The Might of the Mammoth Colossus

In the Ancient Wilderness Forest, no wild beast was ever truly benevolent. Every low-tier wild beast that survived had climbed over a mountain of corpses to reach its current state of strength.

The Mammoth Colossus had no intention of letting its uninvited guests escape. To this beast, these six humans had disturbed its slumber, and now, they were nothing more than prey—if it allowed them to slip away, it would be a stain upon its existence.

The ground trembled beneath its titanic frame, its massive, blue-black body closing in fast. At this moment, the gap in cultivation levels between the six warriors became painfully clear.

At the forefront was Shi Yuan, his light-footed agility allowing him to outrun even the Mammoth Colossus by a small margin. With each stride, he covered several zhang, but despite his speed, he deliberately slowed down to assist Shi Qian and Yun Shan, barely keeping ahead of the rampaging behemoth. Yet, the Ancient Wilderness Forest was still several li away.

Behind him was Li Yue, whose cultivation was nearing the Blood Refinement - Minor Accomplishment stage. However, she still lagged behind Shi Yuan and could only manage to assist Shi Lei, leaving Xiao Yi struggling alone at the rear.

Perhaps due to the strange sensation he had felt earlier, Xiao Yi deliberately slowed his pace, gradually falling ten zhang behind the group. Strangely, this matched the strength he had previously revealed, making his struggle seem natural.

"Brother Xiao!"

Shi Lei's gaze flickered with panic as he saw Xiao Yi lagging further behind while the Mammoth Colossus's furious roar grew ever closer.

He turned to Li Yue, his voice filled with urgency.

"Sister Li Yue!"

Li Yue's brows furrowed slightly, but she did not loosen her grip on Shi Lei's arm. Her footwork remained steady as she spoke with a grim voice:

"I can't help him. If I try, all three of us will die."

Even carrying Shi Lei alone had already pushed her to her limits. If she took on Xiao Yi as well, they would never make it to the Ancient Wilderness Forest before the Mammoth Colossus caught up.

As the distance between them grew, Xiao Yi's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. Then, without hesitation, he changed direction, sprinting toward another section of the mountainside forest.

At this moment, the Mammoth Colossus was less than twenty zhang away from him.

To the beast, this straggler's desperate escape was nothing more than a futile struggle. It bellowed fiercely, abandoning the chase for Li Yue and the others, and turned its full attention to Xiao Yi.

For a wild beast of its caliber, strategy came naturally. Though it was not truly sentient, its instincts and battle-honed mind were sharp. In just a few breaths, it made its decision:

Chasing Xiao Yi meant a guaranteed kill.

Chasing the others meant an uncertain hunt.

It was an easy choice.

"Brother Xiao!" "That bastard!"

At that moment, not only Shi Lei, but even Shi Yuan and the others were stunned. They abruptly halted, staring dumbfounded as the Mammoth Colossus's colossal figure vanished into the distance, its fury fixated solely on Xiao Yi.

A heavy silence fell over the group.

Shi Yuan's expression darkened, and after a long pause, he finally spoke in a low, solemn voice:

"I underestimated him."

His gaze turned sharp.

"A warrior with such spirit deserves a place in the Bloodstone Tribe's Warrior Tomb."

The Warrior Tomb.

The sacred resting place of the Bloodstone Tribe's battle-hardened warriors. Only those who had fought and died with honor could be buried there—forever remembered, honored daily by the entire tribe.

Shi Qian clenched his fists tightly. The usual indifference in his eyes faded, replaced by conflicted emotions.

Li Yue's gaze turned solemn as well. Her voice carried a newfound reverence.

"When we return to the tribe, we will request a Centurion to slay this Mammoth Colossus. We will use its bones and blood… to honor Brother Xiao's sacrifice."

But before she could finish, a voice cut through the air.

"No."

Shi Lei spoke suddenly, his tone eerily calm.

A burning battle spirit flickered in his eyes—like raging bloodfire igniting his soul.

"I will go now."

Though his voice was not loud, it resounded like thunder in the hearts of Shi Yuan and the others.

At that moment, no one doubted his resolve.

