Chris only needed to hunt one more Fourth-Grade beast to complete his mission and return.
“That’s a Fourth-Grade beast, Shadowfang!”
Not far ahead, Chris spotted a Shadowfang covered in crimson fur. Though categorized as a Fourth-Grade beast, the Shadowfang was notoriously ferocious, its strength comparable to late-stage Pinnacle cultivators.
Shadowfang’s razor-sharp claws and fangs had claimed the lives of many Aetherbinding practitioners. Chris hadn’t expected to encounter such a formidable foe here.
“Awroo!”
“Awroo!”
“Awroo!”
The Shadowfang noticed Chris and his group, letting out a series of thunderous roars. Its blood-red eyes gleamed with fury, and it exuded a powerful murderous aura.
Chris’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, he turned to Tiger. “Tiger, take the others and retreat. I’ll handle this Shadowfang.”
Given the Shadowfang’s strength, equivalent to that of a late-stage Pinnacle Aetherbinding cultivator, staying to fight would only result in heavy casualties for Tiger and the others.
“Yes!” Tiger responded without delay, leading the group to retreat swiftly.
As they withdrew, the Shadowfang charged forward with astonishing speed, closing the distance in an instant.
Chris tightened his grip on his Dragon Slayer sword and stepped forward to meet the beast.
“Die!”
With a roar, Chris swung the Dragon Slayer in a mighty arc, striking the Shadowfang squarely on its back.
“Awroo!”
The beast let out a pained cry, blood gushing from the deep wound. Its crimson eyes locked onto Chris, its killing intent growing more intense.
“Awroo!”
The Shadowfang howled to the sky, then lunged at Chris with terrifying speed, its claws slicing through the air. These claws were deadly; one swipe could disembowel him.
Chris narrowly dodged the attack and countered with another powerful swing of the Dragon Slayer.
The Shadowfang, having already tasted the blade’s power, leaped back to avoid the strike. It glared at Chris for a moment before abruptly turning to flee.
“Trying to run? Let’s see where you can go!”
Chris wasn’t about to let the beast escape. He chased after it relentlessly. Despite its injuries, the Shadowfang was still incredibly fast. But Chris was determined and stayed hot on its trail.
Meanwhile, a group of young heirs from the Flameforge families lingered on the outskirts of Night Forest, training themselves by hunting beasts.
Over the last few days, they had slain a number of creatures, though most were only First- or Second-Grade beasts, posing little danger.
They treated the experience more like a leisurely outing than a serious trial.
“I just killed a First-Grade beast. It was effortless.”
“These beasts aren’t much. With our strength, even a Fourth-Grade beast wouldn’t be a challenge.”
“Exactly! A few beasts? Too easy.”
Their arrogance was palpable as they dismissed the risks.
But Harrison Passos, a prodigy of the Passos family, cautioned them. “Don’t get carried away. We’ve only faced First- and Second-Grade beasts so far. If we encounter something stronger, we’ll need to be very careful.”
Harrison, the young genius of his family, had already broken through to the Pinnacle realm at a young age. Many believed he was destined to become the next head of the Passos family.
“Look! That’s a Fourth-Grade beast-Shadowfang!”
A startled cry drew everyone’s attention.
In the distance, a Shadowfang appeared, its crimson fur unmistakable.
The group tensed immediately. Shadowfangs were formidable even among Fourth-Grade beasts, their strength rivaling late-stage Pinnacle cultivators.
Most of the group were only at the peak of Aetherbinding, and even Harrison had just stepped into the early Pinnacle stage.
But Harrison wasn’t about to lose face in front of everyone. He took a deep breath and declared, “Follow my lead. Together, we’ll kill this Shadowfang!”
The others gripped their swords tightly and cautiously approached the beast.
“Look, it’s injured!”
“This is our chance to kill it!”
“We can’t let this opportunity slip by!”
Excitement surged through the group as they noticed the Shadowfang’s wounds.
Harrison’s eyes lit up. “Let’s move quickly. We’ll take it down!”
If the Shadowfang hadn’t been injured, they might have hesitated. But now, it seemed like an easy victory, and none of them wanted to miss the chance to claim glory.
The group charged forward in high spirits. Killing the Shadowfang would be a major achievement, something they could boast about for years.
However, despite its injuries, the Shadowfang remained incredibly fast, far outpacing Harrison and the others.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the forest.
The Shadowfang’s body was flung through the air, crashing to the ground.
Harrison and his group froze in shock.
From the shadows of the trees, a man emerged. It was Chris, who had been pursuing the Shadowfang all along.
Chris glared at the beast. “You made me chase you this far. Let’s see where you run now!”
The Shadowfang, heavily injured and bleeding profusely, gazed at Chris with a flicker of fear in its eyes.
With a final, desperate roar, the Shadowfang launched one last attack at Chris.
But Chris was ready. He dodged the beast’s strike and brought the Dragon Slayer down in a decisive blow.
With a sickening crunch, the Shadowfang’s head was severed cleanly from its body.
Chris wiped the sweat from his brow, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He gripped the Dragon Slayer and began extracting the beast’s Heartstone.
Suddenly, a shout rang out.
“Who are you? How dare you steal our prey!”
Chris frowned and glanced up to see Harrison Passos and his group approaching.
Ignoring them, Chris continued digging out the Heartstone.
Harrison’s face turned red with anger at the blatant disregard. He stepped forward and yelled, “You bastard! That Heartstone is ours!”