Chapter 627 - 344: Bitter Struggle (Part 2)

It then let out a clear, draconic cry and transformed into two illusory fire dragons. The surrounding temperature soared as they spat out columns of light, thick as water vats, that poured down onto the Exotic Beast.

Lü Zhong, of course, was not idle either.

He cast the Healing Spring Skill to heal his injured left hand while simultaneously activating the Star Mirror. His Magical Power gushed out like a torrent, immediately unleashing a sea of Mirror Light.

For a moment, the air filled with constant rumbling. The scene was a magnificent spectacle.

Lü Zhong’s expression, however, had turned grim.

He had seen it clearly: once the Exotic Beast reacted, a yellow glow had surged across its body. Its form changed, transforming into the withered yellow shape he had previously seen with the Water Mirror Technique.

At the same time, exquisite and intricate Spirit Patterns appeared on the beast’s body.

With the Exotic Beast’s transformation, the effectiveness of their attacks plummeted.

But their efforts were not entirely in vain.

Unlike its previous state of near-invulnerability, the Exotic Beast, even in its withered form, could not completely block the attacks from Lü Zhong and Flowing Sword. The shield condensed from its Demon Qi was pounded relentlessly. Its calm and composed demeanor vanished, replaced by furious roars.

Yet, when the barrage ceased, it remained completely unharmed.

’So damn tough!’ Lü Zhong cursed inwardly.

Seeing it would still take time to cast the Shattering Star Finger, he instead activated the Red Crow Sword’s Divine Technique, and a Flaming Golden Crow immediately materialized.

The Golden Crow shot through the sky, crashing into the Exotic Beast.

RUMBLE!

Even such a staggering blow had little effect.

Lü Zhong followed up with the Shattering Star Finger.

The result was much the same.

’Looks like I’ll have to weaken it a few more times,’ Lü Zhong thought. ’Otherwise, with a hide this thick, I probably couldn’t break through its Demon Qi defense even if I exhausted all my Magical Power.’

He exchanged a glance with Flowing Sword, who clearly shared the same thought.

In agreement, the two began to activate the Array Flags.

But a moment later, six yellow-brown bands of light shot out from the smoke and dust, splitting into two groups to attack Lü Zhong and Flowing Sword. The Exotic Beast, finally enraged, had condensed what were originally indiscriminate shockwaves into the bands of light on its back. They inherited the shockwaves’ unstoppable nature, but their power was now immensely greater.

Anything swept by the bands of light, whether rock or dust, was utterly annihilated.

Lü Zhong’s pupils contracted in shock.

’This Exotic Beast is truly a favorite of the Celestial Dao!’

’It has an illusionary technique that makes it impossible to tell real from fake, a transformation into a withered form that makes it invulnerable, and even its shockwave Divine Technique has yet another form.’

A great rumbling arose as the enraged Exotic Beast charged about wildly, forcing the pair to dodge in all directions. After all, those bands of light were not to be trifled with. Even Lü Zhong, who had summoned his Cangwu Bead, had little confidence he could withstand them.

Fortunately, both were well-versed in the Array Dao, so the activation of the Inverted Yin Yang Array proceeded unaffected.

A little over ten breaths later, another beam of black and white Spiritual Light shot out.

Its blood up, the Exotic Beast once again made no attempt to dodge. It continued its frenzied pursuit, its eyes red with fury, as if only tearing them to a million pieces could quench the hatred in its heart.

Lü Zhong was relieved to see this.

With his Shooting Star Escape, his movements were incredibly agile, and he had no fear of the lashing bands. Even if three came at him at once, it would only be a matter of using the technique a few more times.

Flowing Sword, on the other hand, was struggling immensely.

He was evading as a streak of Sword Light. A Sword Cultivator’s linear Escape Speed was fast, but it lacked the flexibility of an Instant Teleportation technique.

Thus, as the bands swept toward him, he faced one close call after another. Despite using every ounce of his strength, he was still nearly caught several times.

Amidst a humming sound, a beam of Inverted Yin Yang Spirit Light shot out.

The withered yellow hue on the Exotic Beast’s body instantly faded several shades more. Against their combined Mirror Light and Sword Qi, its defensive capabilities were a pale shadow of what they once were.

Before the tide of attacks from their Magical Treasures, the shield of Demon Qi around its body weakened rapidly and began to flicker erratically.

Just then, a volley of six Thunderous Spears shot forth.

Flashing with lightning, they detonated one after another, unleashing astonishing power.

The already fragile Demon Qi shield finally gave way under the wave of lightning strikes. With a sharp POP, it disintegrated into countless fragments.

At that moment, as if shot through with adrenaline, Flowing Sword’s assault suddenly intensified.

