Capture the Thief, First Capture the King

The Immortal Stone Beast was renowned for its ability to stir even the immortals. Its name certainly carried weight.

Next to Huang Jintian, his beast materialized once again. It was enormous, standing at a towering five zhang (about 16.5 meters), with skin that shimmered like gold and stone. The creature resembled a giant with the head of an ox and a human body. Two blood-red, curved horns protruded from its head, and its eyes glowed with a bloodthirsty light, as large as bronze bells. In its massive hands, it wielded a gigantic blood-red stone axe.

"Wow, we finally get to see this mighty beast again!"

Many spectators exclaimed in awe. The Immortal Stone Beast had stunned everyone in previous Wind and Cloud Competitions, gaining immense attention and admiration.

"Wait, the aura of the Immortal Stone Beast is even stronger now... Is it level 50 already? And has it evolved to a Heavenly-grade top-tier beast?"

Soon, some noticed the increase in its strength. Not only had its grade risen from Heavenly-grade mid-tier to top-tier, but its level had also risen from 46 to 50.

If that was the case, Huang Jintian's strength must have become even more formidable. A Heavenly-grade top-tier beast was already at the pinnacle of power.

Some began to worry for Kent, while others became even more excited, anticipating an epic showdown. The stronger the opponents, the more thrilling the battle—and many already felt that this was worth the wait.

Kent raised an eyebrow, giving the massive ox-headed humanoid beast a casual glance. His mind quickly scanned its attributes.

Beast Name: Immortal Stone Beast

Beast Rank: Heavenly-grade top-tier

Beast Level: 50

Abilities:

Mighty Charge: The Immortal Stone Beast has immense strength. After charging up, it can rush up to 100 meters in an instant, causing devastating damage.Stone Body: The Immortal Stone Beast's body is as hard as stone, able to endure enormous amounts of damage without injury.Mountain-splitting Strike: The Immortal Stone Beast swings its blood-red stone axe, capable of splitting the air, slicing waves, and cutting through water.Furious Roar: The beast lets out a roar that shakes even immortals, entering a frenzy that enhances its speed and attack power.

Weaknesses:

Mighty Charge needs to be charged up, leaving an opening to attack its vital points during the preparation phase.The Immortal Stone Beast moves slowly, so keeping a distance can avoid its powerful strikes.Capture the King First: While the Immortal Stone Beast is terrifying, once its abilities are shared with its controller, Huang Jintian's mobility will become slower, leaving him vulnerable to attacks.

After reading the attributes, Kent's expression relaxed. What had initially seemed like a troublesome challenge, one that might require some effort to overcome, now seemed entirely manageable after recognizing the weaknesses of the beast.

"So this is the Immortal Stone Beast, huh? The name is indeed impressive, but I wonder how much of its power can truly be unleashed in front of me," Kent said with a calm smile.

Kent raised his hand and summoned his own beast—a Heavenly-grade top-tier, level 53 Flying Cat King.

As Kent's beast, it could be considered the luckiest beast in the world. Its treatment was second to none, constantly leveling up and evolving with ease, even witnessing several transformations. As a result, Garfi's loyalty had steadily increased, almost reaching its maximum. With this growing bond, Kent and Garfi's battle coordination had reached an almost seamless level, and with just a thought, Garfi would follow Kent's orders without hesitation.

Kent raised his hand to summon another beast, but after a moment of consideration, he lowered it again. There was no need for another beast—Garfi and he would be enough to win this match.

In fact, Kent had considered calling out his Light-devouring Shadow Beast, Bajie, but decided against it. The Light-devouring Shadow Beast was far too unique and would draw too much attention, causing him to lose a powerful trump card. For a match that wasn't very meaningful, he didn't see the need to use it.

"Garfi."

Kent called out, and a battle blade forged from Black Demon Iron appeared in his hand. In an instant, his figure blurred, and with Garfi, they dashed toward Huang Jintian.

"Taking the initiative to attack? Hmph, is this a suicide mission?" Huang Jintian sneered. He had been planning how to strike first, as the Blade Mantis was well-suited for offense but too fragile to lead a direct charge. The Immortal Stone Beast, on the other hand, was slow and its charging attack had a low hit rate, so Huang Jintian planned to wait for the right moment.

But Kent's sudden move to directly engage in close combat caught him off guard. It was a simple, almost foolish tactic that completely disregarded strategy. He couldn't help but think Kent was overly confident.

"Knife, move to the side and prepare to flank," Huang Jintian instructed the Blade Mantis, directing it to circle around and wait for the right moment to strike.

"Stone, block the path and get ready for the Mountain-splitting Strike," he ordered the Immortal Stone Beast, instructing it to raise its enormous blood-red axe. If Kent dared to charge, it would strike him down with a single swing.

Huang Jintian, meanwhile, hid behind the Immortal Stone Beast, holding a sharp blood-red dagger. He looked every bit the battlefield general, his eyes cold and commanding as if guiding his forces to victory.

Kent, observing the positioning of both the beasts and Huang Jintian, remained unfazed. He smiled faintly, still confident.

"I know every ability and weakness of your beasts, but you know nothing of mine."

Kent's confidence was unwavering. To the outside world, it might seem like a fierce battle between titans, with Huang Jintian—the challenger—having the upper hand.

But it was precisely this mindset that led Huang Jintian to underestimate Kent's true strength, which would ultimately be his downfall.

"Garfi, don't mind those two beasts. Let's focus on Huang Jintian. You provide cover, and I'll go all out with the attack."

Kent's message to Garfi was simple, but the bond between them made it even more effective. Their communication was intuitive, and Garfi understood immediately.

On the vast arena, Kent and Garfi's figures flashed with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages behind them.

"Flying Leap."

When they were fifty meters away from Huang Jintian, Kent activated his high-leap ability, and Garfi followed with its own flying leap. In an instant, they soared into the air, speeding directly toward Huang Jintian.

The Immortal Stone Beast was massive, a hulking wall of stone. Charging from the ground would be nearly impossible to break through its defense. So, Kent chose to take to the air.

The two figures seemed to leap in tandem, leaving behind an almost ghostly parabola in the sky, landing right behind the Immortal Stone Beast.

Garfi, faster and more agile, landed first, its claws gleaming with sharpness. Before it even touched the ground, it unleashed four wind blades, the size of door panels, hurtling toward Huang Jintian.

Huang Jintian was caught off guard by the sudden drop and quickly dodged the four wind blades with a quick burst of movement, narrowly avoiding them.

Meanwhile, the Immortal Stone Beast turned sharply, preparing to unleash its powerful Mountain-splitting Strike. But Garfi, moving even faster, was almost on top of Huang Jintian, forcing the Immortal Stone Beast to hesitate in its attack, unable to unleash the devastating blow.

To protect its master, the Immortal Stone Beast stomped its massive stone feet, causing the ground to tremble beneath them.