Chapter 105: Evolution of Xiaotian
Chapter 105: Evolution of Xiaotian
After leaving Tianyun Lake, Wan'er went to Mu Ling'er's residence and knocked on the door incessantly.
The door opened to reveal a beautiful young woman with a tall, slender figure, dressed in a green gown. Her long dark-red hair cascaded down her back. Seeing Wan'er's tear-streaked face, her expression softened.
"Ling'er-jie!"
Wan'er threw herself into Mu Ling'er's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Wan'er, what's wrong? Why are you crying so much?" Mu Ling'er patted her back gently, her voice filled with concern.
"Ling'er-jie, my brother and the others said… they said Feng is dead. Is it true? Please tell me it's not true!" Wan'er cried, clutching Mu Ling'er tightly.
Mu Ling'er froze momentarily, then reassured her. "Who told you that? I haven't heard anything about it. There's no way Xiao Feng is dead. They must be lying to you."
"Really? But my brother said it was true…" Wan'er's voice trembled with a glimmer of hope as she looked at Mu Ling'er.
"Trust me, if anything happened to Xiao Feng, I would know. Don't believe their rumors. Just wait. Tomorrow, Xiao Feng will surely come to the Royal Tianyun Academy to see you," Mu Ling'er said softly, stroking Wan'er's hair.
Wan'er nodded reluctantly, but Mu Ling'er's eyes showed a trace of doubt. No smoke without fire, she thought. She resolved to find out the truth.
Annan City, Mu Family
Half a month had passed since Mu Feng was gravely injured. His wounds had mostly healed, and his depleted essence blood had been replenished.
However, Mu Feng regretted that his cultivation level had dropped. One of his energy cyclones had shattered, causing his realm to fall from Purple Core Stage Six to Purple Core Stage Five.
Still, for someone like Mu Feng, who had faced both meteoric rises and crushing falls, this setback was minor. A mere drop in cultivation level was nothing compared to the complete loss of his strength he had endured before.
Three Months Later, Annan Ridge
In the dense forests of Annan Ridge, a creature covered in scales, with a snake-like tail and a leopard's body, prowled silently, sniffing the air for prey.
This was a Snake-Tailed Leopard, a vicious beast of the Purple Core Stage Nine.
Suddenly, a golden slash of blade energy descended from above!
The leopard's ears twitched at the impending danger, and it leapt aside just in time. The slash carved a long gash into the ground. A young man clad in black robes, his long snow-white hair flowing behind him, descended from a tree, sword in hand.
It was none other than Mu Feng.
Having fully recovered from his injuries, Mu Feng had returned to the Purple Core Stage Six. His snow-white hair, a lingering consequence of his drained essence blood, added a unique, ethereal quality to his appearance.
With his blood-red eyes fixed on the Snake-Tailed Leopard, Mu Feng crouched slightly, ready to strike.
"Roar!"
The leopard snarled, its gaze locked onto Mu Feng. It crouched low before springing forward, claws outstretched like a set of deadly daggers.
Mu Feng swung his blade, meeting the leopard's claws with a metallic clash. But as their weapons met, the leopard's tail—armored and whip-like—lashed out, striking Mu Feng's waist with a resounding crack.
"Smack!"
The blow sent Mu Feng tumbling several meters away, a bloody gash marking his abdomen. Yet, he rolled quickly, dodging the beast's follow-up strike, and unleashed two streaks of finger energy.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The energy struck the leopard's back, piercing through its scales and leaving bloody wounds.
The enraged leopard roared, gathering green energy in its maw before firing a powerful beam at Mu Feng.
Mu Feng twisted his body, evading the beam as it exploded against the ground, leaving a crater several meters wide.
"Nine Flames Fist: Flaming Strike!"
Mu Feng shouted, stepping forward as fire elemental energy from his perfected Nine Flames Fist surged into his fist.
His punch ignited in red flames, gathering power before smashing into the leopard's side.
"Boom!"
The massive beast, weighing several hundred pounds, was flung seven or eight meters away, crashing through a tree and landing heavily on the ground, blood spilling from its mouth.
Mu Feng exhaled deeply. The attack had drained two of his energy cyclones.
Nine Flames Fist had three techniques: Flaming Strike, Blazing Punch, and Inferno Blast. Though Mu Feng had mastered the technique, his current energy reserves could only support the first move.
The second move, Blazing Punch, would deplete all his energy, while the third, Inferno Blast, was simply beyond his capacity.
Approaching the fallen leopard, Mu Feng observed its defiant growl and fierce gaze.
Suddenly, he leapt onto its back and fastened a black collar around its neck.
The collar, inscribed with second-tier beast-taming runes, could subdue any beast below the Core Formation stage.
Once secured, the collar tightened, locking in place.
The leopard roared and attempted to attack again, but Mu Feng's will activated the collar, releasing a surge of electric current.
"Zap!"
The beast yelped in pain, its body trembling before collapsing.
"Behave yourself and become my mount, or you'll feel this again," Mu Feng said calmly.
The leopard growled defiantly, only to be electrocuted once more. Trembling, it finally submitted, crouching low like a docile cub.
"Now that's better!" Mu Feng chuckled, patting the leopard's head in satisfaction.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed from another part of the forest. Alerted, Mu Feng spurred the leopard forward, racing toward the sound.
The Snake-Tailed Leopard's speed was astonishing, navigating the dense forest with ease.
Soon, they reached a secluded waterhole where two giant beasts were locked in combat.
One was a massive black crocodile, over ten meters long. The other was a magnificent white-scaled creature, soaring through the air—a White Flood Dragon.
The flood dragon's body shimmered with white scales, its crimson mane flowing majestically around its head. Horns crowned its brow, and its underbelly bore four clawed limbs, each with three talons.
The white flood dragon hovered above, its golden eyes gleaming with disdain as it toyed with the black crocodile below.
Enraged, the crocodile roared and spat a barrage of blue water arrows, each capable of piercing steel.
In response, the flood dragon unleashed a fiery red orb from its maw, shattering the projectiles and exploding against the crocodile's scales. The resulting blast left the beast bloodied and howling in agony.
Defeated, the crocodile retreated into the depths of the waterhole, powerless against its airborne adversary.