The Flying Sword he commanded let out a clear chime. The Spiritual Light around its blade began to expand rapidly, as if he had unleashed some astonishing Divine Technique. Instantly, the two dragons from earlier merged, forming a single, solid greatsword.

Just then, the greatsword shot over the Exotic Beast’s head, slashing down with the force of a tempest.

The Exotic Beast stared at the greatsword above, its tentacles bristling like needles as if sensing a tremendous threat. The bloodlust in its eyes faded rapidly, and it let out several hisses. The six bands of light recoiled at an astonishing speed, lashing back toward the descending greatsword.

"Not good! Get back!" Lü Zhong cried out in alarm.

But his voice was nowhere near as fast as the sweeping bands of light. There was a blinding flash, and the two Flying Swords, caught by the bands, were knocked back into their original forms. A sharp CRACK was heard as numerous fissures spread across their blades.

Before Flowing Sword could even react, the two swords disintegrated into countless fragments.

HISS! Lü Zhong sucked in a sharp breath.

’Thank god I wasn’t caught in that,’ he thought, a wave of relief washing over him.

’Even a Magical Treasure couldn’t withstand it for a moment, let alone a fragile body. In that situation, there would likely be no difference between a body of flesh and blood and a Pure Spirit Body.’

’Anything caught by those bands would be pulverized.’

"M-Mr. Chen... I’m counting on you now!" Flowing Sword’s voice was incredibly weak, his face ashen. With his Lifebound Magic Sword destroyed, his Heart and Spirit had been severely damaged, and he had lost seventy to eighty percent of his strength.

"Rest easy and fall back. I will get its Spirit Patterns!" Lü Zhong said with confidence.

Once Flowing Sword was a safe distance away, Lü Zhong raised a hand and unleashed a Thunder Swamp. It landed squarely on the Exotic Beast, causing it to grunt in pain. The bloodlust that had just faded from its eyes surged back instantly. Its gaze locked onto Lü Zhong, and the bands on its back shot out once more.

Having fought for this long, Lü Zhong knew the Exotic Beast’s attack patterns by heart.

Even now, facing all six bands of light, he could still handle them with ease.

Its repeated failures to land a hit only enraged the Exotic Beast further. The bloodlust in its eyes deepened as it charged at the "bug" before it, wishing it could grind him to dust instantly.

Having learned from Flowing Sword’s mistake, Lü Zhong recalled his Red Crow and Qingding swords. He relied solely on the Star Mirror’s light while continuously activating his Sea of Consciousness Thunder Seal. Alternating between Thunder Swamp and Thunderous Spear, he blasted the Exotic Beast until its surface was charred black and more than half its tentacles were carbonized.

Despite this, the power of the six bands of light condensed by the Exotic Beast did not diminish in the slightest.

Boulders weighing hundreds of tons couldn’t withstand more than a few sweeps before being reduced to clouds of dust. Even the dense barrage of Mirror Light from the Star Mirror was shattered instantly.

WHOOSH. Lü Zhong exhaled a heavy breath.

Then, he swallowed a Hundred Refinements Spirit-Melting Pill.

After such a fierce battle, even with his deep reserves of Magical Power, he had inevitably consumed more than half. To prevent an accident where his Magical Power might fail him, it was necessary to take a Tier Four Qi Recovery Pill ahead of time.

Even if it was just a drop in the bucket, it was better than nothing.

The Pure Spiritual Energy dissolved and was circulated by his Cultivation Body, quickly being refined into Magical Power.

Once this was done, Lü Zhong looked into the distance. The Exotic Beast was panting heavily, its own energy clearly depleted. It looked like it was on its last legs and wouldn’t last much longer.

He prepared to press the advantage and slay it.

But just then, the Exotic Beast let out a HISS filled with a sense of release.

Then, its body began to emanate a dazzling yellow light as cracks spread across it. Its few remaining tentacles all dropped off.

Witnessing this, Lü Zhong, who had been about to advance, froze, his eyes filled with suspicion and alarm.

’Could it be...’

Before he could think any further...

The next moment, the yellow light surged forward like a tide.

When the light subsided, the Exotic Beast was nowhere to be seen.

All that remained in its place was a shed husk.

His gaze fell upon it, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the Spirit Patterns were still intact. Then a thought occurred to him. ’Is this really a shed skin?’

’Or rather than a shed skin...’

’It feels more like a set of shackles.’

’That Exotic Beast was probably some extraordinary creature left over from a bygone era. Otherwise, there’s no explaining how it could be so powerful. If it weren’t for the Inverted Yin Yang Array breaking through its withered form, the two of us would have been completely powerless against it, even with all our skills.’

’I wonder what impact this beast’s escape will have?’ Lü Zhong mused.

’Hopefully it won’t cause any trouble... right?’