28: I almost died

The three stood in the empty forest clearing, looking at each other.

Jiang Donghua kicked at the dry fallen leaves under his feet, irritably scratching his hair.

"This is really strange, we can't even find a pile of Magical Beast droppings."

Liu Mingyu squatted down and touched the ground, his earth attribute Dou Qi seeping into the soil.

"Traces of living creatures in this area have been gone for at least two days."

He looked up towards the deeper parts of the forest.

"Should we?"

"No!"

Liu Yuting immediately interrupted, her ice crystal pendant swaying slightly on her chest.

"Going beyond the red circle is too dangerous."

Jiang Donghua slid his longsword back into its sheath, the metallic friction sound particularly grating in the quiet forest.

"Let's search for another half an hour. If we still don't find any trace of Magical Beasts, we'll have no choice but to go somewhere else or try our luck deeper inside."

Before he finished speaking, Liu Mingyu suddenly pressed on Jiang Donghua's shoulder.

Earth Attribute Dou Qi transmitted a subtle vibration through his palm.

"Southeast, something is moving!"

The three tensed their bodies simultaneously, the sound of longswords being drawn from their sheaths in perfect unison.

Jiang Donghua's Fire Attribute Dou Qi flowed along the blade, illuminating the swaying bushes ahead.

A gray-furred wild rabbit darted out in a panic, blood still on its hind legs.

It glanced at the three in a hurry and quickly scurried into a tree hollow on the opposite side.

"Phew—"

Liu Yuting let out a long breath, the tip of her sword pointing towards the ground.

"It's just an ordinary rabbit."

Boom!

The ground suddenly shook violently, making the three lose their footing.

Large trees fifty paces away fell one after another, and a chilling chewing sound came from the rising dust.

The three froze for a second.

Jiang Donghua reacted the quickest, his pupils shrinking, all the hairs on his body standing on end, and he immediately roared.

"Run!"

But Liu Mingyu and Liu Yuting were only at the Dou Zhi Qi stage, how could they run fast?

Without a word, Jiang Donghua spread his arms, grabbing one sibling in each hand.

"Hold on tight!"

The Dou Qi in his body circulated frantically, and pale green cloud patterns suddenly appeared under his feet. This was the yellow rank high grade movement Dou Technique, Roaming Cloud Steps.

When this movement technique was executed, he was like someone walking on clouds, his speed soaring.

"Whoosh—"

Jiang Donghua exerted all his strength, running as fast as he could, his figure transforming into an afterimage as he weaved through the forest.

Behind them, a thunderous roar echoed, and towering trees fell one after another, kicking up dust.

"Damn it!"

Cold sweat seeped from Jiang Donghua's forehead, and he cursed inwardly.

"Something that can cause such a commotion must be a Magical Beast of at least Seven-Star Dou Zhe!"

He didn't dare to look back, only focusing on desperately urging his Dou Qi.

Although Roaming Cloud Steps was fast, carrying two people consumed a great deal of energy. In just a few breaths, a pair of scarlet eyes appeared in the faint dust, getting closer and closer to the three of them.

"Brother Donghua!"

Liu Yuting's face was pale, and her voice trembled.

"Don't talk!"

Jiang Donghua gritted his teeth, the cloud patterns under his feet becoming even more pronounced.

"Just a little longer!"

Suddenly, a mountain gorge appeared ahead.

Jiang Donghua's eyes lit up, and he leaped without hesitation.

"Bang!"

The three landed heavily on the opposite bank.

Jiang Donghua stumbled a few steps, almost falling to his knees, but he had finally escaped the danger for now.

Gasping for breath, he looked back to see smoke and dust rolling on the opposite bank, and vaguely, the outline of a colossal creature rampaging through the forest.

"Phew~ We're safe for now."

Jiang Donghua released the siblings and slumped onto the ground, his face ashen.

This time, it was truly a close call; they almost perished here.

Jiang Donghua stared intently at the rampaging behemoth on the opposite bank, a wave of lingering fear washing over him.

As the dust gradually settled, the full appearance of the Magical Beast finally became clear.

A giant python, ten zhang long, coiled on the opposite bank, its body covered in thick, yellowish-brown scales, each one smooth and hard like meticulously polished rock. A casual sweep of its thick tail plowed a deep furrow in the ground, and ancient trees as thick as bowls snapped, sending wood chips flying.

"This... this is?"

Jiang Donghua's pupils suddenly constricted, his throat unconsciously tightened, and even his breathing momentarily hitched.

"A Yellow Earth Python, a Peak Dou Shi Magical Beast!"

Jiang Donghua recalled the scene in the library's "Magical Beast Compendium."

