Chapter 79: One Mistake Leads to Desperation Everywhere

With a successful kick, Di Ping did not hesitate. Lowering his body, he charged forward, his sword slashing downward at an angle like a gust of wind, its high-speed motion forming a fiery silhouette in the air.

Thud...

The mutated Tibetan Mastiff, just landing, flashed a moment of panic in its eyes, but its response was too slow. The sharp sound of a blade slicing into flesh rang out. Di Ping's heart leapt with joy, but his expression quickly shifted to one of concern. Despite being injured, the Mastiff did not retreat. Instead, it swung its head and lunged at Di Ping's side with its jaws wide open.

Di Ping had not expected the berserk Mastiff to be so vicious, fearless of its injuries, still relentlessly attacking. He quickly crouched low and darted under the Mastiff's massive belly. The beast's jaws snapped shut with a deafening clash of teeth, a sound akin to steel striking steel. The force of its bite was so powerful that, had it connected, Di Ping's waist would have been shattered.

Having narrowly evaded the bite, Di Ping had no time to regain his stance. The Mastiff, quick to react, spun around sharply and swung its right paw. Its claws, each five to six inches long and sharp as knives, hissed through the air, aiming straight for Di Ping's waist. A direct hit would likely disembowel him.

Not daring to let himself be hit, Di Ping pushed off the ground with all his strength and leapt back over two meters, narrowly dodging the attack. However, before he could catch his breath, the Mastiff's powerful hind legs pushed off the ground, and its massive body hurtled toward Di Ping like a charging tiger. Its front paws, claws extended, gleamed with a cold, deadly light.

"Dammit!"

Di Ping cursed under his breath. Never had he felt so helpless, constantly outmaneuvered and pressured by the mutated Tibetan Mastiff.

His strength was undoubtedly greater than the Mastiff's, but his limited attack methods and the sword's inability to break through the beast's defenses made it hard to inflict significant damage. With no formal martial training, using bare fists was ineffective, and aimless strikes would only lead to being further beaten. How could he not feel frustrated under such circumstances?

"Enough of this!"

Surrounded by debris, Di Ping, who had been retreating desperately, was filled with fiery determination. He realized that retreating any further would only lead to death. If he couldn't retreat, he had no choice but to move forward.

Charge!

With the Mastiff's massive body looming over him like a mountain, Di Ping had no time to think. A sudden surge of power coursed through his body, and he activated his Charge skill. His legs pushed with explosive force, propelling him forward as if launched by a rocket.

Thud!

The Mastiff, certain it had Di Ping in its grasp, felt a surge of bloodlust and excitement. However, its excitement quickly turned to fear as, in an instant, Di Ping vanished from its sight. The Mastiff's stomach was suddenly struck by a sharp pain, and a chilling sensation coursed through its abdomen.

In the split second when Di Ping saw retreat was impossible, he had used the Charge skill to accelerate his body forward. At the same time, he swiftly leveled his sword and, using his speed, slashed the Mastiff's underbelly. Although he didn't have time to activate the Flame Enhancement skill, the sheer speed and sharpness of the sword still created a long wound over a meter in length.

Howl...

The Mastiff howled in agony. Though the wound wasn't deep, it was long, and blood poured out in a torrent, quickly staining the ground red. The pain only intensified the beast's fury. It no longer cared for its injury, roaring as it charged once again at Di Ping.

The Mastiff's berserk state triggered a significant boost in its speed. It ran with the ferocity of a wild bull, closing the distance with Di Ping in an instant. The narrow space made it difficult for Di Ping to dodge quickly. No matter how fast he moved, the Mastiff was always right behind him, leaving Di Ping scrambling to avoid its attacks.

His body was covered in scratches from the Mastiff's claws. While the wounds weren't severe, the pain made him wince with each breath.

Seeing the Mastiff closing in again, Di Ping momentarily lost focus and missed the opportunity to dodge. Desperately, he swung his sword sideways, aiming for the Mastiff's lower jaw, hoping to use the strike to push the beast back and create an opening to evade.

Clang!

The Mastiff swiftly twisted its body, its jaws snapping toward the sword. Di Ping didn't have time to retract his blade. He could only watch as the Mastiff's powerful bite clamped down on the sword. With a loud clang, the sword was severed in two, sparks flying as metal met metal.

Di Ping stared in disbelief at the broken pieces of his sword. He never expected the weapon to end in such a way.

"Watch out!"

"Bang!"

As Di Ping stood in stunned silence, the Mastiff wasted no time. It was no ordinary beast; clearly trained for battle, its combat instincts were honed. Once it latched onto its prey, it would never stop. Its attacks came relentlessly, and the smallest lapse in attention could result in a deadly bite. Di Ping had made the fatal mistake of letting his guard down, even if for a moment. This brief lapse was enough to prove fatal.

Just as he heard the warning shout, the Mastiff's massive head slammed into his chest like a sledgehammer. Di Ping felt a sharp pain in his chest as the force of the blow sent him flying.

Bang!

He crashed against a frame over ten meters away, which bent under the impact, before slamming into the wall. Blood poured from his mouth, but the pain in his chest subsided slightly. Leaning on his chest, Di Ping's anger flared. Not only had he let his focus slip, but he was also being bested by a mutated dog.

"Master!"

At that moment, Gina screamed and raised her hand, preparing to cast a spell.

"Stop!"

Di Ping's sharp command stopped Gina, who had already gathered a fireball in her palm. Standing upright, he discarded the broken sword and wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes burning with fury.