The Rock-Shell Turtle let out one final, desperate shriek, its limbs thrashing violently a few times.
Its turbid yellow eyes slowly glazed over, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, completely still.
Dark green fluid spread across the ground, sizzling as it corroded tiny black holes into the earth.
Leaning on his staff, Bai Xuan stood in place, taking a moment to calm the turbulent mana within his body.
Although the battle hadn't been on a grand scale, every single strike had required his absolute utmost effort.
Transcendent Rank monsters were indeed far more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated.
Fortunately, this Rock-Shell Turtle was slow and clumsy.
Otherwise, the battle would have been far more troublesome and drained much more of his mana.
“Monsters of this level shouldn't be this common, logically speaking...”
Bai Xuan muttered under his breath, his eyes filled with doubt and gravity.
“Besides, this Transcendent was weaker than I expected.”
Just as he caught his breath, two wolf howls suddenly echoed in his ears.
Immediately after, two dark shadows lunged swiftly from the shadows on both sides of the passage.
They were actually two Level 7 Shadowmane Wolves.
Flanking him from the left and right, the two Shadowmane Wolves instantly pounced in a pincer movement.
Bai Xuan darted to the side, narrowly evading their sharp fangs.
Phoebe let out a low shout from the side, charging forward as her giant axe whipped up a fierce gust of wind.
She swung her axe ruthlessly at the wolf on the right, forcing it to back away.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Xuan raised his Staff of Redemption, a faint glow condensing at its tip.
【Concussive Field】
The Staff of Redemption slammed heavily onto the ground. With the point of impact as the center, an invisible shockwave rippled outward.
The two Shadowmane Wolves froze instantly, panic flashing in their eyes, clearly stunned by the shockwave.
Bai Xuan's eyes narrowed. Without a moment's hesitation, a thick, pale gold halo flared at the tip of his staff.
Gripping the staff with both hands, he slammed it down ruthlessly onto the slowed Shadowmane Wolf on the left.
The power of 【Redemption Strike】 erupted with a roar, the heavy golden energy carrying pure holy power as it slammed heavily onto the Shadowmane Wolf's back.
With a sickening crack, the Shadowmane Wolf let out a pitiful wail as its body slammed into the ground, leaving a small crater.
Its body convulsed, completely robbed of its ability to fight back, though it did not die immediately, its limbs still twitching weakly.
Seeing this, Phoebe's eyes hardened, and her giant axe tore through the air in a vertical slash.
The sharp blade cleaved precisely into the injured wolf's neck. Blood sprayed, and the Shadowmane Wolf went entirely limp.
The other Shadowmane Wolf had just broken free from the concussive effect.
Seeing its companion slain, a ferocious red light flared in its eyes. It opened its jaws and spat a black wind blade directly at Bai Xuan.
Bai Xuan sidestepped the attack. With a quick flick of his wrist, the Staff of Redemption gathered holy power once more, and he delivered another 【Redemption Strike】 straight to its head.
The Shadowmane Wolf collapsed, and Phoebe was already closing in.
【Flaw Strike】
Raising her giant axe high, she swung it down with crushing force, severing its neck and ending its life on the spot.
Just as the battle ended, Phoebe felt a sudden warm current surge through her body, quietly strengthening her physical frame.
Phoebe's status panel immediately popped up before Bai Xuan's eyes, clearly displaying her changes:
【Phoebe Xi】
【Class: Sentiment-Forged Weapon Lv.4 (6%)】
【HP: 680/680】
【Mana: 240/240】
This level-up was a massive boost for Phoebe. At the very least, she would now stand a fighting chance if they encountered another powerful foe.
Phoebe also felt the changes within her body with curiosity. She swung the Rock-Crushing Mountain a few times, a faint, uncontrollable smile gracing her lips.
Bai Xuan glanced down at his own experience bar, estimating that he would also level up after slaying a few more monsters.
Resting the giant axe on her shoulder, Phoebe walked over to the two Shadowmane Wolf carcasses. She skillfully cut open their chests and carefully extracted two dark, faint-colored Magic Cores.
Bai Xuan took the Magic Cores, stowed them in his storage bag, and looked toward the depths of the passage.
“Let's go. Don't stay too long, it's not safe here.”
The two quickly composed themselves and headed deeper into the passage, one after the other.
As they ventured deeper, the light inside the passage gradually grew brighter.
The musty air and the stench of monsters faded, replaced by the fresh, crisp scent of damp earth and greenery.
Following the light, they quickened their pace, and a narrow exit soon appeared ahead.
Bai Xuan was the first to step out. Looking up, he was greeted by a lush, vibrant forest.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sun, their branches twisting and intertwining, while emerald vines hung down like curtains.
A thin mist drifted through the woods, where exotic, unnamed flora grew in wild, vibrant abundance beneath the canopy.
“Stop,” Bai Xuan suddenly said, raising a hand to signal Phoebe. His brow furrowed.
He could clearly feel a powerful aura radiating from up ahead, completely unmasked.
He immediately extended his mental perception forward with extreme caution, not daring to let his guard down.
Within his range of perception, countless monster status panels flickered continuously.
It was like looking at a star-studded night sky, a sight that made his skin crawl.
There were dozens of monsters out there. The lowest among them was Level 7, and there were even several Level 8 and Level 9 creatures.
Deeper in the forest, two status panels stood out with blinding clarity.
Bai Xuan snapped his eyes open, a sudden wave of dread washing over him.
“We can't go any further.”
Quickly grabbing Phoebe's wrist, he abandoned their straight path.
Instead, he chose a relatively concealed, safer route and began to carefully climb toward higher ground.
Climbing with extreme caution, the two eventually reached the summit of a low, rocky hill.
From this vantage point, they could clearly look down upon a vast valley.
Bai Xuan lay flat against the ground, and Phoebe quickly followed suit, dropping down right beside him.
He released his mental perception once more, sweeping it slowly across the ground to avoid alerting the monsters below.
Down in the valley, two behemoths were locked in a ferocious, earth-shaking battle.
One was a giant lizard covered in dark gray rock armor. A single sweep of its thick tail snapped a towering tree in half, sending wood splinters flying in all directions.
The other was an ape-like magical beast with six arms, its body covered in thick black fur.
At that moment, it was gripping the lizard's tail in a vice-like hold, slamming the reptile violently against the nearby rocks.
The ground trembled violently as loose stones flew everywhere. In the presence of these two titans, the Level 8 monsters scattered like startled rabbits, not daring to linger for even a second.
Bai Xuan's pupils contracted sharply as two lines of information popped up on his status panel.
【Dragon-Armored Lizard Lv.12】
【Gargantuan Magic Ape Lv.12】
Both of these magical beasts were Transcendent Rank creatures.
And they weren't newly ascended Transcendent beasts either; they were powerful creatures standing at the very peak of the Transcendent Rank.
His breathing slowed to a crawl, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the Staff of Redemption.
Lying beside him, Phoebe also took in the sight below.
She remained silent, pressing her body even lower to the ground, her silver ponytail resting against the dirt as her eyes flared with deep vigilance.
Quietly withdrawing his mental perception, Bai Xuan carefully pulled Phoebe along as they slowly backed down the rocky hill.
Only when the valley was completely out of sight did he pick up the pace, pulling Phoebe along as they retraced their steps, rushing back toward the safety of the barrier.
Rate on N.U.
