Chapter Fifty-Five: The Colossal Spirit Beast

The savage aura continued to rise, stopping only when it was almost at the threshold of the sixth level. At that moment, Bi Xuan’s handsome face twisted unnaturally, his muscles spasming, jaw clenched tight, and his black eyes gleaming red with bloodlust—a truly ferocious sight.

Yu Rou took a step back, easing her attack. In the next instant, Bi Xuan howled and charged forward. A crimson energy, visible to the naked eye, erupted from his palm and poured into his weapon. His long spear shimmered with a bloody radiance, a scarlet streak like a meteor bursting forth, slashing toward the colossal beast’s head.

Sensing the danger, the Spirit-Horned Behemoth let out a low growl, finally halting its tireless advance to face the blood-soaked assault head-on. Lifting its head, the great beast lunged straight at Bi Xuan. Neither side retreated; with thunderous crashes, the beast’s iron-hard skull clashed with the spear, suffering wounds for the first time—bloody holes marking its massive forehead.

Bright red blood flowed, sending the beast into a maddened frenzy. The spear wove in and out like a phantom, its point spitting blood-red light, puncturing the beast’s skull in a flurry of star-like stabs.

With a snort, the behemoth exhaled clouds of white breath and stomped its massive hoof onto Bi Xuan. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body, like a withered leaf, was sent flying. Even with his cultivation raised to half-step sixth level, he could not ignore the beast’s brutal strength.

“Bi Xuan, are you all right?” Yu Rou cried in alarm, raising her longsword and thrusting it at the beast without hesitation. A wave of white energy seemed to freeze the very air; the icy, crystalline tip pierced the wounded skull, but only sank a short distance—nowhere near enough to deal serious harm.

The beast, enraged by pain, tossed its massive head. Yu Rou was flung away, tumbling down beneath a great tree.

Leaning on his spear, Bi Xuan struggled to stand. He saw Yu Rou hurled aside and, without a second thought, threw himself at the beast again, the spear unleashing a storm of blows.

He broke through at the beast’s ear, driving the spear deep, crimson blood spurting out. The beast howled, and Bi Xuan was once more kicked aside, sent flying by the beast’s trampling hooves.

This could not go on—if it did, someone would die. “Stay put and don’t move,” Yun Yufeng instructed before leaping down from the tree and rushing toward the beast.

“Hey, come back! Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Yu Zhen’s heart was gripped with worry and fear, seeing Bi Xuan so battered. Now, watching Yun Yufeng charge in, he could only sweat with anxiety.

“Ma You, what are you doing? Get back!” Yu Rou rejoined the fray. Seeing Yun Yufeng rush in, she shouted sharply.

Yun Yufeng grinned, flashing white teeth. “If I don’t step in, someone’s going to die.”

Yu Rou was momentarily stunned, then chided, “You’re the one who’ll get us killed! Get back, now!” As she spoke, the icy sword aura flickered, instantly freezing the blood on the beast’s head.

Yun Yufeng’s face fell, and he shouted, “You’re stopping its bleeding? You can’t do that!”

Yu Rou realized her mistake. At first, the beast was uninjured and immune to swords, so she hadn’t noticed. Now, with a massive wound, her water-based, ice-attributed energy had unwittingly stanched the bleeding, making her feel both embarrassed and annoyed. She feigned anger: “What can you do, anyway? Get down, I can’t look after you too!”

Yun Yufeng offered no answer. Instead, both hands erupted in a brilliant purple glow as he drove his energy to the limit. The heavy black sword became a blur, crashing down on the Spirit-Horned Behemoth’s skull. With a dull boom, the rampaging beast halted abruptly, swaying its head, its remaining blood-red eye fixed unblinking on Yun Yufeng.

Yu Rou stared in astonishment at the beast’s sudden stillness. How could a creature in such a frenzy grow quiet so suddenly?

The beast panted heavily, then a thin trickle of blood seeped from its nostrils. With a snort, the blood turned to mist, drifting in the air. Shaking its head, the Spirit-Horned Behemoth let out a howl of pain, abandoning Bi Xuan and Yu Rou, now turning its fury on Yun Yufeng. Its massive hooves thundered against the ground, scarlet eyes blazing with danger, head lowered for a charge.

Yun Yufeng gripped the heavy sword, circling the beast, seizing every opportunity to strike—each time channeling the Wave-Crashing Sword Seal into its skull.

After the first blow, Yun Yufeng had already discerned the resonance frequency of the beast’s attacks. This was precisely why he needed experience from countless battles: every creature, every physical entity, had its own resonance frequency. Yun Yufeng’s aim was to build a catalogue of these frequencies—something no one could teach, only self-learned through battle.

Before the stunned eyes of Yu Rou and Bi Xuan, the Spirit-Horned Behemoth lasted only a few breaths before Yun Yufeng shattered its brain to pulp, its heavy body collapsing amidst a whirlwind of dust and leaves.

In truth, at this stage, Yun Yufeng was a perfect counter to brute beasts. Against an elemental magical beast, however, the battle would be far more perilous, with no guarantee of victory. Elemental beasts could channel magical energy to create layers of internal barriers; unless killed instantly, their tough hides would prevent repeated attacks from reaching vital points.

