Chapter Thirteen: Watching the Battle

In the blink of an eye, a short blade streaked through the sky, carrying a sharp, azure gleam. It silently pierced the abdomen of the three-colored monkey, like a deadly flash of lightning in the night.

“Bang!” With a heavy, forceful impact, the three-colored monkey’s body was tossed like tattered cloth caught in a fierce wind, crashing to the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust.

Before it could recover from this sudden blow, a massive fist, wrapped in tough beasthide and glowing faintly with a cold light, descended like a meteor from the heavens, smashing fiercely into its forehead.

“Boom!” A deafening roar, like thunder rolling across the sky, resounded as the three-colored monkey’s head was driven deep into the earth by an invisible, immense force. Dust exploded outward as a deep, grim pit slowly took shape beneath its body.

Then came two more strikes, each as heavy as a thousand weights, their power enough to devastate the heavens and earth. The monkey’s head warped under the relentless blows, eventually sinking deeply into the soil, leaving only a blurred, distorted outline.

The surrounding ground trembled under the continuous shockwaves, cracking with thin fissures unable to withstand such brutal force.

Without hesitation, Cao Yun slapped his storage pouch, and the beasthide bag instantly appeared in his palm. With skilled, fluid movements, he swiftly drew a slender wound along the monkey’s neck. Blood gushed forth like a roaring stream, flowing down the smooth throat and pooling into the open mouth of the beasthide pouch.

After collecting the blood, a red light suddenly flared between Cao Yun’s brows, like a strange scarlet lightning bolt. It shot out in an instant, sweeping away the monkey’s spirit.

Not far away, the injured young three-colored monkey had stopped struggling, lying motionless. Cao Yun paid it no mind. Without hesitation, he lifted the small monkey, made a precise cut on its neck, and aligned the bleeding wound with the pouch. Blood dripped steadily, slowly filling the bag.

Once the blood was collected, the red light between Cao Yun’s brows flared again, like a ravenous beast capturing prey, swiftly drawing away the young monkey’s spirit. He sighed softly, “I’m not sure if this little monkey’s blood is enough, nor how the Blood Slave Hall calculates the quantity. But time is still sufficient, so I’ll kill one more; if that fails, I’ll have no choice but to grit my teeth and hand it over.”

***

Half an hour later, Cao Yun quietly appeared in a valley far from the forest where he had hunted the three-colored monkeys. Hidden behind a small earth mound, his sharp eyes fixed intently on the unfolding scene ahead.

Three blood slaves were tightly surrounded by a pack of hyena-like beasts. These creatures were agile, their eyes gleaming with savage ferocity, clearly formidable foes.

The hyenas circled the blood slaves, constantly shifting their attack positions as if toying with their prey. Occasionally, one would leap forward and strike the golden shield protecting the blood slaves with a claw. The once impenetrable shield trembled violently, as though the next blow would tear it apart.

Facing such a dire situation, the three blood slaves began to panic. They hurled fireballs and wind blades at the beasts, desperately trying to break the encirclement. However, the beasts moved too swiftly, weaving skillfully through the attacks, making it difficult for the spells to land.

Even when spells did hit, they only left shallow scratches or singed fur, causing no real harm. As time wore on, the blood slaves’ physical and spiritual energies drained, while the beasts seemed tireless, their assaults growing fiercer.

Desperation and fear filled the blood slaves’ eyes as they clumsily shifted their defenses.

The beasts howled with triumphant growls, as if heralding victory, and intensified their relentless attacks.

At that moment, one blood slave’s golden shield finally shattered under the continuous assault. He screamed in terror as a beast pounced, pinning him to the ground. Just as he cried out “Help!”, the sharp fangs bit into his neck, blood gushing forth to stain the earth crimson. The other beasts quickly joined in, tearing the blood slave apart in a frenzy.

The remaining two blood slaves, witnessing this, seized what little hope they had and hastily cast Wind Riding Technique, attempting to escape during the chaos of their companion’s demise.

Yet the beasts reacted with astonishing speed. Sensing their intent, several beasts swiftly repositioned to block the fleeing blood slaves.

***

Soon, the two were surrounded once more. The beasts’ eyes glinted with even more savage greed, their howls now sounding like death chants that sent chills down the spine.

Despair returned to the blood slaves’ faces. They knew their strength paled in comparison to the beasts, and escape was nearly impossible.

Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out as the golden shields of both blood slaves were ripped apart by claws. Their bodies were exposed to the beasts’ fangs, and two agonizing screams echoed through the valley, chilling all who heard.

Cao Yun watched helplessly. He had intended to reap the benefits quietly but had not anticipated such powerful beasts, leaving the blood slaves defenseless. Knowing his own strength was insufficient against these ferocious creatures, he realized his fate would be no better than theirs.

He slowly retreated from his hiding spot, every step cautious to avoid disturbing the beasts feasting below. His gaze was filled with deep vigilance. Even the thought of waiting for the beasts to leave so he could retrieve the blood slaves’ beasthide bags was abandoned. He understood these beasts were not only strong but also clever.

Before such opponents, any carelessness could lead to a doom from which there was no escape. Cao Yun had no intention of becoming the next feast.

***

Two hours later, Cao Yun skillfully concealed himself beneath a towering tree’s nest, lightly covered by a layer of dry leaves. Gripping his short blade tightly, only his sharp eyes were visible, fixed intently on the sky above. Beside him lay several enormous eggs, silently proclaiming the extraordinary nature of his next quarry—a massive flying beast.

Based on his previous experience surviving in the wild as an assassin, although flying beasts are aggressive, their defenses are usually surprisingly fragile. Much like vultures that prey on deer and sheep, they appear ferocious but can be brought down with a single precise stone. Yet confronting one head-on is undoubtedly perilous.