In this world, spiritual beasts are divided into three main categories: natural spiritual beasts, demonic beasts, and divine beasts.
Natural spiritual beasts are born from the balance of the world's energy, living in harmony with their surroundings. They follow a cycle defined by nature itself, growing, evolving, and eventually reaching a divine level that grants them immortality. They are the pure representation of the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.
Demonic beasts, on the other hand, are an absolute contrast. Their existence is a profanation of the natural cycle. They can arise in two ways: they are born from the corruption of malevolent energy that flows through the cracks of the world, or they are artificially created, shaped by human hands seeking to harness their power for war or chaos.
However, even these deformed and twisted creatures possess the ability to evolve into a higher form: dark divine beasts, immortal entities that embody the abyss.
But what was this creature?
The monster that emerged left no room for certainties. Was it a twisted experiment, a forgotten weapon from a past era? Or was it something pure, an abomination born of chaos and accumulated hatred over centuries? At that moment, the answer did not matter.
The only thing that mattered was survival.
The air remained heavy, laden with tension and malevolent energy. The demonic beast stayed motionless, observing the group with an intelligence it should not possess, as if deciding who its first prey would be.
Ren Jihao maintained his rigid stance, his sword still engulfed in flames, but inside, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions consumed him.
"Why had it all come to this?"
The explosion of the core, the appearance of the beast, the absolute chaos engulfing them... everything felt like inescapable punishment.
Unintentionally, his eyes sought Bai Xuebing, who stood at the front of the group, calm, with his spear ready and his cold gaze fixed on the creature. That calmness he always radiated, as if danger could not touch him, only fueled the resentment buried deep in Ren's heart.
"He brought us here. He got us into this."
Fury consumed him, though he did not show it. He tried to convince himself it was not Bai's fault, but his emotions could not ignore the obvious.
—Ren, get ready— Xia Ruyen's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
—Yes... I am— He replied, though his words lacked conviction.
The beast let out a low growl, and the ground trembled slightly under its weight. It was as if it were testing the group's patience. Ren, with a clenched jaw, felt the impulse to act. His hand trembled for a moment over the hilt of his sword before he decided to channel his spiritual energy.
A flash of fire emerged from his weapon, but the strike was not directed precisely. The burst dangerously passed near Bai Xuebing and grazed the air by the creature's head, causing it to slowly turn towards Bai.
—Ren, watch your aim!— shouted Xia Ruyen, though her words sounded more like a reprimand than an order.
Ren did not respond. Apparently, it had been a mistake... but deep down, he knew. That strike had not been as accidental as it seemed.
The creature, as if understanding the change in energy, locked its burning eyes on Bai Xuebing. The low growl it had released earlier turned into a deafening roar, and its serpentine body tensed, like a spring about to be unleashed.
Why had the beast chosen him? Was it really an accident that drew its attention... or had someone acted deliberately?
Bai Xuebing quickly glanced at the group, his eyes scanning every face. Most were tense, scared, but Ren Jihao avoided his gaze, staying behind the others while seemingly reinforcing his defensive stance.
"Ren...? No, there's no time for this now."
The beast roared again, its body slithering as it charged once more toward him. Bai had no choice but to fully focus on the battle.
—Damn, damn, damn! Why... me?— Bai muttered to himself, frowning as he adjusted his posture.
The beast charged with brutal speed, a roar resonating like thunder, its body leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Bai Xuebing reacted with the reflexes of a warrior, spinning his spear in a decisive arc that unleashed a crimson energy burst. The energy grazed the beast, slightly diverting its trajectory, but the impact was inevitable.
—Bai!— Xia screamed, stepping forward, desperate to reach him.
The ground erupted in a cloud of dust and debris, and Bai was hurled several hundred meters back, the compressed air in his lungs tearing through several trees in his path.
—Ahhh!
There was no time to breathe. Barely touching the ground, the beast was already upon him.
—Damn it!— escaped his lips, blood pouring out in a bitter burst. The pain was unbearable, but the worst part was the sensation that his body was starting to fail, his flesh shredded by the overwhelming force of the impact.
The beast watched, savoring his suffering, its gaze filled with sadistic pleasure. It did not attack, merely observing as the blood stained the earth around him.
