This behemoth dragon, Zhang Yang had encountered before, but back then, his cultivation was too low—only mid-stage third layer—and he couldn't grasp the terror it commanded.
Now, having grasped a portion of the Great Way of Nature and possessing a profound understanding of energy, he truly comprehended the dragon's sheer dreadfulness.
Such a colossal dragon, composed entirely of heaven and earth energy—a complete body of pure energy.
No wonder the impression it left last time felt so profoundly real, so crushing. To gather the energy of heaven and earth and manifest it into a tangible dragon was something Zhang Yang hadn't dared to imagine before.
He could currently only borrow a small fraction of external energy, and only through the intermediary of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique. The energy he utilized served only to heal his wounds and slightly bolster his strength.
Furthermore, the energy he commanded was entirely formless. Thinking back to when he first managed to borrow energy through his sword techniques, he had felt immense pride. Now, witnessing the terrifying energy body of the Illusory Rat, that arrogance was shattered into dust.
Between himself and this mighty Illusory Rat, there was truly no comparison. At best, he was merely borrowing the energy of heaven and earth; the word "borrow" explained everything.
The Illusory Rat, however, wielded energy directly, as easily as commanding its own limbs. The difference between them was immeasurable.
To put it mildly, they were the difference between a single star's glimmer and the full moon in the sky; there was simply no comparison. Zhang Yang was that pitiful speck of starlight.
Zhang Yang knew this Illusory Rat could not possibly be a mere fourth-layer spirit beast. It was no wonder Zhang Pinglu suspected the spirit beasts of Yinlong Mountain had reached the fifth layer; only a fifth-layer spirit beast could possess such terrifying power.
Even before the dragon descended to the base of the mountain, Hu Yanfeng’s expression shifted violently.
“This madman, daring to disturb it?”
Hu Yanfeng muttered softly. He stood rooted at the foot of the mountain, daring not to ascend. Legend held that one was safe at the base of Yinlong Mountain. At this moment, he felt a massive surge of energy emanating from halfway up the slope—an energy so immense he had never witnessed its like in his entire life.
The words had barely left his mouth when his face turned ashen again.
“Energy Avatar?”
Hu Yanfeng exclaimed involuntarily. He saw a gigantic divine dragon soaring through the clouds, its maw already open. Before it even reached the lower slopes, it unleashed a deafening roar that carried for a hundred li.
Within that hundred li radius, from the soaring eagles to the burrowing moles, from the massive Southern Border elephants to the minuscule jumping fleas, every living thing froze, unable to dare move, all prostrate.
Within the hundred li radius also resided a small number of Inner Strength practitioners.
Regardless of their cultivation layer, every one of these practitioners’ complexions changed instantly, their gazes locked onto Yinlong Mountain in terror.
The higher their cultivation, the greater the pressure they felt. At this moment, only one thought echoed in their minds: What entity had provoked the terrifying being dwelling on Yinlong Mountain into such a rage?
Seeing the dragon descend, Hu Yanfeng didn't even pause to think; he turned and fled.
He had already sensed the energy vastly superior to his own, and now witnessing this terrifying Energy Avatar, the notion of resistance vanished.
An Energy Avatar—that was the hallmark ability of a fifth-layer expert. Yet, he never imagined that this fifth-layer spirit beast could condense such a massive dragon avatar from energy; even an ordinary human fifth-layer expert couldn't achieve this.
At this point, only a fool would remain.
“Hoo, hoo!”
He had barely bolted a thousand meters when that wave of energy swept close to him again. Hu Yanfeng lost six of his seven souls, every hair on his body standing on end.
Forgetting all else, he pushed his speed to its absolute limit, fleeing like the wind.
Previously, it was Zhang Yang and Zhuifeng fleeing; now, the one running was him.
“Damn it, this creature never leaves the mountain, why is it chasing me?” Hu Yanfeng thought bitterly while running, experiencing the very sensation of pursuit that Zhang Yang had suffered earlier.
“Whoosh!”
A gigantic fireball shot from the dragon's mouth, hurtling toward Hu Yanfeng at incredible speed—an energy attack manifesting form.
Formless energy had taken tangible shape, and the sheer energy contained within was even more terrifying. Zhang Yang, still halfway up the slope, gaped again; this single fireball contained more raw energy than Hu Yanfeng’s entire body generated when he moved.
If one purely felt the energy signatures, the fleeing Hu Yanfeng was a small, thin wisp, while the pursuing dragon was a thick, heavy mass—not only dozens of times larger in volume but vastly superior in density as well.
There was no basis for comparison.
The instant the fireball appeared, Hu Yanfeng’s heart hammered. This potent energy projectile could instantly reduce him to powder. With no time to think, he circulated all his strength, accelerating again, scrambling to hide behind the shelter of another mountain peak.
The massive fireball struck the mountainside, carving a deep pit into its face.
Blood seeped from Hu Yanfeng’s eyes, the corners of his mouth, and his nostrils and ears. Multiple fractures appeared across his body. This was due to overdrawing his energy; his body, sustained only by the Bigu Pills, could not handle the immense power he was now unleashing.
Great Perfection was formidable, but it had not transcended the fourth layer. Only upon truly reaching the fifth layer, when the body was structurally reformed, could one endure such energy levels.
Despite his injuries, Hu Yanfeng dared not slow down for a moment; the dragon behind him was too terrifying, too dreadful.
In a mere instant, he covered another thousand meters.