In such cases, Yun Yufeng would have to constantly adjust his attack frequency to inflict mortal wounds—requiring extensive experience fighting elemental beasts.

Bi Xuan swallowed a healing pill, leaning on his spear as he walked over, face pale and bloodless. After being stomped twice, his internal injuries were severe. Yu Rou’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Yun Yufeng, as though trying to see through him.

Yun Yufeng coughed lightly, unable to bear Yu Rou’s gaze. “Don’t look at me like that. This is a treasure—we need to deal with it quickly. Bi Xuan, how’s your injury? Can you go on?”

“I’ll live. But you, my young friend, truly surprised us. You hid your strength well—silent all this time, and then you stun everyone with a single move.”

Yun Yufeng chuckled. “You and Yu Rou always handled things so easily; I was happy to slack off.”

Bi Xuan glared. “If we hadn’t been on the verge of ruin, would you have stayed up in that tree forever?”

Yun Yufeng scratched his head. “I had to protect Xiao Zhen, didn’t I? Besides, you’re so formidable—how could I hope to compare?”

Bi Xuan rolled his eyes, sat down cross-legged, and focused on healing.

Yun Yufeng glanced at him, then raised a hand; a mist of gentle, cold dew enveloped Bi Xuan, speeding his recovery. Bi Xuan shot him a curious glance, but said nothing, resuming his meditation.

Yu Rou, seeing Yun Yufeng wielding a life-based combat skill, exclaimed in surprise, “Ma You, do you practice dual elements?”

Yun Yufeng nodded. “Just enough to stay alive. Otherwise, I’d have died many times already. Though it may make future breakthroughs a bit trickier, it’s not a problem for me.”

Yu Rou smiled radiantly, beautiful and flushed from the fierce battle, basking in the thrill of survival.

“That’s true. If Xiao Zhen were like you, I’d have nothing to worry about. Well, this behemoth is your spoils; you should handle it.”

Yun Yufeng stroked his chin, realizing the beast was far too large for his storage pouch. “I’ll take the magic core; the rest of the materials are yours. This is my first time defeating a fifth-rank beast—I want the core as a keepsake.”

“But that’s not fair—the most valuable part of the Spirit-Horned Behemoth isn’t the core, but its body. The core is only fifth rank, but its flesh is as tough as that of a sixth-rank beast—extremely valuable. If you divide it this way, we’ll feel guilty.”

At this moment, the little gluttonous wolf leapt down from the tree, scampered onto Yun Yufeng’s shoulder, and fixed its bright eyes on the behemoth’s skull.

Yun Yufeng waved it off. “Don’t worry. I only need the core to feed this little guy. Nothing more.”

“Feed him? Isn’t that a dangerous way to evolve?”

“I used to worry, but it seems this little fellow is special—there’s nothing to fear.”

Yu Rou covered her mouth, laughing. “You’re both quite unique. In that case, I’ll gladly accept.”

She took a long dagger from her pouch and set to work carving up the behemoth. Even in death, its defenses remained formidable—once refined, its hide would make armor capable of withstanding sixth-rank attacks.

When all was done, Yu Rou offered Yun Yufeng a fist-sized, crystal-clear core radiating gentle, peaceful energy.

“Thank you, Ma You.” Bi Xuan opened his eyes and stood slowly. “That was close. Without your help, we’d have had to use our family’s special means—that would have been a waste.”

Yun Yufeng nodded; he hadn’t believed this was all Bi Xuan could do. As a scion of a noble family, he was sure to have secret life-saving techniques. Still, it seemed Bi Xuan had used a forbidden method to boost his power, resulting in a period of weakness—common knowledge.

Though his wounds were healing thanks to his pills, Bi Xuan remained pale, his aura fluctuating with weakness.

Gazing into the misty depths of the forest, Bi Xuan shook his head. “It’s not wise to venture further now. At least, we should wait until I recover. Yu Rou, what do you think?”

“Let’s see what Ma You says.”

Yun Yufeng thought for a moment. “My goal is to reach the mountain’s summit—that’s my aim for this journey. But clearly, that won’t be achieved in a single day, and we may have to flee for our lives more than once. I’m in no rush. Let’s wait for Bi Xuan to recover before deciding. I imagine this forest is your intended endpoint—you brought Xiao Zhen here for experience, not to risk his life, am I right?”

Yu Rou smiled. “Exactly. This is our limit. We only wanted Xiao Zhen to be baptized in blood, not to court disaster. So, let’s rest here. There’s nothing more to do today—tomorrow we move on.”

Yun Yufeng looked around and pointed to a towering tree nearby. “Why not rest up there? Its branches are thick and intertwined—perfect for a temporary platform.”

The others agreed—after all, the ground here was soaked in the behemoth’s blood, the air thick with its scent, making it unfit to linger. They moved to the great tree, climbed up, and began building their shelter.

Yun Yufeng remained below, wanting to explore the surroundings. He glanced up. “Bi Xuan, Yu Rou, I’ll scout the area. You go ahead.”

Yu Rou, sword in hand, paused. “Shall I go with you?”

Yun Yufeng shook his head. “No need. I’ll be fine alone.”

With that, he departed, vanishing into the milky mist.

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