Entering the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts

On the outskirts of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, the woods grew increasingly dense. Ancient trees towered overhead, blotting out the sky and sun, while the raw scent of vegetation and the faint aura of magical beasts filled the air.

At the head of the group, Squad Leader Lefu stood tall and straight as a pine, clad in sturdy, finely forged armor that was black from head to toe. It fitted his burly frame, every contour conveying a sense of iron strength. As both a Fourth-Level Warrior and the leader of this squad, he exuded the steady, lethal air of a battle-hardened veteran. His eyes were sharp, constantly watching for movement around them.

Close behind him were ten elite warriors, including Shiheng, Linlai, and Tekakang. The eleven men advanced steadily along the mountain trail, all gripping their weapons tightly, holding their breath and focusing, not daring to let down their guard.

They had gone barely half a li into the heart of the mountains when they keenly sensed an abrupt change in the atmosphere.

The calls of insects and birds had vanished without a trace, leaving only the rustle of wind through leaves. A thick, pungent stench of blood assailed them. An oppressive atmosphere enveloped the group, clearly heralding a vicious battle to the death.

"Watch out! Magical beasts!"

Squad Leader Lefu gave a low shout. Before his words had faded, several fiery-red shapes burst from the dense woods on either side of the trail!

It was a pack of third-level Fire Wolves-eight or nine of them!

These Fire Wolves were far larger than ordinary wild wolves. Raging flames burned across their fur, and waves of scorching heat swept outward, withering and charring the surrounding vegetation. Baring sharp fangs, they continually spat blazing Fireballs from their mouths. Their blood-red eyes remained fixed on the men, their savage aura inspiring dread.

Faced with this sudden, ferocious encirclement, Squad Leader Lefu remained composed and fearless, instantly displaying exceptional battlefield leadership.

"Quick! Form the Circular Defensive Formation! Protect our wounded comrades!"

His stern command rang out with force. The squad members immediately moved, swiftly closing ranks in their practiced formation and standing back-to-back with weapons in hand to form a solid defensive line.

Squad Leader Lefu himself seized a heavy greatsword half a man's height and charged out first!

His black armor gleamed coldly in the shifting forest light. Like a god of war emerging from purgatory, he swung his greatsword with incomparably fierce whistles through the air. With his powerful warrior's physique and the weight of his blade, every slash drove back a lunging Fire Wolf. Sword Qi carved deep wounds into their bodies, sending flames and blood spraying.

Under Squad Leader Lefu's valiant charge and calm direction, the squad worked as one, holding the battle line firm and stubbornly resisting the Fire Wolves' frenzied lunges and bites. But the wolves' attacks were too fierce. Amid scorching flames, tearing claws, and snapping jaws, two squad members still failed to dodge in time and were badly slashed by sharp claws. Blood gushed from their arms and shoulders, instantly staining their uniforms red, their faces turning deathly pale with pain.

Despite the peril, not a single member of the squad panicked.

Gritting their teeth, they fought desperately, slashing with weapons and striking with fists and feet, their coordination seamless. Roars, clashing weapons, and the Fire Wolves' howls of pain echoed through the mountain forest.

After a bloody struggle, they finally killed the entire pack. Fully six Fire Wolves lay in pools of blood, the flames on their bodies gradually dying out. Warm blood soaked the ground, and several crystalline, fiery-red Magicite Cores rolled out of the wolf corpses, giving off faint fluctuations of energy.

Looking at the magical beast corpses and scattered Magicite Cores covering the ground, the men finally relaxed their taut nerves, unconcealable joy appearing on their faces.

For low-ranking soldiers like them, these Magicite Cores could fetch a substantial price at the market, enough to help support their families for a long time. The Fire Wolves' bodies were also a rare source of meat for cultivation; taken home, they would provide their families with several hearty meals. To reap such a rich harvest just after entering the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts left everyone exhilarated. Much of the fatigue and pain of the past several days seemed to melt away.

But the joy of victory lasted only a moment.

Disaster struck without warning!

An enormous shadow suddenly swept across the sky, blotting out the light!

A terrifying aura several times more powerful than that of the third-level Fire Wolves crashed down upon them like the crushing weight of a mountain!

A fifth-level Thunder Eagle, several times the size of a mighty eagle and with a wingspan of several meters, suddenly swooped down like a thunderbolt from the shadows of the dense forest high above! Crackling purple lightning coiled around its body. Its beating wings whipped up fierce winds, and its sharp beak and talons gleamed coldly. It moved so fast that the men had no time to react!

"Watch out! It's a high-level magical beast!"

Squad Leader Lefu cried out in alarm, but it was already too late.

Several dazzling bolts of purple lightning erupted from the Thunder Eagle, slicing through the dim forest and instantly striking two completely unprepared squad members!