That thick tome clearly recorded:

The Yellow Earth Python, a low-tier earth attribute Magical Beast. Adults can reach Peak Dou Shi, but with a certain opportunity, they can also reach the Third-Tier Great Dou Master level.

Its scales are as hard as profound iron, ordinary Dou Techniques can barely harm it, and even more terrifying is its crushing power; it is said that it can easily twist even tempered steel into a braid.

"Fortunately, fortunately we ran fast."

Liu Mingyu's face was as pale as paper, his voice uncontrollably trembling, already slumped on the ground.

Because if they were truly careless, they would die.

Jiang Donghua forced himself to calm down, carefully observing the giant beast on the opposite bank.

Suddenly, he noticed a strange detail.

"Wait, its condition isn't quite right."

Although the Yellow Earth Python was incredibly powerful, its movements seemed somewhat frantic.

It kept looking back, and its thick body bore several fresh wounds. Some scales were even shattered and detached, revealing bleeding flesh underneath.

"It seems to be afraid of something?"

Liu Mingyu also noticed the abnormality.

Just then, a world-shaking roar suddenly came from the depths of the dense forest in the distance.

The oppressive power contained in that sound made the three, even a hundred zhang away, shiver involuntarily.

Upon hearing this roar, the Yellow Earth Python immediately reacted as if facing a formidable enemy.

Its massive body trembled violently, and it plunged into the ground without hesitation.

The hard earth parted before it like flowing water, and in a blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace, leaving only a huge hole in the ground.

"This, what on earth is this?"

Liu Yuting's voice had changed pitch.

Jiang Donghua's expression was solemn.

"What kind of existence could make a Peak Dou Shi Yellow Earth Python flee in terror?"

The three looked at each other, seeing deep fear in each other's eyes.

How could the three dare to stay here any longer?

They immediately activated their Dou Qi to cover their entire bodies, silently retreating deeper into the mountain cave. Anything that could make a Peak Dou Shi Yellow Earth Python flee in terror was definitely a terrifying Magical Beast of the Second-Tier or above!

"Hold your breath."

Jiang Donghua whispered, and the three pressed themselves against the ground like corpses, even deliberately suppressing their heartbeats to the slowest possible rate.

Liu Mingyu's earth attribute Dou Qi formed a thin layer of camouflage on his body, while Liu Yuting's water attribute Dou Qi enveloped the three, completely isolating their aura.

Suddenly, the sky abruptly darkened.

"Screech—!"

A piercing shriek, capable of shattering metal and cracking stone, shook the mountain cave, causing loose rocks to fall.

A giant bird with a wingspan of seven zhang descended from the sky, its entire body covered in metallic, dark green feathers, each one gleaming with a chilling light.

Most terrifying were its talons, like giant scythes forged from refined steel, glinting with deadly sharpness in the sunlight.

"It's a Green-Winged Demonic Condor!"

Liu Mingyu's pupils contracted to pinpricks, and even his telepathic message trembled.

The Demonic Condor's sharp gaze swept across the ground, then it suddenly swooped down, its talons plunging into the earth like sharp blades.

The ground shook violently, accompanied by the Yellow Earth Python's mournful hiss, as its massive snake body was forcibly dragged out from underground!

"Hiss—!"

The Yellow Earth Python thrashed its body wildly, its yellowish-brown Dou Qi erupting, trying to break free.

However, the Demonic Condor merely tossed its head dismissively, its sharp beak precisely biting the snake's head, then it tilted its head back and swallowed.

"Gulp!"

A spine-chilling swallowing sound echoed inside the mountain cave.

The three watched in horror as the ten-zhang-long giant python was swallowed whole, its tail still weakly wiggling a few times at the Demonic Condor's beak before finally disappearing completely into that gaping maw.

The Demonic Condor satisfiedly ruffled its feathers, then suddenly turned its head towards the direction of the mountain cave.

Its amber vertical pupils seemed to pierce through the darkness, directly locking onto the trio's hiding place!

The scent of death was close at hand; their blood seemed to freeze.

Just at this critical moment.

"Boom!"

A violent explosion suddenly erupted from the distant forest.

The Demonic Condor alertly raised its head, hesitated for a moment, then finally flapped its wings and flew towards the source of the sound.

Its enormous wings stirred up a fierce wind, causing the trees outside the mountain cave to sway wildly.

It wasn't until the sky-obscuring figure completely disappeared into the horizon that the three dared to breathe heavily.

Cold sweat had already soaked their backs, and Liu Yuting had completely collapsed onto the ground.

The other two weren't in much better shape, especially Jiang Donghua. He was the strongest among them, and that Third-Tier Magical Beast had definitely sensed their presence.