Chapter 30
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Chapter 30: Intermediate Demon Beast
Although this was Lou Yun’s second time entering Tianliang Forest, his last visit had been his first true combat experience. Back then, he had felt excitement mingled with nervousness and a small amount of fear. This time, however, his feelings were different—the fear had vanished completely, leaving only excitement and anticipation.
He eagerly hoped to encounter several powerful demon beasts, and ideally, each one would contain a beast soul, so that before long, he would strike it rich!
Lou Yun’s entry had long been sensed by the demon beasts in Tianliang Forest. But due to their innate animal instincts, superior to humans, they could detect the powerful aura radiating from Lou Yun—something they couldn’t handle. So each one avoided him from afar, daring not to appear before him.
Without realizing it, Lou Yun had pushed deep into the forest. Although his spiritual sense had detected many demon beasts along the way, they weren’t strong: most at beginner one-star or two-star level, with the highest only reaching beginner three-star. His goal was to hunt at least several beginner four-star or higher demon beasts.
But Lou Yun hadn’t considered that, while Tianliang Forest was a demon beast gathering spot, it was just a forest near Lingjiang City, hosting a limited number of beasts. How likely was it that beasts of every level, from beginner one-star to beginner five-star, would all be there?
Demon beasts also had their own territories, strictly divided by strength. By now, Lou Yun had crossed the beginner demon beast area and formally entered the domain of Intermediate Demon Beasts.
Since his current spiritual sense couldn’t detect Intermediate Demon Beasts, he remained unaware that he was now in peril.
But Chang Xiang knew—only he didn’t warn Lou Yun, as he wanted to see Lou Yun, currently equipped with just a beginner one-star magical weapon but cultivating a common weapon, pit against an Intermediate Demon Beast. He didn’t fear for Lou Yun’s life—if things turned dire, throwing out Fusang Fire was always an easy escape. Thus, after Lou Yun walked another few hundred meters, he smelled a lightly rotten, bloody scent through his nose, not his senses. This invigorated him; it seemed he had finally found a demon beast worthy of action!
Beast soul, here I come!
Thud! Thud! Thud! A series of heavy footfalls sounded nearby, and Lou Yun felt the earth beneath his feet tremble faintly.
Looks like it’s a big one!” Lou Yun had barely spoken when he saw a massive monster emerge from behind a tree. It resembled a rhinoceros, but while normal rhinos had one horn, this one had three, and its size was over twice as large. A rough estimate put its weight at least over a thousand jin—no wonder its steps shook the ground.
The Three-horned Rhinoceros had clearly noticed Lou Yun too. Its goose-egg-sized crimson eyes fixed fiercely on him. It opened its mouth, licked its thick lips with its tongue, and seemed to see Lou Yun as a fine meal—after all, this was Intermediate Demon Beast territory, unvisited by humans for ages.
Though the Three-horned Rhinoceros appeared terrifying, Lou Yun showed no fear. Taking advantage of the standoff, he released his spiritual sense, wanting to gauge its strength.
But he quickly found his spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate the beast, and finally realized: this demon beast surpassed beginner level—it was Intermediate!
Though beginner and intermediate sounded only one level apart, the power difference was vast, something Lou Yun knew well. His face paled slightly as he thought, This time, I’ve pushed it too far!
But now that things had reached this point, even if he wanted to flee, the Three-horned Rhinoceros wouldn’t allow it. He had to fight all out.
Thinking this, Lou Yun steadied himself. Not daring to be overconfident or fight bare-handed, he swiftly drew out the Stone Sword. Wielding it, he felt a surge of confidence.
The Three-horned Rhinoceros kept its distance, unmoving. After a while of staring, Lou Yun finally snapped and decided to strike first.
Lou Yun suddenly pushed off with his feet, turning into a streak of lightning as he charged at the beast.
He was nearly upon the Three-horned Rhinoceros when, before he could unleash any weapon techniques, it jerked open its jaws and released a deafening roar!
Roar!” Lou Yun, still charging, first caught a stench of rotten decay so vile it almost made him vomit. Then a fierce gale slammed him, halting his charge dead—he froze, unable to advance.
As expected of an Intermediate Demon Beast; just with a roar, it could wreak such havoc! Before Lou Yun finished this thought, he saw the Three-horned Rhinoceros suddenly charge, pushing off with its legs, lowering its head, and thrusting its three gleaming, knife-sharp horns forward.
Despite its colossal frame, its speed wasn’t slow. Its four massive legs pounded the ground in quick thuds, erupting in a rumble that vibrated Lou Yun’s eardrums to soreness.
Even by the sheer force of that charge alone, anyone could tell its power was immense. If hit, even without being impaled by the horns, he’d be hurled away like a rag, shattering his insides.
Lou Yun naturally wouldn’t take it head-on. He pivoted lightly and leaped high, barely dodging the attack.