Graar!
With its long tail, the beast grabbed Bai by the foot and dragged him across the ground, slamming him with utter disdain, like someone playing with a broken doll. Bai Xuebing writhed, feeling humiliation and pain, as the beast growled with grotesque laughter, as if it were all a macabre joke.
Bai tried to stand, to heal, or even to do something, but it was useless.
Xuán Mó Shé, a Triple-B ranked beast, was a force of destruction. Its power rivaled that of cultivators in the seventh or sixth realm, a monster capable of effortlessly annihilating
Bai Xuebing. If anyone thought this young man could face it, they were doomed to failure. Bai's survival probability was zero.
This probability could increase if the entire group faced the beast with a grand attack formation, but this possibility was slim because Bai Xuebing was quite far from the group, and by the time they arrived—if they even came—he would already be dead. And even if they did arrive, his survival chances would still be low. So, what would Bai Xuebing do?
Flee to survive? Did he truly believe he could escape this beast?
What naivety. To think he could escape such a creature would only show his ignorance and weakness. Yet, he did think of fleeing; that thought crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed it. It was evident he could not do so.
His thoughts swirled quickly, each word crossing his mind more bitter than the last.
"I can't escape from it. I should hold out until reinforcements arrive, so I... no... they won't come, because you thought they would come to help you. They've probably already fled with the clients. Bai Xuebing, you're truly naive to think someone would come to help you. I'm so pathetic. Right now, I'm nothing but cannon fodder... bait..."
The feeling of helplessness enveloped him like a thick fog, reminding him of that moment, that night, when he lost everything. "To die here... To die without avenging my family... I won't be able to face them. I'll never have the chance to take revenge on those demons..."
For a moment, the world faded. Bai Xuebing knew his life hung by a thread, that death was already staring at him with cold, fixed eyes. The same sensation that had invaded him before, that pang of despair, of facing absolute power, enveloped him now. A sensation so familiar... the same one he had experienced on that fateful night.
"I'm going to die here..." he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. "...without being able to do anything."
A whisper of resignation. "This is my fate... the heavens dictated it..."
However, in some corner of his mind, something stirred. A thought ignited like a spark in the darkness. Something within him refused to yield.
—To hell with fate! To hell with the heavens!
He raised his voice with unexpected strength, his gaze fixed on the beast's crimson eyes.
—I, BAI XUEBING, WILL NOT DIE!
Despite his broken body, with open wounds spilling rivers of blood and his muscles trembling under the tension, Bai Xuebing rose. His figure, though weakened, radiated a resolution that no force could break.
In front of him, the demonic beast stared at him with a cruel sneer, its crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. To the creature, Bai was nothing more than an insect on the verge of death, a pathetic spectacle unworthy of its attention.
But Bai Xuebing was not someone who gave up. Not today.
"I won't let it end here…" he thought, gripping the trembling spear tightly in his hands. "Not before avenging my family."
Bai Xuebing took a deep breath, lifting his head to face the beast with a cold, defiant gaze.
—Death will claim me only when I decide! It won't be when you choose, demon!
The beast tilted its enormous head, observing him with mocking curiosity.
Without breaking eye contact with his enemy, Bai pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his spatial ring. Inside, the lotus pills, of low rank but effective, reflected the light in a soft white glow.
He knew it was a risk. He knew it could kill him. But there was no other option.
Without a second thought, he uncorked the bottle and swallowed all the pills at once.
The effect was immediate and brutal. The spiritual energy contained in the pills was released like an uncontrollable torrent, flooding every fiber of his body. Bai fell to his knees, clenching his teeth as a searing pain coursed through his veins, as if his blood had turned into liquid fire.
The healing process began abruptly, brutally aggressive. His wounds started closing rapidly, but the cost was immense. The pills weren't designed to be consumed in such a manner, and his body, though fortified by cultivation, was on the brink of collapse.
Bai's heart began beating at a frenetic pace, three times per second. For a mortal, it would have been a direct ticket to death; but for a cultivator, this level was... manageable, though no less dangerous.
"This… hurts more than I imagined." Bai closed his eyes for a moment, breathing heavily as his body fought to not break under the uncontrolled healing energy.
