Elder Zhou vs The Ruler of the Blackwood Forest

[WARNING!! THE HOST IS CURRENTLY IN THE PRESENCE OF A HIGH-LEVEL SPIRITUAL BEAST. THE SYSTEM RECOMMENDS THAT THE HOST LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.]

"You think I don't know that?" Feng muttered to himself, his voice faint as his body swayed.

The toll of his previous battles was catching up to him.

His injuries throbbed with pain, and the slow, steady dripping of blood sapped his strength, leaving him on the verge of collapse.

What Feng didn't notice was that, after the first glance, the Wolf had essentially stopped paying attention to him.

Instead, its massive gray eyes were locked on Yuta, staring with the predatory focus of an apex hunter.

"RUMBLE."

A low, suppressed growl reverberated through the forest, making both of them feel as though their organs were about to explode under the sheer pressure.

Yuta was the first to act, quickly bowing his head.

"I pay my respects to the Blackwood Ruler. I come from Raincloud Village, under the protection of Elder Zhou.

I mean no offense. I am here only to execute a criminal under the Elder's orders.

If you allow me to fulfill my duty, I will leave immediately after."

Hearing Yuta's words, Feng began to tremble, despair flashing in his eyes.

In this situation, he felt powerless.

Yet, unbeknownst to him, the Ruler's gray eyes shifted back to him briefly before a flash of dark gray light streaked past Feng and hurtled toward Yuta.

Yuta's eyes widened as he began to retreat at top speed, knowing full well that the Ruler, while capable of understanding his intent, was still a spiritual beast.

Governed by primal instincts, it lacked the critical thinking of a human—something only spiritual beasts capable of taking human form could achieve.

BOOM!

The Ruler's massive claw smashed into the ground, striking Yuta directly.

Just before impact, a dark blue barrier of light enveloped Yuta, absorbing the brunt of the attack.

The barrier, however, shattered almost instantly under the force as blood sprayed out of Yuta's mouth heavily injuring him.

"Damn it!" Yuta cursed, panic overtaking him as he fled even faster.

But before he could gain any distance, the Ruler's gray eyes gleamed once more.

In a single step, it reappeared directly in front of him, leaving no chance for escape.

With its massive jaws open wide, it lunged to devour him whole.

"NOOOOOO!" Yuta's composure finally broke as he screamed in terror.

Yet, just as the Ruler's teeth were about to close around him, countless dark blue needles rained down from the sky, accompanied by a trembling pressure that distorted the air.

Although weaker than the Ruler's aura, the arrival of this person caused the ground to tremble.

The needles merged into one massive projectile, its sharp edges outlined in gold, as it intercepted the Ruler's bite.

The forest quaked from the collision, dark silver light clashing with dark blue energy.

The shockwaves sent countless spiritual beasts into hiding, each trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible to avoid being caught in the battle between these two titanic forces.

"Fellow Daoist Blackwood, we of the Raincloud Village have always payed respects to you, we always offer you gifts and tributes to pay respect, can you please let this little one from my village go this one time?"

And yet, the Ruler didn't respond.

Instead, it dashed forward, faster than the eye could follow, as a massive dark silver claw materialized in front of Elder Zhou.

The pressure from this single attack surpassed anything Feng had ever witnessed.

Yet, Elder Zhou stood his ground.

"Hmph, a mere beast like you dares to attack a member of the human race?" Elder Zhou's voice dripped with disdain, yet his movements betrayed none of the arrogance in his words.

His eyes blazed with fury, twin orbs faintly aglow with spiritual energy that seemed to ripple through the air around him as he raised his hand with measured precision.

The air around him vibrated as a faint mist of spiritual energy condensed.

In an instant, countless needles materialized, their sharp edges gleaming like miniature stars against the darkened sky.

They hovered in place, humming with an almost malevolent energy, each one vibrating with immense spiritual pressure.

"Heaven's Pact – Raincloud Needle," Elder Zhou declared, his voice resonating like thunder through the forest.

