enraged, the Black Iron Demon Bear slammed its enormous paw into the ground, scattering earth and stones. Its tremendous strength shook everyone off balance. Ignoring the flames burning over its body, it charged straight at Hogg, its heavy paw carrying devastating force. A single hit would surely shatter bones and tear tendons. Huohe leaped up, barely avoiding the attack, and brought his longsword down on the bear's shoulder with all his strength. Yet it left only a faint white mark. This peak sixth-level beast's defense was several times more terrifying than the Shadow Leopard's!
The two Red-Patterned Tigers struggled free of the entangling Wind Blades and lunged forward with roars, their sharp claws slicing through the air toward the members on either side in swift, vicious attacks. Moving nimbly with Ruoshui's Wind Element acceleration, Xifaman flashed to one tiger's side and thrust his short blade straight at its eye, engaging it in close combat. Though Kelan Kai had lost an arm, his fighting strength remained undiminished. Gripping his battle-axe in his remaining hand, he forcibly withstood the other tiger's attacks. His axe flashed as he pressed forward step by step, never retreating even when the tiger's claws tore several wounds deep enough to expose bone.
The battle grew increasingly brutal. Already carrying unhealed wounds, the group gradually lost ground against their stronger opponents. Claws and fangs kept tearing into them, blood staining their clothes as their stamina rapidly drained. The Black Iron Demon Bear grew ever more savage. It abruptly broke free of the flames and swept its enormous paw sideways, sending Huohe flying. He slammed hard into a thick tree trunk and spat out a mouthful of blood. Agonizing pain tore through his chest, his injuries instantly worsening.
"Huohe!" Xifaman cried out in alarm. Distracted, he was struck in the shoulder by a Red-Patterned Tiger's paw. Blood instantly soaked his clothes, and he staggered, nearly falling.
As the Black Iron Demon Bear bore down with overwhelming ferocity, its massive paw about to strike the fallen Huohe, Kelan Kai's eyes widened in fury. Disregarding his own safety, he rushed forward and shielded Huohe with his body, ready to stake his life on it. At that critical instant, with death hanging by a thread, an exceptionally sharp whistle suddenly came from deep within the forest. A pale-green blast of Battle Qi, condensed almost into solid form, shot out so fast that only an afterimage remained, piercing the Black Iron Demon Bear's right eye with unerring precision!
The Black Iron Demon Bear let out an agonized roar that shook the mountain forest. Its enormous body abruptly stiffened, then writhed madly in pain, all order lost.
Immediately afterward, two figures shot from the depths of the forest like phantoms, moving faster than the naked eye could follow! Leading them was Shiheng after going Berserk. Though dust and blood stained his clothes, they could not conceal the fierce, oppressive presence surrounding him. Without the slightest pause, he sprang into the air. Using the momentum of his dive, he gripped his saber in both hands and drove it viciously into the Black Iron Demon Bear's wounded right eye, straight toward its brain. Battle Qi wrapped around the blade, instantly splitting the bear's hard skull! The entire sequence flowed smoothly and decisively, displaying the extraordinary fighting strength forged through desperate ordeals.
Xiaoman followed close behind, moving with nimble speed, a short blade thrusting straight at the vulnerable spot in the bear's throat in flawless coordination. Both launched killing moves from the outset, instantly suppressing the rampaging Black Iron Demon Bear.
"It's Shiheng! And Xiaoman! They're back!" Xifaman looked closely and immediately shouted in wild delight, his eyes filled with disbelieving excitement as fresh strength burst through his exhausted body.
The pair who had been missing for nearly twenty days, whom they had thought more likely dead than alive, had suddenly appeared with such overwhelming strength to turn the tide!
"Attack with everything you have!" Huohe forced himself to endure the pain in his chest and roared as he rose. At the sight, everyone's morale soared. Their depleted stamina seemed to flow back, and they all unleashed their full strength. Nalan Ruoshui increased her wind magic output, forming walls of wind that completely surrounded the three beasts and cut off their retreat. Nalan Jingyu unleashed the full power of her fire magic, turning blazing flames into a sea of fire that engulfed the bear and the Red-Patterned Tigers, scorching their flesh. Xifaman, Kelan Kai, and the others closed in from every direction, aiming every strike at the beasts' vital points as they joined Shiheng and Xiaoman in a killing assault.
With its brain injured, the Black Iron Demon Bear lost all ability to resist. After struggling briefly, it crashed to the ground and stopped breathing. Seeing this, the two Red-Patterned Tigers wanted to retreat, but the group kept them firmly engaged. Shiheng flashed behind one tiger in an instant, channeled Battle Qi into his blade, severed its tail with one slash, then cleanly slit its throat. The other was swiftly slain by everyone's combined efforts.
With the battle over, peace finally returned to the forest. Everyone collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, covered in blood and dust. Yet without exception, they all wore expressions of wild joy and relief at having survived.
Shiheng hurried over to them. Looking at their countless wounds, especially Kelan Kai's empty sleeve, his eyes filled with deep regret. His voice was hoarse. "I'm sorry I made everyone worry. I was badly injured fighting the Swift Raptor back then. Once I'd finally recovered enough, I came back to look for you, but high-level magical beasts kept blocking my way. I couldn't return sooner, and everyone suffered serious injuries searching for me."
Huohe patted his shoulder, a relieved smile appearing on his face as he spoke with comfort. "Silly boy, what matters is that you're back. As long as you two are safe, it was all worth it."
The evening breeze swept past, dispersing the thick smell of blood in the forest. After countless dangers, the separated companions had finally reunited with everyone present. After a short rest, they supported one another and slowly headed out of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. Having endured this trial of life and death, the bonds between them had grown deeper still.
Before you continue