Chapter 584 560: Encounter Battle

The night was black as ink.

Two Cyan Cloud Falcons skimmed low through the valley, the tattered edges of their wings tracing two faint cyan arcs of light that flickered in the fierce wind.

The cliffs on either side of the Desolate Wind Corridor had been carved into jagged angles by years of strong winds, their surfaces a cold, hard grayish-white under the moonlight.

Although the valley floor was flat, vegetation was sparse and loose stones littered the ground. The visibility, however, was quite good.

You could see far into the distance with a single glance.

But that also meant others could spot them just as easily.

Gu Ming spread his Divine Sense across the valley floor, silently on guard for any Demon Fiends that might appear.

However, the Demon Fiends had yet to arrive when a system notification popped up, making his heart leap.

"You have entered the forbidden zone of the Desolate Wind Corridor during a new period of war."

"This is the discovery site of the first Spirit Stones. It has now become a life-or-death forbidden zone contested by numerous High-star Fierce Beasts."

'A life-or-death forbidden zone?'

'The discovery site of Spirit Stones?'

An irrepressible thought exploded in Gu Ming's mind.

'Spirit Stones…'

They were an undiscovered strategic resource, a core vein of minerals capable of changing the entire power structure of the Beast Taming world.

If this war hadn't broken out, he likely never would have passed through this place.

But since he was here and the system had just given him a prompt, it meant this Desolate Wind Corridor was likely an unknown treasure trove.

However, he was in a desperate hurry to get home. Even knowing that a vast amount of Spirit Stones might be buried beneath his feet, he couldn't possibly stop to hunt for treasure.

He gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding terrain as he burned the valley's features into his memory one by one.

'When I get the chance, I'll come back and investigate properly.'

Suppressing the surging thoughts, he refocused his Divine Sense, continuing to watch for any potential Demon Fiend squads.

Fortunately, the entire first half of the journey was uneventful.

Although some local birds with low Star Levels flew by—creatures the system described as terrifying beings of the forbidden zone—Gu Ming only glanced at them and didn't act recklessly.

It wasn't until they crossed the heavily affected area outside Iron Gate Fortress and passed through a small fringe zone with less intense conflict that they finally encountered their first wave of aerial Demon Fiends.

It was a swarm of flying Demon Fiends. They were extremely fast, pouring out from the shadows on both sides of the mountain pass ahead and blocking the Cyan Cloud Falcons' path forward.

He had to either kill them or change course and go around.

Gu Ming glanced down.

Below, a chaotic battle was raging. A mixed squad of Four and Five-star Beastmasters was fighting back-to-back, fending off an assault from dozens of Four-star Demon Fiends. They had no time to spare for anything else.

He made a quick decision and commanded the Cyan Cloud Falcon to detour to the right.

The right would take them further away from Iron Gate Fortress, lengthening their journey considerably.

But the airspace to the right seemed clear of Demon Fiend activity for now. It might be safer.

However, less than ten seconds later, the stony ground below suddenly exploded.

A thick rock spike burst from the earth, shooting straight for the Cyan Cloud Falcon's belly.

The Cyan Cloud Falcon let out a short cry, abruptly tucking its left wing and performing a 360-degree barrel roll in mid-air, dodging the rock spike by a hair's breadth.

Gu Ming clung tightly to the front of the saddle, his legs clamped around the falcon's body, managing not to fall off.

On the other side, Lu You's Cyan Cloud Falcon was attacked at almost the same moment.

Three Wind Blades shot out from a crevice in the cliff to the left, sealing off its path to turn.

Though that Cyan Cloud Falcon's right wing was damaged, its reaction was extremely fast. It forced itself lower, gliding for several dozen feet almost scraping the stony ground. The Wind Blades grazed its tail feathers and carved three deep gashes into the cliff face.

"Be careful! It's a Five-star Demon Fiend!"

Lu You's Divine Sense message exploded in Gu Ming's mind.

A prophetic image from her Star Spirit, showing a second or two into the future, had flashed before her eyes, allowing her to perceive the opponent's Star Level.

Gu Ming responded instantly, raising his guard.

His Divine Sense soon locked onto a massive, earth-yellow lizard rising from the rubble ahead.

It was about twenty feet tall and covered in coarse Rock Armor. Its limbs were short and thick but exceptionally powerful. Each step it took sent the loose stones on the valley floor bouncing half a foot into the air.