The needles began to multiply, their numbers growing exponentially.

From ten to a hundred to a thousand, they filled the air in a swirling storm of lethal points.

The very atmosphere grew heavy, suffused with dark blue spiritual energy so potent that the ground beneath Elder Zhou cracked and splintered, unable to withstand the pressure.

As the needles converged, they spiraled upward in perfect harmony, coalescing into a single, enormous construct that hung ominously in the sky.

This colossal needle, pulsating with energy, radiated an oppressive aura that seemed to blot out the sky.

Crackling arcs of dark blue light danced across its surface, illuminating the forest in an eerie, otherworldly glow.

"Raincloud Art: Raincloud Needle!" Elder Zhou's voice boomed like the roar of a tempest, like it was the end of the world.

BOOM!

The colossal needle surged downward with unstoppable force, splitting the air with a deafening shriek.

The sheer speed of its descent created a shockwave that rippled through the forest, uprooting ancient trees and sending them flying like mere twigs.

The ground quaked violently as if the very world recoiled from the power of the attack.

Feng staggered, his heart pounding as he witnessed this attack.

He had always known Elder Zhou was strong, but this... this was on an entirely different level.

It was as though he were watching a god descend to deliver divine judgment.

The overwhelming power made him feel small, insignificant—He didn't even know it was possible to become this strong.

The Ruler, however, was undaunted. It howled, its cry reverberating through the forest like the roar of a king claiming dominion over its domain.

Dark silver light began to swirl around its massive form, coiling like serpents as they gathered strength.

Glowing silver runes appeared across its body, pulsating in sync with the rhythm of its power.

The Ruler's eyes blazed with a feral light, their intensity cutting through the darkness like twin suns.

With an earth-shaking snarl, it opened its massive jaws, and a beam of piercing dark silver energy erupted forth.

The light surged upward, twisting into a pillar of radiant energy that looked as if it could pierce the heavens themselves.

The two titanic forces collided, dark blue meeting dark silver in a cataclysmic clash that seemed to tear the world apart.

The sheer impact froze the air for a heartbeat, creating an unnatural silence before a colossal wave of energy erupted outward.

The ground splintered, trees disintegrated, and the sky above flickered as if unable to contain the sheer power of this fight.

It was at this moment that Feng heard the familiar voice in his head.

[The system suggests that the Host use this opportunity to escape immediately!!]

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Feng didn't hesitate.

This was his best chance to flee.

He turned and sprinted toward the edges of the forest, aiming to escape the Ruler's territory and leave the Blackwood Forest behind.

As the battle between Elder Zhou and the Ruler intensified, chaos and destruction spread across the area.

Dark silver claw-shaped attacks rained down from the sky, only to be blocked by a vast ocean of needles.

"This is my chance," Feng thought.

"If Elder Zhou and the Ruler of the Blackwood Forest are fighting, the other spiritual beasts must be hiding to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

That means I can run straight ahead and reach the edge of the forest."

He ran as though his life depended on it—because it did.

But just as he thought he might make it, a voice echoed from behind him.

"You think you can just escape, you trash?"

Feng's heart sank. It was Yuta.

Misty daggers swirled around Yuta, slicing through obstacles in his path as he charged forward, murderous intent radiating from his every step.

His once-calm demeanor was gone, replaced with an expression of pure rage, as though he wanted to tear Feng apart.

"This is all your fault!" Yuta roared as blood flowed from his body making him look horrifying.

"If you hadn't stumbled into that damn wolf's territory, none of this would have happened!

Now the Elder has to fight that thing because of you! And don't act innocent—you should've just told us you had a Heaven's Pact!

You and I both know what it means when someone fails to form a connection with the heavens!"

Feng didn't answer. His injuries were too severe for him to waste energy arguing.

Besides, there was something else that caught his attention.

[Due to the enemy's confrontation with the Ruler, he is currently severely injured.]

Feng froze mid-step, his mind racing as he suddenly realized that he had an opportunity to turn things around.