Qing Iron Blade tightened in his grip, Shi Yuan spat forcefully onto the ground, his eyes turning bloodshot. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "I stood fearless amidst thousands of celestial soldiers on the battlefield—what is a mere mid-tier wild beast to me? I will not abandon my brothers!"

"Let's go!" Yun Shan grinned, his teeth bared in a fierce smile. His nature was straightforward and honest, but at this moment, his gaze was sharp, radiating a chilling light. The white bone staff in his hand struck the ground with a dull thud, sinking several inches into the earth.

Shi Qian remained silent. His expression was cold and determined as he strode toward the direction where Xiao Yi had disappeared. Behind him, Shi Lei hesitated for a moment before breaking into a grin.

A Few Miles Away

Xiao Yi raced through the shadowed depths of the ancient forest, his speed steadily increasing. In the end, his figure became like the wind itself, his sleeves billowing wildly, moving even faster than the mammoth colossus that pursued him.

A flicker of confusion passed through the eyes of the massive beast. The mammoth colossus could not comprehend—why had this seemingly weakest human suddenly grown so much faster? But one thing it knew for certain: if this continued, today it would walk away empty-handed.

And then—at that exact moment—Xiao Yi, who had been sprinting at full speed, abruptly came to a halt. Whirling around, he drew the broken spear strapped to his back. At the same time, a surge of boundless vitality erupted from his body, roaring to life like a mighty tide. Behind him, an indistinct yet towering shadow emerged—a spectral figure mirroring the very essence of the savage elephant he had long visualized. The image, though hazy, had taken shape—an imposing, battle-hardened, azure-scaled war elephant standing over ten feet tall.

A primordial force, ancient and unyielding, spread out from him. The ground trembled; within several yards, thumb-sized pebbles lifted into the air, suspended by an invisible power.

The Might of the Savage Elephant!

Xiao Yi's own manifestation of the Savage Elephant's Might had finally materialized, exuding an aura that sent tremors through the air. Facing the towering mammoth colossus, never before had the image of the azure-scaled war elephant been so vivid in his mind. Every muscle fiber within him pulsed with power, every drop of blood boiled with raw energy. Without any unnecessary movement, Xiao Yi swung his spear horizontally, battle aura surging. The air cracked and sizzled under the force, as a three-foot-long, translucent azure spear energy shot forth, gleaming with an unparalleled sharpness.

A flicker of sheer terror flashed through the mammoth colossus' eyes. In the instant Xiao Yi made his move, the beast felt a shudder from deep within its very bloodline—a primal fear so deeply ingrained that it sapped its strength. The pressure was not overwhelming, yet it weighed upon the colossus' soul like an immovable mountain. In that moment, half of its strength deserted it.

Xiao Yi struck like a lightning bolt. His spear crashed down, sending the mammoth colossus hurtling backward. A thousand-year-old tree shattered upon impact, and a deep, three-foot-long wound tore through the beast's thick, blue-black hide. Blood gushed forth, staining the earth crimson.

With a deafening roar of fury, the mammoth colossus retaliated. Its trunk, as thick and unyielding as an iron whip, swept across the air, shrouded in a faint, dark glow. This was the Elephant Force—a primal power unique to the Elephant Clan, manifesting only after an ancient star had been condensed within their bloodline. With this force, the beast's attack exceeded its usual limits, unleashing a force far beyond its natural strength.

Xiao Yi's expression turned grave. The Elephant Force was a fundamental power of the mammoth's lineage, and with it, this beast's might now approached an overwhelming fifty jun—an absolute force that utterly surpassed his own.

Yet, his mind remained razor-sharp. His spirit, his will, coalesced into an unshakable resolve. The Savage Elephant Great Strength Technique surged within him at full capacity, his entire being flooded with raw battle energy. The aura of the Savage Elephant grew even more tangible, pressing down upon the mammoth colossus with overwhelming might. Its mind quaked under the oppressive force, and the Elephant Force that had gathered around its trunk began to waver, flickering like a candle in the wind.

A sharp glint flashed through Xiao Yi's eyes. With a powerful shout, he roared:

"Storm and Thunder, Converge!"