It was a Five-star Demonized Geocrag Lizard, famous for its terrain control and close-quarters combat.

Its grayish-white eyes locked onto the two Cyan Cloud Falcons as a low gurgle rumbled in its throat.

Thoughts raced through Gu Ming's mind.

'Something's not right.'

'The Geocrag Lizard is an Earth Attribute. Hitting a Cyan Cloud Falcon flying at high altitude and high speed would be extremely difficult for it.'

'For it to launch such a precise rock spike ambush, there must be another Demon Fiend providing support.'

The moment that thought surfaced, he looked toward the spot where the Wind Blades had come from and felt the very air grow heavy.

The Cyan Cloud Falcon needed to expend three times the Power for every flap of its wings. The air flowing past them felt like viscous mud, and their Speed slowed visibly.

'Gravity manipulation!'

There was another Demon Fiend in the shadows assisting the Geocrag Lizard, using a Gravity Field to suppress their room to maneuver.

Gu Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he no longer hesitated.

With a wave of his hand, three blinding rays of light shot out from his Beast Taming Space.

Cyan Treasure, Ah Kun, and Ah Ji appeared beside the Cyan Cloud Falcon in an instant.

The auras of the three Four-star Pet Beasts swelled without reservation, surging toward the heavens and forcibly clearing out a pocket of space within the viscous, gravity-heavy air.

In the distant battlefield, both the Human Race and Demon Fiend squads involuntarily spared a fraction of their attention to look over.

Lu You's reaction was almost perfectly synchronized.

The auras of her Rainbow Wing Butterfly and Mouse Treasure erupted in unison.

Mouse Treasure was the first to move.

Without even waiting for the Cyan Cloud Falcon to descend, it flipped over the side of the saddle and leaped down.

The instant Mouse Treasure began to fall, its Earth Shifting Technique circulated at incredible speed. In mid-air, its body first softened as if turning to mud.

Within a second, all of its cells completed an ultimate Earth Attribute transformation, and then its skin took on the cold, hard luster of grayish rock.

Under the power of the Earth Shifting Technique, that muddy layer reconsolidated, forming an indestructible Earth Dragon Armor. Scaly patterns spread from its shoulder blades to its claws, as if it had donned the shell of an ancient Earth Dragon.

A phantom image of an Earth Dragon's palm appeared beneath its feet, a massive and heavy illusion that slammed into the ground a moment before it landed.

Then its body followed.

Demon Dragon transformation upon landing!

BOOM!

With a flash of black light, Mouse Treasure's body instantly swelled in size. Its giant Demon Dragon claw collided head-on with the Geocrag Lizard's forehead.

The force of the impact was like a meteor striking the earth, causing the ground to tremble violently.

Shockwaves surged outward like a tide, throwing dust and rubble dozens of feet into the air.

Cracks spread across the ground in concentric circles, and spiderweb-like fissures appeared on the nearest cliff face.

The Geocrag Lizard's massive body was knocked back several dozen feet, its four short, thick rock-claws plowing four deep furrows in the loose stones.

Before it could regain its balance, the Rainbow Wing Butterfly flew out, wings beating.

The iridescence flowing across its wings seemed to have condensed the sky itself, unfurling in the night air with the aura of an ancient Myriad Phenomena Butterfly.

A terrifying Illusory Dream Tide swept down like a silent wave.

The Geocrag Lizard's grayish-white eyes instantly lost focus. Its limbs stiffened for a moment, and even the earthy-yellow spiritual light on its Rock Armor flickered unsteadily.

The illusion even interfered with the Five-star support Demon Fiend hidden behind it, the one imposing the Gravity Field. A faint Spiritual Fluctuation leaked out from behind the cliff face, carrying a panicked tremor.

'Now's the chance.'

In a void no one was watching, a dark figure slipped inside.

The Rootless Wood, controlled by Cyan Treasure, silently extended from the void, like a living creature growing out of a spatial rift.

Ah Ji's figure flashed, stepping directly into the Rootless Wood. Its Power of Shadow and the Wood Element Void Law merged in an instant.

It shuttled through the shadows of the Rootless Wood's root system, passing through folds in Space and mountain barriers, following the wood as it wrapped around to the back of the left peak.