The rhinoceros reacted fast—missing its strike, it screeched to an immediate, jarring halt.
Lou Yun was amazed. Despite its massive size, the beast could stop and charge at will!
Impressed as he was, Lou Yun didn\’t hesitate. Gripping his Stone Sword, he thrust downward from his elevated position toward the rhinoceros.
\"Sword Dance of Wind and Thunder!\"
The Stone Sword transformed into a black lightning bolt mid-air, striking the beast with tremendous force.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed. Lou Yun felt a powerful rebound force travel up the blade, sending him flying backward. He slammed into a thick tree trunk with a heavy thump, shaking the tree violently and sending leaves showering down.
Pain shot through his back, but fortunately no serious injury. When he looked at the Three-horned Rhinoceros, he was stunned—his strike had merely left a white scratch on its hide without piercing the skin.
\"Impossible! Thick hide, incredible speed, monstrous strength… how do I fight this?\"
Indeed, Lou Yun\’s advantages—durable physique, considerable strength, and agility—were only relative to primary magical weapons masters. Against this clearly Intermediate-level beast, those edges vanished completely.
Only one option remained.
As Lou Yun prepared to unleash Fusang Fire, Chang Xiang\’s voice interrupted: \"No fire! Relying on flames against tough opponents won\’t improve your skills. What if it\’s fire-resistant? You\’d be helpless!\"
Lou Yun froze. \"Then what should I do?\"
\"Think! I guide your cultivation and weapon forging. Must I also teach you how to fight?\" After this rebuke, Chang Xiang fell silent.
After a moment\’s reflection, Lou Yun understood Chang Xiang\’s intention. Overdependence on Fusang Fire would limit him to just hurling fireballs. Gritting his teeth, he withdrew the flames and focused on finding another way to kill the beast.
Suddenly, the rhinoceros charged toward Lou Yun\’s tree.
Crash!
The massive tree—requiring two people to encircle—snapped in half under the impact. Lou Yun barely escaped, leaping to another tree just in time.
A chase ensued. Lou Yun realized the rhinoceros couldn\’t climb trees, so he stayed aloft while the beast furiously rammed tree after tree. Within minutes, dozens lay shattered.
Lou Yun watched in disbelief, though he felt little worry. The rhinoceros seemed exhausted, finally lying down like a dog, panting heavily with its tongue out.
\"Let\’s both rest before round two,\" Lou Yun muttered.
Before the words faded, the beast lowered its head. A dark streak shot through the air with a piercing whistle—one of its horns!
Caught off guard, Lou Yun barely dodged but lost his balance, tumbling to the ground. Through the pain, he looked up and realized the projectile was the rhinoceros\’s own horn. After missing him, the horn curved mid-air and returned to the beast\’s head. Lou Yun even noticed human-like disappointment flash in its eyes.
He suddenly understood: the horns were detachable projectiles. The tree-ramming frenzy and feigned exhaustion were all a ruse to lower his guard. Had he been slightly careless, that horn would have impaled him.
This demon beast schemes like a human!
Cold sweat drenched Lou Yun as he rose, murderous intent blazing across his face. \"Almost got me. Now prepare to die!\"
He charged the still-prone rhinoceros, Stone Sword raised. \"Sword Dance of Wind and Thunder!\" he shouted, aiming for its head.
The beast snorted dismissively, lifting its head. Clang! Its three horns intercepted the blade.
\"Sword Piercing Cloud Shadows!\"
Lou Yun roared. The Dream Emperor Sword materialized in his left hand, piercing the rhinoceros\’s eye with devastating precision.
\"ROOOAR!\"
The beast shrieked in agony, thrashing to dislodge the sword. Lou Yun held firm.
\"Die! Explode!\"
Spiritual energy surged within the Dream Emperor Sword, condensing instantly before detonating.
BOOM!
The blast hurled Lou Yun skyward before he crashed down violently. As smoke cleared, his laughter echoed: \"Heh. Thought I only had one sword? Clever beast, but humans outsmart demons every time.\"
Covered in tattered rags and bleeding from mouth and nose, Lou Yun leaned against a shattered tree. Though every bone screamed and his organs felt pulverized, he smiled at the sight—the Three-horned Rhinoceros\’s upper body blown apart. He\’d slain an Intermediate Demon Beast through sheer skill.
After catching his breath, Lou Yun tried standing but collapsed. Crawling to the carcass, he thrust his hand inside and rummaged through gore before withdrawing a yellow beast soul.
\"Worth the effort,\" he panted. \"If you\’d lacked this after all that, I\’d hunt down your entire bloodline.\"
Exhaustion overwhelmed him—spiritual energy depletion. He slumped against the carcass, closing his eyes to rest. Suddenly, urgent rustling sounds approached through the forest.
Lou Yun\’s eyes snapped open, heart pounding. Another Intermediate Demon Beast? If so… I\’m just prey now.