Even before the spirit beast showed itself, the heavy footfalls arrived with its roar, hammering against the heart like a massive drum. Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Nie Qing'an exchanged glances, their expressions growing grave. The spirit beast about to appear was likely to be extremely dangerous!

A few moments later, a colossal figure finally shuffled slowly out from the right side of the valley entrance. The creature stood at least one meter seventy tall, its entire body glowing a fierce red, like fire. A thick, long, blood-red horn crowned its massive head, and between its slightly parted jaws flashed two stark white, razor-sharp fangs.

"Unicorn Blood Lion!"

Nie Qing'an's heart lurched, the four words escaping his lips involuntarily.

Bai Yuqing’s delicate features remained composed, but her pupils contracted involuntarily. Nie Kong let out a long breath, his mouth tasting bitter.

The Unicorn Blood Lion: a pinnacle Second-Grade spirit beast, yet its actual strength was in no way inferior to an average Third-Grade spirit beast.

Nie Kong never imagined encountering such a behemoth at such a critical juncture. Even at their peak strength, it was doubtful that the combined power of himself, Bai Yuqing, and Nie Qing'an could withstand a direct assault from the Unicorn Blood Lion—let alone in their current state. He feared they wouldn't last until the final moments this time.

Casting a cold glare over Nie Kong and the others, the Unicorn Blood Lion licked its stark white teeth and began stalking into the valley. Initially, its steps were slow and unhurried, a leisurely stroll, but it quickened its pace, and within seconds, it broke into a clumsy gallop.

"Awooo!"

It unleashed a heaven-shaking roar, the Unicorn Blood Lion suddenly accelerating, shooting toward Nie Kong and his companions like a streak of crimson thread. Its blood-red eyes burned with ruthless killing intent. Where its shadow passed, it seemed as if a hurricane had suddenly swept through, flattening the surrounding vegetation on either side.

In an instant, the beast was twenty meters away and lunged directly at Nie Kong, who stood opposite it, as if it had instantly discerned that Nie Kong possessed the lowest cultivation among the trio.

Damn it! Picking on the soft target?

"Kill!"

Nie Kong roared, launching himself straight at the Unicorn Blood Lion. Seeing this, Bai Yuqing and Nie Qing'an hesitated for only a moment before drawing their iron swords and attacking the spirit beast from the left and right. Under these circumstances, there was no room for selfish thoughts of conserving strength; only by uniting their efforts did they have a sliver of hope for survival.

"Swish!"

Just as he was about to collide violently with the speeding Unicorn Blood Lion, Nie Kong suddenly dropped low, narrowly skimming past the ground in a move that defied death. At the exact moment the beast flew over him, Nie Kong unleashed his right fist, driving a "Cloud Layered Bloom" strike into the beast's flank.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Simultaneously, the two iron swords slammed heavily onto the spirit beast's spine.

"Augh!"

An enraged bellow ripped out. As the Unicorn Blood Lion landed, it whipped its head around swiftly; Bai Yuqing was knocked flying by the massive skull, while Nie Qing'an, lashed by the beast’s steel-whip-like tail, cartwheeled nearly ten meters before crashing heavily onto the corpse of another spirit beast.

Ignoring the struggling Bai Yuqing and Nie Qing'an, the Unicorn Blood Lion planted its hind legs firmly and stared directly at Nie Kong, its eyes seeming to ignite with surging flames. The strike to its flank hadn't inflicted significant injury, but it felt the profound humiliation of being toyed with beneath its belly.

For a moment, the Unicorn Blood Lion hated Nie Kong with extreme fervor.

"Whoosh!"

A red blur flashed as the Unicorn Blood Lion’s robust body lunged toward Nie Kong, its speed rivaling a meteor. Nie Kong executed 'Flowing Cloud Evasion,' narrowly avoiding the thrust of its sharp horn, but he couldn't evade the sweeping tail. In the blink of an eye, the red tail slammed onto Nie Kong’s chest.

"Thump!"

A surge of immense force threw Nie Kong ten meters away. His chest was a mess of torn flesh, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The Unicorn Blood Lion paused only briefly before diving in again, opening its cavernous maw to bite at Nie Kong’s head, its sharp fangs emitting a chilling coldness.

