"Hong Luan, Xiyan, go kill that Earth Fire Qilin Beast. Remember, don't let it bleed too much. I still need to refine its Essence Blood to practice the Qilin Slash."
Xuan Tianzhan spoke coolly, then turned his gaze back to Yang Xiao.
'Compared to the fading Earth Fire Qilin Beast, this lowly Martial Cultivator before me actually has a few tricks. He might be fun to play with.'
'I wonder how many of my strikes he can take?'
A faint smile touched Xuan Tianzhan's lips.
But he didn't rush to attack.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Though Xuan Tianzhan himself hadn't moved, the red-robed young woman who received his command acknowledged it and immediately lunged toward the dazed Earth Fire Qilin Beast.
She showed not a shred of hesitation.
As for the purple-robed young woman, despite her reluctance, she did not defy the blue-robed man's command.
Shooting a hateful glare at Yang Xiao, she too lunged toward the Earth Fire Qilin Beast.
"ROAR!"
As the two young women charged aggressivelyâone wreathed in lightning, the other in raging fireâthe dazed Earth Fire Qilin Beast finally snapped out of it.
It glanced first at Yang Xiao.
The look in its eyes was incredibly complex.
It now understood that the man who had stolen its Divine Communication Grass truly had no intention of killing it for its Inner Core.
But these newcomersâŠ
They did.
And they wanted to drain its Essence Blood.
This filled the Earth Fire Qilin Beast with fury, yet it was utterly helpless.
Its current strength was simply too depleted.
Had it only been the four women, it would have been manageable.
Even if it couldn't defeat them, it wouldn't have been afraid.
But the man in blue made it tremble instinctively.
'Is this really the day I die?'
'It's all that flying human's fault!'
And yet, when it recalled the human's recent actions, the Earth Fire Qilin Beast found it couldn't bring itself to hate him.
'He's infuriating, but in the end, he didn't try to kill me.'
It was conflicted.
Just then, a voice echoed in its mind. "Can you shrink down? If you can, I'll take you with me when I leave."
The Earth Fire Qilin Beast didn't need to look back; it knew the voice belonged to the human who had stolen its Divine Communication Grass.
Yet, with that single sentence, the Earth Fire Qilin Beastâa creature as intelligent as any human, which still held a grudge against Yang Xiaoâsuddenly felt its resentment wash away.
"ROAR!"
It let out a furious roar at the approaching purple- and red-robed women.
The flames on its body, originally suppressed by Yang Xiao, surged once more.
Growing ever more intense!
"This is bad! The Earth Fire Qilin Beast is going to self-destruct!"
This time, it wasn't just the faces of the purple- and red-robed women that changed.
Even the ever-composed Xuan Tianzhan's expression turned grim.
He retracted all the sword light he had been about to unleash on Yang Xiao, using it to completely shield himself and the four women instead.
Simultaneously, he retreated at high speed.
Yang Xiao, too, felt helpless.
He glanced at the Earth Fire Qilin Beast with a trace of apology in his eyes. 'If it weren't for me, it wouldn't have been pushed into this corner.'
'With its power, it should have at least been able to put up a fight.'
As for the man in blue and the four young women, a chill rose in his eyes.
'I really want to know where these people came from.'
'I really want to capture and interrogate all of them.'
But unfortunately, that was impossible for him now.
Having calmed down, Yang Xiao could clearly assess the situation.
At this very moment, his spiritual energy was stretched to its limit; he couldn't possibly hold out.
And now, the Earth Fire Qilin Beast was self-destructing.
He no longer had the strength to control the Earth Fire Qilin Beast's Inner Core.
Therefore, whether for self-preservation or any other reason, Yang Xiao had only one path to take.
Escape.
While the Earth Fire Qilin Beast was self-destructing and the man in blue was too preoccupied to notice him, Yang Xiao beat his wings and flew toward the large hole the beast had smashed open earlier.
This large hole leading directly to the outside world had now become Yang Xiao's only hope of survival.
But just as Yang Xiao reached the entrance of the hole, he suddenly felt a searing heat surge toward him from behind.
He turned instinctively.
He was stunned to see a miniature Earth Fire Qilin Beast, only the size of a small dog, pouncing toward him.
It looked just like a long-haired pet dog.
'This little thing⊠no, this big fella⊠it actually shrank.'
Yang Xiao was stunned for a moment, but reacted in the blink of an eye.
Overjoyed, he scooped it up in his arms and shot out into the open sky.
"Damn it! We've been tricked!"
Down below, after waiting for some time without hearing an explosion, Xuan Tianzhan realized something was amiss. He cautiously extended his senses and found the space before him empty.
He knew at once that he'd been deceived.
He strode into the cavern, and a quick scan revealed the large hole in the peak above.
He snorted coldly. "You think you can escape that easily?"
Raising his hand, he gathered innumerable motes of sword light in his palm. With a forward thrust, they transformed into a raging torrent of Sword Qi that shot toward Yang Xiao.
At this time, Yang Xiao was less than ten meters from the exit.
Yet, it was these last ten meters.
Yang Xiao knew he couldn't escape.
'Am I going to die here?'
Yang Xiao couldn't accept it.
'Even the hand that once blotted out the sky couldn't kill me.'
'Now that I've finally begun to cultivate again, am I going to be so easily killed by someone who's still stuck in the Mortal Tier?'
But after using the Nine Revolutions Concentration Spirit Technique, Yang Xiao's mind was utterly exhausted and weak. The fact that he could still fly at all was a miracle.
Where would he find the strength to contend with Xuan Tianzhan, the blue-robed man who could slay an Earth Fire Qilin Beast?
Dammit!
How hateful!
'Forget it. Since I can't escape, its fate is its own now.'
Knowing he couldn't escape, Yang Xiao was struck by a sudden impulse of compassion. He threw the miniature Earth Fire Qilin Beast he was holding.
He threw it with all his remaining strength.
Ten meters.
It covered the distance in the blink of an eye.
He, meanwhile, turned to face his doom. 'Even if I'm going to die, I won't let them kill me from behind.'
'That would be too disgraceful.'
Such was Yang Xiao's thinking.
But to his utter surprise, just as the rushing sword light was about to strike him, a fiery red figure appeared in front of him.
And what's more, the figure was constantly transforming.
In an instant, it had grown to block the entire tunnel.
At the same time, Yang Xiao heard the sickening sound of the sword light slicing into flesh.
"You⊠why did you have to do that?!"
A flash of anguish crossed Yang Xiao's eyes.
He never imagined that this creatureâthe very one from which he'd stolen its greatest fortuneâwould actually save him at the final moment.
Sacrificing its own life to save his.
The Earth Fire Qilin Beast, however, did not speak.
It couldn't speak to begin with.
Instead, it spat out a fiery red Inner Core.
The Inner Core, a deep crimson orb wreathed in flame, floated before Yang Xiao.
Deep within the Inner Core, six drops of crimson blood swirled. And within each drop, one could vaguely make out the form of a miniature Earth Fire Qilin Beast.
"ROAR!"
Seeing that Yang Xiao hadn't taken it,
the Earth Fire Qilin Beast let out a low growl.
From behind it, the sound of the sword light tearing into its body came once more.
The attack was about to run it completely through.
Tears streaming down his face, Yang Xiao gritted his teeth and snatched the fiery red Inner Core from the air. With a powerful beat of his wings, he soared into the heavens.
And in his heart, a boundless hatred began to swell.
'I swear I will kill Xuan Tianzhan!'