Every muscle, every bone, and every fiber of his being tensed to its limit. His skin, drenched in sweat and blood, seemed to glow faintly under the energy overload.
The beast observed, and for the first time, its mocking sneer faded slightly. It could feel how Bai's body was changing, his energy fluctuating but not vanishing.
Bai Xuebing slowly lifted his head, his icy blue eyes glowing with an unnatural light. Despite the pain still coursing through him, his expression had hardened even further, and a small smile formed on his lips.
With a shout that echoed like thunder, Bai took a step forward, raising his spear. The crimson energy surrounding him ignited like a blaze, and with every passing second, his presence seemed to grow, filling the air with a pressure almost as intense as that of the beast.
—I wonder what your blood will taste like…
After Bai Xuebing was thrown and disappeared along with the demonic beast among the trees, silence engulfed the group. The dense, malevolent atmosphere still permeated the air, but all they could hear were the distant echoes of the creature's roars and the cracking of trees collapsing in its path.
Xia Ruyen clenched her fists, her mind torn between duty and loyalty.
—I can't leave him alone— she murmured before taking a step forward, but a firm hand stopped her.
—What do you think you're doing, Xia Ruyen?— Liang Cheng growled, a mixture of fury and desperation in his eyes.
—Let me go, Liang Cheng. I have to help him.
—Help him?— Liang Cheng let out a bitter laugh. —Are you crazy, woman? Didn't you see that demonic beast? It took out my turtle in one bite. He's already dead. That kid has no salvation, and if you insist on going after him, you won't have it either.
—I won't leave any of my men behind— Xia Ruyen glared at him, her voice filled with determination.
Liang Cheng stepped forward, his face twisted with anger.
—Let him go! That boy is worthless. All of this is his fault. If it weren't for him, my turtle would still be alive. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be running from that damned beast. It's his karma! Let him die alone as he deserves.
Before he could finish, Xia Ruyen struck him with all her strength across the face. The impact echoed, and Liang Cheng fell to the ground with an expression of surprise and humiliation.
—Ungrateful bastard!— Xia yelled, her eyes blazing with fury. —Do you really think this is all his fault? If it weren't for him, we'd still be trapped in the formation. If it weren't for him, the explosion would have killed us. And now you want to abandon him? That boy did more to save your life, and this is how you repay him.
Most of the group shared their leader's sentiment.
Liang Cheng didn't respond, gritting his teeth as he wiped the blood dripping from his lip.
The other group members exchanged tense glances. Some nodded in silent support of their leader, while others looked down, uncomfortable. Only Ren Jihao broke the silence, his voice cold as steel.
—Leader, going after him is suicide. That demonic beast will kill him, if it hasn't already. Even if he's still alive, we have no chance against something like that.
Xia Ruyen turned to Ren, her gaze just as hard.
—I don't know what's wrong with you, Ren Jihao, but if you're not willing to fight for one of our own, then stay here.
Ren was about to reply, but Xia interrupted him by pulling an object from her spatial ring. In her hand appeared a white sphere, bright and smooth to the touch.
—With this— she said, raising the Rank-A stun bomb —this beauty can put that beast to sleep long enough for us to get him out and escape.
Liang Cheng frowned, clearly doubtful.
—A stun bomb? Rank-A? How do you know it will work?
—I don't— Xia Ruyen looked at him seriously. —But I won't stand here and do nothing.
He stepped forward and turned to his team.
—Let half of the group stay here. If we don't return in ten minutes... keep going with the half of you; you can make it anyway.
The mercenaries exchanged tense glances, but no one objected. A small group, led by Xia Ruyen, began to prepare to move. Liang Cheng stood aside, jaw clenched, while Ren Jihao watched silently, his dark eyes filled with thoughts he did not share.
When everything was ready, Xia turned to the others.
—I don't care how impossible it seems. Bai Xuebing is not just a subordinate; he is a man who has shown more courage than anyone here. If that means nothing to you, it means everything to me.
Without waiting for a response, Xia Ruyen and her group ventured into the forest, following the trail of destruction that the beast had left.
Meanwhile, Bai Xuebing was fighting for his life.