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The desolate plain of U Yuan Continent stretched in ruin, a vision of utter devastation. Ancient trees, once piercing the heavens, lay uprooted, their trunks and roots torn asunder. The earth was shattered into fragments some regions frozen for thousands of miles, others submerged in vast waters, while chasms plunged ten thousand feet deep. Corpses of countless beasts littered the ground, as if the apocalypse had struck. This wasteland bore witness to a battle that shook the cosmos.
High in the endless night sky, two shadows darted in a relentless chase. A crystalline boat, its sails woven from water, glided on the wind, carrying a dying beauty. Her eyes were half-closed, soft moans escaping as grievous wounds tormented her. Her robes were tattered beyond repair, a brutal claw mark at her waist piercing to the bone, blood flowing unceasingly.
Her pursuer was a towering beastman, clad in tiger hide, nearly three meters tall with muscular limbs. A rhinoceros-like horn jutted from his head, and his hands bore steel-sharp claws, marking him as non-human. Though he chased the boat with all his might, he was battered—pale, gasping, his body scarred, his horn chipped by a third. He and the woman had fought a cataclysmic duel, both gravely wounded. Her injuries forced her to flee, while he pursued with unyielding resolve.
This beast, a Sixth-Order Mid-Stage monster, was the Unicorn Eagle King. The woman, barely clinging to life, was Ji Ya.
Ji Ya grasped a faint thread of consciousness, her heart heavy with regret as the Unicorn Eagle King hunted her relentlessly. Since parting with Lan An at Ling Wu City, she had sought ways to heal her sister Ji Bing Ying's soul, doubting Lan An's weak soul power then. Healing a soul-injured cultivator was no simple task. For years, she braved deadly ruins, scoured relics, and attended auctions, yet found no solution.
Her Refining Void will unbroken, she learned of Soul Spring Grass, a Supreme Earth-Grade herb that could mend soul wounds. It grew in U Yuan Continent's yin-rich depths, appearing every nine years when yin energy peaked. U Yuan Continent, with its endless plains and prolonged nights, was a beast haven, where humans were scarce, and monsters dominated nine-tenths of life.
Elated, Ji Ya ventured here, but Soul Spring Grass drew rivals, including the Unicorn Eagle King, who sought it for his soul-cultivating beast lover. Though a mere Supreme Earth-Grade herb, ignored by higher beasts, he vowed to claim it. After routing competitors, he was blindsided when Ji Ya stole the grass and fled. Enraged, his wind-speed overtook her, sparking their catastrophic clash. Now, she clung to reason, fleeing on her Ice Water Boat, while his wounds slowed him, forcing him to trail doggedly.
The Unicorn Eagle King, a Wind-Element beast famed for millennia, matched Refining Void Mid-Stage cultivators. His battle experience and robust defenses outmatched Ji Ya, a Golden Ranking genius. Talent yielded to seasoned might, landing her in this dire state.
Glaring at the hovering boat, the Unicorn Eagle King's eyes flashed with cruelty, his claws slashing upward. Space trembled as twin whirlwinds roared toward the Ice Water Boat, intent on tearing it apart. A metallic ring sounded the boat formed a spiritual shield, blocking the assault.
"Damn it!" the Unicorn Eagle King growled. "Wounded, my strength's barely Fifth-Order Perfect. Else, I'd crush this wretched boat!"
He sneered, roaring coldly.
"Surrender! Your treasure's energy isn't infinite. You'll fall into my claws soon!"
Ji Ya's heart sank, a bitter smile forming. He was right—Spirit Stones fueled the boat, and hers were nearly spent. Each blocked attack drained more. She'd soon falter.
"I can't accept this!" she whispered. "My sister's still unsaved, and I've doomed him!"
A tear fell. She didn't regret her quest, but the hasty Live and Die Together contract with Lan An. If she died, he would perish too.
Seeing the boat's stubborn flight, the Unicorn Eagle King sneered, claws unleashing another strike.
"Hmph, Void-Splitting Strike!"
Another shield formed, but the boat's stones dwindled.
"Void-Splitting Strike!" he roared.
"Void-Splitting Strike!"
Two more ferocious strikes rocked the boat, shattering its final shield. The stones were gone, the boat slowing.
"Haha, die!"
"Void-Splitting Strike!"
The Ice Water Boat exploded into fragments. Ji Ya's frail body plummeted from ten thousand feet, blood gushing. Watching her graceful form fall, the Unicorn Eagle King grinned savagely, staring coldly. As she neared the ground, mere dozens of meters away, he moved.
"To pieces!"
Claws spread, he dove like a hawk, feet kicking the air, racing to shred her. Imagining her soft body torn, he licked his lips, eyes red with thrill. Ji Ya's dim eyes saw her foe close in, her heart wrenching.
"Sister! Little Nam! I'm so sorry!"
"Shatter!"