The next moment, his heart leaped into his throat—he had fled so quickly, yet the dragon had not abandoned the pursuit; it was closing in again.
Two consecutive fireballs erupted from the dragon’s massive maw.
These fireballs were slower than the first, but they moved as if guided by sight, tracking only Hu Yanfeng.
Hu Yanfeng’s heart pounded against his ribs. He yanked out three identical spiritual herbs and stuffed them into his mouth; the herbs offered little benefit now, but every little bit helped.
At this point, all he wanted was to run; if he could escape, he swore he would never set foot on Yinlong Mountain again as long as he lived.
The two great balls of fire whistled past, incinerating everything in their wake. Trees were reduced to short, blackened stumps, snapping into ash with the slightest breath of wind, leaving behind only black dust on the ground.
Though not as fast as the first, the large fireballs matched Hu Yanfeng’s speed closely.
Feeling the fiery pursuit gaining on him, Hu Yanfeng cursed his parents for not giving him two sets of legs, ignoring the blood streaming from his orifices and bodily ruptures, and continued his frantic dash forward.
The giant dragon finally halted its pursuit, roaring once more in distant fury, then slowly began flying back up the mountain.
The two massive fireballs, however, continued their relentless chase of Hu Yanfeng.
The dragon had returned, but Hu Yanfeng's peril was not over. Either one of those fireballs could easily finish him. Though he was the pinnacle of the Inner Strength practitioners at Great Perfection, against a true fifth-layer expert, he was utterly defenseless.
This Illusory Rat was a fifth-layer spirit beast, even more potent than the average fifth-layer master.
“Jee jee jee!”
As soon as the dragon returned, Wuying—the little one—leapt toward it, squeaking loudly. The dragon's form slowly shrank, finally condensing into a large version of Wuying, standing before the small Wuying.
The Illusory Rat in this state looked quite endearing, but after experiencing the devastating power of the colossal dragon just moments ago, Zhang Yang felt only profound reverence toward it.
Fifth layer—truly terrifyingly powerful.
After standing silently for a moment, a bead of cold sweat secretly trickled down Zhang Yang’s forehead.
Wuying seemed to be chiding the Illusory Rat for not bringing back the body of that detestable foe so it could properly exact revenge.
Recalling what Wuying had said upon arriving, Zhang Yang felt a fresh wave of relief—relief that Wuying had followed him. He had always treated the little creature well and never offended it; this tendency to tattle made it quite formidable.
The reason the Illusory Rat had been so enraged was precisely because of this little one’s complaints.
Upon arriving, Wuying had portrayed itself as a wretched, pitiful victim—no, ten times more pitiful than the most exploited laborer. Hu Yanfeng was the villain who tormented it, whipping it mercilessly.
When the Illusory Rat heard of its companion being bullied, it immediately charged down the mountain, and Hu Yanfeng became that unfortunate scapegoat.
Although Hu Yanfeng had been pursuing them, strictly speaking, he had been chasing Zhuifeng and Zhang Yang. He had done nothing to Wuying. Wuying’s dramatic recounting of how Hu Yanfeng had mistreated it was entirely fabricated.
After Wuying and the Illusory Rat chattered for a while, Wuying leaped onto Zhang Yang’s body, looking at him smugly.
The Illusory Rat also turned to Zhang Yang, but its gaze was cold, radiating a killing intent.
It seemed the creature held Zhang Yang partly responsible for Wuying’s supposed suffering.
“Jee jee jee!” Wuying chirped again, explaining that it wasn't Zhang Yang's fault; he had been unable to defeat that detestable brute, which was why he kept running with it until they reached this place, adding that Zhang Yang had already been injured by the foe.
With Wuying’s explanation, the killing intent emanating from the Illusory Rat visibly subsided.
A spirit beast surviving this long and reaching such power possessed intelligence comparable to humans. The Illusory Rat understood that the outsider who arrived was indeed far stronger than Zhang Yang, so it did not truly blame him.
“Jee jee jee!” the Illusory Rat squeaked at Wuying, then turned and slowly walked up the mountain. Wuying glanced back at Zhang Yang, then trotted eagerly after it. In a short while, the two adorable rat-like spirit beasts vanished toward the summit.
“Finally, it’s over!” Only when they were gone did Zhang Yang slump onto the ground.
The relentless escape, lasting nearly a full day and night, had kept his nerves taut. The sudden relaxation left him utterly drained, body and spirit. Combined with the intense battle against Hu Yanfeng, his injuries flared, and he felt as if his body was falling apart.
Zhuifeng also relaxed, letting out a soft sigh shortly after.
The entire flight had depended on Zhuifeng. Its body could not withstand such speeds. It was Zhang Yang who had to borrow energy to restore its body and draw upon the power of Blood Essence Pills to keep it going.
Consuming so many Blood Essence Pills was not beneficial for Zhuifeng either.
While some of the energy from the over-consumed spiritual medicine was depleted into sheer speed, much of it had precipitated and accumulated within its body.
If this accumulated energy could not be channeled out, the power of eight fourth-layer Blood Essence Pills would eventually detonate, causing Zhuifeng to explode from overload just as easily.
In this recent confrontation, Zhuifeng hadn't directly engaged in combat, but the damage sustained by its body far exceeded Zhang Yang’s. Being able to evade the pursuit of a Great Perfection expert was chiefly thanks to Zhuifeng; without it, Zhang Yang would long ago have become a wisp of wandering soul at the foot of Tianshan.