The tenth form of the Storm Thunder Spear Art, one of its three ultimate techniques, burst into reality. The broken spear in his grasp blazed with pure azure energy, fully encased in a dazzling spear force. The Savage Elephant's aura spread across a ten-yard radius, causing the very air to grow dense and unmoving. In that instant, an inescapable killing intent locked onto the mammoth colossus.

A blurred afterimage streaked across the air, and in that instant, the spear strike fragmented into multiple afterimages. Even Xiao Yi himself seemed to dissolve into an illusory shadow. By the time his figure solidified once more, he was already standing three zhang behind the mammoth giant.

It was as if a mountain had collapsed. The lifeblood of the mammoth drained rapidly, its massive body convulsing in its final moments. A gaping wound, as wide as a bowl, pierced cleanly through its forehead, running straight through its body. Its back had caved in, and its entire spinal column had been shattered by that one devastating thrust.

Turning around, Xiao Yi's face was slightly pale. That single strike had nearly exhausted all of his mental strength—it was the pinnacle of his current power.

"It took me nearly a year to fully comprehend the Might of the Barbaric Elephant and elevate my willpower to the mid-tier of the Ordinary Realm. But fearing an unstable foundation, I deliberately suppressed my mental breakthrough. For the past half-year, I've been sharpening my willpower through life-and-death battles against my future self, tempering my spirit. And when I could suppress it no longer, I finally advanced. Precisely because of this tempering, my mental strength, upon reaching mid-tier, has already taken a substantial step forward. Purely in terms of spirit, I have the upper hand over this young elephant. Combined with the Barbaric Elephant's natural suppression over its kin, I was able to secure an easy victory. Against another type of mid-tier wild beast, the outcome would have been far less certain."

Xiao Yi fixed his gaze on the fallen beast, a flicker of contemplation in his eyes. This young mammoth was no ordinary creature—it possessed a trace of one-star beast bloodline. Even though the trace was faint, its vitality was incomparably rich, surpassing that of typical mid-tier wild beasts. Moreover, since it belonged to the elephant lineage, it might prove beneficial to the cultivation of his Barbaric Elephant Strength Technique.

With a thought, Xiao Yi extended his palm into the air, invoking the Barbaric Elephant Strength Technique. In an instant, his presence transformed—his figure seemed to merge with the spectral image of a colossal, blue-scaled barbaric elephant. A phantom trunk curled into the void and inhaled sharply, as though siphoning an entire river dry.

The effect was immediate. The enormous corpse of the mammoth visibly shriveled at an alarming rate. Not just its blood, but even its very flesh and essence were being extracted to the utmost degree. A thick stream of life energy, tinged with a faint black radiance, coalesced into a pillar as thick as a water barrel and surged toward Xiao Yi. He absorbed it effortlessly. His stomach, like an endless abyss, showed no outward change, yet within moments, the entire carcass had been reduced to nothing but a sheet of weathered, black-green elephant hide. A gentle breeze swept through, and like an ancient relic crumbling into dust, the hide disintegrated, blending into the soil, leaving no trace of what had once been.

The immense energy coursed through Xiao Yi's body, refined and condensed by the Stone Mirror within him. What remained was a single, fist-sized core of crystallized elephant blood, shimmering in a translucent black hue. Within this core pulsed the very essence of the mammoth race's power.

Sensing the potent force contained within, the Barbaric Elephant Strength Technique activated instinctively. In an instant, Xiao Yi felt all one hundred and eight of his heavenly meridians tremble in unison. The bloodline of his human heritage surged forth, and his battle energy roared through his veins, weaving itself around the elephant blood like silken threads of an intricate cocoon, initiating the refinement process.

The flood of life essence funneled into six of his meridians, seeping into his flesh, his skin, his very bones. A wave of numbness spread across his body, the telltale sign of a transformation taking place.

Xiao Yi hadn't anticipated that the elephant blood's refinement would be so immediately impactful on his physique. While it could not compare to the complete rebirth he had undergone with the Archaic Dragon's Essence Blood, it undeniably fortified his body to a new level. If his initial body had been like an ordinary rock, weathered and covered in dust, then the Archaic Dragon's Blood had cleansed him, reforging him into raw, untempered blue iron. But now, under the refinement of the Mammoth's Blood, he was beginning to evolve—his body was being honed like steel forged through a hundred refinements, growing ever more resilient.