The overpowering force of the lightning sent both men flying into tree trunks. They struck hard, coughed up blood, and collapsed unconscious on the spot, their survival uncertain!

The sudden lethal attack caught everyone utterly off guard.

The relaxed atmosphere vanished in an instant. Tension, fear, and a heavy, deathly silence enveloped the group. Everyone went pale, trembling uncontrollably as they stared at the Fifth-Level Magical Beast before them.

A Fifth-Level Magical Beast!

A terrifying existence far beyond a Fourth-Level Warrior!

Magical beasts already possessed powerful bodies and combat strength far exceeding that of human warriors at the same level. This Thunder Eagle was an entire major realm above Squad Leader Lefu, a Fourth-Level Warrior! The gulf between them was an impassable chasm!

Seeing his comrades lying gravely wounded and on the verge of death, Squad Leader Lefu's eyes stretched wide with anguish, anxiety burning within him. Yet he knew all too well how vastly their strength differed. Making an immediate decision, he roared with all his strength, "Everyone! Retreat immediately! Hurry!"

At his command, the squad members turned to flee this place of certain death.

But Squad Leader Lefu did not retreat a single step!

He tightened his grip on his greatsword, his gaze resolute. Though he knew he was no match, he still stepped forward without hesitation, placing himself between the Thunder Eagle and his men. Bearing his armor, he charged straight at the fifth-level Thunder Eagle without a backward glance!

He intended to trade his own life for a chance for his men to escape!

Sadly, courage could never bridge a gap in strength.

A Fourth-Level Warrior fighting a Fifth-Level Magical Beast was like an egg striking a stone.

The Thunder Eagle let out a piercing cry and beat its wings, its lightning surging. In just two exchanges, its sharp talons struck Squad Leader Lefu squarely in the chest. Cracks instantly split his black armor, and he flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily to the ground. He coughed up blood, his whole body wracked with pain as though his bones had shattered. Unable to rise, he could only stare helplessly at the Thunder Eagle, having completely lost the ability to fight.

After dealing with Squad Leader Lefu, the Thunder Eagle instantly fixed its icy eyes on Shiheng, the last of the group who had not fled.

With heavy steps, it advanced toward Shiheng. Its terrifying lightning aura and the oppressive might of a magical beast bore down on him like an invisible hand threatening to swallow him whole.

The shadow of death instantly enveloped Shiheng, close enough to touch!

At that critical moment, Shiheng felt a hidden power erupt within him like a volcano! This was a powerful act of self-preservation from his mutated soul in response to extreme danger. Shiheng himself did not know this; later, through sheer accident, he would create his own Berserk Secret Art.

Adrenaline instantly swept through his body. Muscles that had stiffened with fear became utterly relaxed; his mind, previously frozen by tension, now raced, and everything around him became incomparably clear. Even the fear in his heart and the pain in his body vanished without a trace!

This was... the legendary Berserk of the Barbarian Race!

In an instant, Shiheng's aura transformed completely!

His strength, speed, agility, and physique surged in every respect. A wild, overpowering aura radiated from him as his combat strength soared, breaking straight through his limits and firmly reaching the level of a fifth-level warrior! An invisible layer of Battle Qi seemed to envelop him. His gaze was sharp as a blade, without a trace of fear. Like a man possessed by a god of war, he stared fearlessly at the fifth-level Thunder Eagle before him.

The fifth-level Thunder Eagle had clearly not expected this seemingly weak human to unleash such formidable power in an instant. A flicker of surprise crossed its eyes.

But its pride as a high-level magical beast kept it from retreating in the slightest.

The Thunder Eagle threw back its head and cried toward the sky. Lightning surged around it, and with talons outstretched, it lunged at Shiheng again with boundless ferocity!

A harrowing battle to the death began!

Relying on his extreme speed and formidable strength after going Berserk, Shiheng engaged the fifth-level Thunder Eagle in a desperate fight. The whistles of fists and feet cutting through the air, the explosions of lightning, and the eagle's shrieks resounded through the mountain forest. Man and beast fought from the ground into midair, from the woods to the streamside, every collision shaking heaven and earth.

Shiheng risked his life with every move, holding nothing back and drawing on every last ounce of his strength. The Thunder Eagle attacked savagely, lightning raging, yet it could never break through Shiheng's Berserk defenses, much less defeat him.

Time crept past, second by second and minute by minute, through a full hour of brutal combat.

The longer the fifth-level Thunder Eagle fought, the more alarmed it became. It now understood that this Berserk human was far stronger than it had imagined. No matter how fiercely it attacked with all its might, it could not defeat him. If it continued the struggle, not only would it gain nothing, it might even suffer serious injuries.

At last, the Thunder Eagle gave a cry of unwillingness and turned away in frustration. Beating its lightning-covered wings, it shot into the sky and vanished deep into the dense forests of the vast Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, leaving for good.

The crisis was finally over.