Chapter Forty-Nine: The Battle for the Lightning Beast (Part Four)

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Struggle for the Lightning Beast (Part Four)

You’re proud now, enjoy your pride, but if I truly have to die, I’ll make sure you go with me! Ji Mo shot the creature a vicious glare, then immediately shifted her gaze to the seven people opposite her.

“I wonder how I should address you, brothers?” she asked with a serene smile, though she knew a fierce battle was inevitable.

Unfortunately, her question was utterly ignored. As soon as her words fell, a man of about thirty, with a scar slashing across his face, flashed a look of malice. With a flip of his hand, he tossed a black net into the air, which billowed into a dark cloud and descended upon her.

The seven of them hailed from three different factions. The scarred man was a tenth-level Qi Refiner, partnered with another of the same rank. This pair was not the strongest among the seven, but by no means weak.

Everyone coveted the Lightning Beast. With seven of them present, whoever seized it first would have the best chance to claim it as their own. Naturally, whoever grabbed it would also draw the greatest danger onto themselves, but no one had time to worry about that now. If, by chance, someone managed to both capture and escape with the beast, it would be an unparalleled opportunity. As for how likely that was, none of them cared to consider.

All of them were low-ranking disciples in their sects, of average talent and limited resources. They had been in their orders for some time, and without a stroke of great fortune, their cultivation would likely stall at the Qi Refinement stage—a fate unbearable for any who’d set foot on the path of immortality. Yet with their meager gifts, advancing through their own efforts was nearly impossible. Their only hope lay in venturing repeatedly into various trial grounds, praying to stumble upon the opportunity that would elevate them.

The sudden tides at Blue Moon Lake were a windfall for them; greater still was their unexpected encounter with the Lightning Beast at the lake’s edge. If they could form a blood contract with the beast, they might ascend with it to the Condensing Core stage. Whether their talent was sufficient to win the beast’s allegiance, or whether they could escape after seizing it, were questions for another time.

Their sole thought now was to claim the Lightning Beast. But before that, Ji Mo had to be killed, for they believed the beast was already bound to her. To possess the Lightning Beast, they had to slay its mistress first—and her three companions could not be spared either. Otherwise, the crime of slaughtering fellow disciples would be exposed, and none could bear the consequences.

For Ji Mo, disaster had fallen from the sky. As the black net, seething with sinister energy, descended over her, she had no intention of surrendering. This net was called the Soul-Devouring Web. The moment it shrouded her, Ji Mo felt as if her very soul was ensnared, her thoughts and movements dulled for a split second.

The Soul-Devouring Web was a vicious weapon, designed to attack the soul itself. Among Qi Refiners, few could escape its grip if caught off guard. But Ji Mo was not ordinary. She practiced the Heavenly Demon Body-Forging Art, created by the Demon Emperor of the Celestial Realm, blending the strengths of both demon and shaman races. Both body and soul were tempered far beyond ordinary methods. Though her cultivation was still low, and she faltered for a heartbeat under the ambush, clarity quickly returned.

As the net neared her head, the white-jade Dragon Whip in her hand transformed into a flood dragon, lashing out with a piercing roar at the black net. During the tides at Blue Moon Lake, she had risked her life to break through to the second stage of Transcendence. With her cultivation and the monstrous power of her unique art, she was eager to test her current strength.

With a crack, the net was shattered by her whip, dispersing into fragments that drifted to the ground. The Soul-Devouring Web, once it ensnared someone, would swiftly erode the soul—an artifact of rare cruelty, painstakingly refined by the scarred man.

The net was linked to his heart and veins. When Ji Mo broke it with a single strike, he suffered a wrenching pain, as though struck by a mighty blow. Blood spurted from his mouth, and Ji Mo snorted coldly. Her form blurred like a phantom, her whip twisting like a dragon as she charged at him without hesitation.

The other six, seeing this, were aghast. They had never imagined that a mere third-level Qi Refiner could possess such terrifying strength. Of course, the scarred man’s overconfidence had played a part—he thought that using just sixty percent of his strength would suffice against a rookie like Ji Mo.

That moment’s arrogance cost him his favorite weapon and dealt him a severe injury. His companion, seeing this, stepped forward to block Ji Mo’s advance, wielding a massive black blade against her silver whip.

This man, Yao Fei, had partnered with the scarred man for many years. Though not bound by life-and-death loyalty, he would not stand by and watch his partner die—at least, not when it brought him no benefit. Of course, should one of them truly seize the Lightning Beast, who could say what would happen then?

Yao Fei was also a tenth-level Qi Refiner, but in addition to this, he practiced the Body-Tempering path at the Transcendence stage. Now wary of Ji Mo, he attacked with full force. The blade and whip collided with a harsh crack; a fine fissure appeared in the black blade. Yao Fei grunted and staggered back several steps, disbelief filling his gaze.

Ji Mo, however, fared even worse. For all her strength, she was only at the second stage of Transcendence and a third-level Qi Refiner. Facing a seasoned veteran like Yao Fei, she had the advantage of weaponry, but her body was thrown back by the force of the blow. Blood surged in her chest but wouldn’t come up, leaving her face as pale as paper.

Meanwhile, the Lightning Beast perched on her shoulder chirped gleefully, raising its little forepaws to clap in schadenfreude. Ji Mo’s anger blazed; she lashed out at it with her whip. The beast rolled away, scampering up her right shoulder and pulling a face at her. Furious and helpless, Ji Mo could do nothing.

Though Yao Fei’s blade was damaged, he himself was largely unhurt. The scarred man, after a brief recovery, collected himself. He, a dignified tenth-level cultivator, had suffered such a blow at Ji Mo’s hand—how could he endure it? Both men summoned new weapons: Yao Fei now held a black war hammer, while the scarred man wielded a short spear with a black shaft and crimson tip. Encircled by the two, Ji Mo suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

Mu Baiyun, Wei Qiu, and Zhao Hu, seeing her plight, were about to intervene when three enemy cultivators immediately moved to intercept them. This time, their opponents were far more cautious, having witnessed Ji Mo’s earlier display. The one facing Mu Baiyun was an eleventh-level Qi Refiner; those blocking Zhao Hu and Wei Qiu were both eighth-level. Two twelfth-level cultivators stood by, coldly observing, ready to prevent any escapes. Clearly, they intended to kill all four.

Mu Baiyun, a prodigy among prodigies, stood unafraid before the eleventh-level opponent. His brows suddenly drew together; the Rainbow-Cutting Sword shot from his brow in a flash of cold light, cleaving toward the advancing Qi Refiner.

His opponent, Wei Jiu, was a middle-aged man with a dark, thin face, and a sinister temperament. In his hand was a strange, jet-black claw of unknown material. Seeing Mu Baiyun’s spirit sword slicing toward him, he sneered and flung up the claw, which met the sword with a shrill screech. There was a metallic ring as the claw was cleaved in two. Wei Jiu grunted, retreating three steps, his eyes now filled with venomous suspicion and hatred for Mu Baiyun.