The Battle with the Spiritual Beast

Lin Tian stood firmly at the peak of the northern mountain, while the wind howled through his torn clothes and disheveled hair.

Although his body was still weak, his sharp eyes gleamed with unbreakable determination.

Before him stretched the majestic, grim silence of the mountain.

Yet beneath that silence, there was a lurking sense of danger, as if the mountain itself hid unseen secrets.

Lin Tian had heard of this place before, notorious for the terrifying spiritual beasts that roamed it.

He never expected to face one so soon, but fate, it seemed, had other plans.

As he took another step forward, the ground beneath his feet trembled, as if something massive stirred deep within the earth.

He halted, focusing his attention. Suddenly, from beneath the ground, an enormous creature erupted, an entity without a fixed shape, more like a manifestation of the mountain's spirit.

It was several times larger than a human, its massive limbs covered in jagged rocks that glistened under the faint sunlight.

"A spiritual beast…" Lin Tian muttered, gazing at the creature forming before him.

Despite its terrifying appearance, there was no trace of fear on his face.

In fact, a spark of excitement ignited within him.

"This is my first chance to test myself again."

The spiritual beast let out a deafening roar, causing small rocks to shake and tumble down the mountain.

Then, without warning, it lunged at Lin Tian, using one of its massive limbs to deliver a swift, deadly blow aimed at his frail body.

For a creature of that size, its movement was surprisingly fast.

But Lin Tian had fought in countless wars and faced far stronger foes.

The moment the beast moved, his body reacted with instinctive precision.

He leaped to the side, barely avoiding the strike that shattered the large rocks where he had stood.

He quickly retreated, his eyes scanning every movement of the beast.

"It's massive, but fast. I need to be cautious." He knew his current body couldn't withstand even a single hit.

The spiritual beast gave him no time to rest, charging again with even greater ferocity.

It raised one of its colossal arms to deliver a vertical strike, like a hammer descending from the heavens.

Lin Tian saw the attack coming, and instead of retreating, he made a sudden maneuver forward.

He knew the beast relied on its size and strength, but such attacks lacked precision.

As the arm crashed down toward the ground, Lin Tian had already slipped underneath it, exploiting the opening in the beast's defense.

With a swift, calculated punch, he channeled what little internal energy he had left into his fist, targeting a specific point beneath the creature's massive chest, an area where spiritual energy seemed to converge.

But the impact was not what he expected. The beast's body was incredibly tough, and the strike he had hoped would weaken it barely made a difference.

On the contrary, the spiritual beast felt the hit and recoiled slightly, letting out a thunderous roar of rage.

"This body is still too weak…" Lin Tian muttered as he backed away.

His well-laid plan had faltered due to his current lack of strength.

"If only I could regain even a fraction of my former power…"

The beast wasn't waiting. With one of its enormous feet, it kicked toward Lin Tian in a devastating arc.

The attack was so fast that Lin Tian had no choice but to use all his strength to evade, but he wasn't quick enough.

The kick collided with his side, sending him flying several meters before he crashed hard onto the rocky ground.

Pain surged through his body. Bruises and cuts now covered his side, but still, he did not give up.

Pain was a familiar companion from his life as an emperor, and anyone who had lived hundreds of years knew that pain was just another test of will.

He slowly sat up, holding a hand over the bruises from the kick.

"I can't rely on physical strength alone; this body won't hold up for long." He thought as he stared at the spiritual beast, which was preparing for another round of attacks.

Then he remembered an ancient technique, one of the many he had mastered during his days as an emperor.

However, it required a greater level of spiritual focus than this frail body could typically manage.

Yet, he had no other choice. Either he used this technique, or he would die here.

He began to regulate his breathing, gathering what little spiritual energy remained in his body.

The technique centered on channeling internal energy toward a single, precise target, concentrating all remaining power into one strike.

If performed correctly, it could deal significant damage even to the strongest of spiritual beasts.

The spiritual beast charged again, but this time, Lin Tian wasn't just dodging.

He stood his ground, closing his eyes for a moment, focusing all his energy into his hands.

When the beast was just a step away, he opened his eyes and dashed forward, releasing all his remaining power into a direct strike aimed at the beast's heart.

The blow, infused with every drop of spiritual energy he could muster, collided with the beast's body, hitting the exact spot he had targeted earlier.

A small explosion of spiritual force erupted from his fist, sending the beast reeling back, roaring in pain.

But it wasn't down yet. The creature staggered back several steps, a clear sign of the damage it had taken, yet its strength hadn't diminished enough to be defeated.

Lin Tian also stepped back, gasping for breath. He had poured all his remaining energy into that strike, leaving him with barely enough strength to continue. Still, retreat was not an option.

The spiritual beast, despite its visible injury, wasn't ready to surrender the fight.

It charged once more, this time with even more fury, but its speed had decreased.

The blow from Lin Tian had indeed affected it, making its movements less steady.

At that moment, Lin Tian seized the last opportunity available to him.

He directed the final traces of his energy into his legs, then dashed toward the beast again, dodging its erratic blows.

With each step, he closed the distance to the weak point he had targeted earlier.

Finally, when he was close enough, he leaped into the air and delivered another strike to the beast's heart, using the very last drop of his spiritual energy.

This time, the impact was stronger, shattering the rocks covering the beast's body.

The creature let out a final, agonizing roar before collapsing onto the ground, motionless.

Lin Tian stood beside the enormous corpse, panting heavily, but a sense of satisfaction lit up his face.

He had managed to defeat a spiritual beast, despite his weak body, but he knew this was only the beginning.

…