His claws neared her delicate skin. Suddenly, space beside Ji Ya tore open. A thunderous clash echoed. The mighty Unicorn Eagle King was hurled back, a boot print on his jaw.
Ji Ya felt herself caught in warm arms, a masculine scent enveloping her, dreamlike.
"Foolish woman! Look at you! Such messy clothes I'll get jealous!" Lan An's voice, scolding yet pained, rang out.
"This voice… so familiar?" she murmured.
Suppressing her agony, Ji Ya pried open her heavy eyelids. A handsome face greeted her, no longer just the resolute boy, but radiating boundless confidence and dominance, irresistibly captivating.
"Is it you? How is this possible? Am I dreaming?"
"I crossed a hundred rivers, a thousand peaks to save you! How could it be a dream?" Lan An grinned.
He draped his cloak over her alluring form. Cautiously, he donned the Proud Laughter Mask and White Horse Battle Robe to hide his identity. His hand rested on her bare back, channeling vast Spirit Energy to stem her wounds. Ji Ya marveled inwardly: His Spirit Energy so vast, so pure? Her waist wound began to clot.
"How's Bing'er?" she asked, her voice weak but urgent, her love for her sister shining.
"She's awakened! But not fully healed," Lan An replied, unease behind the mask, fearing she'd learn of Ji Bing Ying's memory loss.
"Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you!" A joyful tear fell, her pale lips smiling.
"Hmph, I saved my beloved Bing'er. No thanks needed!" He wiped her tear, teasing.
"Hmph!" Ji Ya huffed, a twinge of jealousy at his intimacy with her sister.
"Flee! He's wounded but still matches Perfect Spirit Transformation. You're no match!" she urged.
"Hmph! Leave? Dream on!" The Unicorn Eagle King, kicked away, returned, eyes blazing.
"Rest there! Watch me thrash this little sparrow!" Lan An's words nearly made the beast spit blood.
"Rest where?" Ji Ya asked, dazed.
A mighty roar sounded. Little Lion, perched on Lan An's shoulder, grew massive, its regal aura forcing the Unicorn Eagle King back, awestruck. It felt inferior, as if this beast was the true sky sovereign.
"Hmph, no matter your bloodline! Only Fifth-Order Early!" The beast steadied itself.
Lan An, not intending Little Lion to fight, placed Ji Ya on its back.
"Little sparrow! Come to your master!" He beckoned, recognizing the beast's wounds. Without them, he'd have fled.
"Vile human! Die!" The Unicorn Eagle King roared, furious.
He formed claw seals, launching a Void-Splitting Strike at Lan An's head. Silver eyes flashed—Pierce Weakness activated. With a whoosh, Lan An vanished, reappearing behind. Earth Battle Boots and Third Transformation Late-Stage Body Cultivation powered a Great Hong Kick. As if with eyes in his back, the Unicorn Eagle King spun, claws meeting the kick. Both retreated dozens of miles. Lan An's face grew solemn Pierce Weakness revealed the beast's instinctive turn, anticipating his Speed Shift.
"So this is a Sixth-Order beast's battle sense? Terrifying!" Lan An said.
"Hmph, wounded I may be, but no rat like you can handle me!" the beast boasted.
"Oh, really?" Lan An smirked.
A earth-shaking bellow—Earth Bear appeared, towering.
"What's this?" The Unicorn Eagle King frowned.
No time to ponder, Earth Bear charged, fist swinging.
"Hmph, Void-Breaking Strike!" The beast sneered, sprouting massive wings.
They flapped, unleashing a vortex that rent the air. The bear's fist met the blast, halted.
"So many tricks!" Lan An sneered, clenching his fist skyward.
"Sand Coffin!"
Earth Spirit Energy surged, enveloping the Unicorn Eagle King, as if to seal him in a coffin.
"Petty tricks! Break!" The beast's wings flapped, winds scattering the sand.
"Ten Thousand Forest!" Lan An formed seals.
A vast forest rose in the sky, trapping the beast. The beast flapped again, but the Mutated Wood forest held firm, binding him.
"Sand Tomb!" Lan An pressed on, Spirit Earth Cauldron humming.
A colossal tomb encased the forest, a dual prison locking the beast tight.
"This man is so strong!" Ji Ya murmured, clutching Little Lion, her eyes captivated.
Heroes love beauties don't beauties love heroes? Little Lion chirped proudly.
"Explode!" Lan An roared, fist clenched.
The forest and tomb detonated, energy rippling across the sky, shaking all directions. Lan An's pupils shrank, Speed Shifting instantly. Space where he stood warped from a terrifying strike. The sky darkened further, night deepening unnaturally.
Above, a colossal beast loomed wings spanning a hundred miles, feathers like blades, diamond claws, a drill-like beak, and a sky-piercing horn. Despite wounds, its terror was overwhelming.
"Lowly human! Forcing my true form, die proud!" The Unicorn Eagle King's voice boomed, shaking the void.