That area was still shrouded in the after-effects of the Rainbow Wing Butterfly's illusion. The support Demon Fiend was frantically shaking its head, trying to break free from the Spiritual Interference.

The Rootless Wood ripped out of the void behind it, its dark roots lunging for the center of its back, carrying an aura of absolute Devouring.

The Demon Fiend froze.

Its form was bizarre, its body seemingly filled with Devouring Power, and its surface was irregularly studded with a few sharp, leaf-like spines.

The Demon Fiend's mouth opened in the darkness, releasing a muddled, delirious whisper.

It was muttering something, the syllables filled with awe and submission toward some supreme existence.

"Sacred Tree!"

But it was mistaken.

This tree was not their Sacred Tree.

This was a Rootless Wood reshaped by Cyan Treasure's own Daoist Skill and tamed in the real world. Although they shared the same origin, it now belonged to a completely different lineage of Dao Principles.

Ah Ji suddenly expanded from within the shadows beneath the Rootless Wood.

Its figure shot up from the root's shadow, the silhouette of a Cat Demon rapidly elongating and solidifying in mid-air.

Then its paw, covered in the energy of its Light and Dark Dual Attribute, formed a fist and swung out violently, its claws tearing through the air.

An incandescent white light, compressed to its absolute limit, erupted around it, powerful enough to shatter mountains and crack stone.

This was the advanced fist technique that came after the Perfection of Blazing Light Fist: the Blazing Light Mountain-Breaking Fist!

Such a terrifying punch, delivered at point-blank range with the explosive agility unique to the Cat Demon race.

Light, a blaze of light so intense it was nearly white, poured into every single crevice of the Demon Fiend's face.

The Demon Fiend didn't even have time to scream.

It was a pure creation of the Inner World. Every shred of its flesh and blood, every wisp of black Demonic Qi flowing through its meridians, evaporated frantically under the absolute suppression of the Light Attribute energy.

Black qi billowed from its body like an ice cube dropped into boiling water, its outer layer rapidly melting away.

Its internal structure suffered an even more gruesome fate, shattered to pieces by the formless light as if a great mountain were crumbling before Ah Ji.

In agony and terror, it tore its gaze away from the blinding light and desperately threw its head back.

But the Rootless Wood had already wrapped around its waist, back, and neck.

The roots tightened.

The friction between the wood fibers and its flesh produced a sickening, squelching sound that set one's teeth on edge. Then, in a sudden surge of force, its flesh and remaining Power were viciously siphoned away.

A bulging, tube-like protuberance could be seen clearly on the black bark, continuously channeling its Life Force into the heart of the tree.

What had been a complete Five-star Demon Fiend seconds ago was now just a shriveled husk. Fragments of bone and dried mucus crumbled to dust, rustling as they fell from between the roots.

Only then did Ah Kun finally complete its massive Water Element wave summons.

A great torrent of water surged from the ground, formed a rain cloud in the sky that poured down, and coalesced around it into a massive, ring-shaped wave. The crest of the wave spun, unfolding sharp, serrated water blades.

The Wave-Swallowing Technique was fully charged; its casting animation was finally complete.

But as it urged the wave forward, preparing to smash it down, it looked past the spray and saw that the Geocrag Lizard was already gone.

In the time it had taken to charge up, Mouse Treasure had already punched above its weight class and brutally torn the opponent to shreds.

In its Demon Dragon form, Mouse Treasure no longer looked like itself. It had the full appearance of a Demon Dragon, its eyes glowing with black light. Its dragon eyes, lined with crimson gold, made Ah Kun feel very uneasy.

Mouse Treasure's horns were magnificent, angling up toward the sky, their spiraling patterns faintly glowing with an ethereal light.

It was crouched atop the Geocrag Lizard's limp corpse, its body covered in demon-blood-soaked dragon armor. It had just slowly withdrawn a pair of hook-bladed dragon claws from a tear in its prey's body, the tips still dripping with viscous, dark red blood.

Seeing that the enemy was dead, Ah Kun's Wave-Swallowing Technique hung in mid-air, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

"Ah Kun, go help our fellow members of the Human Race," Gu Ming said.

Ah Kun immediately obeyed.

The long-charged current of water changed direction, carrying the immense power of the surging tide as it crashed down violently upon the chaotic battle still raging behind them, as if to blot out the sky.