"Awoooo..." Little Tao Tao’s small sheep-like figure instantly morphed into a pure white wolf. It seemed larger than when it was in the Southern Wasteland Forest, reaching the size of a large wolf-dog. Immense howls echoed from its maw, and its form became a streak of white lightning, lunging directly at Li Lianba...

"A mere wolf cub dares to seek death? Ye Xiaozi, you push things too far... Half-Moon Slash..." Li Lianba had heard that Ye Jingyu was a Soul Master and assumed this was a desolate beast he had summoned. A cold sneer touched his lips as he kicked up a battle saber by his feet and swung it forward one-handed. A crescent-shaped swath of light instantly flared, shooting directly toward the Taotie...

This blade light arrived so suddenly, its sharp energy cutting through the air with a piercing sound. Both he and Luo Zhonghai and Zhang Yuntao behind him were certain that this wolf-like desolate beast would be cleanly sliced in two by this strike. They even imagined that Ye Jingyu, having lost his beast, would suffer soul injury...

The blade light did indeed slice across Little Tao Tao’s form, but there was none of the expected spray of blood. Furthermore, its body vanished without a trace in an instant—it was merely an illusion...

Li Lianba, Luo Zhonghai, and Zhang Yuntao were all startled. How could they have known the Taotie’s speed was so astonishingly fast?

But what shocked them even more came next. When Little Tao Tao’s form reappeared, it was already above Li Lianba’s head. It seemed capable of standing in the void, extending a pair of tiger claws and aiming directly for the crown of Li Lianba's head...

Facing such an imminent crisis, Li Lianba’s innate Martial Master skill manifested to its peak. Without hesitation, his body rapidly retreated, though a shallow gash was still carved onto his forehead by the Taotie.

Rage. Inexpressible rage...

He, a dignified Innate Martial Master, had been wounded by a mere beast. If this spread, how could he maintain his standing?

"Consecutive Moon Slashes..." Li Lianba held nothing back. The Innate True Qi within his body churned wildly, and the battle saber in his hand hummed as he unleashed several lightning-fast strikes. Moon-shaped arcs of blade light shot out continuously from the saber, completely enveloping the area around him and trapping the Taotie suspended in mid-air, leaving it no chance to evade...

"Chh, chh, chh..." Little Tao Tao was caught off guard and struck by the Innate True Qi, instantly suffering several gashes across its body...

"Awooo, awooo..." Its body, normally impervious to ordinary swords and blades, could not withstand the sharp Innate True Qi. Several shallow wounds appeared, from which droplets of pale golden blood began to flow. Great cries erupted from Little Tao Tao’s mouth, though they sounded less like screams of pain and more like roars of fury...

"Awooo, awooo, awooo..." Every hair on its body instantly stood erect, and its pair of jade-green eyes suddenly faded to a pale gold...

A pair of long fangs grew out from the corners of its mouth, and a terrifying pressure exploded forth...

Seeing that the little beast before him was not cleaved into fragments by his strike, but merely left with a few light wounds—especially upon seeing the pale golden blood welling up—a look of sheer horror filled Li Lianba’s eyes. It seemed he remembered something, and the terror in his gaze intensified.

Little Tao Tao gave him no opportunity to react. Its white form kicked out forcefully, instantly transforming into a lingering shadow that appeared right in front of Li Lianba...

Its speed was several times faster than before. Even Li Lianba could not react in time. Little Tao Tao savagely swiped a claw directly at the crown of Li Lianba’s head. Instantly, the Innate True Qi shielding Li Lianba shattered under the impact of the blow. The sharp claw struck the top of Li Lianba’s skull, crushing his head into pieces. White, pulpy brain matter sprayed outwards, which Little Tao Tao immediately inhaled deeply with a wide-open mouth, sucking the matter directly into its jaws...

"Awooo, awooo..." Little Tao Tao, now even more enraged, struck again with its paw, slamming down onto Li Lianba’s body. Li Lianba’s form instantly cracked open, resembling shattered glass.

Yes, the human body broke apart like brittle glass—skin rupturing, shredded flesh flying, bones scattering, and blood splashing everywhere...

In the blink of an eye, the person who had been whole moments before had completely vanished from existence...

Ye Jingyu opened his Heavenly Eyes wide open and saw a black silhouette about to tear through the void. The waiting evil beast lunged forward, opening its cavernous maw and swallowing it whole in one gulp...

Staring at the pile of mangled flesh on the ground, Zhang Yuntao and Luo Zhonghai were utterly stunned, their eyes wide with profound terror. What... what kind of desolate beast was this? With a single strike, an Innate Martial Master was pulverized into pieces. This... this...

They were speechless...

But Little Tao Tao, gripped by a frenzy of ferocity, paid no mind to others' reactions. Its white figure charged onward, aiming another claw strike at the nearest Zhang Yuntao...

Before the claw could land, a powerful surge of energy tore through the void and arrived before Zhang Yuntao. Alarmed, Zhang Yuntao instantly retreated, simultaneously drawing his side sword and sweeping it repeatedly, the Innate True Qi in his body circulating furiously...

At this moment, Luo Zhonghai also reacted. He swung his fist violently toward the void, sending a wave of invisible True Qi blasting out. It smashed into the energy wave generated by Little Tao Tao’s strike, producing a crisp sound. The True Qi fist projection shattered, and the force of the claw strike vanished without a trace...

Both men now understood Little Tao Tao’s terrifying power and rapidly retreated, intending to flee the training grounds. But Ye Jingyu would not allow it. Eighty Red Yi tribe warriors rushed forward, intercepting their personal guards. Furthermore, Hu Yanqi and Hu Yanmeng drew their long bows and loosed two arrows toward the retreating pair...

Facing arrows that flew with lightning speed, neither Zhang Yuntao nor Luo Zhonghai dared to be careless. One blocked with his longsword, while the other met the attack with a powerful blast of True Qi from his fist...

But during the time it took to defend, Little Tao Tao had already charged forward. Ye Jingyu and Chi Yixiu also rushed in, blocking the path of the two men...

Little Tao Tao, driven by savage fury, bounded back and forth, its tiger claws constantly striking out. Wave after wave of energy ripped through the air, bombarding Zhang Yuntao. Even though Zhang Yuntao was an Innate Martial Master, he was forced into a continuous retreat...

And the evil beast form, having swallowed Li Lianba’s soul, also charged forward. The black silhouette paused abruptly, and a powerful ripple instantly formed, rushing toward Zhang Yuntao.

It was none other than the Dragon Clan divine ability, the Dragon Mark Battle Wave...