Must it be this vicious? I just hit it near its crotch, I didn't actually touch its sensitive spot! Nie Kong managed a self-deprecating smile. In this moment of crisis, he couldn't afford deep thought; he channeled his remaining spiritual energy and desperately rolled backward, escaping the scope of the beast's pounce.

The Unicorn Blood Lion’s jaws snapped shut on empty air, but its front claws gouged two deep holes in the earth.

Dust billowed up.

"Hiss!"

A streak of golden light shot from Nie Kong’s palm, stabbing directly into the spirit beast's blood-red left eye. It was a golden needle Nie Kong had seized the opportunity to draw; the tip sank completely into the pupil. At that precise moment, Nie Qing'an and Bai Yuqing rushed in again. One sword cleaved at the beast's neck, while the other plunged directly into its rear—the broad blade carrying an icy chill driving straight into the creature’s wrinkled excretory orifice.

"Roar!"

A piercing agony erupted from both the front and back points of attack. The Unicorn Blood Lion screamed frantically, its body contorting like a hedgehog, every hair standing on end.

Bang bang bang!

Three figures were hurled backward. Nie Kong's left arm had been raked by the spirit beast; a long strip of muscle was torn away, exposing the stark white bone beneath. Bai Yuqing was swept away by the tuft of fur at the end of the beast’s tail, collapsing to the ground, coughing up blood in great gulps. Nie Qing'an suffered worse; his shoulder blade was pierced by the spirit beast’s sharp horn.

"Roar!"

The Unicorn Blood Lion kept its left eye tightly shut, blood gushing out. It shook its head and lunged again at Nie Kong, the instigator. Its single visible eye gleamed with bloodthirsty malice, seemingly wanting to tear Nie Kong to shreds.

Nie Kong braced himself on his arms, gasping for breath, his eyes locked on the rapidly approaching beast. Just as its head reared up and its forelegs were about to land, Nie Kong’s body suddenly shot upward, landing squarely on the beast’s massive skull. Golden light flashed, and another golden needle plunged into its right eye.

"Bang!"

The Unicorn Blood Lion was blinded, shaking its head with savage frenzy. Nie Kong was flung dozens of meters like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground. He yelled hoarsely, "Hurry up!"

As the words fell, Nie Qing'an and Bai Yuqing summoned their remaining strength, their faces contorted with grim determination as they charged forward.

Taking advantage of the moment the Unicorn Blood Lion thrashed its head and roared, Nie Qing'an’s iron sword darted cunningly into its mouth, effectively strangling the rest of its cry. Bai Yuqing, meanwhile, punched the hilt of the sword stuck outside the beast’s rear; the half-length broadsword, hilt and all, sank deep into the spirit beast’s body.

Bang! Bang!

Nie Qing'an and Bai Yuqing were knocked away, falling like discarded sacks in the distance.

"Aow-uh…"

The Unicorn Blood Lion staggered a few steps toward where Nie Kong lay, then its massive body collapsed with a thud. Like a punctured bellows, a final, harsh, grating sound escaped its throat, filled with an intense, unconquerable mixture of fury and unwillingness.

That was brutally fierce!

Glancing over, Nie Kong saw that Bai Yuqing and Nie Qing'an were still motionless. They hadn't dissolved into the air, so they probably hadn't drawn their last breath yet. Nie Kong coughed up another mouthful of thick, dark blood, a faint smile touching his lips. Just then, streaks of multicolored rosy light began to filter down from the hazy, pale sky above.

It’s finally almost over!

…

P: A huge thank you to those friends who have generously tipped and cast evaluation votes. Wipes sweat I won't list the names. I also deeply appreciate everyone who has clicked on or cast recommendation votes. Your support is incredibly encouraging, though I admit my update speed has been sluggish. Ahem, some friends have probably noticed this. This is mainly because I must travel a long distance soon, so I need to start stockpiling chapters now to avoid sporadic updates while I’m away. Rest assured, I’ve already banked over ten thousand characters in the last two days. The plot for Volume Two is finalized, and I am currently drafting Volume Three. I hope everyone will continue to support me. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

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